about me, and I have my own about you, but I’m here because I want to know if I’m right. Fate wouldn’t have paired us together just to ruin both of our fucking lives. So, can we tone down the fighting? We’ll never get anything accomplished if we can’t.”
I nearly fall off my feet. We’ve basically come to the same conclusion. No, it doesn’t erase anything that happened to me before, but he’s right. Fighting isn’t going to solve anything. In fact, it’s going to take me further away from what I want. Maybe there’s another way to deal with my hurt, and I shouldn’t place it solely on him anyway.
My lip curls. Ugh. That was so adult sounding.
“Is that a no?” Jonah asks, placing his hands on his hips.
“No, that’s a yes. I was thinking about something…stupid. Forget it.”
“Okay....” He rubs the back of his neck. “Also, I just want to say one thing before we start. I shouldn’t have made that comment about your—our—first kiss. I was out of line, and I apologize. I should’ve realized it was your first, and I don’t know, I just said what was on my mind, and I shouldn’t have. I understand why you ran away from me.”
My lips tingle at the mention of that kiss. My wolf, who’s been happily brimming at the surface this whole time Jonah and I have been close to one another, is practically coming out of her skin in excitement. I’m trying not to wrangle her under control, and as long as this nice Jonah sticks around, maybe I won’t have to. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
I nod, feeling a little lighter. An apology is something.
He releases a breath and then launches into his family’s history on protecting the alpha. Some of it I know from our own pack history, but it’s cool to hear it from his first-person point of view and stories handed down from his ancestors. If I had waited, I wouldn’t have had to ask him if he enjoys what his life’s work will be. It’s clear he does. He takes it very seriously, and it’s good to see this passionate side of him. Plus, his family is making a difference in our pack. I’m not going to tell him right now but it’s kind of exciting.
“My aim in these classes isn’t to show you how to protect the alpha’s family yourself, but obviously it’s something I believe strongly in. I want my mate to be able to protect herself if the need arises.”
The use of my mate is doing funny things to my heart. “I like the idea, too,” I tell him, and he pauses at my words. “Didn’t expect that?” I ask.
“If I say not really will I have to apologize again?”
I chuckle. “No, you’re safe with that answer.”
“Good.” He keeps giving me looks as he moves closer. He takes one step and then stops. Then another, stopping again before moving even closer. I wonder if he’s aware he’s doing it. It’s as if he keeps stopping then realizing he wants to be that much closer to me so he automatically steps forward again. “So, I thought we could start with basic human defenses, then work our way into wolf defenses. Because of our nature, we’ll often shift first when we’re in danger, but there are some helpful things we can learn in our human form as well.”
We take the next hour to go through really basic self-defense moves. I don’t complain. Through this time together, I get to know him better. Not as the Jonah from school but as the real Jonah. The more he opens up, the more I find I like him. Plus, all this close contact is making my body short circuit. Since I’m determined to try instinct over mind, I really like when he touches me; molding my fists into the proper punching form; placing his hands on my hips when he’s showing me where my power should come from. Every time he does it, a zing passes between us like an electrical shock. If he feels it too, he doesn’t let on. He’s all business as we move through the different techniques, and I’m actually really happy with how much I’ve learned when the class winds down.
He brings out his phone to check the time. Frowning, he relays, “I should go. Um, I was thinking, maybe we could exchange numbers? That way if one of us has to cancel or, you know, talk to the other, we won’t