On my drive back home, I keep cursing myself for leaving, but deep down, I know I am doing the right thing. His scent still lingers on my body and I can still feel his lips on mine. After all that kissing, my lips feel kinda swollen. Damn! That man can kiss!
I shake my head to clear the thoughts off. I keep my eyes straight on the route toward home. I wouldn't want to ruin this lovely car my brother gifted me upon my initiation.
"Why the hell are you back here?" Penny questions me with her hands on her hips. She looks totally disappointed. "What happened?"
"What a warm welcome," I murmur, throwing my purse on my bed. "What are you still doing here?"
"I wanted to sleep over so that I will be here when you come back tomorrow with a juicy story for me," she responds. I roll my eyes at her.
"For all I know, it is not yet tomorrow. What happened?" she is really impatient.
"We had dinner together, like any other normal date. Then I said goodbye to him and left," I respond, removing my heels.
"You know I am not gonna believe that right? You two are too extraordinary to have an ordinary date. Didn't it go as planned? Please tell me. I am dying to know!" she cries.
"First of all, I didn't go there with any plan or expectations. He tried to prove to me how worthy he is of being my mate. I almost believed him completely so I run away," I tell her.
"You did what?" she doesn't even try to mask her shock.
"He asked me to stay with him for the night but I was scared so I refused and left," I tell her.
"Oh, God! You are so unbelievable, Arya! What are you scared of? That his gun is too big?" I gasp loudly and shake my head almost immediately.
"No fucking way! I just needed space to think, and I was so horny. He told me he knows when I am aroused. So he could probably smell my arousal in the air. I kept wondering if he could read my thoughts and if he knows what exactly I want him to do to me."
"Well, hell yes, he is your mate. He probably knows all that stuff."
"Shit! That's creepy!" I cover my face with my hands.
"Don't take my words seriously. I am the single one here. How am I supposed to know?"
"This is too much for me, Penny. Logan is too much for me," I say.
"Yes, he is. He deserves someone more courageous than you."
"What are you trying to say?"
"That you are a coward, Arya. You can't run away from your fate. You just need to face it! That is what Logan is doing. That is why he is trying to prove himself worthy even when you are being such a bitch." Penny does not flinch as she spits the venom. She never does. She is straight up. No nonsense, even when she is aware that your feelings will be hurt by the truth. You might find her rude if you don't know her.
"If you like Logan, so much, why don't you go to the Tower hotel and fuck him?" I spit back without filtering my words.
"I would, without hesitation if he wouldn't refuse because he only wants his mate who just ran away without looking back," she responds. I pounce onto her and we roll on the bed like wild teenagers, pulling each other's hair.
"Let go of me, bitch!" Penny screams but tags harder at my hair.
"No, you let go of me!" I yell at her and roll over to the top.
"You started it!" she cries.
"No, you started it!" I scream at her.
After a few minutes of this stupid fight, we let go of each and sit facing each other. Our hair looks like we just survived a tornado.
"You can't live like this, Arya. You have got to take chances. I am just mad that you are going to waste your life running away from your happiness," she tells me and then blows some hair from her eyes.
"But I am trying. I really am. It took me a lot of courage to go up to the Tower hotel to meet Logan and I am going to give him a chance," I respond. Penny takes in a deep breath.
"I know, honey, but what I am saying is that you shouldn't let good things slip out of your hold when you have got a grip of them. I hope you know that all I want is the best for you."
"I know, Penny. Even though you try to show it the hard way." A small smile forms on her face.
"Thanks for understanding me," she nods.
"No, thank you for understanding me," I say, smiling back at her. I crawl toward her and pull her into a huge hug.
"Aww! You are so sweet!" she mumbles while snuggling my neck. "And you still smell of him. Did he hug you?" I immediately break away from the hug, making her choke a laugh.
"No, he grabbed me and pulled me into his chest so that he can kiss me while choking me," I respond with a dirty smirk.
"Ooh... He's rough, I like that," she says while batting her eyelashes plat fully.
"Why am I not surprised that you like that?"
"Because I like, literally, everything about him," she responds with a matter-of-fact look. "As your best friend, I highly approve of him."
"Okay, I get it," I wave her off.
"Can you please spend the night here with me?" I ask her.
"Is that the same question he asked you and you bluntly said 'no'? Poor guy."
"Will you quit talking about him? I left him at the hotel but it's like he followed me all the way here," I give out a frustrated sigh.
"Jeez, I won't talk about Logan anymore if that will make you get that scary makeup off. You look like a ghost. I grab a pillow and throw it at her head, making her giggle. I get up from the bed and head to the bathroom.
"Are you staying or not?"
"You surprise me with how you ask questions with obvious answers," she responds. I roll my eyes at how she had to make a comeback.
In the bathroom, I take a look at myself in the mirror. Yeah, I look like a mess, but it is all her fault. She can't keep talking about Logan like that. I know well how goddamn sexy he is and I don't need to hear it from Penny.
I remove my dress, remembering how Logan said he wanted to peel me out of it. God! Now I wish I had stayed and he had done exactly that!
After getting rid of everything on my body, I step under the shower and close my eyes. Cold water cascades down my body in smooth languid movements. I can see Logan's face when he asked me if we could christen the bed. When his face leaned closer to mine and the way his lips felt they touched mine. God! This is getting useless. For a second, I wonder if it is too let to step out of the shower, dry myself, dress up quickly and drive back to the hotel. I laugh at my craziness. He's probably gone back to his home. I blame all this on my wolf!
Through the loud splashing of the water, I hear my ringtone. Who would be calling me right now? It rings for a few more seconds followed by Penny's voice. I turn off the shower to listen.
"Oh, hi there. I am Penny, her best friend." A pause. "She's in the shower right now. Can you call her later?" Another short pause. "Okay, hold on for a sec." The door to the bathroom clicks open. I step out of the shower and grab a towel.
"He's on the phone," she whispers covering the speaker with her hand.
"What? Who?" I am puzzled. She shoves the phone into my hand and gestures that I put it on my ear.
"Hello?" I mumble
"Arya," the familiar voice comes from the other side of the line. Penny gives me an impish grin. What the hell? I wave her off.
"Where on earth did you get my number?" I ask, refining shock. Penny's eyebrows cross in confusion. I walk past her out of the bathroom.
"I just looked for it and found it. That's not necessary unless it bothers you. . I hope it doesn't," he says.
"It does, and I find it super creepy," I tell him.
"Let's just say I have my ways, pretty face. I happen to know a lot about you, more than you can imagine so don't be surprised," he says.
"What do you want?" I attempt to remain casual.
"You are so impatient, pretty face."
"You interrupted my bath."
"Would you rather I interrupted it personally?" My breathing hitches. "Yes, I know. You don't have to answer that."
"Just get to the point," I cut him off.
"Okay, if you insist, baby." I am not sure if I like being called that. "I just wanted to know if you reached home safely. I couldn't help worrying about you." The sincerity in his voice is clear but I ignore it.
"Am fine. I didn't run into anything. I don't have a single scratch on my body," I respond. There is silence for some time and I wonder if he is still on.
"Okay, that's good," he says and then hangs up.
I am left in a quagmire of confusion. What was that?
"Babe, you are a mess," Penny clicks her tongue in disbelief.
"What?"
"Nothing," she lifts her hands in surrender. "I won't say anything this time."
"Good," I nod, placing my phone on the table.
"Good," she says crossing her hands in front of her chest.