Chapter 203

Gavin’s POV

“I don’t fall in love,” I growled, making Taylor freeze, his smile faltering for only a moment. “Bad things happen when I fall in love.”

Taylor frowned; he was the only one in the world who knew my troubled past. I won’t disclose what happened to anyone, but over time, Taylor became my best friend, and I felt comfortable enough with him to share what had happened. He never asks me about it or makes me relive the trauma, which I had always been grateful for. This was the first time it’s been brought up since I told him about it.

“Neither of those deaths was your fault, Gavin,” Taylor said, his brows furrowing. “You didn’t get them killed.”

I swallowed, my Adam’s apple moving and I worked hard to avoid his eye contact. This was a level of vulnerability I wasn’t willing to share, not even with my best friend.

“Look, all I’m saying is, Judy is tough. She can handle whatever shit you throw at her and then throw back her own shit just as hard, if not harder. Have you ever considered that maybe this was more than just set to the both of you?”

“No,” I said without hesitation. “I never considered that nor will I.”

“What if she’s considered it?” Taylor asked, drawing my attention to his face. The serious expression he was sporting showed no signs that he was kidding. “How do you know she doesn’t have real feelings for you?”

“She knows what this is,” I told him. “She was using me to get back at her ex and get him off her back… I was using her to get my family off and Daisy off mine.”

Granted, I hadn’t heard much from my mother since I started this “relationship” with Judy, but if I had, I’d simply tell her that I had someone to warm my bed and that I didn’t need Daisy in my life to do that.

“Have you seen the way she looks at you?” Taylor asked, raising his brows. “There’s much more to it and besides, it didn’t work in her favor. In fact, your relationship seemed to make Ethan even crazier. Yet, she still continued it.”

“What are you trying to say?” I shot back, clearly irritated.

“I’m saying, I think she has actual feelings for you, and I think you’re in denial about having actual feelings for her,” Taylor said, folding his arms across his chest, a smug smile on his face like he just cracked some hidden code or something.

“Watch yourself, Beta,” I said, I spat the word “Beta” like it was a bad taste on my tongue. “You don’t want to cross me.”

He frowned and held up his hands in mock surrender.

“I’m not trying to piss you off, but you aren’t well. You aren’t sleeping and you're snapping a lot more frequently than you used to. If you aren’t careful, it could put the company in danger.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, a low growl escaping my throat.

“My business is perfectly fine. It’s not for you to be concerned,” I said through my teeth. “How about you focus on your own life instead of mine.”

“I don’t mean to step on your toes,” Taylor said, his brows knitting together even more.

He fell silent for a while as he assessed my face. I kept my eyes fixed on my computer, pretending to look over my recent reports but my mind went back to last night. The jealousy I felt when I saw her in the arms of another man; the fact that he had gotten his scent on her and I would have done anything to erase it from her body. The way I felt when her legs were wrapped around me and my face was buried deep in her core. The way she tasted and her breathy moans. The flush of her cheeks, her swollen lips, and her lust-filled hooded eyes.

How beautiful she was at that moment and how my heart skipped a beat at the sight of her.

How my wolf wanted nothing more but to claim her.

I bit back a groan, hating how vulnerable I was with her… hating how she made me feel because I wasn’t supposed to have these types of feelings. At least not anymore, I wasn’t. I swore myself off real relationships long ago and yet here she was… making me feel unspeakable things.

I glanced at Taylor, who was still watching me, trying to figure out what I was thinking.

“Why are you still here?” I all but barked.

He raised his brows and started to stand to his feet.

“I’ll leave,” he told me with a slight shrug. “But think about what I said. You might not feel anything for her, but I have a feeling it’s not the same for her. If that’s the case… you should cut your ties now because you’ll only hurt her later down the line.”

His words left me speechless as I stared at his retreating back. Cut my ties?

Is that something I could do?

Could I break things off with Judy and act as if this had never happened? Would I be okay with that?

“What’s the other alternative?” I found myself asking before he could leave fully.

Taylor paused, but he didn’t turn around to look at me, he spoke with his back facing me.

“Take her out,” Taylor suggested with a shrug. “Go on a real date with her and figure out how you feel.”

Without another word, Taylor walked out of my office, leaving me staring at the empty space he once occupied. I ran my fingers through my hair and took a deep breath.

Go on a date with her?

Is that something I could actually do?

Would she even want to go on a date with me?

Before I could talk myself out of it, I pressed the intercom button for my receptionist on the bottom floor.

“Veronica, I need some date ideas. I expect a full report by the end of the day,” I spoke into the intercom.

After a moment of crackling silence, she finally replied.

“Right away sir, but is there any particular reason why? Who are we planning this date for because that’s important? Both parties have to enjoy the outing in order for it to be successful,” she replied.

I sighed and I knew there was no getting out of this; I had to tell her a little bit more information.

“Judy Montague,” I said into the intercom. “Find out what she likes and plan out her perfect date. I want reservations and plans to be settled by the end of the day.”

“When would you like this date to be?” She asked.

“Friday.”

There was another pause.

“That’s tomorrow,” she reminded me. “That’s very short notice for a date.”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion; I gave you enough information. Do as you're told,” I ordered.

“Yes, Alpha,” she replied softly.

I ended the intercom conversation and turned back to my computer, trying to refocus my attention on my task at hand, yet failing miserably.

By the end of the day, as the sun was setting, Veronica appeared in my office. She looked tired but she had a smile on her face as she held up the reports, I asked her for.

“I found out a ton of information from Judy’s social media account. She really should lock her profile, so she doesn’t have to face any creeps,” Veronica stated thoughtfully, making my jaw tense. “But I found out what I needed. I know her favorite restaurant which happens to be in the Silver Crescent pack. I already made a reservation for 5. I also found out that she loves theme parks, based on her vacation photos. We don’t really have theme parks around here, but the fair is in town. So, I bought you both a ticket for the fair, which will take place after dinner. Tomorrow is Friday, so the fair is having a fireworks and light show display in the evening. There will also be music as well, which Judy seems to like based on her social media account.”

“The fair?” I murmured, unable to hide my disgust. Fairs were loud and dirty, not something I’d like to do on a first date. I’ve only been to one fair as a kid, and it was the worst experience. I threw up on the rollercoaster due to motion sickness; not to mention they were overly crowded.

“Yes, sir,” she replied simply with a shrug. “I know it’s not really your thing, but if we are planning this date for Miss Montague, then I suggest the fair. She seems to like stuff like this. Plus, it could be romantic, and you might have a good time.”

“I never told you I was going on the date with her,” I snapped as I snatched the reports off my desk.

“I apologize, Sir. I assumed—”

“You may leave now,” I say dismissively, waving her away. “I have things to do.”

I stood, waiting for her to leave first. Once she was out of sight, I packed up my things and quickly hurried out of the office.

Judy was still in the Villa when I arrived. It was only 8 pm and I knew her session with Matt wouldn’t take much longer.

I paced outside the parlor doors, waiting for her to emerge, not wanting to sound desperate or in any way pathetic.

I heard their talking dying down and Matt’s typical yawn, indicating that he was exhausted. After a moment, Matt emerged from the parlor and frowned up at me.

“Oh, hi, Dad. I was just going to bed,” he told me, heaping another large yawn. I rubbed his head.

“Get some rest, buddy. I’ll see you in the morning,” I assured him.

He nodded, a pleased smile on his face as he headed towards the stairs. Judy was frowning at me as she leaned against the doorway, staring at me.

“Everything okay?” She asked. “You seem on edge.,” she pointed out.

I nodded, suddenly feeling nervous but I quickly brushed the feeling away; I had to think of this as a business offer and not like I was asking someone on a date.

“Tomorrow night, be ready at 5 pm. I’m picking you up. We are going on a date.”

I didn’t stick around for her answer, I turned and stormed away.