Green - a werewolf story

13. And Stuff

"Interesting," Green said.

Vanessa bit her tongue to keep from asking him what he found so interesting. She didn't care. She was going to be lured into conversation with him. There were limits even to her curiosity.

Green went on chewing as if he didn't have a care in the world. As if he didn't care that she didn't care about what he hadn't said. It was infuriating. Vanessa stuffed her mouth with fries to keep from speaking. Then she moved on to her second burger. Green glanced at her and smiled as if he knew something she didn't. After five minutes she couldn't take it any longer.

"What's interesting?" she ground out.

"What? Oh, I think it's interesting that you have such low thoughts of yourself. You come across as so confident, but I suppose sometimes being tough is only a person compensating for feeling vulnerable."

"Excuse me?"

"Like guys who feel insecure and therefore feel the need to strut around with their tattoos and leather vests and motorbikes."

"I don't think everyone with a tattoo and a bike is insecure," Vanessa said.

"I notice that you didn't say I was wrong about you."

"It shouldn't have to be said," Vanessa replied primly.

"Mm," Green said and started on his fries.

"And you said it yourself, you're only interested in the person you think you can turn me into."

"Wrong," Green said. "I'm not looking to change you, I'm hoping you'll relax enough to show me the real you."

"This is the real me!"

Green shook his head. "This is the part you show people you're afraid of."

"I'm not afraid of you!" Vanessa said loudly enough to make the other dinner guests look over to them. "I'm not afraid of you," Vanessa repeated, leaning closer to him. "I just don't like you."

"Of course you do," Green said and scrunched up his empty packet of fries. "Or you would if you gave yourself permission to do so."

"I don't need to give myself permission to do anything," Vanessa said.

"Please," Green huffed. "You haven't told me anything about yourself, haven't asked me anything personal."

"That's because I don't want to get to know you," Vanessa said, tugging into her pie.

"Exactly. You're scared that if you got to know me you'd discover that I wasn't the horrible person you think all pack wolves are and then where would you be?"

"I don't think you're horrible," Vanessa said, chewing. "Stuck up, high handed, pompous and egotistical, yes. But not horrible."

Green laughed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"You still haven't asked me or told me anything personal."

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "Fine. Tell me something about yourself."

"That's not a question."

"Will you tell me something about yourself?"

Green shook his head. "And to think I wished for a mate who was clever."

Vanessa raised her eyebrows and licked her spoon. Green followed the movement with his gaze with the same complete focus she knew he'd have sneaking up on prey during a hunt.

"Well?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh. Yes." He cleared his throat. "I'm the youngest of three kids."

"I thought you were going to be the next alfa?" Vanessa asked, temporarily forgetting that she wasn't interested in his life.

"I will. We don't go by age, we go by aptitude."

"You fight for it?" she asked.

That was how her old pack had solved conflicts with regards to leadership. It tended to get bloody. She'd gotten the impression things were more civilized over here.

"No," Green said. "But my sisters have all married guys in bigger packs and taken over leadership there."

"So leadership is yours by elimination?" Vanessa asked, storing away the information that he had two sisters.

Green glowered at her. "I'd have broken out and created my own pack if my sisters had stayed."

"Sure you would."

"Do you have siblings?"

For a moment Linda's face flashed before her eyes. The image cut right to her heart. It had been years, but the pain never seemed to go away.

"Vanessa?" Green asked, bringing her back to the present. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she said.

"You don't look fine."

"It's time we get going, don't you think?"

"Yeah, sure," Green said and she could tell that he was dying to ask her something more or perhaps simply get an answer to his first question.

She heaved a sigh of relief when he got up and followed her out without a word.

"It wasn't a candlelit dinner exactly," Green said as they drew near to the car, "but at least we managed good food and conversation."

"Is that what passes for romance for you?" Vanessa asked and opened the door.

"It's a start," Green said as he got in and she didn't like his smug tone. "What are we doing now? Are you going to drive all through the night?"

Vanessa considered it. She was feeling better after the break and the food, but realistically, they would need to stop for the night somewhere. Otherwise she'd have to pull over and sleep somewhere on the road and when she finally got to San Francisco she'd be too tired to appreciate it.

A couple of rooms for the night, then. Vanessa wondered if she should brave another motel. Her nose scrunched up as she remembered what the last one had smelled like. On the other hand, the stink of detergents would be much worse for Green whose werewolf senses were as astute as always.

"Hello? Earth to Vanessa?"

She shook herself. Fun as it would be to torture Green a little, she wanted to be awake enough to continue driving the next day. They'd be going through the mountains and mountains always freaked her out a little. There had been nothing like mountains where she grew up and now she felt like they were towering over her or like she might slide off them whenever she came close to them. Sleep had to be her highest priority.

"Do you have a phone?" she asked Green.

"Sure."

"Can you book us a couple of rooms?"

He pulled out a phone from his pocket. "How long do you want to drive for?"

"I should be fine for another three or four hours."

"You know, I can drive for a few hours if you want to rest."

"No, thank you. I'd prefer not to wake up halfway back to Indiana, thanks."

"I wouldn't do that. I have four months, remember? That's plenty of time for you to come to your senses."

Vanessa shook her head. When she came to her senses the first thing she'd do was ditch her travel companion.

"How about you start looking for a room near Denver?"

"Sure thing."

"I have a couple of requirements," Vanessa said.