“I’m a bad influence, aren’t I?”
He took her hand, locking their fingers together. “No, you’re not.”
Landon couldn’t help but wonder if she felt it whenever they held hands. The undeniable connection they shared. He couldn’t get enough of touching her. Whenever he did, he felt … safe. It was an odd sensation to have, but it also wasn’t the only thing he felt. He needed her. This was an insane feeling considering how long he’d spent not wanting anything to do with her. At the same time, the pictures in his drawer, on his cell phone, even the number of times he’d gotten close to her. He’d always felt compelled to be close to her, but he’d never told his parents that.
They headed back into the forest, and for several hours, they didn’t speak to each other. For Landon, words were not necessary. Just touching her was enough. Holding her hand, enjoying the feel of the sunshine on their bodies.
It was a lot more freeing than wearing the damn cuffs.
After a short time had passed, though, the feeling of uselessness started to overwhelm. They came to a fallen tree, and at the same time, they both sat down, neither of them letting go of the other.
“This is probably going to sound lame, but I have no idea what to do,” Alexa said.
“You’re not the only one. I’ve never done anything like this. Never wanted to.” Landon stared down at their joined hands, wondering what was going on back home. Was his father worried? Was there a search party?
He didn’t actually like to cause trouble. The pack meant everything to him.
“We can’t even leave. I … do you think we should head back?” Alexa asked.
“They’re going to put the cuffs back on us,” Landon said.
She sighed. “You’re right.”
“Are the cuffs so bad?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I mean, they’re not bad. It’s not like we’re being hurt, but wouldn’t you like this to be our choice?”
He nodded, agreeing. Going back home wouldn’t help matters.
Landon spun, lifted his leg, and turned toward her. “Let’s try something.” He hadn’t let go of her hand, and Alexa followed his stance, staring at him.
“I’m listening.”
“I want to kiss you.”
“Landon?”
“Look, our parents and the whole pack are not going to allow us to be without the cuffs unless we show we’re willing, so how about we show them some?”
“By kissing?”
“Maybe we can come up with a compromise that shows we’re willing to do whatever the hell they ask, so long as we don’t have the cuffs. It wouldn’t be hard working with you at the diner, or the library, or wherever you work. Would you care where I work? What I’m doing?” he asked.
“No, of course not. I’ve seen you in action, and I kind of like what you do.”
“See.” He pressed a finger to her thigh. “There’s no reason we can’t do this. We can make this work and go back home, but we have to do it on a united front.”
“As mates?”
He wanted to say yes, but he also didn’t want to push. “How about we call ourselves mates in training?” he asked.
She giggled. “Did you hear what they called us before?”
“Hate mates?” he asked.
“Yep.” He laughed. “Yeah, it does have a nice ring to it.”
She shook her head and held her hand up. “So, you’re saying we should, like, kiss and get used to each other, or something like that?”