Only Mine (Honey Mountain #5)(41)

He nodded, and I rejoined the conversation just in time to hear Z ask Miranda if she was single. She went on to break out into my all-time favorite Beyonce song, “All the Single Ladies.”

And I did what I do best.

I joined right in, and sang my ass off at the swanky table, sitting beside the big, bad Wolf as he stared at me with disbelief.

Sabine and Natalie joined in shortly after I did, and Sebastian filmed our little show.

“All the single ladies, all the single ladies,” we sang.

The Wayburns were nothing like I’d expected.

Yes, they had a ridiculous amount of money.

But they were fun and silly and similar to my family, minus the sterling silver trays and the staff that waited on them.

And the cousin who should seriously take her show on the road because she was fabulous.

But there was a whole lot of love here in this house.

And that made it feel like home to me.





sixteen





Wolf





We were quiet when we first slipped into the car to head home after quite possibly the craziest dinner I’d ever attended at my parents’ house. Which was saying a lot, because most of our dinners were theatrical, especially once you got a few cocktails into Seb or when Miranda was invited over.

But I’d been fucking mesmerized by the woman sitting beside me the entire time. The way she handled herself. The way she managed to make everything better when she didn’t even know everyone at the table. The way she made Miranda not seem like she was three sheets to crazy town. The way she took the heat off my sister when her date managed to piss off everyone in the room. The way she rubbed my back when she thought I was choking, and the way I fucking liked every second of the contact. My dick was still trying to settle his ass down.

I turned to look at her. The partition was up, so Gallan couldn’t hear our conversation. The moonlight filled the cab just enough to allow me to make out her pretty features.

“Z is fucking odd. Did you see him binge-eating those nuts when we went back to the parlor to have a drink? And how many shots of tequila did his crazy ass have?” I grumped because the fact that my sister was dating that jackass was baffling to me.

“I asked him about the nuts, and he said since they grow on a tree, they wouldn’t technically break his fast. But… I’m going to tell you something that you will really enjoy, but you have to promise to keep it between us.”

“Why?”

“Because right now, your sister likes him. I doubt it will last, but I don’t want to be gossiping about her boyfriend because I happen to like her.”

“Fine. I won’t say anything.”

“I snuck away to thank Gweny for the great dinner before we left, and when I made my way to the kitchen, there’s that hallway near the pantry. Do you know the one I’m talking about?”

“Yes. I did grow up there,” I said dryly.

“Well, I saw Z in the corner near the pantry, eating a giant piece of chocolate cake with his hands. I mean, he was really going to town. So, I don’t know how serious he is about his fast. I think he might have been putting on a little show for your family.”

I barked out a laugh. It was the second time I’d laughed hard tonight, and it was because of this woman beside me. “He’s a fucking poser. I mean, if he doesn’t care about material items, and truly is appalled by the selling of goods… why the fuck is he hanging out with the daughter of a hockey team owner? I think he’s a fucking gold-digging, fake-ass fraud.”

“So, you don’t like him, then?” she said dryly.

“Was I that obvious?”

“I mean. Your fists were gripping the table at one point, and I feared you might dive over the table and kick his ass. So, yeah, I’d say you were fairly obvious.”

I leaned back against the seat. “Why is she dating him?”

“Because it’s probably fun. He’s completely different from the people in her world, or at least, he pretends to be. Should we look up his family’s adult films?” she asked as she started typing on her phone.

“What? No.”

“You afraid of a little porn, Wolf?” She smirked as she scrolled through the website.

“I don’t need porn to get myself off.” My voice was gruff as I took the phone from her hand and closed the website.

Her tongue swiped out to wet her plump bottom lip, and my dick was so hard it was bordering on painful.

“You’re awfully confident.”

“Just never been a problem for me. How about you, Minx?”

“What do you want to know?” she asked, tipping her chin up and letting me know I wasn’t getting to her. At least that was what she wanted me to believe. But I noticed the way her chest rose and fell quickly when I leaned close. I noticed the way her breaths were coming faster.

I leaned closer.

I couldn’t stop myself.

“Do you wonder what it would feel like to kiss me?” I whispered.

“Why do you ask? Do you wonder what it would feel like to kiss me?” Her voice was even. Completely in control.

I did my best to match her calm. “Yes. The thought has crossed my mind.”

“I thought you were a badass Navy SEAL. Why don’t you just find out for yourself and stop wondering?”