When Tiny looked at Jace’s hand, then at Jace, he let Tiny go and dropped back down onto the padded counter stool.
“You got balls, I’ll give you that,” Tiny said with grudging respect. “But you got shit for brains if you think Dani wants to watch you marry that rich bitch and raise a kid together.”
“I’m not marrying Amanda,” Jace said miserably.
“And what about the kid? It’s yours, right?”
“Doubtful.”
Tiny raised his eyebrows. “Explain.”
“What the hell do you care?”
“About you? I don’t.” Tiny leaned his muscular forearms against the counter. “But humor me, anyway.”
Jace didn’t know why he did it. Maybe he just needed to unload. Whatever the case, he told Tiny everything.
For his part, Tiny listened attentively, interrupting only to clarify something here and there. By the time he finished, Jace felt drained.
He pulled out a couple of bucks to pay for the coffee, but Tiny shoved it back at him.
“Come by tomorrow night, but make sure it’s before Dani’s shift. If she knows I’ve been letting your sorry ass hang out here, she’s likely to quit on me.”
Jace scowled. “What the hell for?”
“Christ, you ask a lot of questions. You want your mate back or not?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then be here. Unless I find out anything you just told me is bullshit, then you better not ever show your face around here again, got it?”
Jace left the diner pissed, but for whatever reason, he found himself back the next evening, right around the dinner rush. It was busy, so Jace had to wait quite a while before Tiny came over to him. When he did, he reached into his pocket and handed Jace a slip of paper with a name and phone number.
“Kevin Jeffries?” Jace asked, turning the paper in his hand. “Who is that?”
“Someone you’ll be wanting to talk to,” Tiny said, giving Jace a meaningful look before heading back into the kitchen.
Jace had his doubts, but he was willing to try anything.
Kevin Jeffries, it turned out, was a human who had spent several months interning for the bank Amanda’s father owned. Jace also learned that Amanda had been seeing Jeffries around the same time she had been seeing him. When Amanda’s father found her and Jeffries together in his office, in flagrante delicto, Kevin was promptly transferred to a branch office in a different state.
“How did you know?” Jace asked Tiny a few days later.
Tiny shrugged. “I hear things. You get what you need?”
“Yeah,” Jace said, relaying the day’s events.
He had called Jeffries and had a nice little chat. When Jeffries found out that Amanda was pregnant, he went ballistic. He met Jace at Amanda’s house, and when Amanda saw him, she broke down and confessed that she had tried to lay the blame on Jace.
Kevin was, in fact, the father, but Amanda was angry with him for leaving her so easily and sought to punish him by naming Jace instead.
“That’s good,” Tiny said, studying his toothpick. “Never fails to amaze me how a man can’t see what’s staring him in the face.” His voice was careful and even. Too even.
“Dani’s pregnant, isn’t she?” Jace asked, already knowing the answer in his heart.
Tiny met his eyes, but he didn’t say a word.
Jace’s heart stopped, then nearly burst from his chest. Wonder and amazement welled up inside of him, right along with a flash of anger because she hadn’t told him. Then he remembered the last time he had seen Dani. She had come to his place, saying she needed to talk to him about something. He had never given her the chance, taking her right to his bed, instead. Then he remembered, with chest-crushing clarity, how he had said something about wanting to avoid any more “complications.” And right after that, she had rushed to the bathroom, sick.
Because she was already pregnant.
“God, I’m such a fucking idiot!” he groaned, his head in his hands.
“No arguments here,” Tiny agreed readily.
“That’s why she’s avoiding me, isn’t it?”
“Took you fucking long enough,” Tiny grunted.
“I need to see her.”
“Yeah, you do.”
Chapter 12 – You Want A Happy Ending?
Dani looked like an angel. At least, that was the first thing that came to his mind when he saw her. That and the certain knowledge that he was never letting her out of his sight again.
At first, Bess didn’t want to let him in, but he had been smart enough to enlist his uncle’s help. Together, they convinced Bess that this had gone on long enough.
Dani sat on the old swing that hung from the branches of a huge maple tree, her legs tucked beneath her, her back to the house. The setting sun created a surreal coppery nimbus around her golden curls. Her attention was somewhere far, far away.
His heart beat wildly against in his chest as he approached on near-silent feet.
She tensed when she finally sensed him, but she said nothing.
“Dani.”
Tortured eyes turned his way. Gone was the healthy, rosy glow; replaced by paleness that emphasized the dark circles under her eyes and gave her a fragile quality.
Every protective, possessive instinct he had roared to life with astonishing intensity. He had rehearsed this moment in his mind a hundred times on the drive over. How he would pour his heart out to her, explain everything, and then let her make the first move. That had been what he had planned to do, but the need to touch her was just too great.
He reached out and stroked his fingertips lightly over her cheek. Her skin was even softer, smoother than he remembered.
Dani sighed and leaned into his palm, covering his hand with her own.
His carefully practiced words fled his mind, and it was his heart that spoke instead.
“Don’t leave me again,” he said softly, his voice little more than a strangled whisper. “I can’t bear it.”
A single tear spilled onto his palm. Ever so slowly, she leaned into him, burying her face against his chest as she gripped his shirt in tight, clenched fists.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her, kissing her hair as she began to cry in earnest. He didn’t know what to say, so he just held her, soaking in her warmth, her scent, the feel of her against him, hoping that some of his strength, his love, would find its way back into her.
“You shouldn’t have come,” she whispered thickly, holding on as if she was afraid to let go.
“There are a lot of things I shouldn’t have done,” Jace said softly. “But what is unforgivable is that I ever let you believe for one second that anything is more important to me than being with you.”
* * *
His words washed over her, nearly tearing away the last of her defenses. But she had to be strong; this wasn’t just about her anymore.
She summoned the last of her strength and pushed away from him. “You should go.”
“I’m not going anywhere, not unless you’re coming with me.”
Dani shook her head, unsure of where her strength was coming from. She had missed him. He felt so good, so solid, so warm. She wanted to be held in his arms until the rest of the world faded away. And then, just like that, his words came back to haunt her.
“Your life has enough complications.”
Jace flinched as if she had slapped him. “You could never be a complication,” he said quietly. “The only time things make sense is when I’m with you.” He ran his hands through his hair, taking a step left, then right, then back again. Pacing, but no more than a step in either direction, as if afraid to put any distance at all between them.
“I’m sorry, Jace,” she said, her voice weary. “I ... I can’t help you. I have to think about the—” She stopped suddenly, realizing that she had almost said “the baby.”
Jace froze, his eyes snapping to hers.
“—the best thing for me,” she finished hesitantly.
His stormy gray-green eyes bore into hers, and she shifted nervously beneath his gaze.
“I want to teach, and I can’t do that here anymore.”
“You can cyber-educate anywhere,” he said.
Dani’s eyes narrowed. “How did you know that’s what I was going to do?”
Jace clenched his jaw, but said nothing as she answered her own question.
Inwardly, Dani cursed Tiny. Cursed herself for trusting him.
She shot to her feet, her hand unconsciously resting below her navel in a protective gesture. “What else did Tiny tell you?”
Jace’s gaze was unwavering.
A look of horror passed over her face. Jace knew. That’s why he was here.
She took in huge gulps of air, trying to stem the nausea roiling through her stomach.
Jace took a step toward her, concern etched across his face, but she stepped back, holding her hand up to keep him away. Fury began to replace the horror with each step backward. As quick as lightning, Dani turned and sprinted toward the house, with Jace behind her.
“Uh-oh,” Bess muttered as she observed the scene through the window, but Amos took her hand. “Stay out of this, Bess,” he said gently but firmly.
Dani flung open the screen door, stomping through the kitchen.
“Dani!” Jace followed right after.
“Stay away from me,” she warned, her voice low, almost a feral growl as she stormed right past Bess and Amos and headed for her room.
“Jace Stevens, I hope you know what you’re doing,” Bess said.
Jace turned glowing eyes their way.
“Bess, I think now is a good time to check out that new ice cream parlor you’ve been talking about,” Amos said.
“But—”
“But nothing. She’s his mate. They need to work this out.” Amos tugged gently, leaving Jace to follow Dani up the stairs.
“Running away from me again?” Jace asked, filling the bedroom doorway, leaning against the frame.
Dani ignored him.
He barely had time to duck before a heavy book flew toward his head. She was reaching for something else when he crossed the room in two great strides and held her arms.
“Let me go,” she demanded.
“No.”
Dani struggled against him, but it was like trying to move a mountain. In desperation, she started kicking at his shins with her bare feet. Jace growled and picked her up before sitting down on the bed and pulling her across his knee. Lifting the hem of her sundress, he revealed her tiny silk panties.
“I didn’t want to do this, but you leave me no choice.”
“Don’t you dare,” she hissed, wriggling to get away, but he held her in place.
One hand came down heavily on her backside with a resounding crack, followed immediately by her howl of rage.
“That was for running away from me,” he said, running his hand over her left cheek to ease some of the sting. He then raised his hand again and spanked her other side, eliciting another howl. “And that was for not telling me about my baby.”
His large hand caressed her backside. She hated the fact that she liked it, wanted more.
“Are you done?” she seethed through clenched teeth, no longer trying to get away.
“Not even close,” he said, a huskiness to his voice that hadn’t been there a minute before.
His hand fell again, but not as hard. This time, she couldn’t completely stop the moan from escaping her throat.
“What was that one for?” she asked, her voice slightly breathless.
“Because I felt like it,” he growled. He slid his hand down over her backside, between her legs. Big, thick fingers slid through her silken heat.
He flipped her easily, lifting her so she straddled his legs, her sex pressing against his granite erection, nothing but thin layers of silk and denim keeping him from where he most wanted to be.
She glared at him, fighting against the pull of those beautiful, powerful eyes.
With one arm wrapped around her waist, he caged her against him. The other he tangled in her hair, cupping the back of her head. “Marry me.”
Her eyes glowed brighter with defiance. “No.”
His eyes darkened, going from gray-green to the color of a stormy sea. “Tell me you don’t love me,” he demanded.
Some of the rebelliousness faded. “No.” She couldn’t tell him that. The blatant lie would never make it past her lips.
“Then why won’t you marry me?” he growled.
“I ... I won’t keep your child from you,” she said, her voice breaking. “You don’t have to marry me.”
If she thought Jace had been angry before, she was wrong. Now he was angry.
Nearly all expression left his face as his eyes darkened even more and his body went eerily still.
“Is that what you think?” he asked, his voice so low and quiet she could barely hear it, even from a few inches away. She could feel little tremors as his muscles twitched beneath the strain of his control. “That I only asked because I got you pregnant?”
Dani bit her lip. Was that what she believed?
Jace must have taken her silence as confirmation. He lifted her up and set her carefully on the bed before pacing the room. She watched him cautiously, wrapping her arms around herself to stave off the sudden chill she felt right down into her bones.
Finally, he stopped moving, standing in front of the window, his back to her. “You know,” he said without turning around, “all this time, I’ve been thinking you might actually want to marry me. I had these images in my head of waking up to you every morning. Of holding you in my arms every night. Of raising a house full of kids together. Beautiful little girls who looked just like their mother. Strong healthy sons that I could ...” He shook his head, as if trying to clear the pictures. “But maybe I’ve had it all wrong. Maybe you don’t want those things. Maybe you left because that is what you wanted.”
He turned around then. “I love you, Danielle Evans. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. You are my mate. Do you have any idea what that means?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “It means you are it for me, Dani. My perfect woman. Even if you walk away right now, I will never want another.”
He paused, taking a breath to steady himself. “Am I happy that you’re pregnant? Fuck yes. I’m ecstatic! I couldn’t love you more right now if I tried. But what I’m trying to say is, I felt that way before I knew you were pregnant, too.”
There it was, the assurance she needed. There was no mistaking the truth in his eyes or the sincerity in his voice.
All doubt gone, Dani walked over to Jace. She laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him. “You’re not wrong.”
“About what?” he asked cautiously.
“About all of it,” she answered. “That I want to marry you. That I want to spend the rest of my life with you. That, when we made love, I wanted all of you. Just like I do right now.”
Jace lifted her up and carried her to the bed. He began undressing her, kissing each section of bared skin, savoring her like a man who had been starving for too long.
She ripped at his clothing, kneading into his heated flesh. Then Dani pulled him to her, cradling him between her hips. The tip of his swollen head pressed at her entrance as he took her hands in his, interlacing their fingers above her head.
“Marry me,” he breathed.
Dani looked deeply into his eyes. “Yes.”
Jace lowered his mouth to hers as he entered her, her slick heat providing easy passage. Nothing felt as good as having him inside her, of sharing this intimate connection. It was more than a joining of bodies. It was a joining of hearts and souls, as well.
* * *
Her sheath clenched around him as he penetrated deeper, his thickness stretching her to the limit. Jace stilled, relishing the feel of her around him. This was heaven. Having his cock buried deep inside her, throbbing in aching need while she soothed his very soul. Having he
r give herself to him like this—totally, completely, holding nothing back—it awed him.
Slowly they began to move together. Her body undulated with his in perfectly synchronized waves. Soft moans accompanied their movements as they chased ecstasy together. There was only this, only them. The beautiful truth of it stripped everything else away.
He closed his mouth over her mating mark, shooting her instantly into climax. She cried out as he joined her, his release exploding into her with unprecedented force.
She locked her legs around him, then pulled around his neck as she held him close as they peaked and fell as one.
When Dani went languid, he cradled her body and lowered them to the bed, locking his arms around her to remain joined deep inside her.
“Are you ... purring?” he asked. His own voice sounded like a low feral growl, but that was what Dani did to him. Reduced him from a man into something much more primitive.
She answered him with a moan, a stretch, and a slight flex of her nails into his skin. “Best sex ever,” she murmured against his chest.
He laughed softly in agreement. It was the best sex ever. At least, until the next time.
When they finally made their way downstairs, the house was empty. A text from Bess confirmed that she would be spending the night at Amos’s.
“They make a great couple, don’t you think?” Dani asked.
“Oh yeah. She’s his mate.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“She didn’t say anything.”
“I’m not sure she knows.”
“What? Why not?”
Jace shrugged. “I’m sure Uncle Amos has his reasons. Maybe he’s not sure how she’ll react.”
“He needn’t worry about that. She’s in love with him.”
“You know that, do you?”
“Yes, I know that.” Her lips curled upward. “Takes a shifter’s mate to know one.”
Jace growled then rewarded her with a blistering kiss before changing the subject. “So, you and I, we have some decisions to make.”
“Such as ...?”
“Well, Amos wants to make me a full partner in the business.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “You told him yes, of course.”
Falling for the Werewolf: A Wolf Shifter Romance Page 9