Wolf Bite (The Blue Mountain Wolf Pack #5) - Emma Dean Page 0,1

fucking team whether they were working or playing.

That didn’t necessarily mean they were soul mates. Not that it mattered. There was no such thing as soul mates anyway.

Zoe took a big sip of bourbon, choking it down until she felt the buzz she wanted. The food was good for what it was and they both ate in silence, watching as the sun set and darkness settled around them.

“Thanks for inviting me,” Chris said, taking the empty bowls and washing them both out while she poured a second glass for each of them. “I didn’t realize how much I needed this.”

“Work or personal?” she asked, sipping at the bourbon as she laid back against her pack, arms crossed over her chest as she stared into the fire.

“Both.” Chris chuckled, putting away the dishes. “You know how work can be. I swear they understaff us on purpose and somehow I always end up with the meanest hag on my rotation.”

“And personal?” She was definitely a masochist. Zoe took a bigger sip this time.

Chris sighed and moved his backpack, so it was right next to hers. When he sat down the entire side of his body was pressed against hers. Zoe felt her heart start beating harder even though she knew it was only for body warmth.

Her eyes remained fixed on the fire and she drained her cup, rinsing it out and clipping it back to her pack as she waited for his answer.

“Sometimes I wonder what the fuck I’m doing,” Chris muttered, sipping at the alcohol.

“I always wonder what the fuck you’re doing,” Zoe retorted, watching as the sparks rose up into the sky.

The stars were beautiful, and it never got old to see them so clearly. The moon was bright too and she caught herself staring at it, wondering what it was about the forest at night that was so difficult to resist.

If it wasn’t so cold, she wouldn’t even bother with a tent and she’d fall asleep counting the stars just like she used to when she was little, but those stars had been stuck to her ceiling and glowed in the dark.

“I just wonder why all the games,” Chris finally said. “I wonder why no one wants to commit anymore. Why can’t I find a girl who wants to go steady with me? I want to fall in love just like those Asian shows you watch.”

“K-dramas,” Zoe said quietly.

“Those,” he said with a nod. “It’s like all this tension and then they finally hold hands and…I want a girl to look at me like that. I’d love to find someone to dance in the rain with and then when there’s some ridiculous miscommunication, I run to her and pull out the ring I’ve been holding for months, and she agrees to marry me. Then we live happily ever after.”

She tilted her head back against her pack and closed her eyes, hating how thick her jealousy was.

Because even if she wanted all those things too, Zoe knew she wasn’t the kind of girl to giggle shyly and marry the cute boy who sang sea shanties.

Maybe her therapist was right because the idea of all those things was romantic and beautiful, but they terrified the living shit out of her. Giving up her freedom wasn’t something she could ever do.

“I’m sure a lot of girls want that,” Zoe finally said, knowing she had to say something as his friend. “I don’t know if you’ll find it on some dating app though.”

“Yeah, and we’re all workaholics.” Chris chuckled and finished his drink. “Hey maybe we should make a pact.”

“No.” Zoe wasn’t that much of a masochist. “Don’t make it weird, Chris. We both know I’m not your type.”

The look he gave her was disconcerting. It was like he saw her for the first time and there was a curiosity that hadn’t been there before. Her stomach dropped when he cleared his throat.

“And I’m definitely not your type,” he said, but it was almost worded as a question.

“You know you’re not,” she muttered.

Zoe hated how true it was too. Two years of crushing on someone she could never love because she couldn’t give up her control. What man would want to do that for her? They all got emasculated so easily.

“Who’s your dream guy then?” he asked, settling against his backpack like he might just fall asleep that way. Chris was such an idiot sometimes and he’d end up with hypothermia if he didn’t go to bed soon.

“I don’t have a dream guy,”