Carson's Conquest

5. Adde

I heard from Susan Davies and received a job offer two days later which I happily accepted. My next call was to Aria. I needed a place to stay and wanted her insight. She offered to meet me at the coffeeshop later that day. I arrived a few minutes early, secretly hoping that Carson might be at the shop, though I wasn’t prepared to admit that to anyone—especially myself.

As I walked in, I subtly looked around, but was disappointed to find out he wasn’t there. I sat by the window waiting for Aria. Shortly, a SUV pulled up and I saw Carson jump out and open her door. My heart skipped a beat as I watched him walk towards the door. I was never going to get over how hot he was. Seriously, the man was a male model who walked straight out of some magazine, god-like didn’t do him justice. Today, he was wearing some dark wash jeans that fit his ass just right, with a light blue Henley knit t-shirt with a couple buttons undone. It hugged his chest just a little and stretched tight across his muscular arms. His hair was pulled back into a little man bun, and I noticed the tip of a tattoo peaking out of the top of the shirt. As I stared at him through the window, I swallowed hard. It was almost like Carson knew I was checking him out, because he looked up, caught my eye, and winked at me.

There might have been a little bit of drool at the corner of my mouth. Sheesh, “Adde! Get a grip!” I shouted to myself in my head. “Just friends. Just friends. Just friends.” I chanted internally as the door opened.

I stood as Aria walked in the coffee shop. She walked up and hugged me. It took me a bit off guard, but it was warm and comforting and I hugged her back.

“I’m so glad you called! And accepted the job. I’m thrilled to have you as a co-worker and a friend,” she stepped back as we sat down at the table.

“Thanks for meeting me. I’m sure you have a lot going on,” I stated hesitantly.

“Nonsense. I had clinic appointments today, so this worked great.”

Carson pulled up a chair and sat next to me. Extremely close to me. I could feel his body heat radiating and I could smell his delicious scent. But he didn’t even attempt to touch me, respecting the boundary I asked for a few nights ago. This small act softened my heart towards him a great deal, but wasn’t helping my “just friends” mantra. “Mind if I join you guys? Or would you prefer some girls time?” he asked me with a little grin.

“I … I …” I cleared my throat and pulled myself together, “I didn’t realize you would be joining us.”

Aria laughed, and leaned forward so she wasn’t overheard, “Since I know you share some ‘similar qualities’ I will speak more freely. Xavier is very protective of me and doesn’t like me driving alone between the pack house and town. Either he or Carson always takes me,” she rolled her eyes, “mates …” explaining her apparent bodyguard situation.

“Protecting someone I love is the most important thing for a wolf,” Carson murmured into my ear. I blushed and Aria giggled. Carson pulled away and stood up, “What can I get you guys? Coffee, tea, water?”

“Can I get that sparkling ginger lemonade thing?” Aria asked.

“Adde, Midnight Mocha?” Carson looked over at me. “Yes, please.” I reached for wallet in an attempt to pay, but Aria and Carson looked at me like I was crazy.

“You know the pack owns this place, right?” Aria whispered. “There’s no way you’re paying for a drink. It’s my treat.”

“Thank you.” It was harder than I thought to accept something from a friend, but I was determined to break my old habits and this was a small step in that direction.

After a few minutes of small talk, Carson brought our drinks over, including one for himself. Now I was curious. “What’s your coffee drink of choice?” I looked over at him. That was something friends would know, right?

“Usually a Ristretto, sometimes an Americano. There was this little place I visited in Italy that had the greatest espresso I’ve ever had, and it sort of ruined all other espresso for me. The beans here get pretty close, it just depends on how long the pull is when the coffee is brewed,” he replied.

“How long were you in Italy? A vacation?” It was unusual for werewolves to leave their pack for long. It could be dangerous if you ran across rogues or other unsavory magical beings.

“A couple of months actually. I traveled around Europe and other parts of the world learning different combat techniques and stuff before I took … my current position.” He leaned forward just a bit, I think so he wouldn’t be overheard, and I found myself enjoying the fact that he was in my personal space bubble.

I propped my chin in my hand and rested it on the table. “Where else did you travel?” It was so unusual to have a wolf leave his pack for that long. I was curious to know more.

“Kind of all over. Spent some time in the Middle East—specifically Israel, learning from Mossad about their training and tactical techniques, a variety of places with Interpol doing the same thing, and even some time in Russia—though that was with some of the Russian mob. Those guys are intense!”

“The Russian mob? Really? What was that like?” I couldn’t help myself; Carson was so interesting. Immersed in the conversation, I completely forgot Aria was there.

Carson regaled me with a few stories of his time “training” with the Russian mob. His stories were incredulous and ridiculous, especially because he barely spoke Russian. Thank Goddess he was a werewolf or there was no way he would have survived. I heard Aria laughing at the end of one of the stories and looked across the table, blushing. “Aria, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to ignore you.”

“Please. No need to apologize. I love hearing Carson’s stories. But I do need to head home in a little bit, so let’s talk about homes. What sort of places are you thinking about?” She looked at me with a knowing smile. I suppose she had figured out, or maybe Carson had told her, we were mates. It made me wonder what else he had told her. It was pretty clear that they were close friends.

“I guess I hadn’t given it much thought. I would prefer something close to the hospital as I imagine there’s quite a bit of snow in the winter, and I think I want a house. Apartments are great, but I enjoy gardening and would like a small yard.”

Aria clapped her hands together, “I know just the place! And it happens to be empty. Plus, I know the landlord, and he’s quite flexible with lease terms and other arrangements. It’s an adorable bungalow about 10 minutes from the hospital. It has a great yard and a beautiful view. Plus, it has the best deck off the kitchen. You will love it!”

Carson snorted as Aria described the landlord. I was assuming the pack probably owned it, which made Xavier the landlord. Alpha’s weren’t known for their “flexibility” though the dinner I had with Xavier and Aria made me think he wasn’t the typical Alpha that I had learned about during my time with the coven.

“That sounds great. What’s the rent range? I am on a budget.” I wanted to be clear that I didn’t expect charity or a handout. I knew a little about how packs worked, and I assumed they would probably offer it to me—especially if Carson let it be known I was his mate. I didn’t want that, particularly because I hadn’t accepted the bond with Carson and was still planning on rejecting him eventually. (Though if I was being totally honest, that was never going to happen. It had only been a couple of days, but I knew I couldn’t walk away from the potential Carson and I had. It didn’t feel right.)

“It’s negotiable,” Aria said. “Would you like us to take you by so you can check it out? And if that doesn’t work, there are a couple of other places in town that fit your criteria. And they all have the same landlord,” she smiled sweetly as she said it.

“Is that landlord tall, dark, and handsome, with blue eyes?” I teased.

“Maybe,” she giggled. “He does have dreamy blue eyes, and I’m totally into him,” she literally purred as she talked about him.

“Does he know how you feel?” I asked, keeping up the rouse. I could feel Carson rolling his eyes next to me, but I thought it was sweet. And I was maybe a little jealous, I kind of wanted a little bit of that in my life. The thought caught me off guard, but I didn’t overthink it. This was the most “girl talk” I had in a long time, and it felt good.

“He did put a ring on it, and I have this totally permanent mark, so I’m guessing he has a little bit of an idea …” she replied.

“A ring? I want to see it!” For some reason, I hadn’t noticed before. Aria held out her left hand and displayed the most beautiful two and a half or three carat brilliant cut diamond in a gorgeous pave setting. “Wow!” I commented, “Xavier has good taste.”

“I know! Honestly, I think his sister Jessica helped him pick it out. And thank you. I absolutely love it. Oh! We should have a girl’s night sometime soon. You will love Jessica. She’s a total blast.”

“I would love that. And I would love to see the house.”

“Great! Let’s go now.” Aria looked over to Carson, “do you have time to take us to the bungalow?”

I saw Carson’s eyes cloud over and figured he was mind-linking someone. “Actually, Xavier is waiting at the house for you. But I would be happy to show Adde around.” He turned towards me, and gave me his killer smile, “As long as you’re comfortable with that?”

“That would be great. Thank you.” I looked up at him with a small smile, my heart fluttering just a tiny bit at the thought of being alone with him again.

“Great!” Aria said, “let’s go. I bet Xavier has dinner waiting and I’m starving.”