Chapter 48

Wolfe's POV.

We walked out of the club in silence, the tension between us almost suffocating. Once we got to my room, I opened the door, waited for her to go in then closed the door behind us. I turned to face her. She stood there, arms crossed, looking defiant.

“Alright, Wolfe,” she said, her voice steady but eyes glinting with suppressed emotion. “Talk.”

I took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. “Makenna, baby, what’s going on? Why are you so angry with me?”

She scoffed and then laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Even after everything that's happened, you still have no idea?”

I shook my head, feeling a mix of frustration and helplessness. “Of course, I don’t. So why don’t you enlighten me?”

Her eyes flashed with anger. “You can’t just pull me away from someone and expect me to be okay with it. I’m not some damsel in distress who needs rescuing.”

“I never said you were,” I replied, trying to keep my voice calm. “I was just trying to protect you from my brother. He’s not exactly known for treating women well.”

“And you think you’re any different?” she shot back, her voice rising. “You think you’re some kind of hero because you own a club and can boss people around?”

“That’s not what this is about,” I said, feeling my own anger rising. “I care about you, Makenna. I didn’t want to see you get hurt.”

She scoffed, shaking her head. “You care about me? Really? Because it doesn’t feel like it.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, genuinely confused. “Of course I care about you. Why would you think otherwise?”

She took a deep breath, her eyes filling with tears. “You’re always so closed off, Wolfe. You never let me in. How am I supposed to believe you care about me when one minute you act like you care, the next minute, you go around kissing and doing God knows what else with whoever.”

“Kissing whoever?” I asked, surprised at her words. Her words hit me like a slap. “What are you talking about?” I demanded.

“Then you have the guts to try and stop me from having fun when I want to?” She continued, ignoring my question.

“Makenna, can you please tell me what you're talking about?” I asked, my patience wearing thin.

What on earth was she referring to?

“Now you want me to tell you what you know already?” she snapped, anger in her eyes. “I’d really like to get back to my dancing, Wolfe. I want absolutely nothing to do with you.”

I tensed, annoyed and frustrated that she was even considering that. She definitely wasn't doing any dancing with some idiot. Not on my watch.

“That's not possible, Makenna.” I replied coldly. If she was trying to piss me off, it was definitely working.

“The hell it is.” she shot back. “I can do whatever the hell I want, Wolfe.”

“You’re being unreasonable right now, Makenna. Besides, we still have a business arrangement, remember?”

“Go to hell,” she spat, turning to leave.

I grabbed her arm, stopping her. “You’re not leaving until you explain what you meant.”

She turned toward me and tried to wrench free, “Let go of me, you asshole,” she said icily.

I released her gently but quickly locked the door and pocketed the key card. “Call me whatever you want, but you’re not leaving this room until you tell me what you meant by me ‘kissing whoever.’”

She turned away, silent, not before I caught the tears in her eyes threatening to spill.

I stepped closer, my voice softening. “Baby, please. What’s going on? I’ve been worried about you for days since Mackenzie told me you left your family dinner in tears because of me.”

She scoffed, putting distance between us. “Is that what Kenzie told you?”

I nodded, feeling more confused by the second. “Yes. Is it true? What really happened at the family dinner?”

“Whatever happened at my family dinner is none of your business.” she replied, her tone sharp and cold.

I ran my hands through my hair, frustration boiling over. “It is my fucking business if it made you cry.”

Her cold gaze met mine. “Did you try to kiss Mackenzie?”

“What?” I blinked, taken aback. “Why would you ask me something like that?”

“Just answer the damn question!” she yelled, her voice trembling.

I thought back to that night at the club. I had been brooding in my private spot when Mackenzie showed up. For a moment, I had thought she was Makenna. We’d had a moment when she was cleaning my wound, and I had backed away when I realized she had gotten way too close.

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath as the realization hit me.

Makenna gasped. “You actually did try to kiss her. I almost believed you were incapable of something like that.”

“No, Makenna, nothing like that happened,” I said quickly. “She had walked into my private spot and tried to get close to me, even after I’d asked her to leave.”

She looked at me skeptically. “You expect me to believe that Mackenzie came to meet you in your private spot in the club and tried to kiss you? I know my sister, Wolfe. She wouldn’t try to kiss a guy. She’s annoying, but she has pride.”

I sighed, feeling the weight of her disbelief. “I know it’s hard to believe, and that there’s nothing I can say to change your mind. But I didn’t try to kiss Mackenzie.”

She paused, watching me as though considering my words. “Then why didn’t you ask her to leave immediately?”

“I did ask her to leave,” I explained. “But knowing she was your sister, I didn’t want to be rude. She ignored me and poured herself a drink.”

Makenna sighed, her eyes softening as she quirked her lips. “That does sound like something she’d do.”

I smiled, relieved to see a fraction of a smile on her face. She looked even more beautiful when she was angry, a fierce kind of beauty that drew me in like a moth to a flame. I moved closer to her, tracing my thumbs along her jawline. Her breathing hitched, and I could feel her heart racing.

“You look even sexier when you’re angry,” I murmured.

She frowned, an eyebrow raised. “Shut up, Wolfe.”

“I’m sorry for causing you to worry,” I said, my voice earnest. “I’ll try to be more open with you.”

She sighed, her eyes meeting mine. “It’s my fault for letting what Kenzie said get to me. I was just shocked and thought you were trying to sleep with her, especially since we were not on good terms at the moment.”

“I would never do that to you, Makenna. I know I have a reputation, but I’m not planning on breaking our arrangement by being stupid.”

Her expression changed, disappointment flickering across her features. She took a step back, putting distance between us. “Is that all you care about, Wolfe? The arrangement?”

I felt a pang of frustration. “It’s the only thing that makes sense right now,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. “Besides, we’re both benefiting from it.”

She shook her head, her eyes hardening. “I’m not benefiting from it anymore. It’s just causing me pain, and I’m fed up with it.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. “What are you saying?” I asked, my voice tinged with confusion.

“I don’t want to go through with the contract anymore,” she said firmly. “I’m no longer interested in keeping it to just sex with you. I’ll help you with your collection but no more sex.”

I stared at her, my mind racing. “What do you mean?”

She took a deep breath, her eyes locking onto mine. “I want more, Wolfe. Or I’m done with the deal. It’s obvious you don’t feel the same way since all you care about is the arrangement.”

Her words stunned me. If she was breaking off the arrangement, it meant she was falling for me. All those emotions I had felt for her—confusion, attraction, jealousy. Did she feel them too? My mind was reeling. I didn’t know what to think.

She looked at me, her expression a mix of annoyance and sadness like she was expecting me to say more. To do something other than stand there and stare at her like a deer in headlights.

“If you have nothing to say, I’d like to leave now,” she said quietly, her voice trembling with suppressed emotion.

I took a step closer, desperation creeping into my voice. “Makenna, I can’t give you more.”

“Why not?” she demanded, her eyes flashing with anger.

“Because I’m scared,” I admitted, my voice barely audible.

She looked at me, her frustration evident. “Scared of what, Wolfe? Get to the point.”

I took a deep breath, my heart pounding in my chest. “Because I think that there’s a possibility that I might be falling crazily in love with you.”

Her eyes widened, the anger melting away to be replaced by shock. The room seemed to go silent, the weight of my confession hanging in the air.

I stood there, waiting for her to say something, hoping I hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of my life.