Fated for Her Wolves - Tara West Page 0,20
Her mother and gamma father would probably be appalled if they saw this mess. She wrinkled her nose when she smelled artificial pine air freshener. She wondered if it was meant to mask the smells of a bachelor pad or if Dejan just liked pine.
Though the inside had the same layout as their grandparents’ house, the style was more modern. The walls were bare, and the living room had no furniture other than two computer tables, each with a compact tower, a large monitor, and a padded leather chair. Why hadn’t she known they were gamers? Did only two of them play or did they take turns? Why had nobody ever asked her to play them online? She wasn’t a half-bad gamer and could’ve used familiar friends to play, as her brothers were always busy with their growing family.
Dejan scratched the back of his neck, his cheeks flushing. “We’re sorry it’s so bare. We were hoping you’d add the feminine touches.”
Dimitri sat at the kitchen table, his back to them while he poured liquor into a shot glass.
They went into the kitchen, which was roomy. The cabinets needed to be sanded and painted, but the double-door fridge was much larger than the tiny, ancient one their grandparents had. She thought about unplugging the two pine air fresheners she saw in the outlets but thought better of it. This wasn’t her house yet.
They took her upstairs and showed her their bedroom, which looked cramped with a twin mattress in each corner. The beds had no frames or even sheets, just raggedy, crumpled blankets, and she wondered how she was supposed to sleep with them. Her bed back at home was far bigger. The only bathroom was at the end of the hall, a tight space with a pedestal sink and a shower/tub combo. Back home she enjoyed the privacy of her own bathroom.
Andrei whispered in her ear, “Are you ready for the best part?”
“Sure.” She was painfully aware of Dimitri stealing glances at her from the hallway.
They took her back downstairs, through the dining room, and toward an adjoining room, which she suspected would be a den.
She was pleasantly surprised when she saw the four-poster bed and an antique, feminine dresser with a gilded mirror that covered nearly the entire side wall. Only two or three people would fit in that bed. Was this her private room, or was she expected to share?
When Andrei led her into a spacious bathroom with a clawfoot tub and double sink with a vanity, she heaved a sigh of relief. Perhaps the upstairs room with the twin beds wasn’t meant to be the master bedroom.
“Well?” Andrei whispered in her ear. “Do you like it?”
“It’s very nice,” she whispered back. “Are we all supposed to fit in that bed?”
He and his brothers laughed.
“No,” Constantine answered. “This is your bed.”
“Oh.” Her mother and fathers slept in one large, custom-built bed. Despite having to listen to her fathers snoring all night, her mother loved sleeping with her four wolf mates. Why did her mates wish for her to sleep alone?
“Told you she wouldn’t like it,” Dimitri hissed, hovering in the doorway with his arms crossed.
Her gaze snapped to his, and in that split second when their eyes met, she felt his bone-deep hatred for her. “I like it.” She looked out the window. It was snowing again.
Dimitri spoke through gritted teeth. “It took us four years and a lot of money to build this house.”
Constantine held out a staying hand. “Dimitri, that’s enough.”
Dimitri laughed bitterly.
She didn’t understand why he was projecting so much animosity and could hardly believe this was the same man who’d whispered tender words of love after he’d woken from a coma four years ago. “You didn’t have to go through all that.”
“Then what did we have to do, Tatiana?” He sulkily pushed off the doorframe. “Because clearly our best isn’t good enough.”
“I’m sorry.” She didn’t know if she was more angry with Dimitri or herself for putting off the bond. “I said it was very nice. What else do you expect?”
“You’re right,” he snapped. “It’s not you, it’s us. It’s always us.”
“Easy, Dimitri,” Andrei said through a growl.
Constantine and Dejan growled at their brother, too.
He threw up his hands. “I’ve been easy for five fucking years.”
When Constantine moved aggressively toward him, Dimitri spun around and marched in the other direction. She flinched when the front door slammed, and her heart plummeted when she heard the truck engine starting.
Swearing in Romanian, Constantine stormed after him.
Dejan