Page 15 of Same Rogue
She shook her head.
“Why not?”
She shook her head again, denying him intimate information about her Pack.
“Please.” There was something almost desperate in his tone now.
She inhaled deeply. “One of the females in the Pack…well she got hit by him. It happened two years ago, and as far as I know it was an isolated incident, but it made me not want to be around him. They had only been dating for a couple weeks. He was fast to react physically and every time I’m around him, I just get this…this…sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. My wolf doesn’t like him. My hackles are up if I think he’s going to touch me.”
“Does he? Does he touch you?”
She nodded. “He’s kissed me, and he looks for excuses to touch me when we are around each other. I’ve told him I’m not comfortable but he’s not the type of guy to care about that kind of stuff.”
Bridger’s eyes were lightening to a soft whiskey brown. He cleared his throat. “So that’s why you did the matchmaking?”
“Partly. I really tried to meet someone naturally. I really did. I did all the dating apps and said yes to dates with men at restaurants and coffee shops. I even dated a couple humans. I tried to be what men wanted or needed, or I don’t know. I tried to be the perfect match, but I always fell short. And then Seth came along and getting paired felt more urgent. I think he will convince me soon, and I will become pliable, and I will try to be the perfect match for him, and I think I will lose everything I love about myself if I do that. It’s hard to leave the McIver Pack. There has to be a good reason or they won’t release you. They really try to keep their numbers up, and with females especially. They pride themselves on how many they have. The matchmaking was my excuse to leave. The second you…errr who I thought was you paid attention to me, it felt like freedom. I started planning my escape. I didn’t even care where you lived. I just didn’t want to be around Seth anymore.”
“When he kissed you, what did you feel?” Bridger asked. His voice was getting growly.
“I felt dread,” she answered honestly.
His eyes darkened. “And what did you feel when you kissed me tonight?”
“Oh no. You aren’t playing fair.”
“I’m not playing at all. I’m asking questions.”
“And I’m answering questions, but do you know what I’ve been doing for the last three months?”
“Hmm?”
“Answering your questions.”
“Not mine. Vic and Lyric’s.”
“But it’s unbalanced.”
Bridger leaned his head back against the door of room 1010. “What do you want from me?”
“An equal exchange, so I don’t feel as if I give everything and you give nothing.”
“Mmm.” He didn’t look happy. “What do you want to know?”
“How long ago did your mate die?”
Bridger stood smoothly and tipped his hat slightly. “It was nice to meet you, Ms. Rothchild.”
“Was it recently?” she asked as he began to walk away. “I want to know how big the hurt still is.”
“As big as it can be,” he growled.
“How long?”
He rounded on her and now his eyes were gold again. “What is this?”
“An equal exchange.”
“I ask how you felt when you kissed me and you ask about Amelia? Doesn’t seem fair to me.”
