by Dani April
“I already know about you, Jason,” she whispered to him. “And you scare me.”
“I’m the alpha in my family. Do you know what that means?”
“It means you’re the boss.”
“That’s right. I’m not questioned. I’m obeyed.” He brushed her lips again. Some errant hair had fallen over her brow. He swept it back on her head. “If you are with me that means you obey me, too.”
“I don’t know, Jason.” She tried to move. He wouldn’t let her.
“Some humans aren’t ready for a relationship with one of us. I think you are. I’ve watched you for this last month. You have a need to submit, a need to please and be pleased in return.”
“I don’t think that’s true.” Her voice broke with emotion, and he knew she wasn’t certain of what she felt. He would have to be certain for her.
“Yes, it is. You want to be taken care of. You need a man who is strong enough to always be there for you and love you unconditionally. You haven’t found that until now.”
“I don’t understand you, Jason.”
“That’s okay. You’re not supposed to understand me. All that matters is that I understand you.”
“How could you possibly understand me when I don’t even understand myself sometimes?”
“Because you don’t fool me with your cold, professional exterior that keeps the world away.”
“I don’t want to be like that.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t let you be like that with me.”
She sighed. “You are clearly the dominant alpha, Jason, but I think you’re wrong about me. I don’t think I’m all that submissive. I’ve lived alone for too long now. I’m used to getting my own way, too.”
He let go of her and scooted her off his lap. When she stood next to him, he gave her a pat on the behind. The slap resounded in the early-morning quiet of the kitchen.
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll go take a shower and get dressed. Otherwise I’m going to tear this shirt off you and have you back in bed.”
She looked at him, confused. He moved too fast for her, but she would get used to it. “All right,” she told him simply.
“I don’t have any clothes to wear,” he called after her.
“I don’t think I have anything big enough for you to wear.”
“I’ll write down my size for you. When the mall opens in town, I want you to go in and do some shopping for me. Unless you’d like me to spend the next few weeks naked in your house?”
“That’s all right,” she told him quickly. The noise of the shower water started from the bathroom. “I’ll go shopping for you.”
“Also when you’re in town, I want you to stop by your clinic and get the makings of another splint for my leg. You’re going to have to make this one bigger than what you made for the wolf.”
“Yes. I can do that.”
He reached across the table and poured himself another glass of orange juice and smiled. He liked the way she responded to him. She didn’t realize how natural her responses were to his dominance. He knew he wasn’t wrong about her submissive nature. She would just have to wait and find out. He would show it to her.
* * * *
Arielle reapplied the wooden splint to his leg. She had remade the splint to fit the leg of a man. “Don’t move,” she cautioned him. This was hard. She had never worked on a person before. Arielle wouldn’t kid herself about this. She was no medical doctor. Sometimes it was a struggle to be a good vet for animals. She was way out of her element.
He now wore clothes. She had been into town and purchased several changes of clothes for him, along with shoes, socks, and underwear. Her job was made easier because he gave her his sizes. She had hurried around the mall to buy him everything he required. She did not want to leave him alone for long.
He had on a pair of knee-length Tommy Bahama shorts. His injured leg was held out across her knee. It was still swollen and discolored. He sat in a chair in the living room, and she kneeled in front of him on the floor. She saw him wince in pain when she chanced a glance up at him.
“I’m sorry,” she told him, and bit her tongue. She should not have tried to do this and knew she should have insisted he go to a doctor instead.
“You’re doing great, Arielle,” he said, and gave her reassurance with his deep voice. “Just make it tight so it won’t fall off.”
“I don’t know anything about the anatomy of human bones,” she reminded him. “What if I set this crooked? You could wind up a cripple for life.”
“The bone has already started to grow back together. It’s already in its natural position now. Align the splint straight down from the knee just the way you’re doing.”
“Why won’t you let me take you to a doctor?”
“Because I like to watch you work on me. The doctor in Wolf Creek is a fifty-year-old man and overweight. You’re much nicer to look at.”
“That’s not a good reason, Jason.”
“I know you can do this, and I like to give you new challenges. I like to see you surprise yourself. Your self-confidence could really use a boost.”
“If you end up with a permanent limp for the rest of your life because I’ve tied this off wrong, I’m not going to be able to forgive myself.”
“I told you not to worry about it, Arielle. You’re going to ruin your concentration. Now don’t argue with me.”
“All right. I’m sorry,” she said and looked back down to his feet. She wondered why she always told him she was sorry. He made her feel self-conscious. She didn’t like to feel that way. Somehow the more time she spent with him, the more nervous she became.
She finished up with the splint, and he stood up, barefoot on her living room carpet to test his strength. He hobbled unsteadily around her TV set a few times. “You see, you did a good job,” he announced.
“Thank you,” she replied timidly. She still knelt on the floor and waited for him.
“I want to take you outside for a walk in the forest.”
“No, that’s not a good idea,” she protested. “You should rest that leg.”
He reached down a hand to her and helped her up off the floor. “I don’t want us to miss our Sunday-afternoon walk.”
He held onto her a moment too long. Now that he wore clothes, he seemed more like a real person and not a dream lover. She looked up at his face, and he smiled at her. A walk with him did sound like a nice idea.
“I’ll go if you’re sure you’re up to it.”
“We’ve been for a walk every Sunday afternoon since I came here. It would be bad luck for us to break precedent today. Don’t worry, I’ll take it slow and won’t tire you out.”
“But I’m not the one with a broken leg.”
He put his arm around her, and they walked through the house. He leaned on her, but only with a small portion of his weight. “We won’t go too far. I don’t want you to get tired out for tonight.”
“Jason, I…” she started to protest. He gave her a swat on her bottom and opened the back door for her.
He pointed to the edge of the forest at the end of her backyard. “I need a cane,” he told her. “See that fallen branch over there. I want you to bring it back to me.”
“I can’t see anything.”
“My vision is better than yours. Go directly to where I’m pointing. It’s just on the other side of your fence.”
“All right,” she said, and gave in to his command. She always gave into him. He directed her to a spot just beyond her fence where a five-foot branch had fallen in a pile of brush. He did have good vision. She would have never spotted it. The vision of the wolf must still have been with him. The tree branch was off by only about a ten-degree angle and was almost straight. It was strong and would make him a good cane.
She brought it back up onto the porch and handed it to him. “I hope that will work,” she said.
He tested it and walked a few steps across her back yard. The grass was tall. She needed to mow the lawn. S
he walked at his side, afraid that he might fall down.
“This will do,” he told her at last. “Let’s take our walk.”
It was a beautiful day, and as soon as they started, Arielle was happy he had suggested the walk. She felt better to be out of doors and no longer cooped up inside her house with him. There were still a million questions she wanted to ask. The walk would be a good opportunity to ask him a couple.
He took the pace slow and easy, and the new cane she had brought him came in handy. She stayed directly at his side. Every few minutes she felt like she should reach over and steady him in case he fell, but she had to stop herself. This brought her into physical contact with him, and she thought it best under the circumstances to limit this aspect of their relationship.
“Thank you for buying me these clothes, Arielle,” he said, almost with a grudge. He was a strong man and didn’t feel comfortable in another’s debt. She had also noticed he definitely did not feel comfortable to say the word “sorry.” “They must have been expensive. I’ll pay you back when I get home.”
“They were expensive,” she was proud to tell him. “And don’t worry about paying me back.”
They walked in silence. A mosquito annoyed her. Summer had fallen over the forest, and it was slightly too warm. She held back a few long branches for him to pass in front. Somehow this was almost like the previous Sundays when she had gone for a walk with the wolf. Almost, but not quite. Jason’s presence next to her filled her existence more than the wolf ever could have. After they had walked for a while, she noticed he was just content to walk in silence and enjoy the afternoon. She appreciated this about him, but there was too much she had to say to keep quiet.
“Why me?” she asked at last.
“You hit me with your car,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“No,” she tried to correct him. “I mean why do you want to stay here with me? Why did you make love to me last night? Because I hit you with my car isn’t a good reason.”
He stopped and leaned against his cane. She stopped with him and looked up into his eyes. He smiled at her. “Arielle, do you have such little confidence to think a man who spent an entire month living in your house, sleeping in your bed, and sharing your life with you would not start to care for you?”
“Yeah, but that was the wolf. You and I don’t even know each other.”
“We knew each other well enough last night.”
“We shouldn’t have done that.”
She tried to walk away from him. He held out an arm and stopped her. “I need a woman in my life. I need a woman who will give herself to me completely. You are that woman.”
“That isn’t me, Jason. I have a lot of problems in my life. I don’t trust people. I don’t even really like them. You’d do better to stay away from me.”
“You don’t know what you want,” he said, and his voice was hard.
“That much is true. I don’t,” she admitted.
“I understand you,” he said. He still did not let her go from his grip.
She looked down at the dead leaves of the forest at her feet. “I don’t believe you. I can’t trust you. I don’t even know what you are. A man who can turn himself into a wolf is just crazy.”
“Would you prefer I become the wolf again?”
“No. I don’t want that.”
“You don’t trust anybody, Arielle. It isn’t just me you have a problem trusting. I think your former fiancé must have really done a number on you. Maybe sometime you’ll trust me enough to tell me what he did.”
She blushed and realized she had told the wolf a lot of personal things about herself. “When you were the wolf, did you listen to everything I said?”
“Yes. Everything.”
“Shit!” she cursed and pulled away from him. He followed behind her. In spite of the emotion she felt, she kept her pace slow because somehow she wanted him to keep up with her.
“I think I know why your ex-fiancé left you, Arielle.”
“Oh, this should be good,” she said, and her tone mocked him. “I don’t ever remember sharing that with the wolf.”
“He wasn’t strong enough for you. He wasn’t a dominant type. He couldn’t take care of you like you need and deserve. Since he was with you, I suspect he was probably intelligent. So he knew he couldn’t give you what you needed. The frustration drove him away. But neither of you could put it into words what was happening. Maybe he even found another woman, a woman who didn’t have a need to submit like you do.”
She pushed off the trail and started through the forest to the lookout bluff that was her favorite part of the scenery. The tree branches scratched her arms as she shoved them out of her way. For a few minutes she got ahead of him. When she made it to the bluff she stopped and stared out at the beauty. He soon caught up with her and stood at her side.
They stood and watched the landscape in silence. After a while she became aware that his arm had gone around her waist. She rested her body back against his large form. His arm rose up to her shoulder. She felt his strength. He felt good.
“Can you read my mind?” she asked him, and half believed that he could.
“No. I can’t read your mind, baby. I just had time to watch you and to figure you out. Determining the degree and extent to which a beautiful woman will submit to me is a hobby of mine.”
“I give up,” she told him, but never took her eyes off the beautiful landscape in front of them. “You know everything about me. But why don’t I know anything about you? You are still a stranger to me.”
Both his hands were on her shoulders and rubbed her muscles through the cotton of her shirt. “How does that feel?” he asked her.
She purred under his touch. “Amazing,” she was forced to admit.
He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “I give great back rubs. I’ll also give you a spanking now and then if you need it.”
He scared her. She didn’t know who he was, and knew nothing about him. To this point he had not been very good with explanations. She wanted to pull away, but she couldn’t. His hands felt too good. She needed to be touched by someone. It had been a long time. To have him with her on top of her favorite bluff meant something to her. It was special. He was special. She had already gone past the point of no return in her relationship with him, and she hadn’t even known him as a man for a full day.
“Come back to the house with me, baby,” he whispered in her ear.
“All right. I’ll go with you,” she told him. She let him take her hand, and together they made their way back through the woods. This time she never left his side. She knew deep down inside where it counted that she had become his.
Chapter Six
Arielle enjoyed cooking for Jason. Other than the time she had spent in Wolf Creek to shop, she had spent the whole day with him. It had been their first day together. She enjoyed the time. Sometimes he frustrated her when they spoke, but she still liked to talk with him. Most of all she enjoyed his touch and his strong presence inside her home.
She outdid herself on the meal that night. It included two steaks basted in a new sauce she picked up at the market. Hers was well done, and his was rare. A side dish of melted Swiss cheese over broccoli and baked potatoes smothered in sour cream rounded the main course. For dessert she baked cherry pastries. She had not made this much since her mother and father had visited last year.
Jason put on a pair of jeans she had bought for him. She was happy to see they fit well. The pullover T-shirt she picked out was too small. It showed the bulge of his muscles on his forearms. She found she stared at him and had to stop herself.
He used his cane to get around the house, and used it to walk to the dining room for diner. She poured him a glass of California red wine when he sat down. She felt nervous when she brought his food out to him. She wanted him to like it. She didn’t know why it was so important to her because she could still hardly say she knew him after only a single day. But the meal was important to her. He was impo
rtant to her.
He raised his glass in a toast. “To a new relationship,” he said.
She could not stop the smile on her face when he said that. She raised her glass slowly. She thought she should have some witty reply, but her mind was a blank.
“You know this is a wonderful meal, don’t you?” he asked her.
“It should be. I worked hard enough on it.”
“I intend to enjoy it.” He picked up his knife and fork and dug into his steak. He almost had it finished in a few bites.
“I’m glad you like it, Jason.”
“But you still don’t trust me, even after going to all this trouble for me?”
She was confused. She felt so many different emotions when she was with him. Some of them seemed to be at cross-purposes with each other. She couldn’t sort them all out. “I just don’t know what to think about you, Jason,” she told him honestly. “I haven’t even known you for a day yet.”
“All right. I’ll tell you about myself.”
“I wish you would.”
“My dad died a few years ago and left my brothers and me a few hundred acres in Shifter Valley. We’re cattle ranchers. We make a decent living and have a nice home. My brothers and I work hard, and we play hard, and no one in my house cooks as good as this.”
It suddenly dawned on Arielle who Jason was. “You’re Jason Wildback,” she said. “Your brothers are Kyle and Luke.”
He tilted his wine glass to her. This was the first time she had one up on him. “Very good, Arielle,” he told her. “But how did you know?”
“The day after I operated on your leg, your brothers came by the house. They showed me your picture and said they were looking for you. They seemed very worried about you, but they weren’t too friendly.”
Jason threw his head back and laughed. “They’re shifters, too. They tracked me here by smell. When they saw a beautiful woman, they knew I couldn’t be far behind.”
She tried to let his comment pass. She didn’t like it. Apparently he had a reputation. “Jason, they were very worried about you. You need to let them know you’re here, and that you’re all right. In a sense they were right about me that day. They said they thought I was keeping you inside the house. I didn’t know how right they were at that time.”