Moonlight Kin 2: Aidan's Mate (Mid-Length Novel) (17 page)

Carl sat at the table, flipping through a Breakbend visitor’s guide. It appeared like he wasn’t paying any attention to Ethan, but Jenna knew better. The beefy investigator was like a sponge. He absorbed everything, noted every detail.

“I’ll expect it here Saturday morning.” Ethan pressed a button to disconnect the call. “I can’t believe this. You’re sure this is the last room available.”

“Yep,” Carl said. “There’s a fishing tournament in town. We were lucky that I hadn’t checked out yet.”

Ethan looked around the room and scowled.

What were they going to do until Saturday?
Jenna wondered. She didn’t relish the idea of staying in this motel room with them for two nights.

“Why didn’t you just bring the paperwork with you?” Jenna asked. “It would’ve saved us both a lot of time and trouble.”

Ethan shoved his phone in his pocket and walked over to where she sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m not buying a fast food restaurant from you. This type of land deal requires several attorneys to be present. I can’t just pull random people off the street to be witnesses,” he snapped.

“I’m surprised you didn’t forge my signature,” she said.

He looked at her, his expression inscrutable. “I thought about, but again, it wasn’t feasible.”

She stood and stretched. “What’s going to happen now?”

Ethan glared at her. “Now we wait.” His gaze swept the room and his lip curled in disgust. “Carl, go out and get us a pizza. Bring back a bottle of disinfectant while you’re at it. Jenna and I need some alone time.”

Fear slithered down her spine. What did Ethan mean? Surely he wasn’t referring to... She shuddered at the thought. If he touched her, she’d kill him. Jenna couldn’t imagine having any man’s hands on her other than Aidan’s.

It didn’t make sense given the short time they’d known each other, but it was the truth.

Carl grunted and left the motel.

“Take a seat.” Ethan pointed to the chair Carl had vacated.

Jenna walked across the room and sat down.

“I looked up your friend before I left,” he said. “Fortier is an interesting man. His resources are comparable to my own. Is that why you slept with him?”

Jenna blanched. “I never said anything about sleeping with him. You’re the one with sex on the brain.”

“Perhaps, but I’m not the one with the giant hickey.” Ethan stared pointedly at the love bite on her neck.

She reached up and covered the spot with her hand. “That’s not from Aidan,” Jenna said.

Ethan arched a brow. “Carl hasn’t seen you with anyone else.”

“Yeah, well, Carl wasn’t with me 24/7,” she said.

“He didn’t need to be.” Ethan walked over to his briefcase and pulled out a folder. He tossed the contents onto the table.

The photos were of her and Aidan at the restaurant.

“Is that you?” Ethan asked.

Jenna’s jaw clenched. “You know it is.”

“Good,” he said. “We’re in agreement. So if that’s you, then who is that?” Ethan pointed at Aidan.

Jenna didn’t respond.

Ethan sighed. “You might as well answer me. I already know who it is.”

“It’s Aidan,” she said quietly. “But it’s not what it looks like,” Jenna added quickly.

“Really?” He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “It looks like a romantic dinner for two.”

Jenna shook her head. “It wasn’t.” She pointed to the small notepad on the table in one of the photos. “That was the night he gave me an exclusive interview for the paper.”

Ethan’s brows rose to his hairline. “I didn’t realize wine was a necessary part of the interview process.”

Jenna’s mouth snapped shut.

He laughed mirthlessly. “So how long have you been fucking him? And don’t lie to me. You never could lie worth a damn.”

Jenna shot to her feet. “It’s none of your business.”

Ethan rose from his seat. He stood so close that they nearly touched noses. “Anything that could possibly jeopardize this land deal
is
my business.” He pointed to the photos. “I didn’t bring Fortier into this mess. You did. Whatever happens to him is all on you.”

Tears prickled Jenna’s eyes, but she refused to let Ethan see her cry. She’d already wasted too many tears on the bastard. He was right though. If anything happened to Aidan, it would be her fault.

“I need something to drink.” She turned away from his knowing gaze.

“There’s water in the tap,” he said.

Jenna pulled a face. “I was thinking more like a soda. I’m pretty sure that I saw a vending machine tucked between the buildings.”

Ethan stared at her. “You run and I’ll make it my personal mission in life to destroy him. You understand?”

She nodded, then walked to the door.

“You have five minutes,” he said. “If you’re not back by then, I’ll make a phone call.”

Jenna put her hand on the doorknob.

“And Jenna,” he said.

She froze.

“Pick me up a Coke while you’re at it.” Ethan grinned and tossed her some change.

Jenna picked the change up off the carpet and slipped out the room. He was going to try to destroy Aidan no matter what she said or did. She could see the intent in his eyes. All she’d done was delay the inevitable. She just needed to figure out how to delay it a little longer, so she could warn Aidan.

The motel was laid out in a typical V-shape with all the doors facing the parking lot. There were several cars parked in the lot, mostly pickups that held fishing rods in their back windows.

Light blue paint covered the walls, but did little to hide the age of the building. Jenna wasn’t thirsty. She’d just needed to get away from Ethan, so she could think. Warning Aidan was priority number one. Nothing else mattered.

She reached the vending machine and dug into her pocket to retrieve the change Ethan had given her. Jenna bought a couple of sodas, then slowly walked back toward the room. A door opened to her right and an elderly man stepped in front of her, wearing a fishing hat.

“Excuse me,” he said. “I didn’t see you there.”

Jenna smiled. “No problem.” She started to walk off, then stopped abruptly. “Sir, could I use your phone?”

His bushy white brows rose and fell like caterpillars inching across a cracked sidewalk. “What’s wrong with the phone in your room?”

“It’s out of order,” she said. “I don’t own one of those fancy cell phones.”

He snorted. “Me neither. Though the wife keeps badgering me to pick one up.” He swept his hat off and scratched his head. “I suppose it would be okay, but don’t stay on long. It’s a local call, isn’t it?”

Jenna nodded.

“Okay, then.” He stepped aside.

Jenna hurried into the room and fished out the card Bernie had given her. She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the call to connect. She didn’t have much time. Two minutes at the most. “Pick up. Pick up. Come on Aidan.”

“Fortier residence,” a voice said.

She recognized Robert’s nasal tone immediately. “May I please speak with Aidan?”

“May I ask who’s calling?” he asked.

Jenna growled in frustration. He knew who it was. He was just messing with her. “I don’t have time for games, Robert,” she hissed. “I need to talk to Aidan. It’s important.”

Silence greeted her.

“Are you still there?” What if he’d hung up on her? What would she do then?

“I’m sorry, but Mr. Fortier is unavailable. He’s made it clear that he has nothing more to say to you,” he said.

Jenna recoiled. “What? Why?”

Was that what Aidan planned to tell her tonight? Had he decided sleeping with her was a mistake? It hurt to breathe, but Jenna shoved the pain aside. It didn’t matter.

She was a big girl. She had entered that clearing with her eyes wide open. No expectations. No demands. They were both consenting adults.

Jenna had known going in what Aidan wanted, because she’d wanted the same thing. If Aidan had misgivings about last night, then so be it. None of that changed what she needed to do.

“Please Robert.”

“I saw you in town with your
friends
,” he said. “You couldn’t keep your hands off each other. It was disgusting. If you cared at all about Mr. Fortier, you wouldn’t have humiliated him in such a public manner.”

Jenna’s stomach churned. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” How could he think that Ethan and Carl were her friends?

“Don’t I?” he asked. “Your true colors are showing. Not a surprise, considering you got everything you wanted.”

All Jenna wanted was to end this. “Robert, please. I’m begging you. This is an emergency. I need to warn Aidan. It won’t take long. I promise.”

He snorted. “Your assurances are worthless. I’ll relay your concerns to Mr. Fortier. Please do not phone again.” Robert disconnected the call.

Jenna stared at the handset in disbelief. She could only imagine what Robert had told Aidan. What he would tell him once he saw him again. Would he even bother to let him know that she’d phoned?

This could not be happening. Jenna put the phone down and walked out of the room.

The elderly man had been quietly waiting outside the door to give her some privacy. “Is everything okay?” Concern softened his aged brown eyes and mellowed his tone.

Jenna shook her head. Nothing was okay. Nothing would ever be okay again. She’d lost Aidan before she’d ever really had him.

Once again, Ethan had cost her what she held dear. And thanks to Robert LaBeouf, she couldn’t even warn him that trouble was coming.

“Thank you for allowing me to use your phone.”

“Anytime,” he said.

Jenna walked back to the motel room and opened the door.

Ethan glanced at his watch. “Cutting it close.” He held out his hand.

Jenna placed the sodas on the table, then walked into the bathroom and shut the door. The mark on her neck throbbed. She put her hand over the spot and held it there, as if covering it would somehow keep the memory of Aidan’s lips burned into her skin.

The tears she’d been holding back welled in Jenna’s eyes. She turned on the water, so Ethan wouldn’t hear her cry.

* * * * *

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Aidan lay in his bed surrounded by Jenna’s scent. He hadn’t allowed the cleaners to change the sheets. Partly as penance for stupidly marking a human and partly because he couldn’t stand the thought of losing any part of her.

He’d declined Robert’s offer to send a Werewoman to his room. The idea of touching another female was repulsive to him. Aidan knew he couldn’t continue to hide. Eventually, he’d have to tell the pack the truth.

Tomorrow the moon run would begin. He’d planned to formally introduce Jenna to the pack once he’d revealed his secret. Thank
Freki
he’d intended to tell her in person. It would’ve been disastrous had he put it in writing, since Jenna had taken the note with her.

Should he have worded the message differently? What could he have said or done to get her to stay? Aidan had been asking himself those questions and many others for the past few hours.

He wasn’t one for pretty words. Aidan didn’t know how to be anything but direct with people. That included members of the female persuasion.

Perhaps he should’ve told Jenna how he felt? But how could he, when Aidan had only recently discovered what she meant to him?

The emotions were too fresh, too raw. He was still trying to come to grips with the fact that a human female had turned his life upside down in less than a week.

Aidan had assumed that Jenna had been equally affected by their sudden joining, but her actions said otherwise.

No matter how many ways he examined the situation, Aidan couldn’t understand what made Jenna leave suddenly without saying goodbye. When she’d told him that she planned to betray him, Aidan thought she’d been referring to the interview.

What if she hadn’t? What if there’d been more to her story? What if Jenna had been trying to tell him about the men and he’d been too caught up in her scent to listen?

Aidan knew she’d enjoyed their time together. You couldn’t fake that kind of passion. He would’ve known.
His wolf would’ve known.

He rolled over and stared at the wall. There were no answers written on it. No advice for what he should do next. His gaze dropped to the wastebasket near his bedside table.

There was a crumpled piece of paper in it. Aidan instantly recognized his personal stationary. Maybe Jenna hadn’t taken his note with her after all.

If that were the case, then Aidan would finally have the answer he sought.

With trepidation, he climbed out of bed and picked up the wad of paper. Aidan slowly unfolded the sheet and straightened it. His heart tripped in his chest, when he saw his name written at the top of the page. He flipped the paper over, but there was nothing written on the back. It wasn’t the note he’d left for her. This was a new one.

So how did the note end up in the trash? Had Jenna changed her mind after she’d written it?

Aidan brought the note to his nose and sniffed. Fur rippled down his arm and his vision blurred, as a familiar odor greeted him. He crumpled the note in his fist and rushed out of the room.

He grabbed the first wolf he saw by the scruff of the neck and slammed him into the nearest wall. “Where is Robert LaBeouf?” Aidan shook Nic hard enough to rattle his teeth.

“N-not sure, Alpha. I think he’s running with the pack tonight.”

Robert only attended formal pack gatherings. He never ran with the pack for the sheer joy of it. He considered that kind of thing beneath him. Why the sudden change? “Are you sure?”

“Bernie said that Robert was in a good mood. So good that he felt like going for a run,” Nic said. “He only mentioned it to me because it was so unusual and thought I’d get a laugh out of it.”

Aidan shoved Nic away. “I want you to find Robert and bring him to me.”

Nic hesitated.

“Did I stutter?” Aidan bellowed.

“No, Alpha.” Nic stiffened.

“Then go! Now!”

* * * * *

Robert yipped excitedly as he ran through the woods. The pack shouldered past him, but tonight he didn’t care. He’d saved his fellow Moonlight Kin from what would surely have been a disaster.