Tangled

92 Ava Clearing the Air (1)

92 Ava: Clearing the Air (II)

My stomach churns, and I get through the rest of the words as quickly as I can. “My heat was uncontrollable, and I had sex with the alpha there. He took care of me and Phoenix kidnapped me when I was shopping with his sister. No, we aren’t mated, but we aren’t strangers, either.”

There.

It’s out.

I peek at Lucas to see his reaction, but he’s just sitting there, his eyes unfocused.

It’s obvious that he’s taking some time to process everything.

My eyes drop to our linked hands, and I wonder if I should pull away before he does.

“Huh,” he says, and squeezes my fingers.

Of all the responses I’d been expecting, that one isn’t on my list.

“Lucas?”

13.27 C

17

92 Ava: Clearing the Air (II)

He smiles at me, a lopsided little one. “I’m going to need a little time to process all this. I don’t understand how you can go into heat without a wolf, for one. But I’m not angry, Ava.”

I narrow my eyes in suspicion. “That doesn’t seem right.”

to xx

He sighs. “I’m… disappointed. In the situation, in how I put you there. In the way things could have gone but didn’t, because of me. I’m angry at myself, and I have

with you, Ava. I don’t want to leave with you thinking that this

kiss against my knuckles that has my belly fluttering. “I know that you haven’t chosen us yet. I know that there’s a lot more that you haven’t told me. I know that I fucked up. And I’m not going to do it again, not when you’re

the roughness to his voice, his

Ava Clearing the

I nod.

of the stress ease from my

angry with

to punch Clayton for touching what’s mine,

“I wasn’t–he didn’t-”

a joke, Ava.”

he doesn’t really sound like he’s joking, so I stare at

him in doubt.

again. “Ava. I fucked up, right?”

to access chapters of novels early and in the highest

to give me a

I nod, again.

that we’re both pushed together by this bond, but I want more than that. I want you, heart and soul, with everything inside of

37

Clearing the Air (II)

bond between us. I

secrets, and no

quiver of longing straight through my body, and tears to my eyes.

have that if I’m going to run around like a feral wolf, snarling about how some other guy touched my mate. I’m the one who lost the right to call

the anger.

a tear escapes, feeling a little like a puppet on a string.

toward us, just because I took you out of that place.

feel warmth flushing into my cheeks as he presses another kiss against my fingers, before

13.27

Ava Clearing the

are sweet, but his actions are

that’s far from innocent.

“Lucas-”

taste my skin, and his groan sends quivers straight into the very core of me. I shift beneath the blanket, wondering how we’ve gone from emotional admissions two seconds

after kiss into my palm. “But if I want to keep that promise, I’m going to have to walk away from you right now. Fuck. My wolf is going insane. He doesn’t want to talk anymore.

other hand, gently touching his

nips at