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Chapter 5

-Logan-

I don't know why, but I didn't expect to be having so much… fun. I knew Emory and I would have chemistry, and I even expected we would get along well together because, duh, mates. What I didn't expect was for her to be so funny when I could finally get her to relax enough to think through the instinctive arousal- not that I minded that, either.

When I first caught her heady scent after asking her to dinner, I thought I was going to pass out from all the blood leaving my brain. I can't even think of anything to compare it to, it's just… my new favorite smell. It makes me want to edge her all day every day until I can get her into my bed, just so I can let that fragrance permeate my skin and hair and nose and every molecule of myself- but then I realize everyone else like me would be smelling it, too, and I’m already far too possessive of her for that. It’s hard enough to share her smiles with anyone else.

I am, admittedly, struggling to keep my wolf leashed. His idea of a great ice breaker is to pull her into one of these filthy alleys, slam her against a wall, and make out with her. That might work with a she wolf, who could smell our connection as well as I can, but a human requires a lighter touch. Or no touching at all, in the very beginning. Another issue that my wolf is having is that she lives in a less-than-safe part of town. Our mate has to be alive and whole in order to be ours forever. I share this particular issue but obviously there isn’t much I can do about it until I find out who owns her building. If I can get them to sell, I can do an overhaul and make sure she has the best security measures available until we get to know each other well enough to move her in with me. I wonder if Ollie would have anything relevant to that project? I’ll have to ask him later.

“So tell me, Emory, are you from the city? You have a Southern accent, so my guess is no.” I wonder how far she lives from her family? I just barely miss a questionable puddle when I look over for her answer.

“I’m actually from North Carolina, out in the boonies. I just felt so stifled, surrounded by cow fields and tractors. I love the options of the city, even if I miss the silence of back home sometimes. The traffic here is nonstop, and I'm sure one day I'll find it comforting like I do hearing the trains back home. The arguing of my neighbors is a little harder to get used to.” So not a fan of her building. Cheap soundproofing is a hallmark of shortcuts taken elsewhere, and Emory deserves better and safer. I bet there's not even a lock on the front door.

“My parents and siblings all still live there- scraping together a living until I ‘make it big’ and bring them all to live with me. I’m not sure we’d all make it if we tried to live together again, though. I remember some legendary fights between my brothers and I” Good. She’s staying here. We’ll figure out a guest house for the rest of her family or something along those lines.

“Brothers, plural? How many siblings do you have?” Brothers might be a problem. I have… a bit of a reputation… and I wouldn’t want to hurt them when we’re all just trying to make sure Emory is happy and safe. Best not to go in expecting enemies when I could find allies, though.

“Just three, two brothers and a sister. We alternated- boy, girl, boy, girl- and I’m the second of us. My older brother is Bryan, then me, then Hunter, then the youngest and most spoiled is Elliana. Hunter seems to think that just because he got bigger than me, that makes him my big brother too, but I’ll always remember putting dresses on him when we were little. Do you have siblings?” She peeks up at me through her lashes and my heart does this warm, melty thing in my chest. I can never tell the guys about that, on pain of relinquishing my man card. Big, bad, alpha getting all gooey center over some shyness. Damn.

“I have a little brother, but that’s all of us. We have a very close-knit… extended family, though. We all live close to each other -like some kind of wolf pack.” I add some laughter and check her in my peripheral vision to see her reaction. Thankfully, she chuckles along with me.

“I wish our extended family was closer. It must be so nice to have such a big network of people around you- you must have a person for everything!”

“I suppose we do make up our own little community, but it also means that anyone's business is everyone’s business, which can be annoying as hell, sometimes. I’m sure everyone will know about our date by Sunday evening.” I’m moving too fast. We haven’t even gone on the date yet and I’m talking like she’s going to meet the pack! I have to find a way to pull back before I smother her. It might’ve been easier to just tell her everything in the beginning so I would have an explanation besides “RED FLAG: STALKER” but it’s too late for that now.

“It sounds like any small town- I’m used to living in a fish bowl, remember? My parents moved to Hickory when my brother was born and we were still the ‘new family’ when I left.” I try not to make my sigh of relief too noticeable, but I’m so glad she understands. On the other hand, I feel my shoulders get tighter and tighter the closer we get to her apartment. I hate that she walks this route every day through garbage and graffiti- gang tags, by the look of them, which is even worse. I hope she never works late, but even getting out on time puts her walking home in the dark every winter.

“Do you always walk to work? It must be hard in heels- I can’t imagine how women walk in them at all.” Please say no, please, please?

“No.” Thank God! “I just recently started so I can be a little healthier. New year, new me, and all that. I’m used to the heels, but I’m still getting used to the change in commute time.” That’s better than I thought, but… how do I keep her safe like this? Best to just be blunt. She’s taken well to the bits of honesty I’ve given her so far, I suppose.

“Maybe I can walk back with you if I’m not working late. Would you get a cab home if I get wrapped up in the office, though? This seems… like a car would be safer for you.” That would take care of the evenings, at least. I’m not sure how I could talk her into a car for the mornings when I myself walk to work, but we’ll start here, and I'm not sure how to explain a driver just for her without coming off super controlling… which, I guess this is, honestly.

“I’m perfectly fine, thank you for offering. I haven’t had any issues, and if I do in the future I have both pepper spray and a brown belt in karate.” Great. I’ll add tailing her to my morning workouts, then- not that I mind her tail at all.

“I appreciate your independence, but-”

“No. Thank you, Logan. I don’t need a driver. But walking with you has been nice, we should definitely do it again sometime.” She's stubborn, noted. At this, I realize we’re at the front stoop of her apartment. I’m out of chances to further state my case, but I do have a chance to, maybe, kiss her goodbye? Best not to push my luck, I think. This has already been kind of a lot, by human standards.

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