Very rarely did it get as cloudy and windy during the summer as it was today. Sophie hated how gloomy it was. And throughout the day, it only got worse. By the time Sophie finished having dinner with her grandfather and was finishing up some homework, it was pouring rain outside.

The raindrops were large and violently pelting the windows, causing the noise to echo throughout the house. And then came thunder, which Sophie hated even more.

The worse part was when Sophie was cleaning up after dinner and there was a strike of lightning outside. It must've hit a tree because, along with the thunder, there was a crack. In reaction to the flash in the window and the loud crackling and thunder, Sophie screamed and jumped in fear.

On reflect, she went to cover her ears from the noise but with a glass in hand, she accidentally dropped it. The glass fell into the sink full of water, colliding with another glass, and they both shattered.

"You alright, darlin'?" Henry yelled with so much worry in his voice at the sound of her scream and glass shattering. Daisy was already up and trotting into the kitchen with her tail and ears up, obviously in high alert for any danger.

Sophie rested her hands on the edge of the sink and took a deep breath. Her eyes fell to Daisy, who was sniffing her leg and looking up at her. "I'm fine, I'm fine. It just scared me."

"What'd you break?" Henry asked.

"Our tall glasses." Sophie frowned.

Sophie could hear her grandfathers chair in the living room creak against the floor as he got up. "Let me get it, darlin'. I don't want you cutting yourself."

Sophie leant back to peek past the kitchen doorway, looking through the foyer and into the living room. Henry was already out of his seat but hadn't made it out of the living room yet.

"No! Chief, you sit. I'm a big girl. I can handle some glass." Sophie waved her grandfather off and returned to the sink.

"Sophie, if you hurt yourself.." Henry grumbled as he returned to his chair, not able to stand for too long.

Sophie cut him off before he could continue. "I know, I know. Don't worry about me."

Sophie carefully picked up the big pieces of wet glass and tossed them into the trash one at a time. It was going really well for a while, under there was another violent crash of thunder. Sophie simply squealed and squeezed her eyes shut this time, trying her best not to be a complete mess every single time. She just hated storms. They made her heart race and her body tremble. She didn't like back danger literally all around her.

The feeling of something warm dripping off of Sophie's pinky made her open her eyes again. She watched as a red drop of liquid fell off the top of her pinky and landed on a clear piece of glass in the sink that made more blood on it. Turning her hand over, she noticed she had a small gush on the outside of her palm. It wasn't out of control but enough to continuously drip and start to throb.

And she even told her grandfather she'd be alright.

Sophie carefully reached for a paper towel and held it against her hand. She was careful in leaving the kitchen and not being caught by her grandfather as she went to search for their bandaids in the bathroom. Daisy followed and sat in the bathroom doorway as Sophie searched until the bathroom sink. When she found the small first aid kit, she tore it open and searched for a sizable bandaid to cover the gash.

It was slightly difficult to put the bandaid on her hand since she usually used two hands to apply a bandaid. The throbbing was getting worse, adding to the pain of the cut, but it wasn't too bad. Sophie wasn't suffering and she wasn't all that grossed out by blood or anything. Like she said, she was a big girl. She may be small but that didn't take anything away from her.

Her eyes fell on Daisy as she finally, successfully applied the bandaid. "Don't tell Chief." Sophie smirked and winked.

Daisy huffed and laid down, letting her head rest on the floor as her eyes remained on Sophie. Sophie smiled and left the bathroom to return to the kitchen. When she was met with the sink full of glass and dishes, she wondered how she was going to finish cleaning up with one hand bandages. She didn't want to get her hand wet and have the bandaid fall off and wound reopen.

As if the wound would even close. Sophie could see the little cotton piece on the inside deepen in its new red color.

"Wow, thanks storm, for all the inconvenience." Sophie muttered bitterly as she watched the wind and rain violently thrash against her window.

As if on cue, another flash engulfed the window and was soon followed by thunder and a loud crash. Instead of the lightning maybe hitting a tree, Sophie definitely figured it hurt her house the whole structure gently shook. Henry exclaimed in surprise and chuckled, muttering something about Daisy being scared and jumping in his lap. Sophie was busy hugging her knees to her chest with her head against the cupboard drawer under the sink.

"You alright, darlin'? I reckon that one hit the house!" Henry yelled from the living room. Just as he said it, there was the sound of something metal falling in the backyard that drew both Henry and Sophie's attention. "Yeah. It hit the house."

Sophie let out a heavy sigh before she pushed to her full height again, her body trembling even more than before. She left the kitchen once more to walk to the back door of the house. Opening the door, the screen door and roof over the deck blocked most of the rain from reaching her.

Sophie was quick to find the problem since it wasn't all that hard to spot. It looked like the gutter on the roof had snapped from the lightning and was dangling in the window, rain water rapidly rushing down it. Luckily, it seemed that part of it was still attached so maybe it would be easier to fix. For Cortez, at least. Sophie already decided she was calling Cortez.

Even though, they hadn't spoken since he almost kissed her. Things were bound to be awkward.

~

Stepping outside for the first time since this morning, Sophie realized it hadn't gotten as bright and warm as it usually was. The cloud still coated the skies in a gloomy grey color and a cold mist hung in the air. It was cold enough for Sophie to hug her sweatshirt closer to her body. She liked it better when it was unbelievably hot and bright.

Besides the weather, even her classmates were acting odd as they all flooded out of the school. Some of the girls were huddled, whispering and squealing as they stole glances at something in the parking lot. Some of the guys had scowls on their faces as they, too, eyes whatever was in the parking lot. What could possibly have the girls squealing and the boys scowling?

When Sophie's eyes shifted to the parking lot and instantly locked with Cortez's dark gaze, she knew.

The man was stood against his car so casually, a smirk broadening across his handsome features as he stared back at Sophie. His leather jacket pulled in her attention. She had never seen him in a leather jacket and she hated how well he pulled it off. He looked like he belonged in a mafia. The jacket, dark denim jeans, sleek boots, dark hair, dangerous gaze, and intimidatingly sharp facial features.

Everything about him screamed I'm not meant to be in a high school parking lot. It made Sophie feel incredibly awkward as she stepped away from her bus and into the parking lot. As people started to realize Sophie was heading towards the dangerous, but handsome, stranger they grew quiet. She could feel all their eyes on her, which was something she definitely wasn't used to.

"You look dressed up." Sophie muttered lowly as she approached Cortez.

"You look dressed down." Cortez retorted, his eyes scanning her stature.

Sophie's short hair was as it always was but her overall style was different. She was wearing a big, orange hoody, skinny denim jeans, and Sorel winter boots. It was probably the most casual she had dressed since early spring. Sophie liked to be dressed in cute dresses and skirts. She liked feeling like a delicate flower. It wasn't for everyone but she liked it. And occasionally, this was necessary.

"Did you come for me or are there other high school girls you like to flirt with?" Sophie asked as she turned to her school. That was a bad idea. Nearly everyone was staring at them.

Cortez studied Sophie's tense body language as she gilded her arms over her chest and ducked her head. His eyes flickered to those lingering outside of the school, their eyes on him and Sophie as they whispered to their friends. It made him wonder what they thought of Sophie for them to be so quiet and her to be so uncomfortable. Was she bullied in school? Did she have friends?

"I came for you." Sophie looked to Cortez and spotted his hand out between them. She didn't like that. He could tell.

Sophie sidestepped Cortez and started towards the passenger side. He would have opened it for her but she was inside and buckled before he had even moved. Cortez sighed and made his way to the driver seat.

"So, I'm assuming you don't get along with your classmates?" Cortez asked as they drove quickly  down the empty road to her house.

"You're very intuitive to figure that out." Sophie joked, trying to push back the anxiety festering in her chest.

Sophie didn't mind that Cortez had went out of his way to pick up her from school. She just hated that they all had seen him and were gossiping. They had enough to say about her, she didn't really need to add Cortez to the list.

"I've learned how to read you pretty easily." Cortez stole a glance at Sophie as she ran her fingers through her short hair. She looked stressed. "Do they bother you? Do you get bullied?"

Of course, he would start asking questions.

Trying to find an answer made her even more upset. "They don't directly bother me, no. It's just that we live in a small town and there is only so much to talk about. Unfortunately, I'm an easy target and your sudden appearance just gave them an extra arrow."

Cortez groaned. "I'm sorry, Sophie. I didn't mean to.."

"I know." Sophie interrupted, letting her eyes scan Cortez's features as he stared at the road. Cortez turned to her, his pitch black eyes falling easily into hers. "You were just being nice. It's not your fault. It's not like I can't ignore them."

"You shouldn't have to ignore them." Cortez frowned as he looked back at the road, his fingers flexing over his steering wheel. "If they really bother you, you should tell someone. You shouldn't have to put up with that. Next time they say anything.."

Sophie rolled her eyes at Cortez's ranting and decided to butt in before he continued. "Please don't, Cortez. You sound like my grandfather, which is really weird considering the last time we saw each other."

Cortez paused as he recalled what happened the last time they saw each other.

Oh, right. He almost kissed her.

It would probably be best if he stayed away from sounding like a father figure, especially, considering their age difference. It would be weird if he started preaching to the girl he loved about school and her classmates. Cortez hadn't really thought about it but now that she pointed it out, he totally understood.

A low chuckle sounded from Cortez's throat as he nodded. "Alright. Understood."

Sophie awkwardly nodded and looked out her window at all the open space to her right. She really did live in the middle of nowhere.

Cortez stole glances at his small mate, noticing the way she let her feet fall apart and recoil to hit each other over and over again. The rubber of her boots collided with a dull thud each time. The smallest things about her made her seem so small and innocent. Everything she did as endearing.

"You're adorable, Sophie." Cortez smiled to himself as he stared ahead at the road.

Sophie's feet stopped clunking together as her eyes fell on Cortez. The compliment made her feel a bit fuzzy inside. "Good save, grandpa."

Cortez's head whipped towards Sophie, shocked at her response. The cheeky smile dancing on her lips made his shock fade. Sophie even nibbled on her bottom lip to try to hold back the huge grin but she simply couldn't help it. She was amused by her own jokes.

"I didn't say that to distract you from the point I was trying to make before." Cortez laughed.

"No, you said it to regain boyfriend points." Sophie teased.

"Regain?" Cortez exclaimed. "Did I have some to lose?"

Sophie refrained from answering that question. She didn't want to admit just how much she liked Cortez. If she did answer, she's probably claim he had none but that would be a big fat lie. And if Cortez really had learned to read her, she didn't want him to see right through her lie. It was better not to reveal anything.

"Now that I finally know what game we're playing, I'll make sure to win." Cortez cockily stated.

"There is no game." Sophie huffed. A moment passed before Sophie's eyebrows furrowed. "And if there was a game, I'd technically be winning."

"How so?"

"You already have a crush on me. Which, technically, means I win."

Cortez's smile broadened as he nodded at her argument. She was technically correct but only if the end of the game was to be crushed on. That wasn't where Cortez planned on ending the game. To win would mean to make her fall in love with him, completely. A crush was nothing. It made him kind of happy, though, that she was so confident in his crush on her despite him trying to be discrete.

"That's how you win?" Cortez glanced at Sophie, who simply nodded. "I was planning on making you fall in love with me. You seem to be playing on easy mode."

Sophie's jaw slightly dropped at Cortez's claims.

Everything he said was shocking. She could never predict what would come out of his mouth. She certainly don't expect him to reveal the fact that he wanted to make her fall in love with him. There was so much in that confession. Love, a deep and real relationship, more physical touches that would have her all flustered and tingly.

The heat started to rise to her cheeks and a smile inched at her corners of her lips. Sophie tried her best to pull a calm facade as she looked out her passenger seat window. Cortez could still hear her heart beat a little faster than normal and see her shyly block her smile by pulling her short hair in front of her face.

Damn, she's cute.

~

"You're home a couple minutes early." Henry yelled from the living room as Sophie dropped her backpack at the bottom of the stairs.

Sophie happily opened her arms to greet Daisy but she was basically invisible as the golden retriever trotted happily towards Cortez. Sophie gaped in shock as Cortez pet Daisy's head and played with her ears. Cortez flashed her a smug expression, his eyebrow slightly cocked and a sly smirk on his face. It seemed Daisy had a new favorite person. Sophie was offended.

"Cortez picked me up from school." Sophie announced as she stepped into the living room doorway.

Henry awkwardly craned his neck, which he had to do due to his bad back, to look towards the doorway. Sophie's small figure was stood in front of Cortez's very large figure. Cortez flashed a simple smile and a wave to the old man, who reluctantly did the same.

"How are you feeling? Knees hurt? Take your pills? Drank water? Are you hungry?" Sophie asked, going over the after school routine as usual.

"I'm perfectly fine, darlin'. The bad weather did take my knees so I've been staying on the main floor." Henry answered. "What's Cortez doing here?"

"He's going to fix the gutter, remember?" Sophie turned towards Cortez, who was closer than she thought. She looked up at him, her hands hovering a centimeter from his big chest from the surprise. "Shall we?"

"Sure." Cortez sidestepped so Sophie could lead the way.

Henry watched as the two disappeared and let out a long sigh. I hope that's not slang or an excuse for anything I should be worried about.

"Are you going to jump up there like Superman?" Sophie joked as they looked up at the roof coming off the first floor.

The metal gutter was still hanging lifeless from one screw, water slowly trickling down and creating a small puddle.

"I could for show but I think I'll need a ladder for this project." Cortez steppes back on to the deck and grabbed the ladder Sophie set outside when they were painting the house.

"Cortez.." At the sound of his name, Cortez looked back at Sophie. "I reckon it's starting to rain again." She frown as she held her hand out, feeling small drops of cold rain hit her palm. It was only a sprinkle but she imagined it would get worse soon.

"That's alright." Cortez said as he began to extend the ladder.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to get soaked and catch a cold. We can reschedule."

"No. It's better if I fix it now for the rain that's coming. I'll be fine." Cortez reassured.

Sophie pouted for a moment as she stared up at the sky. She really didn't want Cortez to stand and work in the rain. That would break her heart, having work in the rain just because she asked him too. That wasn't fair.

"Oh, I'll be right back!" Sophie excitedly chirped and disappeared inside. Cortez chuckled to himself and went back to what he was doing.

Sophie hurried to make hot cocoa, which she also prepared for her grandfather. Since it was so muggy and cold outside, she figured hot cocoa was the perfect drink such occasion. She handed one to her grandfather and took the other two upstairs. Cortez could hear footsteps on the second floor as he stood at the top of the ladder and Sophie ran around.

Sophie cleared everything off of her desk, beside the two mugs of hot cocoa, before she climbed on top it. Tearing open the curtains, Cortez was surprised to meet Sophie eye to eye through the window. Sophie then pushed her window open and grabbed the umbrella beside her desk. Sticking the umbrella outside, she popped it open above Cortez's head and gestured a warm hot cocoa towards him.

Cortez instantly filled with so much love, like it was a rush of adrenaline that ran through his veins. Sophie looked so cute sat criss-cross on her desk with an umbrella in one hand and a hot cocoa in the other. He could also tell she was very pleased with herself. The happy glint in her eyes and smile on her face melted his heart. She was so cute, he wanted to grab her and kiss her.

Instead of making anything uncomfortable by crossing specifically places boundaries, Cortez retrieved the hot cocoa and thanked her. Sophie's smile broadened as she watched Cortez take a sip. He liked it. Of course, he liked it. Sophie made it, what was there not to like about it? But since he had to work, he sat it on the window sill so his hands were free.

"It looks like you're trying to win more girlfriend points. I thought we already decided that you won." Cortez smirked as his eyes scanned the length of the umbrella in her hand. He was happy and smirking until he spotted the bandage on Sophie's hand. He instantly grew worried. "What happened to your hand, Sophie?"

"Hm?" Sophie switched the umbrella from one hand to the other, spotting the bloody bandaid. "Oh! The storm last night kept scaring me and I ended up dropping glass."

Cortez grabbed her hand and ran his thumb gently across the bloody bandaid. Those familiar tingles completely took over her hand as he touched her. Sophie watched Cortez as he stared so intensely at her hand. He cupped the back of it and brought it towards his face, placing a sweet kiss on the edge of the bandaid. Sophie's breath instantly caught in her throat and her eyes widened.

Cortez didn't even bother to pull away either. He simply nuzzled into her palm and let her fingers caress his stubbled jaw. Sophie was frozen stiff and silent. Feeling his lips on her skin was like fire and brushing the stubble of his jaw was mesmerizing. He was so gentle and kind but his beard hair was rough and his jawline was sharp. He was in complete contrast of his looks.

"Does it hurt?" Cortez asked, his voice soft. His eyes flickered up to meet Sophie's. All she could do was shake her head. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Okay.." Sophie breathed barely over a whisper.

Cortez removed her hand from his face and held her hand between both of his own, placing a kiss on her knuckles with his eyes locked with hers. That second kiss set just as much fire under her skin as the first. Sophie held Cortez's stare, her mouth incredibly dry and heart intensely racing in her chest. She couldn't help but think about how weird it was that she loved what he was doing. Shouldn't she be weirded out?

Why did he have such a strong effect on her?

"Be careful from now on, Sophie." Cortez warned, still lovingly rubbing her hand with his thumbs.

Sophie slowly pulled herself back to earth and retracted her hand from Cortez. She held it protectively against her chest as she stared at him. Cortez carefully studied her, wondering if he had freaked her out. He couldn't tell. There were too many emotions swirling endlessly in his soft green eyes. She looked neither happy nor terrified.

"You said you wouldn't touch me unless I gave you permission." Sophie finally spoke.

Cortez frowned as his eyes fell. "I did say that. I'm sorry, I didn't think beforehand. Forgive me."

"I will forgive you. It might take my heart awhile to do so." Sophie nervously cleared her throat as she pressed her hand flat against her chest, where her heart would be. Cortez fought an appending smirk as he nodded.

It was nice to know the mate bond was taking effect on her. He liked knowing that she liked him, even if she didn't completely know it yet. It was slowly building and someday she would come to realize just how in love with him she was. Preferably, Cortez wanted that day to come sooner than later.

The mate bond was pulling him closer to her as the days went on. As much as he didn't want to use the excuse, it was why he was having such a hard time not touching her. It was such a raw instinct to touch his mate and show her how much he loved and cherished her. It was all he knew growing up. Mates  in love and lived happily ever after. To hold back and take it one small step at a time was incredibly hard.

Any day now, it would start to become frustrating not to be able to touch or hold her. He would probably lose the ability to be discrete and flat out tell her how much he loved her every chance he got. Then time would continue to pass and his wolf would grow impatient. It would fight him to take control and try to convince him to mate with her. He had to fight all of that. He was prepared. But he was also aware that no amount of preparation would help stop the pain or impulses.

"Sophie." Cortez chimed quietly. Sophie watched Cortez ran a hand through his hair. He suddenly looked a bit stressed. "It's no secret that I have feelings for you but if, at any point, I fuck up and cross some lines, just know I'm not a bad guy. It's simply getting harder for me to stay away from you."

Sophie processed his words and studied each and every one of them. She understood he was holding back but she wondered just how much. She knew he was holding back because of her age but she didn't know if it was for legal reasons or otherwise. Sophie was also aware that Cortez was not a bad guy. There was certain level of trust that she had with him that she didn't think he would lose any time soon.

"I know you're not a bad guy." Sophie reassured with a soft smile. "You would never do anything to hurt me. I trust you. Am I right to trust you?"

Cortez reflected Sophie's soft smile and nodded. "You're right. I will protect and take care of you for as long as I can. I promise you, Sophie."

Sophie nibbled happily on her bottom lip as her eyes fell. She couldn't deny how giddy his words made her. But the happiness didn't last for long as her thoughts ran wild, or not so wildly considering they were all very logical.

"You're not at all put off by the fact that I'm in high school? I'm so much younger than you. It'd be incredibly inappropriate if anyone heard the things you're saying to me."

"Inappropriate?" Cortez cocked an eyebrow. "I never told you I love you. I've never said anything about how badly I want to touch you or kiss you. When I tell you I want to protect you, it's not because I want to protect you so you'll be safe and by my side for the rest of our lives. For anyone asking, you're nothing but a sweet girl and good friend."

Sophie felt her cheeks slightly warm. She leant slightly forward to whisper, "Is the first part true?"

Cortez simply winked with a sly smirk on his handsome features.

That didn't at all answer her question. That could've been a 'no, I'm just being dramatic' wink or an 'that is all absolutely true wink'. Sophie couldn't read Cortez as well as he could read her. It wasn't fair. Her inability to read him, plus the fact that he only vaguely answered her questions, made it incredibly hard for her to dig deeper into him.

Still, Sophie felt her soft spot for Cortez grow. She was falling fast and hard and there was no way of stopping it.