The Maverick Pride Tales - Chapter 189: Chapter 189

“What’s that nod about?” she asked.
“I saw you hunching your shoulders, and I didn’t like it much. So, I glared at you and your back went straight again. I nodded because I was proud of you,” he explained.
It was an odd thing to feel for a woman, and even odder to say it. But there was something about this beautiful creature that made Cole want to say every thought that popped into his head aloud. Well, except for the thoughts involving his current urge to bend her over and spank her ass while he plunged into her repeatedly.
Gulp. Yeah. I’ll keep that one to myself.
“Oh, I guess I did do that, huh?” she mumbled. “Sorry. I don’t go on many dates. I don’t really know how to do this.”
Damn, but she was cute when she shrugged and wrinkled her nose. He liked her wide mouth, and the fire bright color of her eyes when her she-Cat peeked out at him. Cole wasn’t looking for a mate. Hell, he’d objected to this whole damn thing. But right then, he was starting to feel something towards Megan. Something other than trepidation and cursory interest.
“Why the fuck not?”
“What?”
“Why don’t you go on many dates? Is there something wrong with the males in your Pride?”
“Uhhhh,” she said, and looked even more confused.
Cole was messing this up. he growled impatiently and ran a hand over his face. What the hell was he doing?
“Don’t matter. You don’t have to worry about not getting out much, lily. I don’t go on many dates either.”
“I guess I should ask you why not, huh?” she said, and her sassy little smile made his heart beat even faster.
Fuuuuck.
She was pretty. Her nose was scrunched up, head canted to the side as she watched him with her Tiger bright eyes. Such a pretty little thing, he mused. Cole thought a second before he replied, he could hear her honest curiosity and didn’t think she deserved less than the truth from him.
“I just don’t. I mean, I got serious with a woman once.”
“What happened?” she asked.
Cole growled and rolled his shoulders. Why the fuck had he brought Carly up? His ex had been a piece of work, all right. He’d thought he was in love. Thought she was his mate. But she was dating other men, messing around on the side. He’d caught her with one of her lovers in his own bed, and it had damn near killed him to witness her betrayal.
“It ended badly,” he said. “After that, I never wanted anything serious again.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she began.
Cole shook his head, staving off her sympathy. He didn’t want her feeling sorry for him. In fact, right then, he wondered why he ever gave a fuck about Carly in the first place. She wasn’t a tenth as interesting as this female in front of him. Megan had his attention, and the monster inside him was watching her.
Uh oh. Better run, little girl. Before it’s too late.
“I'm not looking for a mate,” he blurted, needing to put some sort of blockade between them.
His heart felt like it was beating him to death, and the walls were suddenly closing in. The bar was crowded and noisy as fuck, but when Cole looked into her Tiger bright eyes, he only saw her.
What the fuck was going on? Cole was happy being single. He was content growing old without a family. At the rate the Pack was going, he would be spoiling dozens of honorary nephews and nieces in no time at all. But suddenly his Wolf was howling inside him, thinking about cubs, and making babies with a certain long-legged goddesses he only just met.
What? No! Fuck no!
This was Derrick’s fault! Dammit. Him and the crazy old Witch.
“Oh, I see,” Megan said, averting her gaze.
Her posture changed. She looked everywhere but at him, and he felt her resigned disappointment rolling off her in waves. Somehow, he’d already fucked up, and that just didn’t sit well with Cole.
“No, lily, I don't think you do see,” he tried again. “It’s got nothing to do with you. I have a past and it’s complicated. I don't need or want a woman in my life right now. Or ever, maybe. I don’t want anyone to have that kind of power over me. But I can be your friend,” he said in a rush.
He searched her face, checking for any sign of what she might be feeling. He knew he sounded like an asshole. Hell, he should just let her walk away. But the thought made him sick. His gut twisted as the seconds ticked by. The scent of bodies crowding in on them, alcohol, and perfume were agitating his heightened senses. Cole wanted the whole fucking world to just go away, leave him alone so he could talk with her some more.
“Okay, so you don’t want to date me. But not just me. You don’t want to be in a relationship with anyone. You aren’t even looking for a mate. But you wanna be friends?” she said, summarizing what he had said so much better than he could have ever put it.
Smart and pretty. Let’s bite her.
Shut the fuck up, Wolf.
“Yeah,” he said.
It sounded even better when she said it. Well, sort of. If he could just ignore the psychotic part of him that demanded he lick her and call her his. Like she was something he could just call dibs on. He was a sick fuck. And he didn’t normally flipflop like this. Typically, Cole was perfectly capable of telling a woman the deal. If he wanted to fuck, and a woman was willing, he would go for it. If she wanted more, he would let her know first. One and done was his motto. And if she declined, well that was fine, too.
His dick was ready and willing to do the deed, but his mind knew Megan deserved more than that. She’d put herself out there, enlisted Uncle Uzzi’s help to find her mate. It was just bad luck the old Witch had pulled his name out of a hat. That or some kind of cosmic mistake, or worse, some fucking joke the Fates were playing on him and her.
That pissed off his Wolf. The animal didn’t really like the idea of anyone fucking with her. he should walk away. Leave her alone. But Cole wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her, even if he didn’t feel right about leading her on. No, he wasn’t looking for a mate. But everyone could use a friend, right?
“Look, Cole, was it? You don’t owe me anything,” she said, but he was already shaking his head.
He stopped her leaving with a hand on her elbow, and her gasp brought his gaze to hers. Cole frowned at the tiny zaps of electricity shocking his fingertips at the casual touch and he moved his hand back, rubbing the skin there.
“No, I don’t owe you anything, and you don’t owe me anything, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. What have you got to lose, lily? You’re already here.”
“I am here,” she relented, squinting her pretty eyes at him. “What does it mean being friends with someone like you?”
“Someone like me?” he asked, but she simply raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to continue. “Let’s see. You are new to town, and I’ve been here over a year now. I am loyal. I’m a good listener. I can show you the town, I know all the best eateries. I can help you make even more friends and get you feeling at ease.”
“How did you know I just moved here?”
“You have that look,” he said, a small smile teasing at the corner of his mouth. “Wide eyed and studying your surroundings like you just got to a place.”
“Alright,” she said and nodded her head. “Now that we have established where we stand, I guess I’ll need to call Uncle Uzzi to work on finding me another date because you are not looking for a mate,” she whispered, and was that disappointment or sorrow he saw flashing in her eyes? Cole couldn’t be sure, but he felt a shiver of something move up his spine.
“Yeah,” he growled his reply.
For some reason, Cole didn’t like thinking about that part. He didn’t know this woman from Eve, and he sure as shit, did not want to date anyone. He was not good mate material. Maybe he never would be. But something irked him when he pictured pretty Megan with another man.
“I appreciate your honesty, Cole, but you don't have to sacrifice your time to show me anything. Uncle Uzzi made a mistake, but it's fine. I never would have come in here without him setting this up, and I already made like two friends since I got here.”
“Two?”
“Yeah, Lucy and you.”
Warmth spread through him when she said that. Something clicked, like being counted as her friend was what he’d been waiting for. There was something else though, a spark of hunger, but he would do well to leave that alone. Cole might not be looking for a mate, but he was a red-blooded male all the same. He liked sex just as much as the next guy, but for some reason, he got the feeling Megan was not one of those women who could casually leap into bed with a man. Besides, he’d asked her to be his friend, not his one-night stand. And that was all he had to offer to any woman.
“You mean it, lily? You will let me be your friend despite this mix up?” he murmured.
There was a pregnant pause where Megan seemed to mull over his offer, and Cole held his breath. Why should this matter so much to him, he had no idea? But it did. His monstrous Dire Wolf watched from inside his mind’s eye, both man and beast intent on her answer. Finally, she nodded,
“Yeah, I guess I mean it. It's foolish to turn down an offer of friendship, and at least there will be no awkward stage where I start getting feelings for an emotionally unavailable man.”
“Does that happen to you a lot?” he asked, shocked but curious.
She wasn’t like other women. Hell, her admission was too honest, too real. But she owned it. Fuck, yeah, she did. Brave. Beautiful. Surprising thing.
“Oh, all the time. In my Pride, my brother is like super popular and I’m just his big sister. He has all these friends, and sometimes they’d hang out with me, too, and I’d develop a crush sooner or later. But mostly, They wanted me to teach them how to wrestle or something.”
“And by wrestle you mean fuck?”
“Ha! No, I mean wrestle. I have a reputation for being strong,” she confessed, and shrugged.
“I see. So you are not only smart and sexy, but you are also a total badass. So why the hell would you think I would not want to date you if I was dating at all, I mean?”
“Well, does it matter? You don't want to date me, so I don’t need to worry about it,” she replied.
“Cole, are you bothering my new friend?” Lucy asked, making her way back down the bar.
“Nah, he’s fine,” Megan answered for him.
She was tapping her toes to the beat of the music, and Cole found himself more and more reluctant to end this little conversation. He had an idea. Maybe it would be okay, since she already knew where he stood.
“So, what is going on with you two? You look weirdly guilty,” Lucy said, and he rolled his eyes at his outspoken Alpha fem.
“Oh, Cole was supposed to be my date for the evening. You heard of Uncle Uzzi’s Magical Matchmaking Service? Well, I asked my Nari to contact him to help find my mate,” Megan replied candidly.
Heat burned Cole’s cheeks as Lucy snapped her gaze from Megan’s to his. He gritted his teeth, willing the female to zip it, but of course, his Alpha fem was not good at taking cues or following them.
Shiiiit.
“Damn girl! Yeah, I heard of Uncle Uzzi. He sure fucked up, though. Cole never gets serious about women. In fact, I don’t think he’s ever taken a woman out more than once. And even when he does that it’s few and far between,” Lucy shouted over the clamoring voices at the noisy bar.
“Yeah, I know. He told me, but he offered to be my friend,” Megan replied.
“Friends with benefits?”
“What?” Megan asked.
“You two gonna be boinking buddies?” Lucy asked again.
“No! No freaking way!” Megan replied, shaking her head, eyes wide.
“Good move. My guess is he has a fear of intimacy,” Lucy replied sagely.
Now it was Cole’s turn to frown. What the hell was wrong with him that she wouldn’t even consider him as a boinking buddy? The two women talked about him like he wasn’t even there, and it was grating on his Wolf’s nerves.
Afraid of intimacy? No freaking way?
What the fuck did Lucy mean he never gets serious? Just because he didn’t date didn’t mean he wasn’t capable of intimacy.
“Ladies, please. I am not afraid of intimacy, and I will have you know you could do worse than me for a friend with benefits!”
Shiiit. What the fuck was he saying?
“Omg, Cole! You are fucking hilarious,” Lucy snorted, walking off to take care of a customer.
“Well, this has been weird,” Megan said. “I think I am going to call it a night. I need to contact Uncle Uzzi and let him know it was a bust⁠—”
“Look, never mind all that right now. We were having a conversation, plus, I owe you dinner,” he replied, sipping from his bottle.
He was trying to appear nonthreatening, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She seemed to find his last response amusing. Megan shook her head and snorted the softest little sound.
“I appreciate you being honest with me about everything, Cole. And thank you for telling me the truth. But we don’t need to have dinner together.”
“No, we don’t,” he murmured, trying to get a handle on his emotions.
Cole’s heart was pounding inside his chest, and his pulse raced. Her amber stare held his, and he couldn’t look away for anything. Hell. Something was happening to him. He didn’t know what it was, but Cole knew one thing. He did not want her to leave.
Not yet. Maybe not ever.