Chapter 19: Tickled Pink

DIEGO

“I will not admit that dickhead was right,” I muttered to myself, lying on my bed and staring at the ceiling.

~I will not admit that dickhead was right.~

I’d been battling that tugging feeling the last couple of hours like it wanted me to go somewhere. I refused. Giving in would admit he was right. I rolled over to my side and forced my eyes shut.

~TUG.~

~TUG.~

~TUG.~

~UUUUUUGGHHHHHHH.~

~FIIIIIINNNEEEE.~

I grumbled bitterly as I got up from my bed. Son of a fucking bitch was right. ~I need to follow this and see where it takes me.~

I stomped down to the garage in a sulk. Of course, my sister and that shit had to walk out of the cinema room. She looked at me with wonder.

He just smirked that stupid fucking smirk of his. “Going somewhere, brother?” he called after me.

“~Fuck off, dickhead~,” I barked back at him over my shoulder.

“Diego!”

“WHAAAT?” I roared at him. He just looked me in the eye; didn’t even flinch. ~He really boils my fucking blood.~

“Good luck, man.” And with that, he followed my sister up the stairs, taking her hand and kissing it gently. I watched her blush and giggle.

I rolled my eyes. ~Okay, so he may be right this time. Possibly.~

I’d driven around for what felt like ages. ~I’m losing my mind is what’s happening. I’m not feeling any connection except the connections coming loose in my goddamn brain.~

Then I felt it, a tug. I pulled into the nearest parking space; didn’t give a shit that I cut someone off for it. Some dickhead started shouting out the window at me until he saw me.

I scowled at him, and he shut up and drove off. Felt a bit smug, not gonna lie.

I walked down the street a couple of feet until I came to a bar. I stood outside for a couple of minutes before throwing caution to the wind and walking in.

~I mean, for fuck’s sake, Diego, you’ve walked into worse situations with no hesitations. What’s the worst that could happen?~

I slumped at the bar and waited. This place was prissy and pompous. Men in designer suits and women in cocktail dresses.

I was used to this scene, of course, what with Father’s disguise as a business man in the human world. Didn’t mean I fucking liked it, though.

I took in a big sniff. Of course, the place was full of fucking humans.

I sniffed again, and that’s when the scent hit me like a punch to the gut, a fruity scent like fresh strawberries on a sunny day. I sniffed again. A wolf, I was sure of it.

“Hey, Diego! What brings you to this side of town?” The most angelic voice I think I’d ever—

~SHIT.~

I looked up, and there she was. God, she was breathtaking, her deep-blue eyes like looking into the ocean, her golden hair thrown up into a—fuck, what did Gia call them? Oh yeah—a messy bun.

~Is my mouth open?~

~Why’s she looking at me funny?~

~Yep, my mouth is open.~

~Do I have crazy eyes?~

~She’s looking concerned, I think.~

~Yep, crazy eyes.~

~Diego, pull yourself together NOW!~

I closed my mouth and shook my head. “I was, ah, um, I was, uh…”

“In the neighborhood?” she finished, smiling.

I tried smiling back. Didn’t think it worked, to be honest. “Ah, yeah,” I chuckled.

“You look like you’ve had a long day. Why don’t I get you something from the top shelf? The good stuff.” She shot me a little wink. ~Did my stomach just fucking somersault?~

~Get~

~a~

~fucking~

~grip,~

~Diego.~

“Ah, yeah, that would be perfection, thanks.”

She dazzled me with a smile again and dashed off to fetch my drink.

~Perfection, Diego?~

~Really?~

~PERFUCKINGFECTION???~

I hit my head on the bar and groaned painfully. I chanced another look. She looked familiar to me somehow, but how?

She didn’t look any older than her early twenties, and she knew who I was; she’d greeted me by name. ~Have I slept with her already?~

I gazed at her body, taking her in head to toe. Her tiny waist, her hips that would fit my hands so perfectly around them, that ass, those boobs, that figure.

No, I would definitely remember someone like her.

~Who the fuck is she??~

I watched her serve another customer, a pompous business man. She laughed at something he said. A fake laugh, obviously, but it worked. He tipped her, and she slipped it into the jar by the tills.

~Honest woman~, I thought. I would’ve pocketed it. She turned back to me and smiled again.

“Sorry, Diego, he’s a regular.” She was breathless now.

I forced myself to smile. “No problem—”

I almost dropped my glass. I knew who she was.

~FUUUUUUUCCCCKKKK.~

I’d never noticed her before because the loud, easy one was always with her.

~Shit.~

~Fuck.~

~What the fuck is her name??~

~It’s something weird.~

~Like Trixie?~

~Pixie?~

~No, it’s only three letters.~

~Something with L.~

~Fuck, fuck.~

~Diego, think!~

~Lu?~

~No, that’s two letters.~

~Shit. She’s looking.~

~Okay, act cool, Diego.~

~Act fucking cool, bro!~

“You okay, Diego? You look like you’ve gone someplace.” She looked at me curiously.

~Those eyes. God, those beautiful eyes. She’s like an angel.~ “Sorry, ah, Livia. Been a long day,” I stammered out.

She blushed, fuck, her hands fiddling with the napkins.

“It’s Liv,” she whispered.

~SHIT.~

Her eyes flashed up to lock onto mine, and she flushed a bright pink. “But Livia is fine. I like it.” She trailed off the last part to barely a whisper.

I nearly had to use my full wolf hearing just to hear her.

“Whatever makes you happy, angel.” I smiled at her.

~I am fucking smiling, right? What the fuck is happening to me? She should be eating out of my hands right now.~

~I’m like a teenage pup, for fuck’s sake.~ Her face couldn’t get any pinker, but she was beautiful.

Someone called her from the other side, and she dashed off to serve them. I banged my head on the counter again and downed my drink in one gulp.

I tried not to look up while she worked, but I couldn’t help it. The way she moved with such grace, the way she poured a drink with ease and always had a smile on her face.

“Another, Diego?”

~Here she is again. She’s killing me. That scent, that sweet, sweet scent.~

“Um, yeah, sure, Liv. Thanks.”

~There’s that smile again. Fuck, she melts me.~

She placed a drink down and turned to walk over to another customer. The place was starting to get busy. “HEY, WAIT,” I boomed at her. A few people went quiet and looked at me; she just froze.

~SHIT. FUCK.~

“Um, sorry about that,” I mumbled. She leaned on the counter, making her blouse partially open.

~Don’t look down, Diego.~

~Do not look down.~

~Don’t do it.~

~Don’t do it.~

~Don’t do it.~

~Don’t do it.~

~Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck.~

~Why did you look down?~

~Shit.~ She caught me glancing, and her cheeks flushed pink again.

“What’s on your mind, Diego?”

“I was wondering, ah, if you wanna get something to eat after work?” I just barely managed to choke out.

Her eyes went wide for a second like she couldn’t believe I was talking to her. “Um, yeah, sure. I finish at eleven.”

~Great! What time is it now? It’s 9:30 p.m. Okay, cool. You can wait.~ I smiled at her. “Okay, great. I’ll wait over there.”

I pointed to one of the booths and slid off the stool. The bar was now packed with humans.

She nodded shyly. “Okay, cool.”

I slid into a booth farthest into the corner and had just leaned back to close my eyes for a second when some snooty bitch slid in beside me.

“Hey, baby, what’re you doing sitting here alone?”

I glared at her. “Do I know you?” I spat.

“Hey, Diego, I thought you might need this for later—” Her voice trailed off. I didn’t need to look to know it was my angel standing there, holding a cup of coffee.

After the four or so bourbons I’d had, she was right; I did need it. Her eyes darted from me to the bitch, back to me, back to the bitch again.

~If you don’t do something, Diego, she’ll think you’re still a player.~

I grabbed her onto my lap. “Thanks, angel, you’re perfect.” And I kissed her. Yeah, I was risking a meltdown in public because I didn’t actually wait for the invitation for the kiss.

She was hesitant at first but kissed me back gently. I glared at the bitch in the booth. “You can go,” I snapped, and she darted off. “So I’ll see you at eleven?” I looked at Liv hopefully.

“Yeah, eleven,” she breathed and went back to work.

Eleven o’clock came around, and after I helped her put on her jacket, we walked to a pizza place that she said she liked.

She glanced at me over her slice, probably wondering why I was just staring at her, barely talking.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Yeah, course.”

“You can have any girl you want. Why me?” She looked down almost like she didn’t want to hear my answer. My reputation as a player was still going strong, obviously.

I put my hand under her chin and gently brought her gaze to mine. “Honestly, I think you might be my mate.”

Her mouth fell open. “What?”

~“I think you might be my mate.”~