45

“Ummmm.” I clear my throat, shifting from one foot to the other and try to stop gawping at what she’s holding. It doesn’t look like there’s enough on any of what she’s holding to cover even a tiny part of me. No belief in the fact it’s a full set of lingerie or that she buys the right size to cover her own assets.

“Let me guess, you’re a tidy whites and sports bra girl? Do you even own a push up a bra, or a thong?” I catch the jest in her tone as she mocks me and rolls her eyes, as I begin to shake my head, eyes wide and completely shellshocked we are even discussing my underwear habits. I mean, we only just met, and far from the fact I thought all Santos hated my kind, here she is trying to gift me her underwear.

“Ai, Papi!” She mutters to herself with a hint of disappointment. “Colton seems more like a black lace kind. The boy has hidden kinks for sure.… So, we’ll go with that. It has a little push to give your sisters some lift.” She wiggles her breast with one hand as though to demonstrate and tosses the black scrap towards the four-poster bed.

“I really don’t need…” I stammer out, embarrassed to the core, but she shushes me mid refusal of uplifting man traps with a finger jab, and I fall silent, too intimidated to continue arguing.

“Okay… so now we need something sexy, but casual. Not trying too hard but has to make him think about banging you whenever he sees you.” She wanders to a closet and yanks it open. Enjoying this make over a little too much and really getting into it.

“I don’t want to make him … bang… me.” I point out, unable to really believe we’re having this conversation and all I get in reply is a heart, sexy, laugh.

“Oh, I know, and knowing him, he won’t. Whether you want a man to bang you or not is beside the point, Chica. You have sexuality and the goods to make men want you. Work it, play a little. Make Colton regret the day he ever said I don’t. I mean, why make it easy on the boy when it’s so much more fun to make him squirm.” She swings her hips and makes a pelvic thrusting jerk, giggling at her own motion, and goes back to hauling clothes out of the closet and throwing them across to the bed between us. My nerves catapulting to the ceiling as I watch an array of tiny clothing items, with low cut, or short almost not there cut, flying by.

“I don’t want to play games or make this hard for him. He made his choice and I don’t, I mean, I’m not….” I stammer awkwardly, really overheating with shame at the skimpy choices she’s laying out. She shushes me again me from afar, with a finger on her lips, and fixes me with a penetrating look, resting her hand on her hip and leaning into it.

“I get it. You’re a virgin and you think that all there is, is marked mate, or eternal untouched while you wait to be marked. A good girl just trying to find her place somewhere she don’t wanna be. Why are you pushing yourself into the shadows and becoming invisible? You’re a pretty girl. You’ve more right than Carmen to be in our pack, and trust me, nothing will piss her off more than to see you take your place, making our alpha more besotted with you than he already is. “

“You don’t like her much, do you?” I blanche at her and can’t get my head around this. She doesn’t seem like she has all that much care in her heart for someone who’s run with their sub pack for two years. Since Carmen paired up with Colton.

“She was never my choice. We’ve never warmed. Stupid girl, far too jealous for her own good and tried to damage the bond I have with Colton. She made that mistake one too many times and now, she don’t got herself a sister who is sad to see her pushed out. She brings nothing but drama to our unit. She needs to go.” Meadow stops, mid throwing items my way and sighs heavily, her eyes darting back at me and she delivers a soft smile.

“I have an ulterior motive, Chica. For this….” She waves her arms around us at the chaos of clothes and comes back to stand in front of me, reaching out and tugging a strand of my hair through her fingers.

“Which is?” I ask brazenly, feeling somehow deep down that I can trust her, there’s something about her that tells me she’s not my enemy.

“Juan has given Colton an order that by the next cycle he has to have marked Carmen and put an end to this. The moon is full in under two weeks and he’s looking for every reason to delay this and convince his father that he doesn’t want that bond. He wants to be with you, and he can’t keep denying it. I’m sorry, Chica.” Meadow seems devastated over her confession, true sympathy in that narrowed brow and glistening eyes.

“What?” It almost winds me as it falls out of my mouth, her face falling sad as a droplet glistens in her eye more obviously. It overwhelms me, insides churning in that agonizing way I felt when he and I were apart, and I too begin to cry, silent painful tears.