Surprisingly, Ava hadn’t spouted any insults. She’d admitted that she worried this wouldn’t end well, but she also said we made a cute couple. She could see that I was happy; that Butch made me happy. That was good enough for her.
According to Ava, the other girls’ anger had cooled a little. At this point, they were mostly just concerned about me. Paige, however—who continued to ignore my calls—was still nursing her grudge. Knowing my BFF well, I was pretty sure she was holding onto her anger to cover her hurt feelings; Paige didn’t like to show pain as she saw it as a weakness.
I didn’t like knowing I’d hurt this person who had protected me several times over the years—a person who had been sent to kill me but had instead chosen to join me. But there wasn’t a lot I could do until she was prepared to hear me out. I’d thought about tracking all of my supposed friends down to say my piece, but I agreed with Butch that I didn’t need to explain myself to them or anyone else.
As for his squad…Salem and David had decided to stay out of the matter, though they had made it clear to Butch that they would be pissed if he messed this up. Max seemed to have backed down, since he was no longer standoffish with Butch. Then again, he wasn’t exactly warm with him either. The rest of the squad were, in Sam’s words, acting like twats…as if they were all simply waiting for him to let me down and walk away.
It was a shit situation, and it meant I spent many hours debating whether to bitch-slap these people who, though their hearts were in the right place, were being too judgemental. Butch didn’t seem as infuriated by it, and I figured that was because he was used to people thinking badly of him. He was used to being judged.
That wasn’t something I liked at all. He didn’t—
“You’re in deep thought,” said Butch, placing a coffee-flavoured NST in front of me.
Unscrewing the lid, I sipped at the drink. “You can’t walk around bare-chested and expect me not to disappear into my fantasies.”
He snorted, not buying that. “What were you thinking about, baby?”
“Nothing new. I’m just annoyed that most of the people we call friends won’t even give us—this—a chance.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
He didn’t seem totally convinced. “I’m trusting that you’ll tell me if something about us is bothering you. I can’t fix it if I don’t know what’s wrong.”
“Nothing at all is wrong, I swear. I sometimes worry that you might miss having your space, but that’s it.”
“My space?”
“You’re used to being alone.” I took another sip of my NST. “Isn’t it strange for you to suddenly have me with you all the time?”
His eyes narrowed. “Is this your way of telling me that I’m taking up too much of your space?”
“If it were that, I’d just say it. It’s you I’m concerned about. I swear I won’t be upset or offended if you choose to have some time alone.” I wouldn’t. I’d totally get it.
Cupping my chin, he breezed his thumb along my lower lip. “I spent almost a year without you, baby. Not real keen on being away from you now. Just give me this, all right?”
I swallowed. “Okay.”
“Good girl.” He turned, grabbed our plates, placed them on the bar, and took his seat. “Now eat.”
As the taste of biscuits and gravy hit my tongue, I groaned. “I have to say, your cooking skills are much appreciated.”
He smiled. “I’m glad, but you won’t be benefitting from them tonight.” I must have looked petulantly disappointed, because he chuckled. “The new Mexican restaurant opens tonight, remember?”
I’d completely forgotten about that. “Then I don’t mind missing your skills for one night.”
After breakfast, we dressed and headed for the conference room. It was the first meeting we’d had in three nights, since Sam and Jared had wanted us to focus on training and being at our best. Silence fell as we entered. Only Ava, Salem, David, and Max greeted us. Some of the guys frowned at Butch, the others ignored him. As for the rest of my squad...they didn’t even glance my way. Butch’s hand supportively tightened on mine.
We took the empty seats between Salem and David, and I cast them both a smile—acting like it didn’t hurt that my friends were behaving this way. Butch’s arm hung over the back of my chair, his hand rested on my shoulder. The move was both possessive and protective, and I very much doubted it went unnoticed.
It wasn’t long before Sam, Jared, and Luther entered. Once they had taken their seats, Sam said, “Evening all. We have some news. Marco called an hour ago. The dragon shifter Alpha agreed to speak with Imani.” She looked at me. “He’s refusing to allow you to step on his territory, though. He’s much too wary of the legion, and he’s far too protective of his drove to take any chances.”
“So where will the meeting take place?” I asked.
“The land that borders both theirs and Lazarus’ territory. Marco will be with you as a friendly face. Butch, David, and one of Evan’s vampires, Ian, will go with you.”
Paige frowned. “Ian?”
“He can teleport,” said Sam. “If there’s a problem, Ian will get them away from there fast.”
David was also a good choice because, one, he had the gift of knocking someone into a coma with a psionic blast and, two, he was Butch’s partner during assignments; they were used to working together. It helped that there was no tension between him and Butch. Tension would be a distraction, and we didn’t need distractions in a situation like that.
Sam continued, “The rest of you will wait in the castle with me and Jared in case we’re needed.” She stood. “Right, time for training.”
The session was as gruelling and demanding as always. After lunch, Jared set a punishing pace that left me aching afterwards. But by the time Butch and I were showered and changed, my muscles were once again fine.
As I stood in front of the mirror putting on my earrings, Butch came up behind me and settled his hands on my waist. In his designer shirt and pants, he looked like something out of a GQ magazine. “Love this dress, baby.”
The little black sleeveless dress was one of the many garments that Fletcher chose for me; he was a great shopping partner. “Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.”
Smiling, he spoke into my ear. “I’m going to spend all night imagining whipping this dress off you.”
“There are worse ways to spend an evening.”
He chuckled. “Come on, let’s go.”
The restaurant was heaving, so it was a good thing that Butch had booked us a table in advance. The interior had a hacienda look to it with the colour scheme of terracotta, gold, green, blue, and mandarin. The Mexican pottery suns, paintings, tapestries, and metal art geckos added to the theme.
Waiting to be seated, I heard a laugh that I knew as well as my own. Paige. That was when I realised that the girls, with the exception of Ava, were here. Great. I would have liked to put them at the back of my mind so I could enjoy my evening. No such luck.
Feeling Butch’s grip on my hand flex, I looked up at him.
“We can go if you want.” So he’d noticed the girls, too.
I shook my head. “I’ve been looking forward to this meal all night.”
He studied me for a few moments and then nodded. The waiter then appeared and guided us to a circular table, which fortunately was far away from the girls. After we ordered our food, Butch moved his chair next to mine and gave me his full attention.
Throughout the next hour, we ate, talked, and laughed. He was sure to touch me constantly. Every touch was somehow sweet, sensual, and possessive all at the same time. It had been a while since I’d had this much fun on a date, and I was pretty sure there was a Barbie-like smile on my face.
“Hey, you two,” greeted an excitable voice.
My smile dimmed. “Hi, Jen.” Butch merely nodded at her.
Jen was one of the females who worked at the shoe store. She was also…familiar with Butch—the
last female he’d been with before he and I got together, to be specific. I reminded myself that, like with the others, it had only been a one-night stand; Jen hadn’t meant anything to him. That didn’t stop me from being pissed the fuck off at the flirtatious, nostalgic smile she flashed him.
I wished I could say that I didn’t like her. I actually did. Jen was a nice, bubbly, friendly person. She could just be a little too friendly with guys, even if they were spoken for. That didn’t discourage her. Maybe she was just so insecure that she needed that constant reinforcement that guys thought she was beautiful, or maybe it was something else—I had no idea.
Sitting on the table adjacent to ours, she angled her body toward Butch. As the night went on, she laughed too loud and did just about everything to get his attention; stroking her hair, arching her neck, playing her fingers over her cleavage, and licking her lips. He shifted so that his back was to her and he was better facing me. That didn’t make her stop.
I supposed I’d have to get used to bumping into his past encounters, since it was a small island with more males than females.
Butch nipped my earlobe, no doubt irritated that he didn’t have my full attention. “What’s wrong?”
“What do you think?” Okay, that came out a little harsh.
His eyes widened. “Jen’s getting to you? I thought you’d find it more pathetic than anything else.”
“It is pathetic. That doesn’t mean it isn’t irritating. I blame you.”
“How is this my fault?”
“It’s not, but I’m still blaming you.” I knew it was pointless and petty to get annoyed about being around females from his past, but I couldn’t help it. “I did warn you about my jealous streak.”
“Baby…” He stroked his thumb over my jaw. “She’s not important to me. Never was.”
“I know. It’s still not a pleasant situation.” Hearing Jen’s way-too-loud laugh once more, I grit my teeth. “I’ll say one thing for her: she’s persistent.” She was also close to having my fork shoved down her throat.
He just shrugged, as if she was none of his concern. “If she can’t clearly see that you’re someone to me, she’s either blind or stupid.”
I was leaning toward ‘stupid’ because it sounded better while I was feeling bitchy. “You were with her when I was with Dean, weren’t you?”
“With her? I wouldn’t phrase it that way.”
“Does it bother you that people call you a hit and run?” Even before we started this relationship, I was considered special for the simple reason that I’d lasted a month with him, even though it had been a month of casual sex.
He flashed me a crooked smile. “I’ve been called worse.” His arm slid around my neck until I was burrowed into the crook of his elbow. “None of them wanted more than a night of fun, baby. No one got hurt.”
“You’re wrong, you know. Plenty of girls wanted more from you, including Jen. She’s nice.” But still at risk of having her hair shaved off with a blunt razor.
He shrugged. “She’s not you.” He kissed me. “None of them were you, and that was the problem. I didn’t want a pale substitute. I wanted you. The real thing. I just didn’t think that would ever happen. Especially not when I heard that Dean planned to be Turned.”
As a human, Dean could never have been a real mate to me because we could never have Bound. He’d claimed to want to be a vampire so that we could have a real life together. But…“Sometimes I wonder if he played me, hoping I’d Turn him to keep him with me.”
Butch tilted his head. “You didn’t offer to ask Sam and Jared’s permission to Turn him?”
“I made it clear to Dean that I don’t plan to Turn anyone. Starting a line is a serious thing and involves responsibilities that I don’t want.”
His mouth twisted. “How long was it after that conversation that he cheated?”
“A week.” Which made it very likely that I had indeed been played. God, I was dumb. A part of me was hurt by his behaviour, but it was a teeny, weeny part because I now had something much better.
Butch rested his forehead against mine. “See, he’s a prick.”
I laughed. “Yeah, he really is.”
Chuckling, Butch kissed me again. It was slow and deep and drugging. It was also a possessive display, so maybe he understood that the only way that people would believe this relationship was serious was if he—a usually commitment-shy guy—made such an obvious and public display.
He broke the kiss with a bite to my lip. “When we get back, I want you to go straight to the bedroom and strip for me.”
I arched a brow. “Oh, you do?”
“I do.”
Sounded like a plan to me. Just then, our waiter reappeared, gathered our plates, and said he’d be back shortly with our dessert. I gave Butch a quick kiss. “I need to use the ladies’ room; I’ll be back in a minute.”
He bit my lip again. “All right.”
As I was passing Jen’s table, she smiled up at me. Considering she’d been flirting with Butch all evening, I didn’t feel the urge to smile back. Instead, I bent and spoke in a low voice. “I know you flirt as easy as you breathe, Jen. And I like you, so I won’t hurt you. But you do not try to get my man’s attention like that again. It’s disrespectful to me and it’s pointless for you...unless of course you’d like to be off solid food for a year. Understood?”
She looked from me to Butch, who was watching us closely. “You two are serious? I heard the rumours but, well, it’s Butch.”
Her disbelief was understandable. “They’re true.”
She patted my hand. “I’ll spread the word that he’s all yours and not to be flirted with. You’re kind of cute together. I’m happy for you.”
See, she was a nice person. Just very misguided and not all that bright. I gave a curt nod. “Have a good night.”
Her smile was impish. “Considering what you’ve got in your bed, I think it’s safe to say that you will.”
Oh, it was.
I hurried to the restrooms and did my business. I was just washing my hands when the door opened and in walked my supposed friends. Groan. They gathered around me, their expressions determined. Apparently there was going to be an intervention. Awesome.
Drying my hands on a paper towel, I sighed. “Make it quick. I don’t want my ice cream to melt. But before you tell me you think I’m making a mistake, you should know that I don’t care.”
Mouth tight, Jude shook her head in disbelief. “Never thought I’d see the night when you chose a guy over your friends.”
Was she kidding? “Um, actually, it was you who froze me out. Was I supposed to chase after you? Beg your forgiveness for making decisions regarding my own life without your approval?”
“It’s not that we think you shouldn’t act without our approval, Imani,” said Alora, casting Jude a ‘calm down’ look. “We just don’t like that you kept something so big from us.”
“There was nothing to keep from you until the evening before you and Paige showed up on my doorstep.” I splayed a hand over my chest. “I’m sorry, should I have text you all straight away to let you know what happened?”
“Imani, honey, there’s no way it all came out of the blue like that,” Maya insisted, though her tone was soft and not in the slightest bit challenging. She seemed more concerned than anything else.
“You’re right. It didn’t. I knew what Butch wanted, and I took some time to think about it.” I wasn’t going to apologise for that.
Jude put her hands on her hips. “But you didn’t tell us.”
“Nope, I didn’t.” And I didn’t regret that. “It was a big decision, and it needed to be my decision. Asking your advice wasn’t necessary since I knew exactly what you’d say.”
Paige leaned forward. “We’d say what you didn’t want to hear. The truth. Butch doesn’t do relationships, Imani. You, of all people, know that.”
Cassie nodded. “She’s right, sweetie. You said yourself that he doesn’t connect with people and h
e doesn’t want to. Why give him an opportunity to hurt you again?”
I exhaled heavily. “He’s not going to hurt me.”
“He hurt you once before, remember? Or have you forgotten about that?” sniped Jude.
It was hard to maintain an even tone, but I managed it. “I haven’t forgotten. I happen to believe in second chances.”
Paige threw her hands up in the air. “You weren’t good enough for him a year ago, so why now?”
“People change.” Hell, I’d changed plenty in the past year.
“And you believe he’s changed?” scoffed Jude. “God, Imani, what’s wrong with you?”
“My elbows itch sometimes. Is that weird?”
“Has it crossed your mind that he could be doing this just to keep you from getting back together with Dean?” asked Maya. “I don’t mean it in a bitchy way, honey. It’s just that, you know, guys do weird stuff like that. There’s no denying that Butch can be weird.”
“Weird?” echoed Paige. “He’s about as deranged as they come. He hides it well, but we all see it.”
“You think he’s normal, Imani.” Alora gave a soft shake of the head, adding, “He’s not. He never will be.”
I frowned. “No one on this island is normal. Hell, Alora, you talk to freaking animals.”
“Imani, you take relationships seriously,” said Paige. “You’re going to demand things from him that he just can’t give you. Then what will happen? You’ll be crushed and devastated, and we’ll have to pick up the pieces.”
I licked my front teeth. “You’ll have to pick up the pieces? Like that will be a favour to me? Like I wouldn’t do the same for any of you?”
Cassie stepped forward, hands up. “We’re just concerned for you. Sweetie, you don’t think straight when it comes to Butch; you never have.”
Maybe not, but… “This here and now isn’t about me, it’s about all of you and your bruised feelings. At least be honest about that.”
Paige folded her arms. “Well, since when do we keep shit from each other, huh?”
Oh my God. I ran my gaze along all of them as I said, “Are you going to honestly stand there and say that you tell me everything that goes on in your life? Really?”