ROMANCE: Mason (Bad Boy Alpha Male Stepbrother Romance Boxset) (New Adult Contemporary Stepbrother Romance Collection) (85 page)

“Busy?”

Ethan blinked, looking up, surprised to find that, not only had an hour quickly past, but Jessica had arrived without him noticing.

He hastily marked his page and stood, smiling. “I’m sorry, and no, I’m not busy at all, just got caught up in a good book. How are you?”

Jessica smiled, her eyes giving him a once over before she shrugged. “Good,” she said easily, “intrigued mostly.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow in curiosity, taking in her bright yellow sundress that contrasted with her dark black hair. “Why intrigued?”

Jessica nodded over to the counter to beckon Ethan over to follow her. “I honestly hadn’t expected to hear from you, especially so soon, after last night when, well, you know.”

He grinned, laughing just a little bit. “You mean when you rejected me in front of representatives of most of the packs in the region, including the entirety of my own?”

Jessica blushed, looking genuinely apologetic. “Yeah, that. I’m sorry about everything, especially leaving so fast. I just don’t like being put on the spot and I didn’t want to make it worse. I find that, when in front of a crowd, the longer I speak the worse it gets.”

“Really now?” Ethan asked, surprised. “You came to the table guns blazing; you don’t strike me as the type to get shy.”

“One cappuccino please,” Jessica ordered, before turning back to Ethan, shrugging, “I’m full of surprises.”

“So am I; I’d love to get to know you well enough for you to find out some of them. You kind of wrote me off the other night.”

Ethan paid for her drink, with Jessica thanking him while ignoring the dirty look the barista shot at her, and the two headed back over to where Ethan had been sitting.

“I am sorry about that,” Jessica said, “I can sometimes tend to write people off too quickly. I admit, you’re not as bad as I expected.”

“Thanks,” Ethan said, sitting down. “I think. Coming from you that sounds like a compliment but I’m not entirely sure.”

“Trust me, it’s a compliment,” Jessica said, taking a sip of her coffee.

“Well, then thank you,” Ethan grinned. “So, does this mean I get a second chance?”

Jessica let out a loud sigh, as if she were horribly inconvenienced by the whole thing. Her smile, however, let him know that she was kidding.

“I suppose it won’t kill me to give you a second chance,” she grinned, “after all, you did buy me coffee.”

“It doesn’t have to be a date though,” Ethan clarified, “I meant it earlier, I just want to get to know you, even if it’s in a ‘just friends’ way.”

Jessica blinked, eyes widening just a bit as she grinned. “You actually mean that, don’t you?”

Ethan stared at her, just a bit puzzled. “Yes, why wouldn’t I?”

She grinned. “Well, in my experience, guys typically run in the other direction at the prospect of becoming just friends. But, I don’t know, you seem like you’d actually be okay with being just friends. It’s different.”

He laughed. “Personally, I think I’m pretty normal; it’s just the rest of the world that’s backwards.”

She snorted out a laugh. “Maybe, but I have to say, it’s refreshing.”

“Well I’m glad,” Ethan smiled, taking a sip of his coffee and grimacing as he realized that it had gone cold.

“Not enough sugar?” Jessica asked, referring to his coffee.

“No, it’s just cold; I was busy reading.”

“Nice and a bookworm, two great qualities.” Jessica smirked.

“Are you flirting?” Ethan teased, laughing.

“Oh honey,” Jessica purred, leaning in just a little and letting Ethan get a very impressive view down her dress, “When I flirt with you, you’ll know it.”

Ethan swallowed, suddenly feeling as though the room had gotten about ten degrees warmer.

“So,” he said, clearing his throat just a bit, “tell me about yourself.”

Jessica smirked. “Is this an interview?”

Ethan flushed. “Okay Miss Criticism, what would you have me ask?”

“I’m sorry,” Jessica laughed, “I just like giving you a hard time; it’s a nervous reflex.”

“Do I make you nervous?” Ethan said, his turn to tease.

Jessica flushed, and Ethan had to say it was a good look on her. It was nice to see that she wasn’t always a juggernaut of confidence and sarcastic quips, and he liked it.

Jessica took a sip of her coffee as she gathered herself. “Well, to answer your original question, I don’t know what to say. I don’t usually talk about myself. What do you want to know?”

Ethan grinned. “Nothing too deep or life-shattering I suppose, it can just be basic like what are your favorite television show and the last book you read?”

She smiled, glad that some of her anxiety at having to speak about herself had been somewhat eased. “Well, as far as TV goes, I like the classics. Don’t laugh, but when I was little, I would spend hours watching I Love Lucy reruns. I also really like the Twilight Zone.”

“So you like black and white shows?” Ethan asked.

She nodded, grinning. “Yeah, they seem to have more depth to them than the shows now do. As for the last book I read, it was Bridget Jones’s Diary.”

“Really? That seems . . . different, at least in comparison to what you watch.”

“I’m part of a book club, and like I said, I’m full of surprises. I read all kinds of books; I don’t like to limit myself.”

“Good to know.”

“So, what about you Mr. Alpha?” she asked, using the nickname from earlier. “What’s under the hood of your car?”

They stared at each other for a moment before they burst out laughing.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry, that sounded much dirtier than I’d originally planned.”

Ethan snorted, making Jessica laugh even harder. “I don’t mind, I enjoyed it.”

Jessica flushed, shaking her head at herself before smiling. “I won’t even try for another metaphor; how about just tell me about yourself?”

Ethan grinned. “Are you sure you don’t want to try for another one? I’m really curious to see what you’d come up with.”

“No thanks, I think I’m good.” She smiled, cheeks still a faint tinge of red. “So, what are your interests, your likes and dislikes, your pet peeves and your hidden secrets?”

“I don’t think I have many hidden secrets; I think I being a werewolf is big and bad enough.”

“Fair point,” Jessica smirked, “What about the rest?”

“Oh boy,” Ethan laughed, leaning back in his seat. “Well, likes and dislikes is such a broad topic. I like pie, I like cute animals and I like coffee; I dislike reality TV shows, books with movie poster covers, and the color yellow.”

Jessica laughed, before her eyes narrowed just a tad and she looked down at her bright dress.

“I’m kidding about the color yellow,” Ethan grinned, “You look great.”

Jessica smirked. “You’re terrible.”

“But in a loveable way, right?”

She rolled her eyes. “Continue please.”

“Well,” Ethan sighed, thinking, “As for pet peeves, I’m not sure that I have many; I’m pretty easy going. I guess I don’t like rude people.”

“I’m not sure that’s a pet peeve so much as being a normal human being.”

“Well then I guess I don’t have any pet peeves.”

“We’ll see about that,” she teased, leaning in conspiratorially.

Ethan leaned in as well. “Oh really?”

“Yep.”

He smiled. “Well, if you want to find out, you’ll have to spend a bit more time around me.”

“You’re pretty smooth, aren’t you?” Jessica joked, sitting back. “But I guess I don’t find your company unbearable, so I think I can handle that. But I get to plan our second date.”

A dark eyebrow quirked in interest. “A second date? I thought this was purely a friendly meeting.”

“It was friendly, but I personally think it could get a bit friendlier.”

“Really?”

Jessica shrugged, attempting to appear nonchalant. “We agreed it had the potential to either be a date or a friendly meeting; I think I’d like it a bit better if it were a date.”

“I’d like that too.” Ethan smiled.

“Great!” Jessica said brightly, standing up. “But I have one condition.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?” he asked, standing as well.

The corner of her mouth lifted a tad in a smirk. “I get to pick the next date,” she repeated, pecking him on the cheek before turning swiftly and heading away and out of the café.

Ethan blinked, unsure of what had just happened but confident that it had been great.

He foolishly wanted to touch the place where Jessica’s lips had just been like a smitten teenage girl but used what little self-control he had to resist and sit back down.

He flipped open the book, finding his spot and attempting to pick back up where he left off, delving back into the story.

He finished the chapter he had been on before, but found himself uninterested in continuing, his mind otherwise occupied with thoughts of Jessica.

She was certainly an interesting one. He didn’t know exactly what he thought of her, but he knew that he liked her. It was too soon to think of a courtship, but honestly, he wouldn’t exactly be opposed to one either.

Despite the tricky start they had gotten off to, he had felt a real connection to Jessica when they talked. She was confident, but with a shy side, and had just a bit of a mystery to her. A mystery he wanted to get to know more about.

It was weird; yesterday morning, winning over a woman had been the farthest thing from his mind, as he instead focused on making sure his pack was stable and preventing encroachment onto his territory from rogues. Now, try as he might to focus on things, they couldn’t hold his attention for long.

Instead, his thoughts were full of wondering what she would plan for their date and if she was thinking about him as much as he was thinking about her.

He grabbed his book, walking out of the café and to his car to get back home. Hopefully being around his pack would distract him just a bit from thinking about when Jessica would text him next.

Honestly, he was a bit disgusted with himself. He was a grown man, an Alpha. He shouldn’t be this preoccupied with one woman. Suddenly, something his dad had once told him floated across his mind as he drove.

Werewolves had less of a choice in their life mates than humans. With werewolves, there has to be a deeper connection. His dad had told him that he would know when he found his. He said that it wouldn’t hit him hard, not like those movies where the couple fall in love at first sight and get married the next day, but that it’d be a gradual buildup, and eventually, he wouldn’t have any doubts, he’d just know that he’d found the one.

To him at the time, it had all sounded ridiculous. Like something out of a Disney movie or a cheesy teen romance novel. But now, he was wondering how much truth there was to it, and if he was beginning to feel the stirrings of that with Jessica.

He felt just a bit ridiculous thinking all of this, but at the same time, he couldn’t help feeling just a bit hopeful as well. Maybe, just maybe, he was on his way to finding the one.

-x-x-x- Chapter 4 –x-x-x-

“How was coffee?” Amanda asked as Ethan walked through the door, a knowing look in her eyes.

“It was fine,” he said curtly, though he couldn’t quite hide the smile on his face.

“How fine?” Karen smirked, looking up from the magazine she was thumbing through.

“Regular fine, or super fine?” Amanda asked, giggling just a bit.

Ethan rolled his eyes, heading for the stairs. “Fine as in none of your business fine,” he smirked, heading up to his room.

“So, I heard you went on a coffee date?” Austin asked curiously as he crossed Ethan’s path in the hallway, on his way from the bathroom.

“When did this pack develop such a penchant for gossip?” Ethan groaned.

Austin held up his hands. “What can I say? It’s interesting. But if you don’t want to talk about it, I understand. I just have one question.”

“Yeah?”

“Was it fine, or fine?”

“You all are the worst,” Ethan muttered, listening to Austin’s uproarious laughter as he walked to his room, shutting the door behind him with an exasperated sigh.

-x-x-x-

“So I see that you’ve been out with the East Pack’s Alpha,” Sarah said as Jessica walked through the door.

If one looked at Sarah, with her frizzy red hair pulled up in a bun, flour-dusted cheeks from baking and pink apron, no one would take her to be an aggressive Alpha that was violently protective of her pack.

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, it wasn’t because you forced me to,” Jessica muttered, walking over and stealing a cookie off of the pan that Sarah had just pulled out of the oven.

“Believe it or not, I didn’t do it because I want to get our pack latched on to another; I did it because I’ve heard good things about this guy and trust the woman who contacted me.”

“Still, it would have been nice to have a choice in the matter,” Jessica muttered around a mouthful of chocolate chip cookie.