My Surprise Mate

Ch. 6

I was a little surprised to hear him offer to stay. I mean, we don’t even know each other beyond formalities. “Won’t your girlfriend or wife get pissed about you babysitting another girl?” I swear I don’t know what has gotten into me. I’m usually never this outspoken, and here I am being a smartass to a man that could literally break me like a twig. I felt a twinge of pain at the thought of him being with another girl. That’s weird.

He chuckled, “I guess they probably wouldn’t like it much if I had one.” Wait, he’s single? I couldn’t help but wonder why. This man was drop-dead gorgeous and could probably have any girl he wanted drooling at his feet. Wonder what’s wrong with him?

“Anger issues?” I assumed out loud. Lord, help me keep my mouth shut. “I’m sorry…I don’t know what the hell has gotten into me. I swear I’m usually not like this.” I was becoming embarrassed about the fact I couldn’t seem to keep my thoughts to myself and my mouth shut. My stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly, causing my cheeks to deepen even more.

Dane stood, “What are you hungry for?” he asked me. “I can make myself a sandwich or something; it’s okay.” I stood up, making my way to the kitchen. I wasn’t scared anymore; Dane seemed to have that effect on me. Dane’s hands grabbed me around my waist, sending shock waves through my entire body, and gently set me down on one of the barstools. “Nice try,” he smirked at me, “but I asked what you were hungry for. I want to make something for you.” I felt so out of place. I have never had someone treat me the way Dane was, and I honestly wasn’t sure how to act. “I’m not sure what time it is,” I replied as he stood waiting for me to answer. “Does the time matter?” I smiled and shook my head, “No?” I questioned more than stated. “Nope, it doesn’t.” he laughed.

“I would love nothing more than a big juicy burger and some French fries,” I told him as my stomach growled again. Without another word, Dane began pulling out pans and started cooking. I sat silently watching him, trying to decide if I should be worried about a man like him acting the way he was toward someone like me. I wasn’t ugly, but I had always been what I like to call fluffy. I didn’t have a runway body, at least. My waist-length dark brown hair was nothing extraordinary, though my eyes had always been unique and stood out with their bright emerald color. I loved my eyes, and I had always been proud of my full lips.

“And to answer your question, I tend to have a short temper, but that’s not why I’m single. I would never hurt an innocent woman or child, no matter how angry I was. That’s not who I am.” Dane brought me out of my thoughts as he broke the silence. “So, tell me about yourself, Holly.” My heart rate started picking up. I still wasn’t sure if I should tell him anything or not. “I promise whatever you tell me will stay between us.” his voice was so smooth and confident as he spoke. I sat silently, still having an internal battle about how much I should tell him. Part of me knew I could trust him, but part of me still wasn’t sure. “Why don’t you start with something simple, like where you grew up?”

I took a deep breath as I thought about it. That is easy to answer, “I grew up in the system. I was abandoned as a baby, and no one ever wanted me. So that was my childhood. Not too much to talk about.” He stood silently as he plated our food. “I’m sorry that you had that kind of life.” He slid my plate in front of me before turning and pouring a cup of tea and handing it to me. He took a seat across from me with his plate of food, waiting for me to continue.

“I started working when I was 16 and got my first apartment and car when I turned 18. Waitressing mostly, but I’m saving, was saving, to go to college.” His eyes seemed to light up, “What do you want to study?” He had been so quiet while I talked that I had started to believe he wasn’t even listening. “Umm...well, I haven’t decided for sure yet, but either an elementary teacher or counselor, something with kids. I want to help kids somehow.” I took a big bite of my burger, “mmm, this is so good.” I told him as I took another bite.

He chuckled softly, “tell me about this ex of yours? What’s his name?” his tone was more serious than before. And with that, my anxiety started flooding through me. Dane sat eating his burger, patiently waiting for me to answer him. I convinced myself that there was no way he could know Kain, so it didn’t matter. “So, I met him at the diner I worked at. I already knew of him. He’s the town’s playboy. At first, he was nice. Well, when it was just him and me anyway. We dated for about two months. He was my first boyfriend.” I paused, thinking about Kain, “honestly, he was my first everything.” I cleared my throat, deciding what to say next.

“Once I finally decided to give myself completely to him is when everything changed. One time. That’s all it was…one time.” I felt a tear slip down my face. I regret ever giving Kain even a second of my time. I looked at Dane as I wiped my face, pulling myself back together, “he told me after that he was a werewolf and if anyone found out that, I knew I would be in danger. I wanted to believe that he was mentally unstable, but I saw his eyes change, and I swear he growled.”

I watched Dane waiting for him to start laughing, but then again, he said he’s an Alpha. “Why are you scared of him? Did he hit you?” Dane questioned. His whole body seemed to tense, and when he looked up, I saw his eyes swirl with a light grey. “Umm…he didn’t hit me. I mean, he got a little rough when I told him I was pregnant. Of course, at first, he tried to deny it was his.” I scoffed at the memory. I might be many things, but a w***e wasn’t one of them.

“What happened after that?” Dane questioned further; I could tell he was trying to hide his anger from me. I didn’t want to talk about Kain anymore, so I stood and grabbed my phone, unlocking it quickly and opening my text messages. After setting my dishes in the sink, I handed the phone to Dane and walked into the living room. I sat on the couch, snuggling into the blankets, and waited for Dane to come back in there. Finally, Dane came and sat next to me, handing me my phone back. I could feel the anger rolling off him in waves. “I wasn’t trying to make you mad,” I said quietly. “I don’t want you having any contact with him. If he calls or messages you again, let me talk to him.” Dane said through gritted teeth. What!? I haven’t even known this man for a full 24 hours yet. Who the hell did he think he was telling me I couldn’t talk to someone? Now I was mad. “What is it with men trying to tell me what to do?!” I stood from the couch, dropping the blankets onto the floor, “First Kain tries to tell me I can’t keep this baby, my baby, and now you, who I just f*****g met, are trying to tell me who I can and cannot talk to! This is bullshit. I’m leaving in the morning.” I spun on my heel and stormed off into the master bedroom, slamming the door a little harder than I meant to.