TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 152

One hundred and fifty two

Cameron POV

Lisa’s calm gaze rested on me as I watched her mother’s retreating figure. She excused herself to go upstairs for a nap, and I couldn’t be more relieved.

“You don’t need to go to the festival,” I said. “You can watch it on TV.”

“That sounds like a command,” she replied.

“It’s not.”

“Good,” she said. “Because I don’t take those from you anymore.”

Her feistiness was new and interesting. I’d heard pregnancy hormones could make a woman bold. I didn’t mind this side of her, stating things as she saw them and damning the consequences.

I moved closer. She didn’t step back.

“That’s open to review. You can’t make decisions without telling me,” I said.

“I’m bored to death,” she said. “You built a structure around me and expected me to stay inside it. I’m reminding you that I don’t have to.”

“That structure protects you.”

“It protects your version of things,” she said.

I held her gaze and reached for her, closing the distance between us. We stood close enough that the thought of kissing her made my heart race. I took a lock of her hair and twisted it around my finger, and then she spoke and broke the moment.

“I saw the baby shower,” she said.

I didn’t pull back, even though it caught me off guard. I hadn’t known it would be televised.

“You saw it,” I said.

She looked at me like the question was pointless.

Leaning back, she put a throw pillow between us, creating space.

“It was already in motion when I got there. Everything was set. Evangeline had her mom and friends there. I had no choice.”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me. The baby is hers. She has the right to do what she wants.”

“Of course,” I said. “The parents showing up publicly isn’t wrong. It keeps things stable. It keeps people from asking questions.”

She stepped closer instead of away. “And that’s why you shouldn’t be here trying to kiss me. I’m focusing on myself and this pregnancy. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“You think this doesn’t make sense,” I said.

“I think it’s not part of the contract,” she replied. “You said that yourself.” She shook her head. “You don’t even have a name for what this is, do you?”

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“No,” I said. “But it doesn’t change the fact that I want you, and I’m not walking away.”

Our eyes met and held.

“Careful,” she said. “You have a mate.”

“I know.”

“And you’re here with me,” she added.

“Yes.’

“That makes you a cheat,” she said.

“I’m aware.”

“And you’re fine with that.”

“No,” I said. “I’m not fine with anything right now.”

She chuckled. “At least you’re honest.”

I didn’t respond.

She looked at me again. “This is ridiculous.”

“Then stop me,” I said, leaning closer and brushing my lips against hers. “Tell me to leave, and I will.”

She didn’t. I knew she wouldn’t, and I hid a smile.

I closed the distance and kissed her. She didn’t step back. She didn’t push me away. She stayed where she was. The kiss deepened, and I pulled her onto my lap, making sure she felt how much I wanted her.

She looked at me, breathing hard, a soft sound slipping out that almost passed for a laugh. “It’s the hormones, and it’s completely against the contract,” she said against my mouth. “You should feel bad about this.”

“I do,” I said.

“You don’t sound like it.”

“I don’t sound like anything right now.”

She held my gaze and shook her head. “I hate this.” Her voice dropped. “I hate how much I need this.”

I didn’t respond. There was nothing clean to say. I stayed with her, not stepping back, not fixing it, not pretending it made sense.

Because it didn’t.

The hospital wing stayed quiet in a controlled way. The lights were too bright for the hour, reflecting off the glass panels that separated each unit. I walked in beside Lisa, my attention already on the room ahead.

The young doctor had his notes open beside him. He looked up as we entered, greeted me politely, then returned his focus to where it naturally stayed.

“Lisa, we’ll continue from yesterday’s readings,” he said. “I adjusted the intervals based on your last response pattern.

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“I followed the schedule,” she replied. “I even drank a gallon of water.”

He laughed.

“That’s good,” he said. “And the sleep?”

“Still off,” she said. “But I don’t feel tired the same way anymore.”

She moved toward the couch, speaking to him like this was routine now, his full attention fixed on her.

I didn’t miss the way she responded to him. It wasn’t like that with me.

He applied the gel and started the scan. The monitor flickered as the image formed. He adjusted the angle, tracking movement across the screen.

“Stable,” he said.

I stepped closer, my eyes on the screen. He kept working, adjusting pressure, recording readings, comparing them to previous data on his tablet.

He wasn’t talking to me. Everything he said was directed at her, and she met him there without hesitation. She asked questions, he answered. He explained, she followed. There was no gap.

There was nothing for me to control.

I hated it. Lisa didn’t even notice.

As if that wasn’t enough, I had to face that bastard, Desmond, at the alpha house. He stood near the far end of the foyer, speaking to one of his men before dismissing him. He saw me and didn’t flinch. That stood out.

“You’ve got guts, strutting into my pack. That tells me you’re either careless or you think you’re protected.”

“Neither,” he said, then scoffed. “You’re acting like I broke something that wasn’t already cracked. You’re standing here talking about structure and control like everything on your side is clean.”

Smug bastard.

“From where I stand, it looks like both sides crossed lines. The difference is you pretend yours don’t count. Nadia made her choices, sleeping with your beta. I made mine. You’re not the only one managing something.”

My heart skipped.

How did he know?

I stepped closer, masking my reaction.

“You’re done,” I said. “I’ll make sure of it. Whatever you think you’re holding onto, I’ll strip it down piece by piece.”

He didn’t flinch.

“That’s what you don’t get,” he said. “You think this is still in your control. That confidence will cost you. You’re going to come back asking questions you should have asked earlier.”

I stepped back.

“This conversation is over.”

“It was over before you started it,” he said, giving a mock bow before leaving.

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Franklin had told me earlier to question Evangeline. She’d been spotted with Desmond in the early hours. As soon as I walked in, she was downstairs, her attention shifting the moment she saw me.

“The guards saw you a few days ago, driving in with Desmond. What were you doing with him at that hour?”

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