Carramel's POV
I'm barely hanging off the edge of my seat in my last class, not paying any attention to the droning teacher in the front. As horrible as today started, it began to look up when I found myself in Sloan's arms.
James' wolf and I hadn't have very much interaction, mostly limited to a few conversations here and there, and I thought the two of us wouldn't click. But the way he calmed me down and was so sassy earlier warmed my heart in a different but similar way James does.
I don't know where the words came from, earlier, when I asked Sloan if he wanted to get ice cream with me but I'm very very happy he agreed.
I feel my cheeks begin to heat up as I think back to the visual of him I snatched and imprinted in my brain. The soft curve of his hips. His pink full lips covered in a shimmering gloss. His thin delicate hands adorned with lavender nails. I've never once thought of James as pretty, only tough and fine, but his wolf is the definition of beautiful and sexy.
Mine in my jeans at the image of him in my head and the naughty thoughts of his hands on me and I jump high in my seat as the final bell rings. I'm slow to grab my books from off my desk but as soon as my brain clears, I'm squealing with excitement and rising out of my seat. A few people turn their heads to look at me with confusion and some annoyance but I don't care at all as I make my way out of the room and down the hallway with a happy smile on my face. I arrive at my locker and turn my nob when I feel a hand on my shoulder, I turn around expecting Sloan but to my surprise it's Enza.
"Oh! Hey, Enza." I say a bit flustered and she frowns at me.
"Hey? Are you okay?! The last time I saw you, you were having a panic attack in the middle of class." She scolds me and I blush with my eyes downcast.
"Sorry. And I'm okay nothing to worry about." I tell her and I can tell she doesn't believe me but she doesn't press it.
"Okay. I'm going to see Taylor. You should come over one day." She says giving me a wink and I giggle and nod my head as she walks away, the swish of her hips drool-worthy in her skirt.
"I shouldn't be jealous, now, should I?" I hear behind me and I whirl around to see a smirking Sloan with one eyebrow raised and hands on his hips. I laugh and shake my head as I grab my book bag and toss it on my shoulders.
"No way." I tell him shyly as he meets me halfway. "You're the only boy in a skirt that I like to see." I peak up at him through my lashes and as aloof as he tries to seem, the blush that takes over his face is hard to hide but he tries his hardest.
"Well I wouldn't expect anything else." He replies sassily but he can't quite turn his head fast enough for me to miss his secret smile. "You ready?" He asks me and I nod as we begin walking beside each other down the hallway until we reach the front doors of the school and jog down the stairs.
"How was the rest of classes?" I ask him, stealing glances from the corner of my mind drooling at how confident and elegant he is walking beside me.
"It was great actually. Alex was a pest about what happened and Art was still fussing about how much of an ass her brother is. Typical day, you know?" He tells me and I giggle at his sarcasm, loving how sassy and carefree he is.
Sloan is the embodiment of everything I wish I was. The confidence. The suave. The sassiness, elegance, beauty, everything about him is perfect. I could sit for hours and listen to him talk while staring at him and I'm excited to do exactly that.
"How about you, bean? How was your day?" He asks me and not paying attention, I continue walking, my head down as I try to process the question. I'm not paying attention as I'm about to step down into the street when Sloan's hand comes flying out to grab mine and pull me back into him, a car whizzing by after a few seconds.
My gasp is silent, but the electricity that shoots down my spine making me shiver is anything but. I mentally curse the book bag that's flung across my back from stopping me from being pressed up against his body that way I secretly hope for. My cheeks fill up at my wayward thoughts before I'm turned around and Sloan is holding my face between his hands. "Oh Goddess, Carramel-Bear, you have to be more careful." He tells me before crushing me to his chest.
I inhale his scent of pine and leather and hug him back ... that is until I begin to realize that smell of my gorgeous Mate. I tug from his hold and he lets go to check my body from any injuries, though the car got no where close to me, before he grabs my hand and we continue on our way.
I try not to stare at our intertwined fingers as we make the last turn into the street with the ice cream parlor but it's very hard when his hand feels so good in mine. I don't know what it is about Sloan but something about him makes every normal thing feel different than it does with James, though I would have an impossible time trying to figure out whose touch I would enjoy more.
I inwardly groan at the mental imagines flashing across my head and decide for my best interest it would probably help if I stopped staring at Sloan's full body in his mind and focus on the physical one.
We find ourselves outside the door and I open it for the two of us to step in. We walk to the counter where I order a cotton candy milkshake and Sloan orders a scoop of coffee ice cream in a cup. After we pay for our treats and get our ice cream, we find a seat outside where the warm sun in beaming down on us.
"I love days like this." He tells me after a few moments of silence and I told my head as I sip from my pink straw.
"School days?" I ask with a tiny frown not understanding what he could possibly like about waking up at the early hour and deal with stupid people all day.
"Gross, no." He answers with a 'yuck' expression on his face that makes me swallow my sip quickly so I don't choke on it while I giggle. "No. I like quiet afternoons like this when there's families out and the sun is hitting perfectly for golden hour. This is the type of day where you go on walks and think about how much you're blessed." He tells me and his voice is hushed making me believe that this is a secret I should hold close to my heart.
"Do you feel blessed?" I ask Sloan and he pauses for a bit, staring off into space as he brings a scoop of ice cream to his mouth.
"That's a hard question. I know I have to be in order to get a human as great as James and a Mate as sweet and caring as you two are ...." He stops talking for a moment.
"But?" I ask quietly and he turns to me with a slight frown.
"But sometimes I feel like I could be and have so much more. I try to remember to humble myself and be thankful for I have and it's been easier lately than before. I always wondered how a Goddess could exist when my dad would beat on his son. I'm still not quite sure if I can answer that question, but I've seen the things she's done for others so I try to have faith." He tells me and I look at him in awe.
"Not a lot of people can think like that." I tell him sincerely and he gives me a small smile before it turns into a smirk.
"Well, not a lot of people are bad bitches like me so I'm not that surprised." He says and I laugh at his antics, though I'm secretly spellbound by his seemingly endless amount of confidence.
"Are you scared of anything?" I ask him shyly after a few more minutes of joking around and the sun is starting to dip. He looks up at me from his empty cup and tilts his head in thought.
"Yes. I'm not scared of the dark or being alone like some people. I'm scared of not being a good person. I'm scared of not being able to see when someone is calling out for help. I'm absolutely terrified of losing you." He tells me. "What about you?" He asks but I shake my head.
"No way. I'll sound stupid after that." I tell him with red cheeks regretting I said anything but Sloan won't let me stay ashamed, tilting my head up with his finger to meet my eyes.
"Nothing you say to me is stupid, bean. It's all important to me. I want to know all of you." He tells me and I think I want to marry this man. I avoid his eyes though when I answer, nervous for exposing this fear to someone else other than myself for the first time.
"I'm half human. Half werewolf. I see so many Mates starting families and getting pregnant and I'm scared. I'm scared that I'm not going to be able to start my own family like I want." I whisper to the table and I feel Sloan's hand fall form my face and land in my hand to grip me tightly.
"No matter what the odds are or what the doctors say, I promise you, we will have our family when we're ready and not a moment sooner." He tells me and I look up at him through blurry eyes as he smiles softly and wipes my cheeks with his thumbs.
The rest of our date is filled with giggles and stories and secrets I'll never tell, making me forget all about the threat that appeared earlier and focusing on the light that James and Sloan bring into my once lonely life.