Jayce’S POV.
I kissed her.
I wasn’t supposed to kiss her. Not after what happened. One look at her lips and I lost all sense of reasoning and now I’ve made things awkward between us. I don’t know how I’m going to face her tomorrow. I don’t know what I’m going to say to her.
I’m so nervous and mad at myself right now and I need someone to assure me that everything is going to be alright. I will lose my mind if the least thing goes wrong between Alora And I.
Reed is the last person I should’ve called because he’s not going to tell me the things I want to hear. I pour myself another shot of whiskey and let out an exasperated sigh.
“I should’ve just left when I stood up!” I lament in regret. I shouldn’t have stayed. The kiss would not have happened. Maybe she would’ve invited me to stay the night with her like she did last night.
My impatience ruined everything!
Dang it!
“You called.” A voice speaks from behind. I turn to look and a wave of relief washes through me when I see Reed standing by the door with both hands in his trouser pockets. He even stands like me now. His suit jacket is off. The sleeves of his immaculate white shirt have been folded up to his elbows. His hair is a bit dishevelled, but he still looks very handsome.
I swear, Reed and I have very similar features. Looking at him feels like I’m looking at my reflection in a mirror. We could pass for siblings.
I gesture at him to come over.
“This is the third time in a row. You keep this up and you are going to fall in love with me.” I choke on my drink. He starts laughing. I slam my glass on the bar counter and cough hard. Laughter keeps trying to make its way out of my throat, making it impossible for me to stop coughing. My respiratory tract is going to explode if this continues.
Reed can kill a man with his words.
I almost lose it when he rubs my back.
When I’m calm again, I shoot him a hard glare. He raises both hands in the air to surrender.
“I called you over to keep me company, not to kill me.”
“You’re the one who keeps taking my words seriously.” He whines and I shake my head because I know I’m never going to win an argument with Reed.
He takes the glass I had already set aside and serves himself some whiskey. We both toast to whatever and down it all in one go.
“Why did you call?”
“I want to discuss something personal with you. Are you comfortable with that?”
“No, but I’m willing to compromise for you.”
I chuckle.
It’s an honour to have Reed bend his rules for me. He doesn’t do it for anyone.
“I did something I wasn’t supposed to do… yet.”
“What’s that?” He asks, looking at me. He’s attententive. I have to be prepared for the bomb he’s going to throw at me when I tell him.
“I kissed Alora Out of nowhere.”
“Oh…” He straightens his back. “It’s that personal.”
“Yeah.” I whisper with a nod. He nods, looking straight ahead. I stay still, waiting for him to say what’s on his mind.
“But, she’s your mate, right? Aren’t you two supposed to be doing stuff like that?” His brows are furrowed as he asks that question. I exhale heavily.
The conversation is going more subtly than I thought it would.
I’m the Alpha between us, but I’m the one walking on eggshells. Reed really is something else.
“Well, it’s a normal thing to happen between mates, but the thing is, Alora…” I sigh. “Alora is different. I’m sure you know about her background. How she grew up, what she has been through and all that.” He nods his head and sips more whiskey from his glass.
“Yeah, I know that.”
“All of that has made her very shy and reserved and scared… so, I promised myself to be patient with her. To wait till She was comfortable with me before we could do stuff like that.”
“So what made you kiss her all of a sudden? It’s only been a week.”
Yeah.
That’s the real Reed talking.
I look at him like he has lost his mind.
“Don’t give me that kind of look.” He backs away from me. “I just want to know what happened.”
“And that was the best way for you to ask?”
“Oh boy!” He laments in frustration.”Alright. What got over you? Why did you kiss her out of nowhere?”
There’s no difference between this statement and the first. I shake my head.
“I got carried away by the moment. One minute I was rising up to leave and the next moment, I found myself connecting my lips with hers. It happened so fast.”
“Nothing happened so fast. It was purely intentional. Like you said, you should’ve left the moment you rose to your feet, but you didn’t because you wanted to kiss her and you did. I don’t understand why you are lamenting over something you did intentionally and I’m even sure you loved it.” I place my elbows on the counter and carry my head in my hands.
What evil spirit made me call Reed?
He’s only going to make me feel worse.
“I don’t seem to be helping, am I?”
“No, you are not!” I fire at him.
“Oh…” is all he says as he looks away from me. “I don’t know, I’m just stating the facts.”
“I don’t want you to state facts I already know, I want you to tell me things that would make me feel less shitty about myself right now.” I bury my head back in my palms.
Maybe I should just go to bed.
“Well, I think you are overreacting over a kiss, except you did more and you are not telling me.” I shoot him a deadly gaze. “I’m sorry.” He whispers and I look away. “Have you asked yourself if she liked the kiss? If there’s a possibility that she liked that you kissed her?” He asks and I calmly look at him. The expression on my face has changed. I can feel my heart muscles relaxing.
“Yes…” he says nodding. “She’s shy and reserved and maybe scared, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want those things. Remember there’s a bond you both share. You might not show it, but the way you feel about her, is the same way she feels about you. So, if you’d ask me, I’d say there’s no need for you to get so worked up. She might have been taken off guard by the kiss, but I’m positive she’s not mad at you. I could bet my life that she annoyed it just as much as you did.” He explains and I’m looking at him, completely amused by his point of view on the issue.
This was the last thing I was expecting him to say.
“You are full of surprises Reed.”
“It’s one of my many charms.” He says proudly.
“You should be a relationship coach.” He scoffs and shakes his head. A question pops in my mind. “Have you found your mate?” I ask and he looks at me.
“Why? Will I be asked to drop my title as Omega if by twenty-five I haven’t found my mate?” I laugh softly.
“That only applies to me, the Alpha.”
“Thank God, because I really like being your Omega and I really don’t care about this whole mate saga.”
“You don’t mean what you just said.”
“Do I look like I don’t?” He has a serious look on.
“Why don’t you care about finding your mate”
“Because the only thing she’ll bring into my life is disorder.”
“That’s not true.” I give him a critical look. He pouts his lips.
“Apart from the fact that my heart will flutter unnecessarily, I’ll become vulnerable because I have someone to protect. I’d have to explain why I have to leave for work early, why I have to come home late, why I have to go where I want to go, what I have to eat, what I have to wear… it’s too much change for me to handle.”
“So you are scared.”
“Yes, I am. I have the way I live my life that suits me. I’m scared that someone will come in and change that. I hate change.”
“You won’t mind when the time comes.”
“I hope it doesn’t.”
“Don’t you want to have children someday?” I ask, curious. This guy has a very interesting mindset about this whole mate issue. This is the first I’m hearing someone tell me he’s not interested in finding his mate.
“No, I don’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m not supposed to be in this world. I am an abomination.”
“What?” I ask with raised brows. “What the hell do you mean by that?” His mood has completely changed from jovial to gloomy. I can see his jaw bones twitching and he’s holding the glass with a very firm grasp. This is a sour topic for him.
I should stop pushing him to talk, but I’m too curious to do that. I want to know more about him.
“My mother had me with a man who was not her mate. She only told me who he was when I turned eighteen. She forbade me from ever approaching him. My father had no knowledge of my existence till the day he died.” My heart sinks upon hearing that.
That’s sad.
Knowing who your father is, but you can’t approach him.
I cannot imagine my life without my father.
“I’m so sorry Reed.” I sympathise with him. He chuckles and turns to look at me. I expected his eyes to be teary, but they are as dry as a desert.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s all in the past.”
I simply nod my head and drink more whiskey. I don’t want us to discuss that topic anymore.
I look at him staring blankly into space.
There’s a reason why Reed always acts so aloof. I just got a sneak peek. I must find out everything I need to know about him.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX.