by Marla Monroe
Dax’s eyes widened as if he’d just thought of something. “Only food and conversation, Jeanie. We aren’t trying to, um…we want to get to know you better. Talk. That’s it. I promise no pressure or anything.”
He looked so distressed that she had taken his offer as something else that she felt guilty thinking that that was what he meant. Would she ever get past what was now in her past? She didn’t know what to do to keep him from thinking she was offended. Well, she could accept. So she did.
“Sure. I’d love to have dinner with you and Erik. It took me by surprise. I’m sorry for acting weird. It’s that I haven’t gone out with anyone in about three years or so. Thanks for asking me.”
Dax’s expression softened. Then without warning, he laughed and hugged her before quickly letting go and stepping back.
“Thanks. I’ll tell Erik, and we’ll wait on you to get ready. Do you need to call your sister to let her know?” he asked.
“Oh. We don’t have a phone. We keep one of those disposable ones that you can add minutes to when you run out. I don’t want to use them up. She’ll know that if I didn’t call, I’m okay, but I can’t be out too late,” she told him.
“No problem.” He looked over his shoulder to where some of the guys were working on the small stage that would house a band when they had one. “I better get back and help before they start calling me a slacker.”
Jeanie smiled as he jogged away to join the crew working on the stage. She wasn’t sure how she felt about accepting the offer for dinner and conversation. Why would they want to get to know her if it wasn’t about sex? She wouldn’t let herself think relationship. That was asking for heartache. She’d wait and see what came of their meal.
Right now, she needed to help the others with stocking the bar. Thoughts about what might or might not come of their sort of date needed to wait until later. Was it a date? She really hadn’t thought about it like that until just then.
Enough! I can’t think about it while I’m handling glass bottles and barware. All I need is to cut myself and end up having to pay for more than I make. Work now, worry later.
The tingling of her nipples and the light throb of her clit didn’t go away though. She was going to be so lucky if she made it through the next two hours without some sort of accident.
Chapter Five
Dax wasn’t used to feeling ill-prepared for anything. He’d always been in control and able to handle everything, even last-minute changes. This date with Jeanie wasn’t the same thing. It wasn’t preparing to guard the Alphas as they took their mate shopping, or pulling one of the more wayward wolves in from nearly getting himself into trouble. This was their mate and she mattered.
“Easy, brother. You’re wound tighter than a pocket watch spring. I’ve never seen you this unsettled before, Dax.” Erik squeezed his shoulder with a smile.
“How are we going to put her at ease with us in one night, Erik? I’m afraid we won’t even have that with the way the heat is riding me,” he confessed.
“I know what you mean. I could smell her no matter where she went today. I don’t know how, but I think it’s affecting her as well. She never smelled this intoxicating before Kay shut down the club. She was still our mate, but now, it’s as if her body knows it, too.”
“Maybe the heat just has us more in tune with her. We’re more sensitive to her being near us,” Dax suggested.
“I don’t know, but whatever it is, we need to be careful so that we don’t scare her away. Remember what happened to her, Dax. She’s seen enough that she’s going to be scared to death when we explain it to her.”
“I still want to fucking tear Tommy’s throat out for even touching her in the first place,” Dax growled.
Though they knew her past, having worked for a short time as security for the club, they didn’t hold it against her. She’d done what she’d needed to in order to survive and care for her sister and sick mother. Most of the wolves in the Taum Sauk Pack had been man-whores most of their lives, having moved from one female to the next, sometimes in the same day. There was no real difference.
But Tommy had nearly turned on her and would have hurt her. He’d had trouble controlling his shifts all his life, and paired with his temper, Tommy had been banned from town without someone with him. He’d deliberately slipped out and put the pack at risk of discovery. It gave Dax an even greater reason to distrust the wolf.
“Don’t dwell on it, Dax. Let’s just concentrate on winning Jeanie’s trust. We need to learn everything about her we can to figure out how to mate her without scaring her and driving her away.” Erik looked over his shoulder where Jeanie and some of the other ladies were cleaning up for the day.
His friend had always been the calming influence of his life. Now it looked like their mate would help with that. Being around her soothed something inside of him. He liked to think it was the beast that drove him at times. He and his wolf were much closer than most of the others in their pack. Few wolfen could communicate with their wolf when not in that form. Dax had no trouble at all and often used his wolf self to figure things out or settle fights.
Erik didn’t have that ability, but was able to partially shift other than his mouth. Dax could, too, but not many of the others were able to. It was a sign of their strength and placed them higher in the pack than the others.
“Hi. I-I’m ready to go if you are.” Jeanie’s sweet voice cracked with her words. He could hear the unease in her voice as well as self-doubt. Why?
“We’re ready, honey. Do have anything in particular you’d like to eat?” Erik was asking her.
“Not really. Just food. I’ll pretty much eat anything. Never did have that many foods I hated,” she told them with a nervous smile.
“I’ve seen you eat, and I can’t figure out which leg it is,” Dax said, keeping his face neutral.
Erik frowned at him, his entire face showing his confusion. For a second, he wondered if he was being too forward with her when they really had only just met. Too late now, he’d already stuck his foot in it.
“Which leg? I’m not sure I understand,” Jeanie said with a small shake of her head.
“I can’t figure out which one of your legs is hollow, ’cause that’s where you have to be putting all that food you’re able to eat,” he said, believing he’d totally insulted her and screwed up their chances.
To his surprise, she burst out laughing, her pretty blue eyes sparkled as she shook her head. The sound did things to him deep inside. Not to mention the havoc it played on his balls. They were so tight, he swore he could shoot pool with them. That image quickly sobered him.
“I know I’m a bit on the plump side, but I didn’t realize I ate all that much,” she said, smiling widely.
“You’re perfect,” Erik quickly said. He glared at Dax.
Dax didn’t blame him. This wasn’t like him at all. Why had he screwed up like that? Usually he was the smooth one and poor Erik tripped over his tongue. It had to be the mating heat. It tended to take away all inhibitions, which was why mates pretty much jumped on each other as soon as they realized what was going on. So here he was losing it, trying hard not to throw Jeanie over the table and mounting her like his wolf brothers while she was trying to figure out why they were interested in her.
“We love your curves and the way you fill out those jeans. They look like they were poured on but not so tight that we can tell if you’ve got underwear on or not,” Dax told her.
“Um, that’s good to know,” she said with a funny expression on her face. “Um, that you can’t tell if I’m wearing underwear or not. I am, you know. Wearing underwear.”
Erik smiled and slid his hands into his pockets. Dax felt his friend’s unease. Once again, Dax had screwed things up, only with Jeanie, and she was the only important one in their lives. How was he going to keep from totally ruining everything? Being around her was the best and the worst thing right then. She soothed him and tore him up at the same time.
“We b
etter head out now,” Erik said.
Dax kept his mouth shut and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other before one of his feet ended up in his mouth again. They wouldn’t get another shot at convincing her that they were perfect for her and she was perfect for them. If he had to stay silent all night, he would.
Maybe.
Hell.
They escorted Jeanie to the truck, and Dax walked around to the driver’s side while Erik helped her into the cab. Once everyone was safely buckled in, he drove from the parking lot toward the highway. No matter where they went, it wasn’t going to be in Hickory Hill. Not only was there nowhere to eat, but also they needed somewhere that would afford them some privacy, and in a small town like theirs, that wasn’t possible.
“I thought we’d go to Fredericktown to eat,” Dax finally spoke up. “Any place in particular you like?”
Jeanie looked over at him but quickly jerked her gaze away to stare straight ahead. “Um, I really haven’t eaten there all that much. Maybe you should pick.”
Dax looked over her head to his bondmate. The other man shrugged so Dax made the decision to take her to a little country kitchen they had eaten at several times. It was clean, had good food, and wasn’t fancy. One thing he knew about women was that they hated to look out of place. There would be plenty of privacy there as well.
“How does plain home cooking sound?” he asked.
“Good. I’m really not picky. I love the things that Tilly cooks for us, but sometimes it’s nice to eat normal food,” she said, her smile a bit too bright.
“Normal food?” Erik asked. “I don’t understand.”
“Tilly’s an amazing cook. She could be a chef if she could go to school. All she has to do is see someone make something or read a recipe, and she can make it perfectly. She says she doesn’t care about going to chef’s school, that she just wants to cook somewhere. I wish she could have all her dreams come true.” Dax watched her eyes grow bright before she blinked it away.
“What about your dreams, Jeanie?” Erik asked. “What do you wish for at night in your bed?”
Erik reached over and took both of Jeanie’s hands in his big grasp. Dax smiled. She wasn’t pulling away. That was a good thing. He was anxious to hear what she wanted, what would make her happy. They’d move heaven and earth and all the stars to see that she got it if it were at all possible.
“Oh, I don’t really have dreams. Having dreams just sets you up for a fall. I’ll settle for being able to pay the bills and my family healthy and safe.” She looked over at his friend.
Dax wished he could see her face. Was she smiling at the other wolfen, or was she fighting back the tears? At least they could pretty much guarantee her that she would be able to pay her bills and that her mom and sister would be safe. The healthy part was the kicker. They couldn’t fight or cure cancer. That would be up to their doctors and the Father.
“Anyway,” she said after drawing in a deep breath, “I’m hoping that once the bar gets up and going that maybe Kay will hire my sister to cook. Tilly could work some now, but I want to wait and be sure that the bar does well so that everyone can work enough to pay their bills. I know Kay said there would be plenty of work, but the bar isn’t even open yet.”
“Talk to Kay and let her know that your sister would be interested if something becomes available,” Dax suggested.
“I don’t want to pressure her. She tries so hard to take care of us. We’ll just wait to see how business is. If it’s really good, I’ll talk to her about Tilly.”
Dax pulled off the road to turn down a gravel road that led to another blacktop one. After another five minutes, he turned into the parking lot of Annie’s Eats. He watched as Erik helped Jeanie down and then joined them at the front of the truck to walk across the lot and go inside. He was relieved when Jeanie didn’t pull away as both of them placed a hand at her back. Neither did she balk when they each took a hand once inside the building.
“Just have a seat anywhere. Marge will be with you in a minute to take your order. Menus are on the table.” The fifty-something waitress continued wiping down a table as they nodded and walked by.
Dax chose a table near the back that was a little away from the others. Since there weren’t a lot of people eating, they would have a fair amount of privacy. After seating Jeanie, they each took a chair on either side of her. Dax wanted to rub his knee against her thigh and reach across the table to caress her hand, but he didn’t dare. She’d freak out for sure. They couldn’t afford to scare her off. She meant everything to them. Caring for her and her family was what he’d been born and prepared for his entire life. The joy of having found their perfect mate made him anxious to claim her.
Once the waitress took their drink order and then returned to take their meal order, Dax slowly began to settle down. They were really sitting there with her for a meal. This was their opportunity to learn all they could about Jeanie. His mouth salivated just thinking about it. Every tidbit of information would feed his soul, and he was a man starving right then.
* * * *
“How about dessert, Jeanie? Their pecan and lemon meringue pies are delicious,” Erik said.
“I’m already stuffed. I don’t think I could take another bite of anything. Why did you order so much food?” She looked around at the empty dishes on the table. They’d put away enough food for four people.
“We were hungry,” Dax said with an embarrassed look coloring his face. “We tend to burn a lot of calories working.”
She didn’t doubt that—they were built like Roman gods. She’d never known men as buff as the ones who lived around Hickory Hill. There had to be something in the water. And what was it with the two-for-one sale that seemed to be going on? First Kay snagged two devilishly handsome men, and now she had two equally good-looking ones taking her out to eat.
“I think I’ll have the pecan pie please,” Erik said when the waitress returned and started clearing off the mostly-empty dishes.
“I’ll try the lemon, please,” Dax said, sending Jeanie a bad boy smile.
“Are you sure you don’t want something?” Erik asked as he reached out and squeezed her hand.
“Um, no thanks. I’m really full. It was wonderful,” she said, looking over at the waitress.
Once the server had gone, Dax leaned in closer. “You are always so nice to people. I like that.”
“And we love watching your face. It’s so open and honest with those pretty blue eyes that seem to hide nothing,” Erik said.
Jeanie couldn’t stop the nervous laugh that bubbled from her lips. “I-I don’t have anything to hide. I’m just me.”
“We know. That’s what we love about you,” Erik told her.
“But you’re also fiercely protective of your family and willing to do whatever it takes to provide for them and keep them safe,” Dax added. “There aren’t a lot of people left in the world who put others ahead of themselves like you’ve done. We can’t help but admire you, Jeanie.”
Their praises made her acutely uncomfortable. It was nice to hear good things about yourself, but Jeanie didn’t feel as if she’d done anything special. She’d only done what had to be done to put food on their table and pay for her mother’s treatments and medicine. Anyone else would have done the same. Wouldn’t they?
“I didn’t do anything special. That’s what family does—they take care of each other,” she said.
“Not all families feel that way, sweetie. There are lots of people who kick their parents out to nursing homes because it’s not convenient to take care of them. You could have told your mom that you’d help but that you didn’t have the money. That’s what most kids do these days. It’s really sad how family doesn’t mean the same thing is used to. But you’re different. You truly care and want to do the right thing.” Dax smiled before reaching across the table to clasp her hand in his much larger one. “There’s nothing more important to us than our family.”
Jeanie was saved from respond
ing when their server returned with the nice-sized pieces of pie they’d ordered. She had to admit, it made her mouth water just to see them. Once a whiff of the two pies that had been warmed for them reached her nose, her stomach moaned. Both men looked up with devilish expressions on their faces.
Chapter Six
“You know that you’re going to have to taste one bite from each of our pieces, don’t you?” Erik said.
He couldn’t wait to feed her a bite. His wolf wanted to take care of her, and so did he. Feeding her would go a long way in calming his beast. He wanted to claim her right then without worrying about how she’d react to their being shifters. Erik knew that her experience of having a wolf nearly shift on top of her would color how she felt about them. He and Dax worried that she wouldn’t be able to accept their wolves.
“I don’t know. I’m really stuffed. Dinner was delicious.” Jeanie shook her head.
Erik could see that she was interested but honestly didn’t want to overeat. As much as he wanted to watch her sexy lips close around the delicious dessert, he also didn’t want to talk her into anything that she honestly didn’t want to do.
“That’s okay. You can start with dessert next time so that you don’t miss out on it,” he said.
“Now that’s a plan,” Dax agreed.
“Next time?” Jeanie looked confused.
“Sure. You don’t think we’re going to take you out and enjoy your company just once, do you? We like you, Jeanie. A lot. You’re pretty, interesting, and fun to be around.” Dax reached across the table and took her hand in his.
Erik took her other hand in his and gently squeezed it. Her hands appeared so delicate in his much larger one.
“Jeanie, we really like you. Seeing you all excited and happy about this new job makes us happy,” Erik told her.
“I love the way your eyes shine and your face brightens when you talk about the new job. Knowing you’re going to have a safe place to work means everything to us.” Dax smiled across the table at her.