Chapter 4
TYLER
“I always do, Tyler. But you’re not. returning the favor” She said the last part in a low voice before she slid out of her chair and turned around, ready to walk away.
I felt every word she said, and it hurt. Because all the while, I thought everything I did was to protect her heart How would I know I would still end up hurting her?
My hand coiled on her wrist as I pulled her back gently. “Where are you going?
“I want to dance.” She pulled her arm: away from me gently.
“Alone?”
“I’ve been dancing alone for a while now I’m used to it.””Then dance with me “I wanted to pull her closer, but like before, I didn’t want to take advantage
“I’m not sure if I can beat the last dance partner you had.” She said before biting her bottom lip.
How do I tell her I never had any dance partners at all? Zoey and I never attended balls together, except once held in her territory for Lawrence’s birthday gala, but we didn’t dance together. We simply showed up.
“I never had one except the little tyke who taught me how to dance when I was twelve ”
Her face lit up before she threw her head back and let soft giggles escape her throat Catherine was breathtakingly beautiful, and it warmed my heart that I got to see her carefree laughter again.
“I forgot, you have two left feet!” She blurted it out, and I could see she was enjoying teasing me
I leaned in closer as if I were about to share a very important piece of information. “That’s why I became a Beta. I was not accepted as a dance instructor.” I told her in a hushed tone
She continued to giggle before her
hand slapped on my arm, and it made me smile Catherine would always do that whenever I told her lousy jokes. She never failed to make me feel like I was born a comedian, even if the whole world knew I was far from one
“Come on, Beta. Let’s dance and see if you have any chance to fix that!” Her dainty fingers snaked around my forearm, tugging it gently before she let go and walked ahead. And although there were no sparks the same way Zoey’s touch would render me immobile, her hold gave me goosebumps.
I cleared my throat and followed her while trying to whisk away any naughty thoughts in my head, which I had mastered over the years whenever her presence made my body feel hot. But no matter what I did, I couldn’t stop them this time, especially when my gaze couldn’t seem to get away from her round ass.
In over a year, her body had been toned. Gone are those baby fats, replaced by firm muscles that were just perfect for her small frame
I followed her as we stepped inside the big mansion and went to where they set up a dance area with disco balls and DJs manning the music booth. The music they were playing was upbeat, and the crowd was already dancing.
I never went to a university And like the Alpha, I never crashed or joined parties like this. This was more of Austin’s style, so I was not even sure how to act around here, especially since everyone around me was human except Catherine.
But this female with me surely knew what to do. As soon as we were on the dance floor, she twirled around and anchored her hands on my shoulders, and I instinctively clutched her waist – a little too tight that her body jolted.
“I’m sorry I should have been more gentle.” I smiled apologetically, but she just flashed me her signature mischievous smile that I fucking missed.
“I actually like it. Until I complain, carry on, left feet.”
Soon I was laughing harder than I’d ever laughed in the last twelve months. Like always, Catherine was a breath of fresh air She simply knew what to say and do to make people around her comfortable And it was not hard to fall in love with that kind of female.
And ten minutes into dancing with her,
that statement was proven.
“Can I dance with Catherine?” The birthday boy approached us and extended his hand to her How could I say no when it was his birthday, and he owned this mansion?
I gave him a nod before I spoke with Catherine in a low voice. “I’ll be back for you.”
She smiled at me before the intruder took her hand, and they danced away from me. Instead of stepping out of the room, I just moved to the far end and took a glass of sparkling wine from one of the servers that passed by, drinking it all at once before realizing I shouldn’t have drunk it. But then I
couldn’t do anything about that now
“So, tomorrow, join me on the yacht again?” I heard the birthday boy ask her, and it made my forehead crease
A yacht? Billionaire’s son. With how big this mansion was, he probably was. As much as I hated listening to random conversations, I had no intention of letting this slip my ears.
“I can ask Lindsey…” Catherine answered, but she was cut off immediately
“The plan is just the two of us. We can invite them again next time.”
“Oh, I’m not sure I am available. My brother is here with his son, so I don’t think I want to go somewhere else ” tomorrow”
Good girl
“Hmmm, but when you thought Lindsey could join, you were about to accept the invite, right?”
I was impressed. He was not stupid.
I didn’t hear Catherine’s reply as a
hand snaked around my forearm and
tugged me to the dance floor
“Let’s dance “It was Lindsey.
My eyes flew to where Catherine was, and I saw her looking at us, but it seemed she was not bothered that I was with her friend. I was still planning to listen to their conversation, but Lindsey’s question caught me off guard.
“Do you like Catherine?” She was
dancing with me, but her eyes were on
the other pair
“Why do you ask?” I asked her back
“Do you think she likes Reese?”
“Is that the male she’s dancing with?”
“Yes. So what do you think?”
“No She doesn’t like him Do you like
him? I had no idea why I answered that Maybe I was saving my heart from being broken.
“Yes. I do.”
“Does Catherine know you like him?”
“No, she doesn’t.”
“And why are you telling me this?”
“Do you like Catherine?”
I chuckled, but I didn’t reply.
“I promise I won’t tell a single soul.” She added.
“Yes. I like Catherine”
“I think she likes you too. And maybe if you can get together…”
“Then Reese will leave her alone, and maybe he will see you.” I finished for her
“Pathetic, right.”
“Why don’t you tell Catherine you like
him?
“I’m not sure if she likes him. If she does, then I can’t stop her from liking him. But then you came, and I saw how Catherine looked at you. She never looks at him that way or any other guys around.”
“Are you trying to boost my ego so I will take Catherine away from him?” I chuckled, and it was at that exact moment that Catherine looked up at us again.
“I’m too obvious with my plans… I will never make a good mafia boss.” She said this after letting out a fake scoff And it made me chuckle more
‘Tyler, can you take me away from him? Save me Make up an excuse’ Catherine’s words dug into my head, making me stop moving for a moment.
It had been too long since she was in my head, and the feeling made me nostalgic for those days when she would ask me to take her away from somewhere, and she would always say ” save me,” as she did today.
‘I’m sorry if I disturb you with Lindsey, but you can dance with her again after you take me away from Reese. He was not taking no for an answer.”
I felt guilty, as she thought my silence was because of Lindsey and because I let Lindsey distract me that I forgot to check on how Reese was flirting with her
“Come “I held Lindsey’s arm and gently guided her toward Catherine
“Where are we going?” She talked without opening her mouth, and I could sense she became uneasy.
“Relax, I’ve got you,” I told her, and the moment we stopped in front of the two dancing, I let go of her arm. ” Switch partner?”
Reese’s forehead creased, and Catherine’s hold on him loosened.
“But…” Lindsey seemed to protest.
“Relax. Just five minutes, I will come back for you. I also promised Catherine a dance, so I’m taking her back for now. “I said this without even glancing at Reese
I could care less if he was pissed off, but it seemed the idea of me taking Lindsey back after five minutes worked because he took her into his arms while I took Catherine away.
“You are not taking me back there,” Catherine said as we walked out of the dance room and toward the backyard again.
“Of course not. Do you think Lindsey and Cindy can go home on their own without us?”
“We planned to come here with a taxi and planned to come home with one, so yes, they can go home without me. Are we going home?”
“I’m hungry. Unless you want to eat the food they serve here, I suggest you take me somewhere around here, as I can’t remember any good places to eat I was never often in Bernice City, as I had no business here.
Her face lit up as she nodded. “I just know a good place to eat Come on.”
She began walking away toward the front of the mansion, and it took a few seconds before I followed her I swear I saw her hand raised as if she was about to hook it on my arm as she would usually do, but she changed her mind. last minute and just turned around. This was the second time tonight.
She was slowly adjusting her behavior around me
She only saw me as her brother’s Beta, nothing more, nothing less.
I should have expected that by now, after a year and a half of being away from each other, but it still didn’t lessen the pain inside
The question was, should I try or just let her slip away again?
With my hands in my pocket, I followed. her in silence, but it didn’t slip my notice the way the males around us were gawking and whistling at her My wolf growled in my head, and it took a lot for me to keep my eyes from dilating
At this point, I had made up my mind. I would try because there was no way I would let her end up with any of them.
I took off my leather jacket, and with faster and bigger strides, I was able to keep up with her before we reached the gate of the mansion I swung my jacket over her shoulders, and it made her tilt her head to look at me
I didn’t say anything, but I grabbed her hand and clasped it tightly with mine, something I had never done with her in my whole life. I had never held Catherine’s hand this way until tonight.
Her hand became stiff, but it slowly relaxed until I felt her grip on mine tighten.
It was only then that I was able to let out the breath I was holding as I guided her out of the property and into the parking space where we left my car.
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