Mates Minis

Ch. 8

Red Hot
Ch. Eight- War Paint
{ TRACE }

"Ask me anything." She smiled beautifully now, killing the silence that was growing around us.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"You mentioned your wanted to get to know me, and as I'm not exactly sleepy...what better time?"

I nodded "What was your first job?"

"Fast food...I worked at a restored 50's inspired car-hop, and I'd just run the food out to the cars."

"And what are you in school for?" I asked.

"I originally went into school without a clue as to what I actually wanted to do." She admitted, "Then decided on Political Science later, of course it wasn't easy at first...that's actually how I met Ryder."

"How?" I asked knowing my brother has been in school to be a doctor...and if I recall, he wasn't exactly known for being extraordinarily social so I couldn't imagine him just bumping into her at a college party or anything.

"To be honest i had seen him around a couple of my frat/sorority parties but really it was when my sister and Brax suggested I get a study partner so I wouldn't be too overwhelmed with my new chosen courses and suggested Ryder, I was hesitant at first since we had differing majors...but he was a huge help in getting my study routine together so I didn't feel so frazzled, and he even helped quiz me on a few of my test."

"That's good to know, At first I thought you and Ryder where more than that."

"More?" She asked in a humored fashion.

I could feel my neck heating up with embarrassment now as I nodded, "More... as in...intimately."

She laughed and shook her head, "Nope...although I have seen him naked."

I was pissed...seething at the thought of my mate and brother being naked.

I could feel my wolf ready to jump forward and shift right there.

But Valerie took this moment to simply smile softly and scoot in close to me, resting her head on my shoulder and planting a gentle kiss along my jaw. "Cool it wolfie...Ryder simply shifted for me to prove the existence of Weres."

Her touch alone had stopped my shift from coming on, and my wolf and I had to take a minute to realize she'd stopped us from shifting.

No one has ever done that before.

And I can be pretty hot headed sometimes.

"Sorry." I said more than a little embarrassed now.

"Hey...trust me, I get it...and to be honest that's why Ryder was asked to shift for me in the first place, as my sister didn't exactly want me seeing her mate naked nor did I want to see Brax like that...or Ryder for that matter just to clarify... but he was the only Were we knew who wasn't mated."

I nodded. "Please tell me anything else..." I said desperately trying to move on from the fact that my mate had seen my brother naked. "...Uh...so it's just you and your sister then?"

And from that moment forward the conversations moved more seamlessly.

We talked back and forth, just easily and openly...we had zero reservations as we talked about dreams and hopes...fears and the future...we moved into conspiracy theories and what we were like in high school...we were debating which was scarier, the ocean or outer space when I noticed her first yawn.

"Alright little Red, maybe we should get to sleep."

"We weren't talking about sleep." She pointed out.