Wolf's Call (Wolves Next Door #2) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,172

rolled over to shove his face in the pillow. "Oh, this is going to suck," he grumbled, the sound muffled.

I just leaned in to kiss his tattooed shoulder. "The price of responsibility, right?"

"More like pretending to be normal," he said, catching me around the waist. "Otherwise, I'd convince you to be late to work."

"Mm..." I scooted a little closer. "Tempting, but my best friend needs me."

"I need you," he countered, sneaking in a quick kiss. "But I can do without for one more day, I suppose." Then he rolled away and sat up. "Elena, she said other wolves are calling."

I slid out of bed and headed to the bathroom. "Yeah, I know."

He didn't care that I closed the door behind me, simply raised his voice. "The problem is that you can't trust them. Who's to say if that werewolf on the phone is one of us or some reporter trying to get the inside scoop? Samantha's comments about the kids from Wolf's Run has put us in the spotlight. It's helping, but that doesn't mean it won't be rough for a bit."

When I finished with the toilet, I opened the door and moved to the sink to brush my teeth. "Well, the kids are ok, and I did say I'd rather be the one taking the brunt of this." Then I shoved my toothbrush in my mouth.

Seth just moved to lean against the door frame, not caring that both of us were completely naked. "Just don't let it get to you, ok?" His eyes ran down my body. "And I seriously need pants."

"Make me a coffee?" I mumbled.

That made him smile. "Sure." But he still didn't move. "Elena?"

"Mm?"

"I've never felt like this about anyone before. I know now's not the time, but..." He glanced down. "I like this. The stupid parts of this, like watching you brush your teeth, and the toothpaste on your chin. I like how you make me feel about myself. I love spending the night like it's perfectly normal, and how easy it is to spend time with you, even if I feel like an idiot half the time."

I quickly spit, then made sure to rinse the toothpaste away that he'd mentioned. "And now I'm really wanting to put on clothes," I teased.

He just shook his head. "No. Don't. The view is the best part. I'm just saying that I'm there, and I know you're not ready for anything else on your plate, but..." He shrugged. "I guess, let me know when you are?"

And then he turned and headed for his pants. I shoved the toothbrush back into my mouth and watched him pull on his clothes, amazed with the way his ass and thighs flexed, but my mind was stuck on one phrase. "I'm there," he'd said. Where? Dedicated? Committed? Accepted?

Or did he mean love?

My heart flipped in my chest so I turned back to the mirror. The woman I saw reflected wasn't one who deserved this, but I wasn't going to refuse it either. The real question was what I felt. I loved Lane. I knew I did, but was that because he was easy? Lane was almost my age. He was fated for me, so wasn't going anywhere - but neither were the rest of them. This thing we had just worked.

But did I love Lane because I was supposed to? I honestly didn't think so. I loved Lane because he made me feel safe and important. I'd actually admitted it because he wasn't going anywhere, and a little part of me still worried about the rest of these guys. Years of habit made me automatically jump to all the reasons why men like them wouldn't want a woman like me. My age was right at the top - but they didn't care. My child was a close second, yet they adored her.

The fact that I wasn't pretty enough, rich enough, important enough, or anything else chased on the heels of that, but I knew better. Those were the things my ex-husband had always said. The truth was that I did like these guys. Each one was different, but Seth was quickly climbing to the top of my list. Ian was already there. He'd said he loved me, and I hadn't said it back yet, but the truth was that I did.

And Seth? He made me happy. He made me feel beautiful. Every time he was around, I felt like I was on top of the moon. I wanted to be stupid and