Not that Emeline had any reason to be jealous.
She didn’t even want Noah.
Sure, keep telling yourself that.
“He’s more than Cailin’s ex, Emeline,” Bay said softly.
“Darn it. Don’t you think I know that? He’s a doctor. He saves people. He puts everyone before himself, and now I’m sure he’s stressed himself out enough that he’s asking me out on a pity date. That’s got to be it. He’s so exhausted from working at the clinic that he’s delirious.”
Lexi stood up and raised her brows. “Stop doing this to yourself. He’s a nice wolf who wants to date you. He’s taking you out for a hike and a picnic. It’s sweet. He’s not doing this out of pity. He’s doing this because he wants you.”
Emeline closed her eyes then pulled her shirt over her head before stomping to the closet. She pulled another one on, this one a nice tan cotton top that looked nice and would be good for a hike.
This was the fifth shirt she’d tried, and she’d been through four pairs of pants. She was over-thinking it. She knew that, but she couldn’t help herself. It was just a date. An outing with a younger man.
Crap.
“Why would he want me? He needs to be out looking for his mate, not wasting his time with a dried-up elder.”
Bay and Lexi gave each other a look that Emeline couldn’t decipher. That wasn’t uncommon though, considering Emeline had isolated herself for so long. She always seemed to be missing something or another.
“What?” she asked at their look.
Bay shook her head then kissed Emeline on the cheek before moving so Lexi could do the same. “You’re going to be fine, honey. Enjoy tonight and stop worrying about the what-ifs and everything else in that head of yours. That wolf on his way wants to enjoy the evening with you. Let it happen. You said yes, so enjoy the fact that you did. Okay?”
Slightly numb, Emeline nodded.
“Now we will get out of your hair since you look like you’re ready to go. Plus we don’t want to be in the house when Noah gets here. This way it’s all about you.”
Again, Emeline nodded before saying goodbye to her friends. That left her alone in her house with too many thoughts and worries. Just like the ones the girls had told her to forget.
Darn it.
Her wolf scented him before he knocked on the door.
That scent of forest and wolf that somehow calmed her own wolf. Emeline hadn’t been able to make sense of it considering nothing had done that for her wolf in years…if ever. She couldn’t exactly remember.
She opened the door and held back a gasp at her first sight of him. His tousled brown waves framed his face, brushing the collar of his shirt, making him look rugged and handsome. His blue eyes held laughter and a touch of something she couldn’t quite name, something unique she now associated with Noah.
The hiking clothes he wore formed to his body, making his already strong, toned muscles look even more dangerous.
From the way her wolf batted at her, she had a feeling her wolf liked this sense of danger.
Steeling herself with a deep breath, she smiled. “Noah.”
“Em,” he growled softly. See? There was that danger again. “You look amazing.”
She raised a brow, even as she relaxed inside at his compliment. “I’m good for hiking, right?”
He grinned then, that dimple deepening. That damn dimple. “You’re good for anything, Em. Just saying. Now let’s head to the spot I picked out.” He stepped back and allowed her to move forward, shutting the door behind her. When he held his hand out, she hesitated only a moment before putting her small hand in his much larger one.
The warmth of his palm sent sizzles down her arm, and the calluses on his fingertips sent zings to other parts of her body.
Apparently she hadn’t been taking care of her need for touch if a simple handhold was about to send her over the edge.
She smiled, trying to put those thoughts away before she went crazy and jumped him. Nope, this was just a casual date. No jumping or moaning allowed.
Oh goddess, who said anything about moaning?
“You okay, Em? You look flushed.”
She blinked then shook her head. “I’m fine. Really. Uh, must be the air.” Oh good, because that wasn’t the most idiotic thing she could have said. It was as if she hadn’t been on a date in a century or two.
Okay, so she hadn’t been on a date in a century or two.
Whatever.
Noah squeezed her hand and started moving toward the tree line at the edge of the Jamenson property within the den.
“You don’t need to be nervous, Em. It’s just a meal and a hike. Nothing too scary.”
“You would be nervous too if this was your first date in over a century,” she blurted out then immediately wanted to take her words back. Noah didn’t need to know that. She already thought he felt sorry for her. That would just be icing on the cake of pity and shame.
“A century, huh?” Noah jumped over a fallen log, releasing her hand in the process. As he turned back to help her over, she raised a brow then leaped over it herself. She was a werewolf after all. Chivalry might be nice, but she wasn’t about to show her belly to a dominant wolf when she was dominant as well. Maybe not as dominant as him, but enough that she just needed to remind them both that she was a predator capable of defending herself.
It was so odd to think about that since she’d locked herself away for so long. Dominance games and courting were so far out of her recent experience she felt as though she was floundering, but from the laugh that escaped Noah at her act, maybe she wasn’t as rusty as she’d thought.
“Touché, Em. You’re a strong wolf. I’ve never forgotten that. I was just trying to help.”
“I know. For some reason my wolf needed to show you she was there too.”
He brought her hand to his lips, gently brushing a kiss against her skin. Again she wanted to moan or rub up along his side, cover him with her scent so everyone would know he was hers and hers alone.
She pulled back, stunned at her own thoughts.
What on earth had that been about?
“I know. I’ve always known.” He cleared his throat then pulled her along the trail toward wherever he had set up their lunch. “Okay, so back to the century thing. How have you not been on a date in that long? You’re gorgeous, funny, and loyal as hell. What the hell is wrong with our Pack that you haven’t dated in that long?”
She almost tripped over a stray root at his words but kept going. “You really think all that.”
He stopped them both, turned, then cupped her face. She sucked in a breath at the warmth of his skin and the look in his eyes.
“Of course I do. I’m here aren’t I? Em…” He trailed off then sighed. “You keep selling yourself short, and I think that’s because you’ve cut yourself off for so long. You’re an elder so you think you have to act staid and remain alone. That’s not the case. All of the elders could have moved into the other areas of the den and blended. We all age the same way and look to be in our twenties or thirties. Our bodies only ache from fighting or being too lazy to get off the couch. You’re thriving now that you’ve left the elder area. Why didn’t you do that before?”
“That’s a lot to take in, Noah. We stay in the elder area because that’s how it’s done. Or at least, that’s how it’s been done in the past.”
“But you moved out.”
She smiled then, and he ran his thumbs along her cheekbones as he pulled back. “Yes. I moved out. I didn’t want to be shut in anymore. Researching and finding a way to send Caym back to hell after all those years took a toll on me. Not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well. I wasn’t the same person after everything that happened.”
“I don’t think any of us are.”
“We’ve all changed, and despite what Meryl—she’s one of the lead elders if you can call her that—wants, some of the elders are starting to move on and spread out.”
“So it’s t
his Meryl who didn’t want you to move away?”
She almost said no, then thought about it. Meryl had been the one who told her to stay for as long as she had. And since Emeline had no other family, it had been the easiest decision.
“I suppose so. But it doesn’t matter now. I’m out of that area and trying to be the wolf I used to be. Or at least a wolf that I can be proud of.”
“You should be proud of yourself no matter what, Em.”
“Thanks for that.” She turned toward the trail, gesturing in that direction. “Should we keep going?”
“Sounds like a plan to me.” He took her hand again, this time tangling their fingers. Her wolf gave a happy sigh and she had to refrain from doing the same aloud. “As for dating? Are you going to answer that?”
How to answer that…
“Well, since I never left the elder area, there really wasn’t much to choose from.”
Noah’s neck pinked, and she blushed as well. “So, uh, it’s been a hundred years since you’ve…”
Emeline froze then faced him. “Uh…no…There was a man named Edgar.” She closed her eyes, wondering how on earth she’d ended up in this conversation. “We didn’t date per se, it was more of… scratching the itch. We’re wolves after all. We need touch.”
Noah gave a strangled growl, his eyes shut tight. “I shouldn’t have asked that. It was rude and honestly…damn it. I shouldn’t have asked that.”
She grinned at him, liking that he was all flustered. Now he knew how she felt constantly around him. Which was why, after she asked the next question, she wanted to fling herself off the nearest bridge.
“I take it Cailin was the last person you were with?”
Dear. Goddess.
Why had she asked that?
Noah’s eyes widened, and he blushed just as hard as she probably was. “Yes. So it’s been awhile. And Cailin and I are just friends. We used to be close, but she’s my best friend now. I’m close to Logan too. Her mate. Is that okay?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? I mean you’re not with her now obviously. She’s mated. And you’re here with me.”
She liked that. Him here with her. No matter how nervous she’d been at the start, she liked her hand in his, his wolf near hers. She could get used to it.
That was the exact reason she needed to be cautious. He could find his mate at any moment. It wouldn’t be good to get her hopes up when they would crash down at the first sign of fate’s interference.
“Okay then. So it’s good that I do this.”
He cupped her face, and she froze for a moment. Then as his lips brushed hers, she closed her eyes, sinking into him. The slight touch of his tongue against her lips made her moan, and she parted her lips for him. He took that as an invitation—and rightly so. She moved her hands up his back, pulling him closer as he deepened this kiss.
Her wolf howled, begging for more, and she could feel his wolf also, pushing, prodding, demanding.
Oh, how she wanted it all.
Craved it all.
Then he pulled back, breathless, his eyes dark yet rimmed with gold.
Aroused then.
Well, so was she.
Oh goddess, so was she.
“Let’s do that again,” she breathed.
He smiled full-out, white teeth against tan skin. “Let’s. But, first, let me take you to the picnic area. We’re almost there.” He took her hand, and they started on their way. “And, Em?”
“Yes, Noah?”
“This is one hell of a first date.”
She licked her lips, his taste still on her tongue. “Oh yes. Definitely.”
And she couldn’t wait for the second one.
Chapter Four
Noah needed help.
Badly.
He stood outside North’s door, but didn’t knock. Sure, those inside could probably scent him, but he needed to calm himself and clear his thoughts before he walked in there and asked for help.
He’d never truly courted a woman before, and he had a feeling he was going about it all wrong. Shouldn’t Emeline know by now if he was a potential mate for her? He could feel the connection, feel the pull of his wolf, the swift shock of desire every time he laid eyes on her.
Hell, he could feel it at just the thought of her small smile and violet eyes.
Yet she showed no signs of feeling the same way.
No, in fact, she was surprised he wanted to be with her, rather than some young female wolf that would mean nothing to him. Everyone who might fit that bill paled in comparison to Emeline.
As if he’d be with anyone else.
Still, what if fate got it wrong? Maybe what he had was a strong case of lust and attraction.
His wolf raged within, scraping his claws along the inside of Noah’s chest, and he winced.
Okay, so that had been an idiotic idea.
Emeline was his.
He just had to prove it.
He had a feeling she couldn’t tell they were mates because it had been so long since she’d ever felt anything like it. Like it or not, she’d had a mate, Jeffrey, in the past and Noah would have to get over that.
She’d been oddly okay with his past with Cailin, and that was even more recent.
Though the fact she was readily okay with it wasn’t a good sign in itself. Maybe she didn’t think he was worth the trouble to get even a little jealous over.
Damn it. He needed to stop thinking about the worst-case scenarios—as in fate had fucked him over and chosen a mate who wanted nothing to do with him in any way possible—and find a way into Emeline’s heart.
It would happen.
He was sure of it.
It would just be slow going.
He was okay with that though. All of the best things were worth the time it took to gain them.
With that thought, he finally knocked on the door.
Logan answered the door, his brows raised. “Took you long enough to knock.”
Noah grinned then walked inside, being sure to ram his shoulder into Logan’s as he did. Just because he had only friendly feelings for Logan’s mate now, it was still fun to badger the wolf. Logan snorted then pushed at him.
Hard.
Noah barely kept his balance and made his way to the couch where North sat drinking a beer. The other man faced him though Noah knew North couldn’t see him. Damn it, he and Emeline would fix this. No matter what. The man deserved to see his daughter and live his life to the fullest.
North might have been making due, but he was still a dominant wolf who’d lost his sight.
There was no coming back from that.
Not fully.
“Stop staring at me and feeling bad, Noah. I’m fine. Emeline is working on it, and I’m getting by. It’s not the end of the world. Now grab a beer and tell us your troubles.”
Logan snorted then took a seat in the armchair across from them. “Yes, tell us about your love life. I’m sure we can help. Since, you know, we’re connected to our feelings and all that shit.”
Noah grinned then took a sip of the beer they’d put on the table for him. The bitter, hearty brew was just what he needed to soothe his throat and calm his nerves enough to even ask for help in the first place.
“You’re happily mated, and I know for a fact that you get romantic with Cailin, so don’t start on that feeling shit.” Noah grinned as Logan frowned. Goddess, he loved making fun of Logan. He couldn’t help it. The other wolf was more dominant, alpha as hell, and a good man.
“How much does Cailin tell you? I’m going to have to spank that ass of hers if she doesn’t keep things private.”
Noah choked on his beer, and North slammed his hand on his back a couple times.
“For the love of god, Logan. Don’t talk about spanking my sister’s ass. Ever. Jesus.”
Logan grinned, unrepentant, then winced as if he’d just remembered North couldn’t see that grin. Shit, they needed to help North.
“Stop frowning,” North snapped. “I knew you wer
e acting like an ass. Just because I can’t see doesn’t mean I don’t know. Anyway, Noah, what have you done to court our dear Emeline? We want her happy, you know. And since she’s an honorary Jamenson, we’ll kick your ass if you hurt her.”
Noah relaxed immediately. Yes, these two would help as much as they could. “First, tell her that. Not the ass-kicking part. But the Jamenson part. I think she needs to feel like she’s truly part of a family and not just on the fringes.”
North nodded. “We’re trying. She’s surrounded by a hard shell that’s tough to crack. But we’re Jamensons. We don’t back down from a challenge.”
“Good. As for hurting her? That’s not on my radar, man. She’s my mate. I just don’t think she knows it yet.”
Logan shook his head. “The thing is, I agree with you. As much as it pains me. But the way she’s let you help her this past year? That means something. She’s one strong wolf, and the fact that she leans on you tells me her wolf is ready for you. I just don’t think the human is connecting the way she should.”
Noah’s mouth ran dry despite the beer. “You mean like with Lexi being latent or the fact that she doesn’t want me at all?”
Logan held up a hand. “This is nothing like what happened with my sister.”
North patted Noah’s knee. “My mate felt me as her own even though she couldn’t feel her own wolf. So, yeah, this is different than with Lexi. I think what Logan is trying to say is that Emeline has spent so long on a different level than the rest of us she might not be aware that what she’s feeling is mating urge.”
“And I can’t come out and tell her what she’s feeling,” Noah said drily.
Both men snorted. “Uh no. Do that and you’ll have your balls sent to you in a little bag,” Logan said.
“Yeah, never tell a woman what she feels. You’re asking for a beat down.”
“There’s no easy answer to this,” Logan said, his voice serious. “All you can do is do what you’re doing. Show her she’s the one for you. Court her. Flowers, chocolate, sweet things she might like that only you would know about. Help her with her research, make yourself such a part of her daily life that you’re needed.”
“So keep doing what I’m already doing then,” Noah said. “There’s no magic answer to this, is there?”
The Hunted Heart Page 3