Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 129756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 649(@200wpm)___ 519(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 649(@200wpm)___ 519(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
As Dominic didn’t like “talks,” he asked airily, “Why would I be?”
The Beta’s mouth thinned. “You know, I once thought something serious might come of you and Charlene.”
Dominic’s brows drew together. “Why?”
“Because you kept her around for longer than a month.”
That hadn’t been out of some deep interest in the fox. Back then, Charlene had been much like him—in no rush to mate and happy to stick with flings. Later, that had changed for her, and she was now fully imprinted on a lion shifter who Dominic kind of liked. Dominic, however, hadn’t changed.
“By behaving like a player, you’re cheapening yourself.”
Dominic shot his Beta a glare. Okay, Dominic might come across as a player, but . . . “I’m not some asshole who treats women like they’re sex objects or something.”
“No, you’re not,” Dante conceded. “You show a girl a good time. You treat her with respect, you don’t play games, and you don’t lead her on. Which is probably why I’ve yet to hear any female talk smack about you. But you don’t give them even a little bit of you. You just give them the illusion that they know you.”
“Illusion?”
Trey nodded. “On the surface, you’re social and open, so no one expects you to have secrets. But you’re not really such a simple creature, and you have more boundaries than most.”
“If growing old alone will make you happy, keep going as you are,” said Dante. “But if it won’t, get your shit together.”
Dominic bristled. “You talk like I’m a middle-aged guy clinging to his freedom.”
“I just don’t want you to become that guy,” said Dante. “But you’re on that path.”
Dominic snorted. “You’re only on my ass because I’m the last unattached adult male in the pack. Just because the rest of you are mated doesn’t mean it’s wrong that I’m not. And just because all of you are happy in your mating doesn’t mean that being single makes me unhappy.”
“But that’s the thing, Dom. I don’t think you are happy. I don’t think you’ve been happy in a long time. And I don’t like it.”
“Happiness isn’t always linked to whether or not you’re in a relationship.” Mating bonds could be a blessing, but they could also be a trap. Dominic’s parents had been trapped in a broken relationship, and his mother had been so desperate to escape that she’d walked out, condemning her own mate in the process. So yeah, the need to find his true mate had never nagged at Dominic. Even his wolf was in no rush to find her.
Dominic wasn’t stupid. He knew there was every chance he’d be as happy with his true mate as his pack mates were with theirs. But he also knew that he’d be a difficult partner. He’d find it hard to open up and bare his soul. He’d struggle to fully commit to something that he knew there would be no going back from . . . especially when it would make him feel suffocated and trapped.
With shallow relationships, there was no need to open up. But when it came to mating bonds, you had to give it everything you were. Dominic wasn’t sure he was ready for that. And if he couldn’t be sure that he was someone a female could fully trust, rely on, and care for, he had no business asking anything more from her than what he could give in return.
Dante lifted his hands, palms out. “All right, I’ll back off. But just keep in mind what I said, okay?”
Dominic made a noncommittal sound, and Dante rolled his eyes. Just then, Mila drew out her final note and the crowd went wild again, clapping and hooting. More than happy to distract himself from thoughts of his parents, Dominic turned his attention back to her.
Nursing his beer, he watched as she thanked her audience and then stalked off the stage, ass swaying provocatively. An ass he wouldn’t mind getting a firm grip on.
Moments later, she slipped through the door that led backstage and sort of . . . flowed toward the bar, as light and fluid as music. People waved at her and shouted out compliments, but she didn’t break stride as she cast them each a smile. He got the sense that she didn’t relish the attention but didn’t find it uncomfortable either.
Reaching the bar, she slipped onto a stool. “Water, please, Mads.”
Damn if that sultry voice didn’t slide down Dominic’s spine. His pack mate, Frankie, spoke in a low-pitched, smoky rasp, but Mila’s voice was a scratchy, gravelly, dirty kind of smoky that was almost hypnotic and made a man think of sin.
“You were great up there,” Madisyn told her as she handed her a bottle. “But then, you always are.”
“We should do a duet,” said Mila. “Don’t even lie and say you can’t sing for shit. I know you can.”