Chapter 16 – All Good Things Come to an End

Everyone was laughing and seemed to be having a great time. They didn’t know if it was the delicious food or the drinks they were having, but everyone was feeling good about the night. “So, where did you two meet?” Gavin asked as he poured more drink into his glass. Natalie looked over at Cassidy and smiled. “We’ve been friends since College. We landed a job at the same company and decided to be roommates to help save costs on how expensive it is living in the city.” Gavin nodded as he listened to Natalie talk about her life. He wanted to learn as much as he could about this girl before their night would have to end. “So you two live in the city; how did you come to get this place for the weekend?” Jacob asked. Cassidy sighed as Natalie gave her a small smile and answered the question for her friend. “It was her grandfather’s; he recently passed and left the place to Cassidy. I convinced her to come out here and check the place out. This place meant a lot to her granddad. I thought it was only best for her to come and check it out before she makes any rash decisions.” Jacob’s heart began to panic. “Oh yeah, are you thinking about redecorating the place?” Gavin chimed in. Cassidy looked down at her plate, and she pushed what little food she had left on her plate around. “No, I’m thinking about selling the place,” she announced. “I already have an interested buyer in the place.” Jacob’s eyes widened as all the puzzle pieces were falling into place. “Are you sure that’s something you want to do?” Jacob questioned. And the tension that had previously disappeared was back again. Cassidy looked up at him with confusion; why would it matter to him if she decided to sell the place? Before she could answer, Natalie hopped up and asked, “Who’s ready for dessert?” Everyone nodded, and Natalie quickly entered the kitchen to grab the apple pie she had made and the ice cream from the freezer. She returned with all the fixings and quickly began to pass out small plates with a slice of pie and a scoop of ice cream on the side. “I have whipped cream, too, if you prefer that instead.” Before anyone could answer, they were all smiling again, and that happy feeling settled through the room once more. “What were we talking about?” Cassidy asked. “How about you boys tell us a little something about yourselves,” Natalie asked, trying to change the subject. “Jacob and I grew up in the same town. I have a small car shop where I like to work on older cars,” Gavin told them. Natalie’s eyes widened with intrigue. She loved classic cars. “What about you, Jacob?” Natalie asked. “I work with a small company back in the city,” he told them. Alden: All these lies are going to catch up with you soon. Why are you trying to mess this up? Jacob kept pushing his wolf’s words to the back of his head. He knew what he was doing. “What kind of company do you ladies work for?” Gavin asked, trying to keep the flow of conversation going. “We work for a small publishing house. Cassidy is a junior editor, and I work with the marketing department and book designs,” Natalie reported. Cassidy smiled at her friend. Natalie was proud of how far she had made it through the company in such a short time since they graduated. “That sounds amazing. Do you enjoy what you do?” Natalie nodded. “I enjoy being a part of the creativity. The cover of a book is part of the first impression for a reader. The title can’t do it all by itself. They have to work together, and I help make that happen,” she said with a wide smile. “How about I help you get these dishes cleaned in the kitchen, and you two can go and check out the night sky outside.” Gavin offered, trying to push them out to get some privacy with his girl. “I like the sound of that,” Natalie agreed as she gathered dishes and took them into the kitchen. Cassidy stood up and grabbed her glass. She felt she would need some liquid courage if she were going to be alone with Jacob. They made their way to the front porch, and Cassidy sat on the swing in the corner of the porch. Jacob strolled and sat down next to her. He tried with everything he had not to rub up against her. He knew if they did, the tingles would start again, and more confusion between them. “It’s a nice night,” Cassidy let out as she tried to start some small talk between them. Jacob nodded his head in agreement. He was taking in every bit of her scent, clouding his judgment. Jacob shifted in his seat so that he was facing her more. He lifted his hand to the side of her head and found a tendril that he slowly swirled between his fingers. Cassidy sucked in a breath as she tried to keep her emotions in check and not let him get to her. Jacob placed his fingers on her chin, guiding her to look in his direction. Cassidy didn’t fight it and turned to look into the man’s sparkling blue eyes. “Jacob,” she breathed out softly. Jacob slowly started to move in; he couldn’t wait any longer. He needed to know what her lips would taste like. Cassidy closed her eyes and started to lean in closer. Just as their lips were about to meet, Jacob froze as he sensed wolves nearby surrounding the borderline. He pulled back quickly and moved over to the porch railing to get his emotions back in control. “Is there something wrong?” she asked softly. She felt insecure and didn’t know what she had done to mess this up. “I think we should head back inside,” he suggested as he placed his hand under her arm and pulled her up, pushing her toward the inside of the house. Cassidy stood completely confused about what had just happened. Jacob ran his hand through his hair as he tried to figure out how to protect his mate without revealing what he was. He moved past Cassidy and headed straight for the kitchen, where he found Gavin and Natalie wrapped up in each other in a kiss. “Gavin, we have to leave; there’s an emergency we must go check out,” Jacob said vaguely. Gavin looked at his friend with furrowed brows, and Jacob then mind-linked him. Jacob: Wolves surrounding the borders of the house. “Oh, okay,” Gavin said as he nodded in understanding. “I am so sorry, just to eat and run. I want to make it up to you before you return to the city,” he said to Natalie. Natalie smiled. “I’d like that. Text me later?” Gavin smiled and winked back at Natalie. “You bet I will.” Natalie and Cassidy stood at the door, one girl in a happy daze and the other wondering what had just happened.