Free Welcome to the Neighborhood by Mary Abshire Page A

for the record, I don’t think anything tonight was a mistake.”
    Mortification felt heavier than an elephant on Alexi’s back. She bowed her head with her hand hiding her eyes and leaned against the sink. She’d made a huge error. Colossal. What was wrong with her? Maybe it was the wine. No, she couldn’t blame the liquor. She’d felt an attraction to him the minute she met him. Since then, her decisions had been off balance. She had only herself to blame.
    “Are you okay?” Greg asked, touching her shoulder.
    She jerked away from him in response. “I need to go.” She grabbed her soiled clothes from the sink.
    “It’s okay,” he said in a calm voice. “We can stay–”
    “No it’s not. I need to leave.” She kept her gaze down, refusing to look at him.
    “Alexi, you can’t walk out of here like that. You’ll attract attention, and every werewolf will pick up your scent.”
    She stomped her foot and all the pain she’d ignored in her feet hit her like a sledgehammer. “Fuck.”
    “If you let me help, I can get you home.”
    She looked up and caught a glimpse of his kind blue eyes. Trusting men was not in her genetic makeup, but she didn’t want to cause any problems or create any unwanted attention. “How can you help?”
    “There’s a door to the side that takes you to the back of the clubhouse.” He dug into his pocket and the sound of metal clinked together. “I drive a dark green Honda and my plate is RUN2U.”
    “Run to you?”
    He lifted her hand and placed keys in her palm. “It’s a Brian Adams song. It was the last thing I heard before I had to buy a new plate.”
    Alexi couldn’t stop her lips from curling.
    He gave a casual shrug of one shoulder. “I’m a fan of the eighties.”
    “I’m familiar with the generation.”
    “Wait for me in the car. I’m going to tell Corey what we’re doing.”
    “What about my purse and my car?” She gazed at his handsome chest. “And you can’t exactly walk out there without a shirt.”
    As if he’d forgotten about his missing shirt, he glanced at his torso. “Hmm…” He withdrew a phone from his pocket and slid his thumb over the screen. “Small change of plan. You left your purse at the table, right?”
    She nodded while tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
    “I’ll have Corey grab it and bring to me. I’ll wait in the men’s room for him and tell him what’s going on. He can drive your car back to your house, if that’s all right with you?”
    Again, he impressed her by asking for her permission. Experience told her to not trust him, but she was in a bind. Besides, she doubted much harm could come from Corey driving her car, unless he wrecked it. Thankfully, she had insurance.
    “My keys are in my purse, and my car is a black Lexus with tinted windows.”
    Greg took a step back. “I won’t be longer than five minutes. I promise.”
    “Promises are made to be broken.”
    He paused with his thumb on his phone. “I’m not the kind of person who breaks promises.”
    The solemn expression on his face and deep tone gave weight to his words. Still, they were merely words to Alexi. “I’ve heard similar remarks like that before.”
    He lowered his hand holding the cell. “We really need to talk about us.”
    Alexi hesitated to respond. Yes, they certainly needed to have a chat, but it would have to wait. “Another time. Right now, I need to get home.”
    Greg sighed as if he she’d disappointed him. Had he really expected her to confess how she felt around him? One of their neighbors had just caught Alexi with her pants down, literally. How humiliating. Surely, Greg could understand her position.
    “All right.” He blinked, showing his concession. “Five minutes, tops.”
    She hesitated, then approved with a nod and he left the bathroom.
    Alone, Alexi gazed up at the ceiling and bit her tongue. Somehow, she needed to figure out what kind of relationship she was going to have with Greg. He seemed honest, concerned,