Dance Around - Susi Hawke Page 0,3

brothers, no less? What's wrong, Blondie? Have you finally come to your senses?"

Gil glanced over his shoulder and yawned. "I merely stated a fact. I said nothing about anything being forgiven. You and I both know why we never bonded. Unless you're ready to communicate like a grownup and make a few changes, then we remain at an impasse, as far as I'm concerned. Simply because you smelled like mate once upon a time doesn't mean I have to accept it."

"Once upon a time? Are you saying my scent has changed?"

Tapping his nose, Gil flashed me a wink. "Modern scent blockers are marvelous things. The only reason I haven't been forced to strangle you with my bare hands is thanks to this wonderful little prescription I have that excels in blocking mating scents and pheromones. Works pretty damn good at suppressing heats, too."

I stared at him, completely flabbergasted. My mind was so blown I couldn't have come up with a snarky retort if my life depended on it. Smirking, Gil gently brushed a hand over Dear's marked cheek.

"Sorry about hitting you so hard. My rabbit got slightly feral when you slapped our mate. Give me a call this week, and maybe we can meet at the pub for a game of darts. I'm leaving now. If you guys want a ride, I suggest you pick your chins up off the floor and get in one of the fucking cars."

We watched dumbly for several seconds as Gil headed for one of the cars and slipped inside with a bunch of his brood members. When the car pulled away, we scrambled forward, finding seats in the last car before it left. Thankfully, we were alone for the ride to the airport.

My brothers talked over each other, asking a million questions I couldn't answer if I'd wanted. When I crossed my arms and stared resolutely out the window, they fell quiet for a few glorious moments. I knew it wouldn't last long, but the silence was golden while it did. Dear spoke up right after I took my first calm breath. Semi-calm, anyway.

"Dan, we're your brothers. Talk to us. Help us understand because… damn. I never saw any of this coming. Every single one of us has a true mate, so we know what it's like to find yours. How were you possibly able to resist the pull? Do you really hate Gil and his brood enough to ignore the other half of your soul?"

Rapidly blinking, I pushed back familiar tears which usually only threatened on the darkest of nights. "Piss off, Dear. I love you, but if I wanted to discuss this topic, I would've brought it up years ago. If you give a shit about me at all, then you’ll allow me a few minutes of peace before I have to get on the plane and pretend the last ten minutes never happened."

"As you wish. Remember we're here if you need us." Dear sounded reluctant, but he hushed. Clay and Gibby too. Their eyes lingered on me as I stared out the window and tried not to think of the bewitching blond who'd set my blood on fire all over again.

If I had the courage, the sole thing I would've asked my brother was how to make the heartbreak go away. I'd known for years Gil was on scent blockers. Hell, I'd been relieved when I realized. It was the only way I could be around him without losing my mind. Or, even worse, losing control of my cat.

But to hear he'd blocked his ability to smell mine as well? I didn't have words. I simply knew something had broken inside me when I'd heard his little nugget.

My mate can’t stand the smell of me.

Closing my eyes, I leaned back against the seat and tried to let my mind go blank. A nap sounded pretty good. Especially given how tense things were bound to be once we boarded the plane. As the silence continued, I started feeling like a piece of shit for shutting my brothers out.

I opened my eyes to apologize but shut it right down. Dear was furiously texting someone—probably Nash—while Clay and Gibby were eying me like an unstable bomb. I bared my teeth and snarled. Despite my shame, I had to speak my truth.

"Not all of us are gifted with mates who welcome the connection. Can we just leave it there for now? Tomorrow is another day for you to pry into my love life. And we