Shelly Laurenston - The Mane Event

“But why? You and Bren—”

“No. No.” She stopped and spun on him, slamming her hands against his chest like she’d done to his sister. Unlike his sister, however, Mitch didn’t move. Not even a flinch. “Me and ‘Bren’ nothing. I’m going before I start driving a minivan and worrying about the school system.”

“You can’t just leave him.”

“Well, Lord knows I can’t stay!” She knew she sounded hysterical. People on Manhattan streets were actually staring at her. Took a lot to get their attention.

Shaking her head, embarrassed, Ronnie walked off, Mitch right behind her.

“Why are you following me?”

“I’m walking with you. I was leaving anyway.”

Ronnie stopped again and turned, Mitch walking right into her. If he hadn’t grabbed her, she would have hit the ground after bouncing off all those muscles.

She immediately noted the duffel bag on his shoulder. “You’re leaving, too.”

He looked slightly ashamed. “Yeah. Me and Marissa had this fight. She kind of stormed off and…I thought maybe if I—”

“Ran away?”

Gold eyes narrowed. “I don’t see you sticking around.”

Without answering, Ronnie again turned and walked away. She didn’t want this conversation. She didn’t want to talk about this. She wanted to leave. She wanted to go far away. As far away as possible.

“Ronnie, wait.” Mitch grabbed hold of her arm. “Please wait. I’m sorry.”

“He loves you, Mitch. You can’t leave without telling him.”

Mitch gave a low chuckle. “He loves you, too.”

She shook her head. “I can’t hear this. I can’t—” She tried to pull out of his grasp, but Mitch wouldn’t let her go.

“Let’s do this.” His free hand cupped her chin, his fingers smoothing along her cheek. She knew that move. He was trying to soothe her. Calm the yipping dog before she started barking at the neighbors again.

“Let’s go back inside,” he offered, “and talk. I’ll buy you a hot chocolate. We won’t go anywhere until we talk. Okay?”

She knew she should leave, but she didn’t want Mitch to go, too. That wouldn’t be fair to Shaw. “You’ll stay?”

“If you stay.”

She couldn’t let Mitch run off again. Shaw would lose his mind if his kid brother took off again. “Okay. For hot chocolate only.”

Mitch grinned, looking so much like Shaw it made her heart ache. “Yeah. Although we may want to get you some shoes before you take off. Walking around New York in December with no shoes…probably not a good idea.”

He steered her back to the hotel, leading her inside and to a small restaurant tucked away behind the more glitzy popular places. They sat down and a waiter glided over to take their drink orders. Once he glided away, Mitch frowned at her. “You look like you’re freezing.”

“Freezing? Not really.” But her teeth chattered when she spoke.

Giving a snort of annoyance, Mitch took his jacket off and reached over, placing it around Ronnie’s shoulders.

“Tell me what happened, Ronnie.”

She shrugged under his big heavy jacket, pulling it tighter around her. “Nothin’.”

“Ronnie, he marked you. I can smell his scent all over you.”

Placing her elbows on the table, Ronnie rested her face in her hands.

“This isn’t what you wanted?”

“It would have been nice if he asked.”

“True. But would a wolf have asked? Or would he have just taken his life in his hands and hoped for the best?”

Ronnie dropped her hands to the table, moving them when the waiter placed her enormous cup of hot chocolate in front of her. Giant imported marshmallow right on top.

“Don’t you see, Mitch? I’m trapped now. I’ve gotta tell him where I’m going. When I’ll be back. If I’m arrested.”

Mitch blinked and leaned back in his chair. “Um…are you arrested a lot, sweetie?”

“In this country? Not really.”

“That’s good to know. But wouldn’t you want someone to bail you out when you’re arrested?”

“That’s what my Pack is for. And I don’t need to give them constant updates on my whereabouts.”

“True, but now you’ve got Bren. Think of it like an extra pair of thermal underwear. Sometimes you’re in a situation when you really need two.”

Ronnie started to sip her hot chocolate but stopped and put her cup back down. “Darlin’, that is one of the dumbest analogies I’ve heard in a long time.”

He shrugged. “Cut me some slack. I’m winging it here.” Mitch’s face turned solemn. “Bottom line is, babe, you’ll break his heart if you leave him.”

“Cats don’t mate for life.”

“Who told you that?”

“National Geographic and the Discovery Channel. The males come and go, jumping from Pride to Pride. And wolves don’t share anything but our food, but even that we tussle over.”

“All of that’s absolutely true—for cats who live to be about twelve and reside in the Serengeti. Last I looked, this was New York and me and Bren have another fifty or sixty years to fill. I know Bren wants to spend it with you. And neither of us have any intention of spending the rest of our lives being traded around by a bunch of females who can barely stand us.”

“He just wants me ’cause I stayed that night. They left and I stayed.”

“That’s not why. He’s grateful to you for staying that night. He wants you ’cause you look fierce in those shorts.” Mitch grinned when she smiled. “And he loves you because you make him happy. I’ve never seen the big butthead smile so damn much.”

“He makes me feel…” Ronnie stopped and looked back at the table.

“What, Ronnie? He makes you feel what?”

“It’s what he doesn’t make me feel that’s the problem.”

“Which is?”

She took a deep breath. “Restless. I never feel like I have to leave when I’m with him. I never wake up in the morning with one foot already out of the bed.”

“And that’s a problem because…”

“Because I always leave. Now I only want to stay, and it’s freakin’ me the hell out.”

“You’re freaking out because you know your life is changing for good. If you weren’t freaking out, I’d be worried.” He took a long sip of his hot chocolate. “How about I make you a deal?” Mitch suggested softly.

“What deal?”

“You stay…and I’ll stay. At least for a little while.”

“I shouldn’t care whether you go or stay. I shouldn’t care how it affects him at all.”

“But you do care, Ronnie. And that’s okay.”

“Fine.” Ronnie pushed her cup aside. “I’ll stay.”

“Good. Now let’s go find him before he tears the friggin’ hotel apart looking for you.”

He’d checked her room. The front lobby. Even a couple of the restaurants. She’d disappeared.

Hell. What she’d done was left him.

Now he had to stand here dealing with Sissy Mae Smith. A lesser man would have killed her by now.

“Let’s think…where could she have gone? Did she take her passport?”

“I have no idea,” he replied.

“No idea.”

That’s what annoyed him. She kept repeating everything he said back to him.

“Did she give you a hint of where she might go?”

“She said Europe.”

She tapped her fingers against the solid oak of the front desk. “Europe.”

Brendon dropped his elbows on the desk and buried his face in his hands.

“Now, now, darlin’. No use crying. We’ll find her eventually.”

“I’m not crying. I’m trying to stop myself from ripping out your vocal cords.”

Surprisingly, she laughed. “My Lord, Brendon Shaw. You are just the cutest little thing when you’re upset.”

When she pinched his cheek, all he could do was laugh.