“Women. Why?”
“Just asking.”
Uh-huh. Weirdo.”I should go find them.”
Heart pounding to the hectic rhythm of the bass spilling from the surround-sound speakers, I made my way toward Skylar and Emmy. They’d met up with another couple-Francine and Lark. Francine was petite and feminine. Lark was something else. In spite of the buzz cut and the baggy AC/DC t-shirt, Lark didn’t strike me as a man. But maybe he was.
They were all very nice and included me in every conversation, which was more than the pack did. At some point, I found myself looking upward at the mezzanine, right into Liam’s shadowy gaze. His forearms were propped on the metal guardrail. Matt stood next to him, and behind them sat the rest of their posse and their harem of girls.
When a thin, pale arm snaked around Liam’s midsection, crumpling his black V-neck, I looked away. Three days ago, he’d proclaimed he’d wanted to kiss me, that he didn’t care about Tamara, and yet here she was, wrapped around him like string around a birthday present.
His fickleness stung way more than it should.
I’d been standing for what felt like hours in the bathroom line, and it had barely shortened. What did women do in there?
I started tapping my foot to distract myself from the spasms in my bladder. When that didn’t help, I took out my phone. I wasn’t socially connected-no Facebook, no Instagram, no Twitter, no Snapchat-so I checked the news, especially what was happening overseas. Even though August had said little could kill a werewolf, I worried about his safety. What if a blood-thirsty rebel set fire to his camp?
I shuddered just thinking about it.
By the fifth article I read, I was two people closer to my destination. I contemplated the men’s room entrance that swung like a revolving door. Boys were in and out so fast I suspected they didn’t wash their hands. At this moment, I wished women would sacrifice hygiene for speed. Just as I had that thought, the boy’s bathroom door flapped again, and lo and behold, Liam Kolane stepped out.
I swung my gaze to the short ponytail of the girl in front of me, feigning great interest in her purple hair tie.
When her head swiveled and her mouth fell a little open, I momentarily shut my eyes. I could smell Liam next to me, feel the heat from his hulking body.
“What do girls do in there?” he asked.
I loosed a sigh, then opened my eyes. Why was he always there? Did he have some internal radar that displayed my location at all times?
Barely moving my lips, I mumbled, “Beats me.”
“Come.”
That made me look up. “Where?”
He nodded toward the guy’s bathroom.
“I can’t go in there.”
“We have toilets too.”
They also had urinals and probably a long line of boys doing their business. “With doors?”
One side of Liam’s mouth curled up. “Yes.”
He leaned down until his mouth was leveled with my ear. I shivered when his hot breath pulsed against my lobe.
“If you become Alpha, you’ll need to get over your prudishness.”
I raised my gaze toward him. But I won’t be Alpha, Liam. I won’t even be part of a pack come next week. Maybe I won’t be part of this world either. I didn’t say any of these things. Instead, because I was going to seriously pee myself if I didn’t get to a toilet soon, I accepted his proposal and trailed him to the guy’s bathroom. Two boys tried to go inside, but Liam told them to wait. He opened the door. Three guys were standing at the urinals. Great. Not awkward at all.
“Get out,” he said.
My jaw prickled with embarrassment when I realized he was kicking people out. The three guys turned-just their heads thankfully-and gaped at Liam. When they noticed his serious expression, they zipped up quick, and bypassing the sinks, they filed out.
“You didn’t have to kick everyone out,” I said, going toward a stall.
He leaned against the door to keep it closed and gave me a smug smile. “You’d rather have had an audience?”
No I wouldn’t. I locked myself up in a stall, and squatting over the piss-covered toilet seat, I emptied my throbbing bladder. I tried not to think about Liam standing just outside.
As I flushed, there was banging. Liam must’ve cracked open the door because music blared against the black tiles.
“The bathroom’s out of order,” he bellowed, just as I came out of the stall. He leaned against the metal door then planted one boot on it.
I washed my hands with the pink soap that smelled like antiseptic and artificial cherry.
“I saw you talking with Sarah Matz.”
Of course he’d had an angle for helping me out and clearing the bathroom. He wanted information. Instead of beating around the bush and asking if it was illegal to chat with a Pine wolf, I said, “And you want to know what I discussed, I suppose?”
He didn’t respond, just studied me as I approached him, wiping my hands on my dress. The sequins weren’t very absorbent.
“I asked her if I could borrow a dress for her brother’s wedding,” I said.
His eyebrows shifted over his eyes that looked amber in the bathroom’s red florescent lighting. “Why did you ask her for a dress?”
“Who else was I supposed to ask? My aunt is twenty sizes bigger than me, and Evelyn doesn’t own any fancy apparel. I looked online, but unlike tuxes, there’s no shop that rents dresses in Boulder.”
The door pulsed behind him. He opened it and barked, “It’s out of order,” then leaned against it again.
“I’m done, Liam. You can let them-”
“I’mnot done.”
I balled my fingers into fists. “That’s all I talked about.”
“Taryn must have a dress.”
“I don’t want Taryn’s dress.”
“I’ll take you shopping tomorrow.”
I jerked back. “No way.”
His gaze ground into mine, and my pulse skittered. I tried to breathe to calm myself. After the fourth not-even-remotely-close-to-soothing breath, I mumbled, “Stay locked in here with me any longer, and it’ll start rumors.”
“I don’t give a shit about rumors.”