The Sigma Wolf

Chapter 18 - Rude Much

Susie

A few days passed without a word from Ajax and less than a message from Alan. I have no idea why, but I needed to check up on Alan; somehow, I thought he needed me. We have that special connection, and I usually know when he needs company, a friendly hug, or just a pair of ears to listen to him.

I picked up my phone, and when I was about to text Alan, I got an incoming message.

Ajax: We need to brainstorm,

Me: Alright, what do you suggest for the project?

Ajax: Let's meet each other; I'd rather discuss this face-to-face.

Me: I have to study for a test, and later, I am going to see a friend.

That one was hopeful thinking, but nevertheless, I would make time to try and catch up with Alan,

Ajax: Are you slacking off on the project?

Me: Never, but I don't see the need to meet when we can brainstorm here.

Ajax: We need to come up with a good project. I am not failing the course because you want to go and see a friend. Is that friend bedridden? Sick? Dying?

Me: Alright, do you have time now? We can meet. I will study later.

Ajax: Your place or mine.

Damn it, that was a trick question. Of course, I would rather have the meeting in my territory. But lately, our place has been mayhem, with Gio around all the time, Maggie hosting some of her friends, and Mike, well, he was just Mike, with loud music and lots of noise around him. I was sure he was alone at his place, and we could concentrate better there, but it was dangerous… at least for me. I felt attracted to him. Alan vanishes to the deepest ends of my mind when I am with him, and Ajax invades my senses. It is weird because I am sure we are not mates.

With hesitation and trembling hands, I typed;

Me: yours,

Ajax: Alright, see you in 20 minutes.

Damn it, what have I done?

Ajax

She chose to come over. I don't understand why she did it, but my wolf was entirely out of it because she would be here in our space. The fucker is a grumpy asshole to everyone; it took him years to be comfortable with the idea of sharing a living space with Gio. Yeah, my wolf was a pain in the ass, but not with her. With her, he was an excited and tamed puppy.

Everything that meant Susie Goldenberg was mesmerizing and enticing to him. Having her in our place, for him, as a wolf meant she felt safe with us. It meant offering her entrance to the most private areas of our lives. I am unsure if she realizes it, but having her here could be dangerous for her and me.

I asked her for 20 minutes because I had to take a shower. I had just come in from a brutal workout with Marcus. I thought I had no more energy for the day, but instead, I found myself missing her and texting a bunch of valid pretexts to see her.

I took a five-minute shower and dressed up in gray sweats and a T-shirt. I didn't want to show I put much effort into greeting her here. Besides, this was a study meeting, nothing more, nothing else. I worked my way around the place and checked the fridge. Thank the Goddess for wealthy families. Gio and I have all the perks. A staff that keeps our pantry and fridge fully stocked. We also hired a cleaning and laundry service, and this morning, our place was cleaned spotlessly.

I took a Coke and opened it. I wanted to be as casual as possible. I had no idea why, but I was nervous as if I was a teenager with raging hormones waiting to see the girl he had a crush on. Wait! Do I like her? I have felt the bond, and we are blocking it… but without the bond, do I like her? I cursed; this was such a f*****g bad idea; she would be walking into the wolf's den, literally. The realization that even with our bond blocked, I wanted her near, I wanted her close, and I liked her a lot was something unexpected.

This plan was a f*****g bad idea, and I cursed myself for listening to my beast. I should have shown her the bond and gone for a quick rejection without allowing her to filter herself into my system. Her smile and laugh were like she was ultimately herself, natural, and unapologetic. Her curves are to die for. Firm legs, perky boobs, and a nice round ass… Yes, she is perfection written in gold, and I am afraid I am falling for her.

My mind reeled from this newfound realization when the doorbell rang. Damn it, she was here, and I was not ready to see her again. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door.

-“Hey!” she said in a shy voice. She was carrying around her laptop and a bunch of papers.

- "Come in, let me help you," I said, opening the door for her to enter and helping her with the things in her hands. I followed her to the dining room table, where she dropped her bag. She looked around and scrunched her nose,

”Where is your computer?” she looked around. I do have a laptop, a desktop, and a tablet, all of them state-of-the-art, the latest tech. Unfortunately, I was also a greedy bastard, and my wolf wanted her in a more private setting.

"I left them in my locker, but I have a desktop in my room," I said and then prayed — please say no, please say no — because I had no idea what would become of me if she said yes.

-"Alright, lead the way." She said solemnly, I don't know why, but I feel she is uncomfortable around me. I picked her things up and walked up the stairs to my bedroom. Damn it, now I want to kiss her. Wait! Where is that coming from? We are here to work; she is here for a team meeting, nothing more. But then, why would I want it to be f*****g more? s**t, I am in deep trouble.

"Make yourself comfortable,” I said, and she nodded. I was expecting her to sit on my bed, but instead, she sat on the floor close to the door in a crisscross position.

-"Are you comfortable?” I raised an eyebrow, and she nodded without uttering more words. She opened her laptop and sighed.

-"So, brainstorm,” she lifted her eyebrows, and I could see a hint of annoyance cross her eyes. Is she pissed about something? Who cares!... Damn it! I do care a lot.

-"Yeah, do you have any ideas about good product development?” I asked her, and she sighed. I could tell she wanted to be somewhere else, but here. Something about her seemed less happy.

-"I was thinking of a mass-production product, not something very specific or niche,” she said, and I nodded. Going for a niche product would mean we had to do a ton of extra research, and Mr. Costas would bury us down with technical questions at the end of the semester,” she added. I got it: A high-tech product would be rather difficult to present, but I was not one for cutting corners.

"I get it is easier, but how about surprising and raising eyebrows with a daring project?” I asked her, and she gave me a soft nod. Yeah, something, as of now, she was showing little to no interest in being here.

-"Alright, what do you propose?” She asked and kept typing on her laptop. Curiously, I sat beside her on the floor and leaned behind her shoulder to look at her computer. She was carefully typing everything, from her opinion to mine. Then she switched to a table and placed over a column ´Mass Production/Commodity´ and on the other ´High-Tech´ I took a deep breath, and her scent of jasmine and orange filled my lungs. Damn it, this was going to be torture.

-"So how about we brainstorm over those two categories? And maybe finding a middle ground, a high-tech product for the masses?” I said, and she bit her lower lip. I could feel my closeness making her uncomfortable.

"Alright,” she nodded and then looked at me. Go to your computer and do some research; you are the one who wants to complicate things around here,” she said, and I almost growled. Her words struck home because I wanted to complicate things around, but not how she was thinking. It took every inch of self-control to stand on the floor and sit in front of my desktop.

I did as she told me while she kept typing and working diligently. She was a driven and focused she-wolf who captivated me more with every passing second. On the other hand, I couldn't focus even if my life depended on it.

After about an hour of torture and barely any work done on my end, I stood up;- "I need a drink and fuel; do you want anything?” I asked her, and she lifted her eyes from the screen.

-"A Coke Zero, if you have that… if not a Diet Coke?” I nodded. Why she drinks those diet products is beyond me. She is gorgeous the way she is; even if she gained pounds, she was perfect.

”Alright, I'll be right back,” I said and diligently went downstairs to grab a bag of chips and some drinks. Thankfully, our pantry was fully stocked, and we had plenty to munch around. I took a deep breath and sighed. Being this close to her was torture, and somehow, knowing something was bothering her was killing me.

I walked back and saw her texting on her phone, a bright smile on her face. She looked beautiful with her lips sporting that smile. I wished it was for me. I cleared my throat, and she looked up, and her smile fainted. If I doubted her being crossed with me, now I was f*****g sure.

"Here,” I extended my hand, handing her the drink. Then I showed her the bags of chips. I brought snacks…” I smiled, trying to get her to smile at me just the way she was smiling at her screen.

" I'm not hungry, but thanks,” she said, and I squinted my eyebrows. When we went out for dinner, she was completely open and unapologetic about liking hearty food. Now, she is refusing snacks. Definitely, something is wrong.

I couldn't handle it anymore, so I asked, "Is something the matter?” She looked at me with a tight-lipped smile and sighed.

."No, at least nothing that concerns you,” She replied in a dry voice, one I really didn't like. My wolf almost growled, and for a brief moment, he lost it and uncovered our bond. I immediately saw it in her eyes, and then I saw her shake her head as if she was hallucinating. My wolf slipped for a brief moment, less than 10 seconds, but with her sharp alpha senses, it was enough time for her wolf to pick up the cent and the pull.

I walked to my chair before my desk and sat down -"Rude much!” I taunted her. I needed more information about what was happening to her. She sighed and continued typing along, ignoring my remark.

I opened the bag of chips and munched a bit. I had to think about something fast because somehow I felt I was losing her. What an idiotic idea, because I had never considered her mine since the beginning.