34. Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Four

Gio

I t's not always obvious when my instincts lead me to make a mistake, and I knew this decision had that potential, but I still decided to introduce Beth to my pack brothers.

It would have hurt her more in the long run if I had courted her without mentioning them.

She's got scars from the past. Trust is going to be an issue.

Staying honest is going to be the best way to deal with that.

Even if the truth might scare her.

"This is Enzo, and this is Arrow. They're my family, my pack brothers." I turn to her, and find she's staring at my brothers, her bright eyes wide and a little wild.

She's going to run. I can see it in her stare.

I lean in, taking them out of her sight and assuring her, "It's okay. We can take things slow. I'm not trying to rush you. I just didn't want to lie to you about who I am."

She's breathing fast as I move back and cup her face in my hands.

Her bright eyes meet mine, and I can see how full of emotion she is.

"Whoever he was, he didn't deserve you. Not for one moment. Il mio angioletto."

She blinks and focuses, a wry smile twisting her lips. "Who are you? And what did you just call me?"

"Call you?" I ask.

"You said something in Italian."

I smile. "Ah, si. I did. It just means you are an angel."

"I'm definitely not an angel," she says, laughing lightly.

"You are sweet like an angel," I argue, pleased that she no longer seems to want to rush away from me, from us.

I can hear Enzo and Arrow talking while I look our new mate over.

I'm tempted to see what those soft pink lips feel like against mine, to steal a kiss so she knows this is something real that she's feeling. There's nothing quite like physical contact to show that mates have undeniable chemistry that cannot be ignored.

I know she feels something, or she would not be standing here.

So, I drop my hands to her hands.

"If you want me to take you home, I will. But not without getting your number."

"My number?" she sounds a little dazed, and there is a hint of disappointment in her tone.

"If you want to be taken home, I need to be able to call you," I explain.

"Oh," she says, nodding. "My number. Right."

She takes her hands out of mine and opens her purse.

The pink toy she won before makes a leap for the sticky floor of the bar.

I grab it quickly and she gives me a bemused smile.

"My hero," she murmurs, as she digs through the purse and brings out her phone.

She's telling me she wants to go home, then.

That's disappointing, but not entirely unexpected.

The screen lights up and she passes me the phone.

"Put your number in," she says.

I take it, and I do what she asks, even though I know she gave me her phone instead of her number so the ball would be in her court.

She takes the phone and puts it back in her purse.

"I should get going …" she murmurs.

She closes the purse and holds her hand out for the pink toy.

I wait for the right words to come to me, the ones that'll make her reconsider.

If she runs now, I don't think we'll reconnect quickly. She hasn't spent that much time with me.

It'll be easy to tell herself this was nothing. She might even believe it.

I can't let that happen.

I hold onto the dumb toy with a death grip.

Her fingers brush mine and I want nothing more than to pull her in close and never let her go.

Then, I feel a hand on my arm, and her gaze moves to my side.

"Jack would love it if you stayed," Arrow tells her, making my thoughts spin.

He smiles at me when I throw him a questioning glance.

Beth clears her throat. "Oh, I don't know …"

"That's right, you don't !" Arrow exclaims, his eyes widening. "We need to tell you what happened. You need to sit down for this. Both of you. Now."