Fates Entwined

20

My eyebrows shot up at that, but before I could come up with an answer, Ana brought us a plate of warm churros. I'd never had a churro before, and I moaned as the first one melted into my mouth. “Oh no. I’m going to want to eat like twenty of these. I can’t believe you’d do this to me.”

“Stella’s weakness is churros,” Jordan said, mock writing it down. “Good to know.”

"Don't change the subject. What do you like to read? Don’t tell me you’re secretly into romance novels, too.”

“Mostly I read mysteries and thrillers. Sometimes a bit of sci-fi too."

"Really?" I asked, unable to hide my surprise. I'd never expected Jordan, of all people, to be a reader.

He shrugged. "I read a lot of stuff. I like graphic novels too."

I grinned. “Of course a Leo would like superheroes.”

"Who doesn't?" he asked, but then his face turned serious. "I used to read them with my brother, Griffin. He had a hard time reading as a kid, and our dad... Let's just say he didn't like it when we showed any kind of weakness. I wanted to protect Griffin from his anger, so I got some graphic novels from the library for us to read together. It worked, and then it became one of our favorite things to do together. When our parents were fighting and throwing things at each other, we'd hide in our room under the covers with a flashlight and read about Batman or Daredevil. Like you said, it was an escape."

I stared at Jordan with my mouth open, unable to look away, my heart beating faster with every new tidbit he revealed. I'd known the previous Leo alpha was evil, but I'd never realized he was so awful to his own family. Or that Jordan had done everything he could to protect his little brother from it. With every word, Jordan revealed new hidden depths to himself and made it even harder for me to hate him. And the fact that Jordan felt comfortable enough to open up to me about something so personal, even after I'd done nothing but tease him and act sarcastic, made me feel like the biggest asshole ever.

"That's..." I stumbled over my words, unsure how to reply. "Thank you for sharing that."

"Sure," Jordan said, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding my gaze. “Well, are you done? Unless you want more churros, of course. I could ask Ana to get us a container of them.”

“Oh no. I've already eaten so many. Please don't tempt me with more.”

"That might be difficult." His cocky smirk was back. "I'm nothing if not tempting."

I threw an ice cube at him and he laughed, then paid the bill without letting me look at it. Ana gave me another hug and made me promise to return, and then we headed outside. It had cooled off a lot now that the sun was down, and I rubbed my arms as we walked to the car, looking up at the clear sky above.

“Chilly?” Jordan asked. “I wish I had a jacket so I could not give it to you.”

He actually made me snort with that one. “You just can’t help being a jerk sometimes, can you?”

"It’s all part of my charm," he said with a grin, as he opened the car door for me.

"Is what what you call it when you drive someone to murderous thoughts?"

"Aha, so you admit you have been thinking about me."

"Only the best places to hide your body."

He slid into the driver's seat. "We both know that's not what you want to do with my body."

My cheeks flushed, and I was glad the car was dark so he wouldn't see. "Don't get any ideas. I plan to curl up in bed with a book as soon as we get back, before going to sleep early."

“One of your romance novels?” Jordan asked as he started the car. “Think of me during the steamy parts."

“You wish,” I said. “Remember what I said about men in books being better?”

But later that night, when I cracked open the book Larkin had given me, I had a hard time getting lost in the pages. Especially when the hero appeared, and all his lines sounded in my head like Jordan's confident drawl.

“He just had to be cocky and blond too,” I muttered as I flipped the book closed. Every time the heroine noticed the hero's chiseled muscles and sharp jawline, all I could picture was the man in the room next to mine. I tossed the book on the side table and turned off the light, cursing the Leo alpha in my head. I wouldn’t catch feelings for him, I wouldn’t. But even as my eyes drifted closed, I knew I was already losing that battle.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

When I went downstairs the next morning, there was no sign of Jordan anywhere, except for a large stack of pancakes on the kitchen island, along with a note.

Here are your pancakes, as promised. Sorry I'm not there to share them with you. I’ll be back soon. –J

I scowled and set the note down, then considered the pancakes and maple syrup in front of me. I'd told Jordan I wouldn't eat his pancakes, but it was hard to resist them when they were right in front of me, taunting me like that. He'd done this on purpose, knowing I wouldn't be able to resist. I couldn't let him win.

But just a little taste wouldn't hurt, right? I tore a bit of pancake off and popped it in my mouth. They were probably terrible anyway. They weren't.

My eyes fluttered shut, and I was glad Jordan wasn’t around to see my reaction. I hated to admit it, but his pancakes were delicious, which made me even more annoyed because now I had to eat them.

Cursing Jordan in my head, I poured syrup on the pancakes and sat down at the counter to eat them. It had been a while since I’d had homemade pancakes, and before I knew it, they were all gone. Damn you, Jordan.