Chapter 12

Flora’s P.O.V

“Come over at my place for lunch. Tomorrow @ noon.”

I had received the text as soon as I had returned home last night and I still couldn’t believe my eyes.

I don’t know if it was the surge of jealousy I had felt when I had seen him ogled by hundreds of hungry female eyes or because I could no longer deny the physical attraction between us, but I think I was going to do it.

I was ready to sleep with Clay.

Even thinking about it made my cheeks flare up, but was there really a point in waiting any longer? It felt like I was stringing him along otherwise. Yes, I couldn’t help but think about all the negative things that could come out of this union and yes, I was hella nervous about disappointing everyone, but…Clay wanted me, just as much as I wanted him.

So why not give it a try?

I had been awake since five in the morning and I‘ve had a very restless sleep last night, tossing and turning in bed as an ache settled in my core.

And both my parents were out of town today anyways and they wouldn’t be returning until late in the evening. Riley had gone with them, to take care of some secret pack business and I had decided to stay back since I’d been to town just yesterday.

Everything was perfect. And thanks to Riley, Clay had known all about it.

I decided to take a quick shower at around nine in the morning, without getting my hair wet since the twenty-four hours timeline wasn’t up yet. After that I sat in front of my mirror with a curling iron and gave my hair some light beach waves. It wasn’t as easy as movie stars made it seem. Beach waves took time and precision and I had to be careful not to burn my hair out of nervousness.

After I was done with my semi-perfect waves, I applied a touch of cherry lipstick and picked out a floral sundress that Ruth had forced me to buy just yesterday. It was perfect for today’s occasion and the large roses on the dress were almost the same colour as my hair.

It was eleven thirty seven when I finished getting ready and I looked myself in the mirror one last time before taking a deep breath and heading out the door. I’d gone with crème coloured wedges because I couldn’t wear heels even if my life depended on it and I was pretty sure, if everything went according to the plans I’d set up in my head, then my clothing wouldn’t be staying on for a long time.

Clay’s house was located in a secluded area at the edge of the pack housing territories, although the actual pack territory was a lot larger. His parents were businessmen who lived in Europe and owned a couple cruise ships. They pretty much provided the pack with most of our income, but there were other members who lived outside the pack and worked in the government or owned successful businesses to run the pack smoothly. Alpha Nicholas himself owned a successful woodwork business that was now being managed by his niece.

But just by looking at the exterior of the two storied house, it was clear that his family had money. The house was made of wood, like every other house in the pack, mainly because we lived in the middle of the forest and wood was easily available and also because it was echo-friendly.

The modern touch, however, came from the large floor to ceiling glass walls and the state of the art security system in place. The large iron gates opened as soon as I arrived and closed behind me automatically. And then I saw the front door open as Clay walked out to greet me.

Gone were his formal suits and ties and it was replaced by a white V-neck T-shirt paired with a pair of light blue jeans. His hair was also not as neatly combed back and the wind played with the silky strands causing them to fall on his forehead like silk. It made me want to run my fingers through them. The urge was so strong that I had to ball my hands into fists to keep the urge under control.

“Come on in.” Clay ran down the front porch and held out his hand for me. “Lunch is ready.”

His smile was wide and contagious as I placed my hand in his. The tingles that shot up my spine at the contact made me suppress a gasp. Either Clay didn’t feel it or it was just my nerves playing tricks on me.

The interior of the house was just as gorgeous and I felt a bit out of place here as I stepped into the well furnished living area with white sofas and a decorative plants. The dining room was to the left of the living area while the right side had a set of double doors that were closed at the moment. A huge glass wall was present to one side of the dining room and the adjacent kitchen that gave me a view of the vegetable garden outside.

“You grow your own produce?” I asked in wonder.

“The butler does.” He shrugged. “He had been living here since my parents got married and he likes gardening.”

“You have your own butler?” I looked at him wide eyes as my jaw hit the ground.

Clay laughed at my expression before nodding. “Yes. He cooked us lunch today, since I was too nervous to cook.”

“Oh?” I felt a little disappointed that I wouldn’t get to taste his handmade meals today.

“This way, my lady.” Clay put on his most charming smile as he led me to the dining table and helped me into the chair.

Even the dishes and cutlery looked fancy as I took a look at the menu. Grilled chicken, pasta in tomato sauce and chocolate cake for desert. Easy and simple and perfect.

“Wine?” Clay asked as he brought out a bottle.

“No,” I shook my head immediately. “Sorry, but I’m a really light drinker and alcohol messes with my abilities.”

“Ah!” He kept the bottle aside and filled our glasses with water instead.

“It’s alright,” I told him since I was feeling bad. “You can drink. I don’t mind.”

“I think I should stay away from alcohol too.” Clay smiled. “Let’s enjoy lunch instead.”

Clay took the seat next to me and we both ate lunch while making small talk. Clay was a very charming person when he wasn’t at college, trying to intimidate a few dozen new adult wolves into behaving. I felt more at ease with him than I had before. Plus the food was great, the ambience even better.

After finishing lunch, I decided to help him put the dishes into the sink, but as I turned the faucet on, water hit the back of a plate and splayed in every direction.

“Hey!” Clay protested and I turned to find his T-shirt now had a large wet patch on his chest.

“Oh, shit. I’m sorry!” I wiped the water off of his shirt in a hurry, but Clay stopped me.

“No need.” He whispered, his emerald eyes rimmed with amber. “I know another way you can make up for it.”

It was the cheesiest dialogue that had been used and overused through the centuries, but it still made butterflies erupt in my stomach.

“You have a butler…” I looked around unsurely.

“Yes.” Clay smirked. “And he’s currently off duty and a hundred miles away.”