“Well you can turn right around and go where you came from Greg; I don’t need a babysitter,” she told him nicely but firmly, hoping he would repeat that “alpha’s orders” speech that Tony used on her often.
“I am not here to babysit you, Lily, seriously! Yes, the alpha sent me but not to babysit. He wants to keep you safe that’s all,” Greg insisted.
“Well, I don’t need protecting Greg,” she replied. Why couldn’t she just shut up and let him in?
His head dropped to his chest and he looked up at her. “Can you please just let me hang out for a few hours? If I go back now the alpha will have my hide,” he told her with a pleading look that she had to admit was really cute on him.
“Fine, you can stay here awhile. I don’t want you to have problems because of me but only a few hours and that’s it,” she told him, seeing an open opportunity to accept help without looking like she really needed it. He gave her another charming smile that Lily found very contagious. She moved aside so he could come in the house and shut the door. “Do you want some coffee Greg?” she asked, entering the kitchen.
“Yes, please and thank you very much,” he told her politely and followed her into the kitchen. He helped her make the coffee and she couldn’t remove the smile on her face. At least Andrew had the good sense to send someone cute, fun, courteous, and did she mention cute?
“So what did you do to get punished by babysitting duty?” she asked as they sat down at the little glass table. Greg laughed full heartedly.
“I don’t think sitting here with an attractive woman drinking coffee is punishment,” he told her with a flirty glint in his dark brown eyes.
“Wow, aren’t you the smooth talker? I guess Andrew has more tact than I gave him credit for,” Lily flirted back at him.
Her phone rang in the living room so she excused herself and went to answer it. “This is Lily,” she answered. Someone immediately started chattering off quickly in a language she didn’t know. She attempted to say slowly and loudly they had the wrong number, but they continued to chatter off mindlessly so she just decided to hang up and hope that they got the point. She returned back to the kitchen greeted by Greg’s bright smile.
“Something important?” he asked and she shook her head.
“No, someone got the wrong number,” she told him, drinking down a mouthful of her coffee. She scrunched her nose slightly; she really had to switch brands, this one tasted funny.
Lily and Greg spent the morning chatting about this and that. She loved how easy it was to talk to him. He seemed somewhat familiar, but she had no idea where from. She figured she had probably seen him, or a glimpse of him, at one point since he was a member of the pack. She was surprised when she found herself telling him about her whole sad and neglected childhood.
“So, your biological parents spent all their time partying, doping up, and drinking until one day they just picked up and moved, taking everything but you? That must have been hard,” he told her and she nodded slowly.
Lily could have kissed him right then and there when he didn’t get the sad pathetic look of sympathy and pity on his face that everyone else got when she told them. It was one of the reasons she had refused to talk about it until now. “Thanks for not giving me the whole you poor thing speech,” she said finally and he shot her a bright smile.
“No thanks needed, I know what it’s like to be the subject of the pity party thing,” Greg told her and she eyed him skeptically. Once more he laughed loudly and Lily relaxed, enjoying the sound.
“I had it a little rough as a kid too,” he admitted as his face turned into a dark hard expression. “I was quite the disappointment to my parents, mostly my father. I wasn’t the son they had expected while my mother tried to change me into her idea of a better son. My father preferred the insults and the beatings.”
“Well shame on them,” Lily said and he looked up at her surprised. “I’ve only known you for a little while, but it’s enough to see you’re a great guy, Greg,” She told him and he brightened immediately. She took another drink of her coffee.
“You’re not like the other werewolves,” she told him and he didn’t seem to be pleased. “That’s a good thing Greg; most of the others either insult me because they think I am something of a groupie or like Andrew and Tony, who order me around like I am some idiot child. Not to mention the cocky ones like James Lacrosse!” She snapped.
“You don’t like the famous James Lacrosse?” he asked with a wide smile and she shook her head.
“I think he is an egotistical jerk! Thanks to him I had to deal with my biological parents for a year without the safe haven of the Roberts’s home. Andrew told me I couldn’t come over when they fostered him that year,” she admitted with bitterness.
Greg cringed. “Now that really sucks.”
“Totally sucks, I don’t think James has gotten any more humble with age,” she continued sourly.
“I am glad to finally meet someone who sees him for what he really is,” Greg told her positively, beaming with happiness.
“Now, see that is what I am talking about! You’re such a pleasure to have around,” Lily told him eagerly.
“Just remember you said that when you really get to know me,” he told as a playful warning.
“Well, if the alpha is going to send you every time he wants to babysit me then I don’t mind,” she replied. He got an odd expression on his face, but it was gone before she could attempt to decipher it.