Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 73170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
1
CICELY
Twenty minutes before the store is due to close, Lincoln pulls in and fills his gas tank.
He comes in with a gruff hey that doesn’t include eye contact as he fishes money from his wallet. Instead of putting it in my outstretched hand, he sets it on the counter. I make change and extend my hand to give it back.
Linc flexes his jaw muscles looking irritated as he takes the change.
“Later,” he tries.
“Nuh uh. Not so fast. You’re gonna get that camper out of here?”
“Yup,” Linc replies, putting his change into his wallet and moving like he’s about to leave. He’s also not looking at me.
“When?” I call out.
“Huh?” He blinks off what seems like a distracted daze and stops.
“You’re gonna get that camper out of here when, Linc?”
“Uh… tonight, tomorrow, latest.”
Still no eye contact.
This is not Lincoln Fowler’s norm. He’s an eye contact guy. He’s also warm, not distracted. Linc gives you his attention when he’s talking to you. With what he does for a living, he’s always uber-observant.
“Something goin’ on?” I ask while rearranging the gum and breath mints on the counter.
“Always somethin’ goin’ on around these parts. Especially lately.” He rolls his eyes with irritation.
I frown at him being irritated with me. That’s worse than ignoring me. What’s up with him?
I say nothing, instead I continue staring. Because silence plus eye contact often gets people talking.
But Linc isn’t looking at my face. He’s looking past me.
“Later,” he says again and moves to the door.
“Wanna come by for a drink tonight?” I ask.
His hand is on the door handle, and he looks hassled as he answers. “Busy tonight.”
“Tomorrow?” I offer.
“Busy,” he repeats, gaze finally landing on my face.
“So, let me guess. That’s it, then?” I gesture between us.
He puts his palm on the back of his neck and his jaw muscles flex two or three times before he answers, looking down at the floor. “You know it’s not likely far off for me, babe.”
“Right,” I say quietly.
I started putting distance between us a while back, catching some feelings I tried not to catch. But we hooked up recently. I was on my way to bed when he knocked on my door. I opened it and he was leaning in the doorway all muscles and smoldering eyes, and so I opened the door wider.
We said nothing about it, just connected physically, ferally, and for hours. Probably wanting some life affirming connection because of how crazy things have been. Or maybe it was a once more, for old time’s sake thing for him. I don’t know.
But he was gone when I woke up and I saw he’d sent a text that said he was sorry to take off while I was asleep, but he had something to take care of. And things have been a little bonkers ever since. But I’ve definitely felt a weird vibe from him whenever we’ve been in the same space.
Like now.
His eyes bounce back up and hit my face. A swallow works down his throat with what looks like emotion, and I don’t know what to make of that look on his face.
He looks away first.
This is it, then. My belly bottoms out. It’s not like I didn’t gird myself – I knew this day was coming. I did catch feelings because this alpha is very good at all the alpha things, but I’ve held myself (mostly) in check. I also didn’t expect him to behave like this. No eye contact. Acting weird.
He goes and I watch him walk to his truck, not far from the camper, and drive off.
My eyes stay on the camper.
I found the spot where this mystery guy camps, a clearing with a little fire pit. Good, level spot near the river. And there were no signs of life or scents, so I think I’ll be moseying back there after the camper leaves this parking lot.
Why is any of it my business? It probably isn’t. But Linc would generally tell me what’s going on. And he hasn’t. He’s acting weird, so this is probably why I’m drawn to dig in to this mystery.
My camper search didn’t turn up much. I picked the lock and caught the scents I was expecting. Just a vague hint of Linc, stronger scents of Grey and Stacy, the strongest scents being Sherry Creed’s and the scent of the now-dead Wyatt Meadows.
Linc bought pine cleaner from my store, so obviously wiped things down after all the events of the other day, but those scents are all still there mingled with the scent of the pine. I have a decent nose; maybe other shifters can’t smell those scents. I also caught the scents in the dumpster behind the store and found the bedding thrown there. Nothing wrong with it, other than the stench of alpha seed that belongs to the now dead guy, but the alphas I know wouldn’t voluntarily sleep in the scent of another alpha.