Their Simple Kind of Love

Free Fallin

  Katie's POV

The final bell rang, and I gathered up my stuff, eager to leave. James has texted me earlier, saying he was picking me up after school. He wouldn't say why but it made Zia happy. She whined and paced in my head as I walked out of the classroom and headed towards my locker. I was humming as I imagined whatever it was that James had planned. Then a hand thumped the locker beside mine, and I jumped with a yelp. I looked to my side to see Ben Hudson's grinning face.

"Did I startle you?" He spoke.

"Just a little," I mumbled and shut my locker, and started walking away from him.

"Did you think about the invitation to my party?" He asked as we down the hall. He kept trying to touch my hand, but I sidestepped him until we almost ran into the wall on the opposite side of the hall. "You are so clumsy, Katie." He murmured

"Can my brother come to the party?" I asked him.

Ben sucked in a breath. "Do you need your big brother to follow you everywhere?"

"I'd feel safer," I replied to him.

He stepped in front of me. "Fine, Tim can come. But not James."

I rolled my eyes, "Okay." I walked around him and continued out of the school. I was eager to see James. We walked outside, and Ben was still walking beside me.

"I got a new bed last week," He randomly told me.

"Um, okay," I replied to him. "Why did you tell me that?"

He shrugged. "Just in case I manage to get you in it. You should know it's brand new and super comfy."

I scoffed. "Ben, I know we slept together last year, but-"

"I took your virginity, Katie." He smirked.

I sighed. "Fine, yes, you did. But that was a one-time thing. Okay? We were both a little drunk and did something we shouldn't have." I hurried out of the building and saw the Alpha's red Mustang parked in the front with James leaning on it. He looked hot in his black jean jacket and white shirt. His long blonde hair was hanging on his shoulder and fluttering a little in the breeze.

Ben leaned into me. "Come on, Katie. Quit denying our connection." He puckered his lips, and I stepped back just as Tony and Michelle walked up to us.

"Hey, Kate," Michelle interrupted just in the nick of time.

Ben glared at her as I smiled. "Michelle. Perfect timing." I glanced at Ben.

"I'll see you on Saturday, Katie." He mumbled.

"Hey, can Michelle and Tony come too?"

He shrugged. "Whatever." He stormed away from us, and Tony scoffed.

"Where are we going on Saturday?" Tony asked me as we started towards James.

"Party at Phoenix Moon," I replied nonchalantly like Ben wasn't just trying to get me into his bed.

"Katie," Michelle whined. "Remember what happened at the last party you went to at Ben's house?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I mean Ben put it all over social media that he f****d me. I get it. It's not going to happen this time. We'll go and have fun." I told her.

Michelle sighed. "Okay, but I am keeping my eye on you," She pointed her finger at me.

I looked towards James and saw him having a staring contest with Ben. "Looks like your brother wants to kill Ben." I leaned into Michelle.

She snorted. "Only since junior high."

We walked up to James, and he turned his attention from Ben, who was getting into his car to smile brightly at me. I went weak in the knees as he looked at me. "Hi," I squeaked out.

Michelle rolled her eyes and elbowed me. "Smooth," She mumbled."Whoa, Dad, let you drive the Stang?" She looked at the red car James was leaning on.

"Yes, he threatened me with evisceration if I got any scratches on her," He chuckled. The way his face moves when he chuckled made my heart rate increase everything he did, made my heart race lately.

Zia whimpered happily in my head as I looked him over.

"I swear Dad loves that car more than us," Michelle's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"I would bet money on that, Chelly. Anyways I am going to take Katie out for some burgers. How does that sound, Katie?" He flashed that smile again, and I had to press my legs together as I was getting aroused. He could probably give me to o****m just by smiling at me.

"T-that s-sounds good, "I stuttered out.

James's sniffed the air, and his eyes flashed black as he gave me a wicked grin. "I thought you would like it. Considering burgers are your favorite food in the world." He looked at his sister. "See ya later, Sis."

Michelle looked at me. "Have fun," She shot a smirk at her brother and looked at Tony, who had been quiet the whole time. "Come on, Tony."

"I want burgers," He mumbled as Michelle dragged him away.

James opened the passenger door of the Mustang, and I slid in. "Such a gentleman," I giggled. He shut the door and ran around the car to the driver's side. He got in and started the car.

The Eagles blared from the speakers as he pulled away from the school. James thumped the steering wheel as he sang along to Desperado. I loved hearing his singing voice, and I got lost watching him sing while driving. His long blonde hair flew behind him so perfectly. He gave me a side-eye glance and stopped singing. "What are you staring at?" He smirked.

I closed my mouth and looked away from him. "Uh, I-I like you singing."

He laughed and resumed singing. He leaned into me a couple of times, trying to get me to join him, and I just shook my head. "Come on, Katie, sing with me."

I felt my cheeks flush. "No, my voice is terrible."

"It's just you and me. I don't care if it's terrible." He laughed as Desperado ended and a different song played on the oldies station the radio was on. He began singing with the song. "She's a good girl. Loves her, Mama," He sung to me, and I giggled. "Come on, Katie. You know the words to this one." He kept singing, and I just watched him. "I'm Freee. Free fallin," He bellowed out.

The song ended as we pulled into the lot of a pack-owned diner. It had a 50's theme with a cool arcade. They served the best burgers and milkshakes around. He put the car into park, and we hopped out. I followed him inside, and Elvis was playing in the diner. We walked up to the hostess stand, and he smiled at the familiar face. "Hello, Greta," He said to a middle-aged woman dressed in a pink poodle skirt with a white blouse and pink sweater. Her grey hair was pinned up in a bun.

"Well, good afternoon, James. Two of you?" Greta directed her eyes to me.

James put his arm around my shoulder, and my knees about buckled from the contact. Zia went crazy in my head, and I had to keep myself from gasping out. "Yes," He smiled at me as his eye flickered.

Greta leads us to a booth towards the back of the diner. "Jennifer will be your server today," She set our menus in front of you. "Can I get you kids started with something to drink?"

James looked at me. "Order whatever you want, Katie. It's on me."

"Can I get an orange creme soda?"

Greta smiled as she wrote down my order. "And for you young alpha?" She asked James.

"Chocolate chip shake." He replied.

"Kay, I'll get those in for you two." Greta walked away.

We sat in silence while looking over the menus. I was starving even though I had eaten lunch. "Everything looks so good," I giggled as someone walked up to the table. I looked up to see Jennifer Adams setting a tray with our drinks down on the table. Jennifer had graduated last year. We hadn't been enemies per say, but we weren't exactly friends. Still, I wasn't one to mistreat people even when they picked on me.

"Hello James," She said to him, almost ignoring me.

"Hello, Jennifer," I greeted her, and she flashed me a smile. Jennifer is a tall, slender she-wolf. She has long black hair and green eyes. She was wearing a poodle skirt and a white blouse and had her hair in a bun.

"Katie," She acknowledged me and then turned her smile on James.

Zia growled in my head as Jennifer touched his arm. 'She needs to quit touching him.' She snarled.

I laughed at my wolf's sudden possessiveness. 'Zia, James is our friend. We don't own him.'

'Not yet,' She mumbled and retreated into the back of my mind.

"Do you two need a few more minutes to decide?" Jennifer asked.

James looked at me. "Are you ready, or do you need a few minutes?"

"No, I think I know what I want," I replied. He gestured for me to give Jennifer my order. "I want the bacon cheeseburger deluxe with seasoned fries."

Jennifer snorted. "Someone isn't counting calories," She wrote down my order.

I rolled my eyes when she looked at James. He smirked at me and then looked at Jennifer. "I'll have the mushroom and swiss burger with onion rings." He told her.

Jennifer wrote down his order and then trotted away from the table. James leaned back in the booth and sipped his milkshake. I sipped my orange creme soda. We both seemed to be lost in our own little worlds for a moment. James reached into his pocket and then set something on the table.

I smiled at the shiny black rock. "Is that onyx?" I asked as I picked it up.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I thought maybe it is. Sure looks like it."

"What's the occasion?"

"I don't know. Maybe the occasion of hanging out with my friend Katie." He grinned. "I saw it in the woods and thought you would like it."

"Well, you thought right. I love it." I said as I pocketed. I stared into his eyes that were sparkling as he stared back. His hazel eyes were three different colors, with green, brown, and blue all mixed in. I could gaze into his eyes forever. I blinked and looked away from him. "Sorry," I mumbled.

"What was Ben Hudson saying to you earlier? You looked uncomfortable with him." He sounded serious.

"Oh, he was inviting me to a party at his place on Saturday," I told James.

"And you turned him down, right?" James nearly growled.

I shook my head. "No, I accepted his invitation."

A vicious growl came out of James, causing everyone in the diner to stop talking for a moment. "You aren't going."

"You don't get a say in where I go, James." I folded my arms.

"The last time you went to one of Ben's parties you-"

I interrupted him with a growl of my own. "I know! Everyone has to constantly remind me what I did with Ben at his party. But that is not going to happen this time. Okay. I am taking Tim, Michelle, and Tony with me." I explained to James.

He pressed his lips together. "I am going too."

"No, you can't. Ben said you couldn't go."

James folded his arms across his chest. "I don't give a s**t. I don't trust that asshole."

"You don't want to start trouble between our packs," I told him. "I will be fine. Your sister vowed to keep an eye on me."

He sighed. "If he tries anything, Katie. Rip his f*****g face off. Promise?"

I nodded. "Promise."

Jennifer walked up with our food and smiled at James while setting our plates down. "Is there anything else I can get you two?"

"Ranch, "I replied. "Lots of ranch."

"And ketchup," James added.

"I'll be right back," Jennifer trotted off.

My mouth watered as I put the fixings on my burger. It was huge, and I would most likely only eat half of it. I cut it in half as Jennifer walked back with our condiments. She smirked at James. "So, how is it going lately, James?"

He shrugged as he fussed with his burger. "Oh, you know. Same old same old." He replied.

"So Jennifer, how did your modeling audition go?" I asked her. "I heard Ashley telling Michelle about it."

Jennifer narrowed her eyes at me. Probably irritated, I interrupted her conversation with James. "It didn't go well at all. They turned me down," She snorted and looked away from me.

"That's too bad. You look like a model to me. You were always the best-dressed girl in school."

She smiled at me. " Thank you, Katie."

"Keep trying. Someone is bound to accept you."

Her smile grew before she moved away to another table.

I dipped a fry into the ranch and looked at James, who was grinning at me. "What?"

"I like how you are nice even to people who pick on you."

I shrugged. "I refuse to meet negativity with more negativity. At least that's what my Mom taught me." I sighed sadly at the thought of my mother.

"I miss Auntie Caroline," James reached across the table and clasped my hand. I swear I felt a bit of a tingle as he stroked my palm before pulling back.

I had to shake my head, so I could concentrate on eating. This male was driving me nuts. I had known him my whole life and I always just saw him as my friend and my brother's best friend. But lately, I was getting jealous of other females around him. I was daydreaming about kissing him and more. Zia giggled in my head.

'You will know soon enough,' She said to me.

James and I chatted about nothing while we ate. Talking about nothing was always our thing. We debated the most nonsensical subjects sometimes. "So, Mickey Mouse could take on Daffy Duck." He argued.

"I'm pretty sure Daffy Duck would beat the mouse. Ducks eat mice in real life," I said between bites of my burger.

"No, they don't." He retorted and slurped his shake.

"Or maybe it's chickens I am thinking of. They eat mice." I laughed.

James snorted. "You always come up with the most random tidbits."

"That's because the future alpha of my pack feels the need to argue with me over the most random crap." I stuck my tongue at him.

He gazed at me for a second. "Do you ever think about the future luna of our pack? Like do you wonder if she'll be the kindest and sweetest she-wolf on the planet? Will she have the most beautiful ice blue eyes you have ever seen?"

I just looked at him with my mouth hanging open. I wasn't sure what to say. He gazed back at me with a dreamy look on his face. We leaned towards each other and were about to kiss when Jennifer walked up.

"How are you two doing?"

James shook his head out of the trance. "Fine," He replied tersely. Jennifer walked away, and he flashed me a smile and went back to eating.

Zia whimpered. 'We always get interrupted."

'No s**t. Why do I feel so compelled to kiss him lately?'

'You haven't figured it out?' She replied with an amused tone.

I pushed her back so I could concentrate on my food. James and I fell silent as we ate. Jennifer brought us boxes and the check. We finished our meal, and James handed Jennifer some cash and smiled at her. "Thank you, Jennifer. Keep the change." He said to her. "Oh, and keep trying on the modeling thing. You will rock at it."

Jennifer nodded at him and walked away without acknowledging me. I just shook my head as we stood up. I followed him out of the diner to the Mustang. "Thank you for dinner, James."

"You are welcome. Thank you for joining me." He said as he opened the passenger door for me.

"Would you like to go anywhere else?" He asked as he hopped into the driver's side.

I shook my head. "No, I need to get home and start on my homework."

He started the car and backed out of the spot. When we got back on the road, he began singing along with the radio again. We rode in silence as I lost myself to my thoughts. He parked the car in the garage, and we walked side by side towards the house. We stopped beside the door. "I am just going to chill on the couch in my living room. If you want to join me later." He told me.

"Maybe if I get my homework done quickly," I replied to him as I leaned against the wall. He placed his arm above my head as we found ourselves lost in each other's eyes. He moved a strand of hair from my face, and I shuddered at the contact. He leaned into me until he was hovering just above my lips. My heart thumped against my chest as I anticipated the kiss.

He ran his hand down my cheek, and I went weak in the knees. I looked into his eyes as his lips finally connected with mine. Fire spread through my body as I wrapped my arms around his neck. He nibbled my bottom lip, and I moaned. We were about to deepen the kiss when I noticed his mother standing a few feet behind him. Lisa and Marilyn were a few feet behind Aunt Kristen. Marilyn had a look of absolute hatred on her ugly face.

"Hi Auntie Kristen," I greeted James's mother. He pulled away from me and turned to his mother.

"Mom," He mumbled.

She just smiled broadly at him. "I just needed to talk to Katie. But if you are busy, it can wait."

James looked at me. "We were just saying goodbye. Right, Katie?"

I nodded at him, still breathless from the kiss.

"Bye, Katie." He went to kiss me again but just patted my arm and walked away.

I watched him enter the house before turning to Aunt Kristen. "What did you need to talk to me about?" I asked her, and she linked her arm with mine and pulled me into the house.

"I want to plan a party for your eighteenth birthday. I just want to know what you would like to do."

I shrugged. "I don't need anything fancy. Maybe a bonfire out back with games and music."

Aunt Kristen laughed. "Oh, you make it so easy, dear. We can do that." We stopped just inside the house. Marilyn was still glaring at me.

"Maybe we can order pizza too," I suggested.

"It's your birthday, Katie." She released me. "It's going to be a very special day indeed."

"It's just a birthday," I said to her.

She snorted. "It is your eighteenth birthday, Katie. The day you will be able to detect your mate. I have a feeling I know who it is." She smiled at me.

I sighed and felt sad that my mother wasn't here to celebrate it with me. "I don't know if I am ready for a mate yet. I want to finish school first."

"I trust you will follow your heart and do what you feel is best. That's what Caroline would have done. She always followed her heart."

Marilyn cringed when Aunt Kisten mentioned my mother. She shook her head and then disappeared up the stairs. I turned my attention back to the luna. "Thank you for planning a party for me even though I am not your kid."

"Nonsense. You and Tim are like my own pups. And who knows, maybe we will become so much more in two weeks."

"I have to get started on my homework, Aunt Kristen," I told her.

She patted my arm. "Of course. Have fun."

I scoffed. "Right. See you later," I said and then started up the stairs. I reached the beta floor and was headed to my room when I was shoved into the wall. Marilyn stood behind me and pinned my arm to my back.

"You may think that because James kissed you that he wants you. But you are just a random w***e to him," She hissed and sent chills down my spine. "Do not get in my way. Wendy will be James's mate. Do not get in our way, or you will regret it." She snarled and then released me and disappeared down the hall.

I stood panting in shock for a moment. Wondering if I should tell anyone or just go to my room. I decided to just run to my room. I closed the door and locked it. I slumped into my desk chair and started my homework.