24. Dinner

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The pack house stared back at her, the buildings very much known to her but somehow still feeling strange. There was a lingering feeling in the back of her mind that made her feel like she did not belong here among these people. Nadia stood at the entrance, watching as a few of the werewolves moved about under the lights in the compound. Were they really her people? Would she ever be like them? Like fully embracing every aspect of her new life? What was the definition of her life anyway? For a moment, she stayed still before eventually getting the will to move.

“Good to see you out of your shell,” Danny said, falling into step. He had grown quite a stubble but that still didn’t take away his good looks.

“I missed you too,” she grinned.

It still felt strange that she was a part of this world that she had remained oblivious to up until a few weeks ago. I mean, she was supposed to be this powerful weapon against wolves and yet she still had no idea what it all entailed. Was she like a ticking time bomb that could be unleashed by some kind of trigger?

“So um…where is your friend?” he shrugged, quickly adding, “I figured you two would be together given that now you are back to the old Nadia,”

“I’m not her keeper, Danny. If you want to talk to her, I’m very certain you have her number,” She paused, “She is my closest friend but I’m not going to be part of whatever you two have going on. I’ll see you around, Danny,”

She tapped his shoulder lightly before walking up the small staircase leading into the entrance of Collins’ house and almost running into Laila. She tottered back in surprise. What was Laila doing coming out of Collins’ apartment?

“Oh, you are back. Collins and I just had dinner. Sorry, we didn’t leave any for you,” She said, arrogance dripping from her words.

“Don’t worry about that dear. Collins will be eating something different,” Nadia winked then brushed past Laila and into the house. Even though she had many questions right now, she was not about to let Laila get under her skin.

Collins was coming out of the shower, hair dripping wet and only a white towel hugging his firm hips. She sucked in a breath, almost forgetting that she was supposed to ask what Laila had been doing here. Fuck! This man was really a whole damn meal.

“You are back. I almost sent a search party for you,” he said, smiling down at her. He grazed the side of her face, “After everything, you are still here with me,”

“Well, you kind of make it hard to walk away,” she smiled back at him.

He stared into her eyes, then grabbed the back of her neck delicately while he slowly edged closer to her until their lips touched. It was not the kind of kiss that was filled with ferocity. No, it was more than that. It was gentle, almost as though telling her how much he loved her. It was healing in a way that made every worry and doubt disappear from her mind. It was a promise of him always being there for her. And when he pulled back, there was a look of mesmerization dancing in the depth of his eyes.

“I missed you too, Love,” His words stir something inside her. She knew she was getting addicted to him in ways that she never thought possible.


She took his left hand, pressing it against her chest then raising her gaze to look at him, “You can feel it, right?”

He knew what she meant. Maybe it killed him that she couldn’t form the words to tell him she loved him back but still, this gesture was something he understood. A smile waged over his features.

“Yes,” he then grew into a serious look, “Okay. How about you get into the shower, take as much time as you want and I’ll prepare some dinner for us? We could watch a movie of your choice and fall asleep on the couch,”

“I’d love that,” she answered.

He spanked her butt, earning a surprised gasp from Nadia but he just winked before walking into the bedroom. The smile on her face only deepened. She loved that man and he loved her back, possibly more than she could imagine. A bubble bath and scented candles would be the best way to relax tonight right before dinner. Wait, what did he mean to prepare dinner for them? Hadn’t Laila claimed that Collins and her had cooked already? Almost as though on cue, the bathroom door opened, Collins peeking in.

“So I’m going with strawberry for dessert. What do you say to a strawberry shortcake?” he questioned, eyes gleaming.

“Anything is fine,” she answered, “Um…Collins?”

“Yes?”

“I met Laila coming from here,” She tested the waters just to see his reaction.

“Laila? Oh, yeah. She was helping me with a thing or two about tonight’s dinner plan. I wanted to make it special for you and honestly, the only thing I could confidently make was a simple meal of Rice and Chicken curry,” he shrugged. So they did not eat together? Then what was this strange feeling of jealousy tightening around her core? He called his ex-wife to help him make dinner plans.

“Oh, okay,” she said.

“Wait, there is no problem, right? I mean, she only helped me plan. As for the cooking, I have got quite a bit of YouTube and mother’s old recipe for to help me,” he said.

“Just don’t burn the kitchen down,” She joked.

“Wouldn’t rule it out just yet,” he said, walking away.

After he left, she went back into her world of thoughts. A part of her knew damn well about what she felt for Collins. What they had was fiery and they could both feel it but the other part was aware of their different realities. Her life was in the city where she was a full-time author. His life was in this small town, taking care of his pack. They had to have this talk tonight and somehow it scared her. What if they ended up on different sides of opinions? Would that be the end of them when they had only just begun?