Page 71 of Havenfall Harbor
Smartly, Evan doesn’t back up, but he does cross his arms over his chest and send a glare at the redhead. His look alone should tell her he’s not messing around, but he adds a firm, “No,” too.
Rachael stops in her tracks and looks over her shoulder, putting Quinn back in her sights. There was never much between Evan and Rachael. He told me the sex was fantastic, but not much else. She’s an alpha in her own right, and I’m reasonably sure she wanted to be with him because Evan is one of the strongest alphas I’ve met. He could control a pack half the size of California if he chose to. Together, they would have dominated, but that’s not what Evan wants. That would be too much like his father.
Evan broke it off with Rachael when she hinted that she wanted to bond, and made it clear he wasn’t interested. She seemed to take it okay, maybe it was because she knew there wasn’t anyone else. Clearly, that’s not the case anymore. I watch Rachael’s head tilt back as she drags in a deep inhale. When she lowers her chin, she narrows her eyes on Quinn.
Evan lashes out and grabs a hold of Rachael’s upper arm. She freezes and slowly looks over her shoulder at Evan. He’s a good six inches taller than her, so her head tips back to make eye contact. “Don’t,” he warns. “Not ever,” he finishes, still gripping her arm.
Rachael’s face pinches into a sneer, but she breaks eye contact and lowers her head in a submissive move.
He releases her then and walks right past her to join Quinn, who’s looking through the racks. I keep my eyes on Rachael. When her eyes lift, she glares at Evan’s back, but quickly retreats to the counter as if nothing even happened.
“Find anything?” Evan places his hand gently on Quinn’s lower back. It’s a deliberate move, much like the one I did with Noah.
Chapter 21
Evan
My skin feelslike it’s covered in fire ants. My bear is punishing me for not shifting, for not doing something more to show the wolf how serious we are.
I have to force myself to walk over to Quinn with slow, measured steps instead of bounding over to her and baring my teeth at Rachael. If I’m honest, it’s a reaction I’m not completely comfortable with.
Griff is silently watching. He sees fucking everything. Quinn takes one look at me and the corners of her mouth slip down into a frown. I must not be doing a very good job of hiding the fact that I’m aggravated. “I’m ready.” She steps back from a display of cream sweaters, her right hand clinging to the strap of her small purse over her shoulder.
“You didn’t find anything?” I don’t want her rushing on my account, she might come back another time when I’m not with her and who the hell knows how Rachael would respond to that.
“I was just looking, come on.” Quinn reaches for my hand and tugs until I fall in line behind her, weaving her way out of the store. Once we exit, Quinn releases my hand and leans up on her toes, trying to see around me to make sure Griff has followed us.
“He’s coming,” I assure her.
Quinn drops back down on her heels and gives me a sympathetic wince. “Bad history?”
“I didn’t think so.” I’m not sure how much of Rachael’s words Quinn heard, not that there were many. Anyone who is perceptive would have picked up on the tension between us though, and my shift in demeanor. “We dated for a few weeks several months ago,” I admit, aiming for honesty.
“Let me guess, you broke up with her.”
I nod my head and look down the street. This isn’t really something I want to talk about right now, especially since I have the almost overwhelming urge to mark her with my scent. My bear doesn’t give a fuck about the wolf, other than to let her and everyone else know Quinn is mine. I lick my bottom lip, about to speak, when the door pushes open and Griff saunters out, the handles of a paper bag clutched in his hand. After a cursory glance at Quinn, Griff makes eye contact with me. “We’re good,” he says to me, then focuses back on Quinn. “Want to check out the other stores?”
I’m picking up what Griff isn’t verbalizing. He stayed behind for more than just buying whatever is in that bag. I doubt he even had to say much. Rachael never admitted it, but I think Griff scares her a bit. Honestly, there are not many people he doesn’t intimidate. In the few weeks we were together, she asked me about our friendship once or twice, and she made it obvious she didn’t understand it.
I glance back into the store window and see Rachael with her phone up to her ear while her mouth is moving a mile a minute. Great, cat’s out of the bag now. Every shifter at Havenfall will know I want Quinn before she even knows it herself. I think we should tell her before someone else says something to her about it.
Quinn
It’searly evening and we’re seated at an outdoor patio. I have a cheap bottle of beer in front of me and there’s a live band playing on a stage over in the corner. A great way to end a long week.
Evan and Griffin have been stellar tour guides. Never once complaining when I asked to go into a store or peruse the downtown area. It did take a little while for Evan to warm back up after the encounter at the sweater shop. He seemed really bothered by whatever happened between him and the gorgeous redhead, which piqued my curiosity. They both kept their voices low enough that even when I was trying to eavesdrop, I couldn’t.
I look across the round, wooden picnic table at Evan. All the tension from this morning is gone, if anything, he’s been way friendlier, flirty even. Griffin too, in his own way. He’s much more tactile than Evan, who does great with banter.
Or it could be that I’m making a bigger deal out of things than I should. I mean, maybe the constant touching and little comments are just them being themselves.
I jiggle an unused coaster back and forth across the scarred wood tabletop with my finger. The stares we received throughout the day haven’t abated. Even now, I can feel eyes on me—well, I should say us. Not that I blame them. I would probably stare, too, if I saw Evan and Griffin walking through small-town USA, I just hope I would be a little more incognito about it than most of the people around here are.
Evan tips his head back and gives someone behind me a jerk of his chin, calling them over. A few people at the bar greeted him with waves or shouts of welcome, so I know he must come here often, unlike the stores along Main Street.
The waitress comes over. She actually called Evan Mr. Winters when we sat down, so it isn’t a leap to assume she must have been a resident at Havenfall at some point. “Ready for the check?” She bounces her gaze between the three of us.
“Yeah, I think we are.” Evan’s voice carries over the music. I’m actually a little sad we’re already leaving. I’m not looking forward to kicking Griffin out of his bed again.
