TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 302

Three hundred and two

A/N (To Alexandra)

Dear Alexandra, thank you for reading and for your comment about not dragging Part Two. I hear you. I don’t plan to stretch this out unnecessarily.

I actually didn’t plan a sequel at all. I’d have ended it with the first generation, but I was worried people

wouldn’t stick around. Still, I’m keeping long-time readers in mind and moving the plot forward.

On mobile platforms, daily updates, votes, and front-page reviews are what keep a book visible. The algorithm rewards consistency, so I can’t mass-release chapters or it’ll tank. I know you’ve helped with that, and I’m grateful.

I hope you understand. I don’t take your support or anyone else’s for granted.

Wesley POV

The sight of Grandma Cassidy made me feel like a mischievous little boy caught with his hand in the cake everyone had been warned not to touch until it was cut.

Isabella, however, looked completely mortified. She couldn’t even stand there for another second.

“I… excuse me.”

She practically fled the kitchen.

I stayed where I was, trying to look unaffected, but with Grandma Cassidy, that was nearly impossible. I knew what I’d done looked wrong. Even though she knew Barbara and I weren’t truly together, the look in her eyes made me feel judged.

“It’s not what it seems,” I said.

“That’s exactly what I expected you to say.” She waited until Isabella had disappeared before looking back at me. “That’s what every liar says when they’re caught.”

“Grandma…”

“Have you lost your mind?”

“We barely kissed before you came in,” I said, trying to play it off. Then I glanced at the pot on the stove. She kept staring at me as though she could pull the truth straight out of my head.

“You know,” she said, “if someone had handed me a bingo card this morning, walking in on my grandson kissing one of the staff was the last thing I’d have expected.”

I rubbed the back of my neck.

“I wasn’t fooling around.”

“No?”

“I just…” I laughed. “I don’t know.”

“You should know. You can’t tell me you don’t know.”

I sighed.

“Maybe I like the girl.”

Her eyebrows climbed.

“You like the girl?”

“Maybe.”

“Since when?”

I shrugged.

“Since I first saw her.”

“You bastard.”

I burst out laughing.

“Wesley, you haven’t admitted liking anyone since Beatrice died.”

“Whoa… slow down, Grandma. I never said love. I said ‘like.””

“Oh?” she said, folding her arms. “So you just want to have sex with her?”

“Don’t say it like that. It makes me sound depraved. And please lower your voice.”

“I’m perfectly calm,” she replied without changing her volume. “Now answer me. Isn’t Isabella the same girl your sister likes?”

I groaned.

“Don’t start a messy family drama, because trust me, Anita is the last person you want to have an altercation with. But you can admit the truth to me.”

“I admit I wasn’t thinking. And it won’t happen again.”

She gave me a look.

“Is liking a girl a crime?”

“It’s not,” she said, handing me the steaming cup. “But for you, who hasn’t felt anything for six years, it’s a very big deal.”

We sat on the stools as I lifted the cup and smelled the bitter herbs.

No matter what she was trying to imply, nothing could happen between Isabella and me. The council would chew her up and spit her out. It wouldn’t be fair to drag someone who wasn’t approved into a life like mine. And this wasn’t love. Not even close.

Maybe it was nothing more than lust that I’d let get out of hand and now needed to get under control.

“Maybe you’re right,” I said after a moment. “I’ll do better. Now, can we talk about why I’m already breaking down at random times?”

Her expression softened.

“Maybe we just didn’t give you a strong enough dose to last the full two weeks.”

The irritation I’d been holding back surfaced again. I tipped back the cup and swallowed the rest of the

brew in one go, making a face as the bitterness coated my tongue.

“I guess I’ll just spend the night here.”

“No.”

I looked up with a frown.

“Why? This is my father’s house.”

“Then visit your father tomorrow,” she replied. “You’re going home.”

“Come on, this brew is practically a sedative. I’m just going to sleep.”

“No,” she repeated, making me laugh. She folded her arms. “I don’t trust you around Isabella.”

I laughed harder.

“Let’s not have the poor girl pregnant before breakfast.”

“You can be a real handful sometimes, you know that?”

“I’ve been called worse,” she said with a smile. “Now get your butt off that stool and head home.”