by Cecilia Lane
Date? Oh, boy. Days, too. Which meant staying even longer. Which she’d already decided she wanted to do.
Butterflies walloped her insides with wings that felt big enough to lift her off her feet. Her cheeks flushed, but she managed to speak the words without a stumble or any extra insanity. “It’s a date.”
Jesse caught her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles. “It’s a date,” he rumbled in agreement.
Chapter 15
Elijah King was late.
Jesse paced in front of Pierre’s, tugging at the tie around his neck. He’d have been perfectly fine going to the diner down the street or even Hogshead Joint, if Nora wasn’t averse to visiting her place of employment on her off hours.
But no. Elijah wanted to do something fancy to mark reconnecting with his son. So Pierre’s it was, the only fine dining establishment inside enclave territory.
Lavender filled his nose right before Nora stepped in front of him and blocked his path.
She straightened his tie and smiled at him before ducking her eyes again. “It’s going to be fine.”
“Be better if I didn’t have this noose around my neck,” he grumbled.
She brushed his hands away from his collar and fixed his tie again. “I like it. You clean up nice, cowbear.”
His bear practically pranced through his head at the compliment.
Jesse dropped his eyes to her mouth. By the Broken, he wanted another taste.
Nora inhaled sharply and peeked at him through her lashes. Hints of gold swirled in the chocolate brown of her gorgeous eyes.
Judging from the slow flush working over her cheeks, she knew what he was thinking.
“Jesse!” his father’s voice boomed.
Nora stepped away, smoothing her dress over her hips and pasting on a pleasant, if nervous, smile. Jesse reached for her wrist to give her a quick squeeze for them both. His bear grumbled and sank back from ready to attack to merely wary, while Nora’s shoulders relaxed a fraction.
His father pulled to a stop and rested a hand on the one in the crook of his elbow. Elijah fixed him with a steady expression. “Son, I’d like you to meet Camille. She’s my mate.”
“It’s very nice to meet you,” she said quietly and held out her hand.
Mate.
His father hadn’t mentioned taking a new mate.
Jesse shook her hand in shock. He didn’t know what to feel.
His mother had died the night his father lost their clan. Camille was the exact opposite of what he remembered of her and the few pictures that existed. Bottle-blonde instead of raven-haired. Blue eyes instead of dark grey like his own.
Alive.
Elijah had raised him on a steady diet of knowing the future wouldn’t last and any happiness he possessed could be snatched away in an instant. But there he stood, with a new mate looking at him like all the shit from the past didn’t exist.
The man looked happy.
Maybe old dogs could learn new tricks.
“And this is...?” his father prompted.
“Sorry. This is Nora. She’s...” Jesse trailed off. Fuck, he wanted to use the same honorific. Couldn’t. Not yet. Not until she acknowledged what was between them.
Acquaintance seemed too distant when she bedded down on his couch. Girlfriend felt closer to the truth, but he didn’t want to seem like some overeager douche claiming her after a single kiss.
“A friend,” Nora jumped in. “Jesse has been helping me with a spot of trouble. A rather big spot, but nothing unmanageable. Totally under control, in fact. Nothing to worry about all because of him.”
One corner of his lips twitched up as she snapped her mouth closed. No matter how awkward the dinner got, at least she was there to make him smile.
“Well,” his father said. He clapped his hands together. “Should we get seated?”
Pierre’s was much less crowded and quieter than the places Jesse was used to eating. The dining room was staged to give a sense of intimacy to the customers. Low lights flickered at each small table and soft classical music pumped through speakers hidden in the ceiling.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d call,” his father said once they were tucked away into a corner spot.
“I wasn’t, either,” Jesse answered honestly. “Nora convinced me to give this a shot.”
“Then I owe her my thanks,” Elijah nodded gratefully.
Jesse held his breath when the waiter appeared to take their drink orders. His father asked for water and iced tea. Camille, too, went without any alcohol. It was a promising sign, but not one he’d hang all his hopes on.
“What brought you back to Bearden?” Jesse asked.
“Business,” Elijah answered cryptically. He leaned in. Once he had the attention of the table, he said, “It’s a cutthroat world as a lineman.”
Jesse nodded. Nothing new there. Not the work, or the grandstanding. The risks of the job were used as an excuse for a bottle on more than one occasion.
His bear huffed and kept a watchful eye on Elijah.
“Still doing a lot of traveling?” Jesse popped a bit of bread into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. Those trips had been vacations for him once he was old enough to stay home. Though they’d sometimes been lies and he’d had to deal with his father coming off a bender when someone dropped him back home.
“Sometimes. Camille always comes with me, though.” Elijah turned a bright smile on his mate. “I couldn’t imagine leaving her for days at a time.”
The waiter appeared again with drinks. He ran through the night’s specials and took their orders before leaving the table in another momentary silence.
“How did you two meet?” Nora asked brightly.
“Camille practically rescued me from the gutter—”
“Oh, stop!” Camille laughed and slapped a hand over Elijah’s arm. “He’s exaggerating.”
“I most certainly am not. I was days away from being evicted—”
“Story of my childhood,” Jesse muttered.
The mood of the table chilled by fifty degrees. Nora reached under the tablecloth and squeezed his knee.
Elijah straightened in his seat. “I made mistakes.” His eyes flashed with a hint of anger and his voice took on an edge. “Camille has been helping me correct them. She got me back on my feet and into the program when no one else gave a damn.”
Jesse met his father’s gaze. His bear roared through him. Claws pierced his insides as he tried to find calm.
What did he expect? For him to apologize that he didn’t stick around to take his shit? He’d served his time as punching bag and caregiver. Those years were hell.
But... he was there to see if Elijah had changed, not start a fight.
He ground out, “I’m happy you were able to pull yourself together.”
Nora hunched her shoulders in the resulting silence. She toyed with the paper from her straw, folding a ninety-degree angle, then alternating sides until she had a little accordion to twist between her fingers.
Food didn’t arrive soon enough.
“Nora, what is it that you do for a living?” Camille asked between bites.
“Oh, I’m a server just up the street. Hogshead Joint? The barbecue place?” Nora wiggled in her seat under the scrutiny.
“She does art, too,” Jesse added.
She turned her attention on him, eyes wide. Embarrassment entered her scent. She cut in, “It’s not very good.”
“There’s not a lot of money in that, is there?” Elijah countered.
“It’s not—I don’t—” Nora frowned at her plate. “I just do it for myself. I’m not making a career out of it.”
Jesse narrowed his eyes at his father. Go after him, fine. Make Nora feel small? That wouldn’t be tolerated.
“Still working for that Ashford boy?” Elijah asked while slathering a dinner roll with butter.
“He’s a man now, just like me. And yes, I’m still there. I’m his second.”
His father’s mouth tightened.
He set down his knife and the roll. “Kings are supposed to be alphas.”
Jesse bit back his sharp words about the past. Kings were supposed to be alphas. How many times had he heard that over the years? A hundred? A thousand? As if his last name held any significance.
His father had been alpha until it'd been taken from him. Even on a smaller scale, he'd been the leader of their two-person family unit, and failed spectacularly.
No. Kings were not supposed to be alphas. Just like sons were not supposed to care for their fathers before they were old enough to care for themselves. Just like fathers weren’t supposed to take their troubles out on their sons.
“I’m just worried you’re not living up to your full potential,” Elijah continued. “Lazy doesn’t suit you.”
Nora’s eyebrows drew together and irritation bloomed in her scent. She surprised him with a sharp rebuke. “Jesse is the least lazy person I know. He’s very good at his job. He’s up early every day to help on the ranch and makes sure everyone is taken care of.”
Jesse’s bear rumbled inside him, something close to a purr of pleasure. Protective woman. He didn’t need her defense, but he liked seeing it.
Elijah raised his hands in defense and met Jesse’s eyes. Something dark sparkled inside them. “If you’re happy, I’m happy.”
The words held the bitterness of a lie.
Fucker just couldn’t let a slight go. Just like always.
Had it been the initial admission that he wasn’t sure if this whole reconnection was a good idea? Or his snarky remark about childhood evictions? Didn’t matter in the long run; the man still took a swing when he saw an opportunity.
And of course, the words were always couched in pleasantries to make the injured party question the true meaning.
The conversation stayed light for the rest of the meal, with Camille leading the way with recent movies she'd seen with his father. The old man laughed and joked with his mate, but Jesse was still on edge by the time the check arrived.
He’d never felt more relieved than after goodbyes were made and the party separated on the sidewalk.
He turned his face toward the sky and dragged down a deep breath. “He might not be a drunk asshole anymore, but he’s still an asshole.”
Nora slipped her hand into his. Sympathy tinged the air with her every breath. “It wasn’t a complete disaster,” she offered. “Camille seemed nice.”
“I wish them all the happiness in the world.”
Something he’d been denied. Something he was scared of experiencing. Seeing his father again brought back all the hurt and anger of his childhood. He’d worked hard to push that damage down deep, but they were still with him after all the years apart.
He didn’t want to end up like his old man. Hell, even like Viho. Bond sick and set adrift, ruining everything they touched.
Elijah King might have found a patch of even ground, but his damage was barely covered.
Fat raindrops landed on Jesse’s face. He held out his hands as the summer storm broke above them. He grabbed Nora’s hand and they raced for his truck.
“You ever been mudding?” he asked Nora once they were inside. He quirked an eyebrow while tugging loose his tie.
Eyes carefully watching him, she shook her head.
“Come on. A little dirt feels like it’s needed right about now.”
Chapter 16
“On your marks!” Tansey yelled, whipping a rag above her head.
Jesse leaned forward to eyeball Alex. Nora turned, too, and caught a wink from Tansey.
“Get set!” she yelled again.
Jesse and Alex revved their engines. “Belted in, little wolf?” Jesse murmured.
Nora tugged at the straps. Her hands shook with the excitement whipping through her. “Not going anywhere.”
“Grab the bar above the window.”
Tansey dropped the rag. “Go!”
Nora squealed as Jesse stomped on the gas. The back end of the truck slid sideways before they found traction and shot forward. She reached for the bar overhead with both hands and held on for dear life.
They straightened out on a muddy track that appeared to be one giant puddle with hidden potholes of deceptive depths. The truck bounced in and out of the uneven surfaces, spraying mud up the sides of the truck and in a great arc behind them.
Alex and Liv pulled even for a brief second, but Jesse cut them off at the narrowing of the track. He slid between trees and swerved hard, throwing Nora into him.
“You good?” He flicked a look of concern in her direction.
She laughed and squeezed his arm. Warmth sparked under her palm and zinged through her body. “More than,” she answered.
The entire night was had turned from an uncomfortable dinner to one of fun with a quick phone call. The clan was ready to go by the time she and Jesse arrived, quickly changed out of their nice clothes, and hopped back in his truck for parts unknown—at least to her. The rest of them knew the dirty, muddy fun ahead.
Jesse needed it. His friends, all the laughter. The night had weighed on him and he’d been silent on the drive home. The grins and laughs were much better than frowns and prickly scent after they’d left Elijah and Camille behind.
Nora liked him happy.
Jesse cocked his head. “Truth.”
Complete and total.
Jesse took another sharp turn just as Alex and Liv crashed over a hill, engine roaring. A quick spin around flung mug all over Jesse’s windshield. Nora threw back her head with a wild laugh.
“Think that’s funny, do you?” he grumbled, still grinning. “Ought to make you get out and wipe it down.”
She lost count of how many times they raced through the track. They were marked somewhere deep inside her like tree rings, the same as the times she was flung against Jesse. Her heart sang with each brush of her skin against him, every bump of their shoulders. The smiles he shined at her filled her to bursting with a happiness she felt down to her bones.
Right then, that moment, she was just one of the clan. Enjoying the fun and laughing hard enough to make her sides hurt.
She couldn’t say the wrong thing because they were constantly ragging on each other. They didn’t make her feel out of place or weird or unwelcome. They felt like home.
Home. The word echoed through her like a struck bell or hollering into a deep cave. Was she really that empty inside?
Yes. Resoundingly yes. But she didn’t have to be. Not anymore.
Nora slid a look to Jesse and found him watching her with bright eyes and a wide smile.
He was a man who showed up to make sure she was safe from her monster. He let her feel in control. She didn’t want to hide from him in the slightest.
He gave her power.
The group arrived back on the ranch just as the rain slowed to a drizzle. Ethan pulled to a stop near the main house. The rest of the big trucks fell in line.
Tansey rolled down her window. “We’re going for a run. Anyone want to join?”
Joss was first to shake her head, then pointed at her belly. “Not until this little one arrives.”
“I’m out,” Hunter said. “My manhood has been threatened if I don’t get to rubbing sore feet before I go out on watch duty.”
Alex and Liv looked at each other and shrugged. “We’re in,” Liv said.
“I’ll ask Lorne when I relieve him,” Hunter added. “He might be up for joining you if you’re still out by then.”
“Jesse? Nora?”
Jesse locked her in his liquid gold gaze, eyebrows raised in a silent question.
To run or not to run, that was the question.
Nora bit back her giggle with a solid dose of discomfort and unease.
The last time she’d shifted, she’d been out of control and lost hours. While her wolf had stolen her body only once since Jesse brought her to the ranch, she wasn’t ready to risk showing off how fabulously messed up she was.
She shook her head slightly and he turned back to t
he others. “Nah, I think we’re good.”
The caravan started up again, and Jesse cut the engine in front of his little cabin. Her wolf watched silently as he rounded the hood and opened her door. The beast sank into his touch when he placed his palm on the small of her back and walked her through his door.
Okay, maybe it wasn’t just her wolf.
Nora rounded on him as soon as the door clicked shut. “Are you sure you didn’t want to go? I’m perfectly fine entertaining myself for—”
She cut off as Jesse locked eyes with her. Grey whirled with gold, simmering as he stepped closer.
“No,” he said. “I’m right where I want to be.”
He reached for her, hands gentle on her hips. His thumbs brushed up the hem of her shirt and stroked slow circles over her skin. Fire ignited under those simple touches, the spark flaring and building in her middle.
Nora gasped when he leaned in. His lips brushed against hers in light, feathery touches. Just like before, he explored every curve, every contour, sipping and sucking until his control started to fray.
He backed her against the door, hands tangled in her hair as he devoured her mouth. His hips rolled against her. The press of his erection between them made it perfectly clear what he wanted.
Nora groaned into his mouth. Her heart beat faster than a hummingbird’s wings as he broke the kiss and trailed fire down the column of her neck.
“I never thought I’d find someone as perfect as you,” he growled.
The words slapped her back into reality.
Her body was ready to go. A snap of his fingers and order whispered in her ear would have her shimmying out of her clothes as fast as possible. The human side of her panted for the man almost as much as her wolf side.
Which led right to a giant, problematic reveal.
The moment he had her naked, he’d see the scar on her shoulder. He’d know exactly what she’d hidden from him.
“Jesse... Jesse, wait.”
He backed off without hesitation. Gold eyes searched her face. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s something I need to tell you. Before... before you see for yourself.”