Reluctant Mates - 21 Paranormal Romance Stories (Werewolf, Vampire, Minotaur and Monster collection) Read Free Page A

gotta get done early, okay?”
    “Why?”
    “Just...I wasn’t planning on this, and I’ve got stuff to do.”
    “Fine, fair enough. Come get me at five? Six?”
    “Make it five. Your roommate coming like you said?”
    “I don’t know. He’s not here now, but yeah if he’s not working I’ll get him to come along.”
    Rock grumbled, said goodbye and the line went dead.
    ***
    “W ant to stop for a drink or anything? And where’s your boyfriend?”
    “Oh shut up, he’s not my boyfriend.” I punched Rock in the arm. His name was apt. “He used to be. We haven’t been a thing for six months now. But no, he just never came home. Guess he had to work after all.”
    A few minutes later, we pulled into the back lot of the university’s tree research lab and started on our silly errand for the terrible Dr. James. As I stepped out of Rock’s car, which was a comically small thing for his size – he was at least six three, and if I had to guess, topped two-fifty of pure muscle – a very reasonable coupe with two doors, because as he said on the drive, it was more fuel efficient.
    I pulled my jacket around myself even though it wasn’t particularly cold out, and followed him first to the ranger’s pavilion where we grabbed a map of the tree layout, and then to the first square of pines that we had to check for mold or bad breath or whatever it was. The first thing that struck me was how serious Rock was about all this. He’d pluck a leaf, rub it between his fingers, smell it, rub bark, and check for sap, just like it said on the sheet.
    To every tree, he gave the full work up as we moved from one lot to the next. Branches to sap to roots, he didn’t leave anything off.
    “You’re really into this stuff, huh?”
    “Aren’t you? I mean you’re a Forestry major, right? Why go to all that trouble for a degree that will have you living in woods half the year and having to do a side job if you want a retirement fund if you don’t love the forest?”
    “No, no, don’t get me wrong. I do really love being out here. It’s so calm and quiet most times. Nothing but birds and wind and little things rustling around.”
    “Bigger things, too,” he said under his breath.
    “What?”
    “Nothing. Hey, is it getting dark already? I thought for sure we’d be out of here by the time the sun went down. There’s no way we can come back tomorrow?”
    “No, I’ve got to work all day and you said you had something to do at night.”
    “No I didn’t.”
    “Well we’re here anyway, and we’re on the last page, so why not just get it over with?”
    “We’ve got to go over to that other patch of woods, I don’t know. It’ll take a while to walk and I really need to get out of here before it gets dark.” He stretched his neck from side to side like boxers do, and scratched himself behind the ear.
    “You got fleas? Lice? Jock itch?”
    “Ha, yeah, I’ve got jock itch behind my ear. I don’t know. I might be allergic to something out here. Itches like hell. But anyway, if you’re intent on this, let’s hurry. I’ve gotta get out of here soon.”
    “Why? Why are you so intent on leaving?” I moved closer to him and put my hand on his arm. “Don’t you kinda like being out here alone with me? I’ve seen the way you watch me in class. And, well, there’s the forty-three times you’ve asked me out before that I keep turning you down. Why are you in such a hurry to get away? Reality not living up to the fantasy?”
    “No, no, nothing like that at all. Sorry, I’m just in a hurry. I’ve got some...uh...stuff I have to do tonight that can’t be put off. For school.”
    Up and down I rubbed his arm. His massive biceps, the forearm that was bigger than any normal man’s thigh, and then his big, rounded shoulder and powerful hand.
    “How are you so big? I mean, how much do you exercise?”
    “Not a lot, really. Couple times a week. It’s just natural. We – uh, I mean, I’ve just always been