Jett turned to me, trapping me in the deep pools of his blue eyes. They called to me like the ocean, beckoning me to jump into the waves. Everything else about him was hard—his ripped abs, his broad shoulders, the sharp lines of his bearded jaw. But in his eyes, I saw longing. I saw a search for more than life had offered. I saw me.
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. My breathing quickened. Now that we were alone, I wanted to kiss him. My lips tingled at the thought of the sensation, and I bit my bottom lip to make it stop.
“Paige.”
He took a step closer, his warm, masculine scent fogging my brain. I knew I should scold him about the stuffed animal name. He could have told her it was called Pokey or Steve, or anything other than Stabbyface. But instead, I nodded, my body ready to agree to anything, all reasonable thought completely forgotten. How could this man have such an effect on me?
“Paige, I want you to stay. Please. Stay in Ashwood, with me.” His voice was deep and gravelly, doing dangerous things to my insides.
“I don’t know.” Like a badass, I resisted his charms, by which I mean, I didn’t throw myself at him.
“Keep Evie with you until the Greenville issue blows over. Stay in town. I’m not asking you to promise me forever. I’m just asking for a chance.”
“A chance.” I wished I could have said I had to think about it. But at the very least, I didn’t let the words tumble out of my mouth like a desperate teenager. I paused a half-second before saying, “I can do that.”
I’d thought about arguing on the drive back. After we returned to the bed and breakfast, I was still thinking about all the reasons I should have said no. And when I went to bed, I continued to wrestle with my decision to stay.
Did I like him? Yep, even if I knew I shouldn’t.
Did I want him? Hahaha, yeah, that shouldn’t count as part of the equation.
Would I have enjoyed licking whipped cream off his washboard abs? Okay, really off topic.
Was it safe to stay? That’s the part I wanted to ignore, but couldn’t. Yes, it would be fantastic to get to know my mate, to actually give us a chance. But he was attacked. Not a long time ago, not in another life, when he was a different man. It just happened. What if I’d been with him? What if Evie had been with him?
These were the things I had to remember when he arrived this morning. These were the problems I couldn’t forget when he touched my hand or when he said my name in that deep, gruff voice.
A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts.
“I’ll get it!” Evie ran over to the door and fiddled with the lock.
I went over to help her, hoping it was him.
Jett had said he’d be here before late morning to pick us up for more time at the cabin, time together. And it seemed like this time he was keeping his word.
A hint of his spiced scent greeted me as I approached the door, and my body responded with every nerve coming to life. It was like not eating for a week and then stepping into a bakery. And then images of whipped cream filled my head…
Evie opened the door. “I got it!”
There was Jett, but also someone else, a woman. A memory flashed through my head, one of a near-naked woman close to Jett in the clubhouse. A flare of anger pulsed through my veins. I looked between them, wondering who she was supposed to be, and attempting to suppress the urge to not so politely ask. I didn’t need to be jealous. This wasn’t the same woman, and if she had been, he’d said that she wasn’t with him. Jett and I were mates. Or at least we were supposed to be.
“Hey.” I was pretty pleased with how even my voice sounded.
“Good morning.” Jett looked down at Evie, who was happily dragging him in. “I brought a friend along today.”
A friend. Totally not jealous. I forced my fists to relax.
“Shaundra, this is Paige.” Jett gestured toward me.
Shaundra smiled. “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too.”
“And this is Evelyn.” Jett lifted the hand that was firmly still stuck in Evie’s grasp.
“Nice to officially meet you, Evelyn. I hear we’re going to get to hang out today.”
Oh. That was news to me.
Evie looked from me to Jett. He patted her shoulder. “Shaundra has two daughters.”
“That’s right,” Shaundra nodded. “One of them is seven years old, too.”
“That’s just like me!” Evie grabbed her hand. “Does she like unicorns?”
“Unicorns?” Shaundra said. “Who doesn’t like unicorns?”
Evie wiggled with excitement. And I had to admit, I liked this chick, too. I felt a little bad about my initial reaction to Jett bringing her along. I had been wrong. Shaundra was great.
“So what do you say, Evie? Ready to come hang out at my house?”
“Wait.” Evie ran and grabbed her stuffed unicorn and then headed for the door. “Bye, Dad. Bye, Paige.”
She didn’t even turn to look back.
“I guess that’s my cue.” Shaundra laughed, and headed after her.
The door clicked shut, and the air changed—warmer, heavier. It was just me and Jett. Alone. We were finally going to have time to get to know each other, and not just stolen moments between parenting.
Jett took a step closer to me, and another. I held my breath, my heart fluttering in my chest. Kiss me. Silence seemed to go on forever, an eternity of him not touching me, of him not shoving his tongue down my throat. I had to say something. Anything.
“Shaundra seems nice.” My voice came out more squeak than the cool, collected calm I’d hoped for.
“She is. But I don’t want to talk about her. I want to talk about you. About us.”
I nodded a little too emphatically.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
Uh…that was not the talk I’d expected. “Sure.”
“Have lunch with me.”
“Sure.”
His blue eyes flashed, and I knew this was it. He was going to kiss me, maybe do more. If I had my way, he’d do a lot more. Goosebumps prickled across the back of my neck as his fingers brushed mine.
He squeezed my hand in his. “Let’s go.”
It took my brain time to catch up to my feet. We were walking down the stairs, outside, to his motorcycle. I was already about to burst, throw him on the ground and tear off his clothes in the middle of the street. I couldn’t imagine my lust-filled brain settling while I was pressed up against him with the bike vibrating beneath me.
It had to be the mating instinct. I’d never been so sex-crazed before. Once we sealed the deal, I’d return to normal functioning. As I pressed my chest against his back, wrapped my arms around him, and melted against him on the seat, I wasn’t so sure I could ever be this close to him and not want to jump him. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.
The engine started and I squeezed him, burying my face in his leather jacket. Maybe this was what love was going to be like for us. I hoped it was.
Chapter Fourteen
Jett
The wheels jostled and bumped as I slowed the bike on the rough dirt driveway. The trip over had been too short, and I didn’t want Paige to pull away. But we had plenty of time, and I had plenty of ideas for how we could spend it.
I parked, and Paige lingered. Her fingers spread over my chest, and I only wished my shirt wasn’t between her skin and mine. Slowly she pulled away, and I could still feel the warmth of her touch.
“We’re eating in today, huh?” Her voice was soft behind me, and the bike rocked as she hopped off.
“Actually, I have something else in mind.” I climbed off, and captured her hand before leading her to the door.
“Oh? It does seem like we’re going inside.”
“Only to grab something.”
“Okay then.” She followed me without question, and I hoped my nerves didn’t show. I had no idea if this was the kind of thing she was going to like or not. We still didn’t really know each other yet, but I wanted to know he
r. And I wanted her to know me.
I’d never cared what a woman thought of me. Well, maybe with the exception of Shaundra, but that was because she was like one of the guys. Respect of my pack meant everything to me, but now, I found Paige’s approval meant more.
I led her to the kitchen and handed her the blanket I’d left folded on the counter. I grabbed the basket I’d packed the night before from the fridge. After we’d called it a day, I had returned to do a little more work around the house, and to prepare this lunch for Paige.
“A picnic basket?” she said. “All bears aren’t Yogi, you know.”
Had I offended her? My heart sank at the thought. “Does that mean you don’t like picnics? We can do something—”
“No, no.” She shook her hands at me and cringed. “Sorry, I’m just nervous. A picnic sounds lovely. Really.”
“No pressure, no expectations, no need to worry.” I kissed her temple and breathed her in. She was so damned sweet. I pulled away before I ended up pushing things she didn’t want, that she wasn’t ready for, which was difficult, because more than anything I wanted her.
A shade of deep rose tinted her cheeks and she nodded.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Yes.”
I led her into the forest. The path wasn’t as wide as I would have liked, but it would wear down with time as it had in the past. Paige had no trouble keeping up, and seemed completely at ease climbing over trunks and ducking under hanging branches.
“You’re a natural out here.” I looked back over my shoulder at her, and she smiled.
“I wasn’t always a city girl.”
She’d said before that she hadn’t fit in at home. I wanted to ask more about it, but to be fair, I hadn’t shared much about myself when she’d asked about my parents. Better to start with safe and generic, let her decide what she wanted to share.
“Do you come from a small town like this?” I asked.
“Pretty much,” she said. “Frozen Peaks. It’s almost entirely a bear community.”
The prison I’d visited was in Frozen Peaks. I wondered if the little town I’d flown in from was her hometown.
“Have you heard of it?” Paige asked.
“Yes.” Did she know about the prison there? What about that town made her feel she didn’t belong? I wasn’t sure what to ask, so I said nothing. We kept walking, the sounds of the stream growing louder as we approached.
“No.” She stopped in her tracks.
“What?” I turned around, and found her brows furrowed as she stared me down. What had I done wrong?
“You said you want to get to know me, but every time we talk about who we are, or our pasts, you get all weird.”
“I’m not…” I clenched my jaw, unsure of how to respond.
“I’ll tell you what.” A flash of something crossed her face. Mischief?
I looked at her, concerned about what would come next.
“We take turns asking questions. And if I ask you something, you tell me the whole truth even if it’s uncomfortable.”
I wasn’t sure I wanted to promise that. It was a lot to ask. But, if I had the same opportunity in return… “And if I ask you a question, you respond honestly no matter what the question is.”
She chewed on her lip, her cheeks flushed with color.
Holy fuck, that was sexy. I wanted to nibble her lip.
“Fair enough,” she finally said. “I’m game if you are.”
“I’m in.” My voice came out dark, and with it the sweet scent of her desire met my nose. Part of this game might make me uncomfortable, but she was giving me free rein for some fun. I turned around and started walking. “We’re almost there.”
A little farther, and the trees broke to the stream. The water was shallower than I remembered it from when I was a boy. Maybe that was just because I was bigger.
Paige stepped up beside me and looked over the water. “This is really nice.”
“I used to play here as a boy, with Hawke.”
She nodded. “I bet it was a blast to splash around on hot summer days. Were you thinking of bringing Evie here?”
“Yes, once we all move into the cabin. My turn.”
“What?” She blinked hard and straightened her back.
“It’s my turn, remember.”
“Okay, okay. The game was my idea, after all. So what’s your...ask away.” She bit her lip again, and it made my cock pulse.
“Tell me why you didn’t like living in Frozen Peaks,” I said.
“That is a command, not a question.” She raised a brow and spread the blanket out by the bank. The scent of her desire fueled my own.
I set the basket down on the ground and helped smooth the fabric. “I think you like when I tell you what to do.”
“That’s not a question, either.”
I sat down on the center of the blanket and tapped the ground beside me. “Sit with me.”
She knelt down and crawled over, her big brown eyes intent on my mouth, and took a seat beside me.
“Are you going to ask me a question?” She inhaled deeply as she touched my fingers.
“Do you like it when I tell you what to do?”
“Yes.” Her voice was soft and breathy.
I leaned closer, and she didn’t pull away. This wasn’t going anything like I’d planned, and I fucking loved it. I ran my hand slowly up her arm, and her heartbeat quickened. My cock ached for her, every moment together more difficult than the next. I needed her. She was mine.
“My turn.” Paige cleared her throat. “What happened...with your parents?”
Instant turn-off.
But fair was fair.
“My parents fought a lot when I was a kid,” I said. Talking about it, hell, just thinking about it, made me uncomfortable. But we agreed to the whole truth, and there was more to tell. “My dad was a drunk, treated my mother like shit. She became a vacant shell, and when she wasn’t throwing things back at my father, she was ignoring that he hit me, too.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“She died first. Overdose of sleeping medication. Turns out he’d cared enough that he killed himself not long after. It was a mixed bag for me. It felt like shit losing them, but also, it was a bit of a relief.” I’d never said that out loud before. It left me with a weird feeling. I didn’t like it.
Paige looked down at the water and didn’t say anything, then she rose to her feet and met my gaze with a ferocity I hadn’t expected.
“You opened up,” she said. “Thank you so much for that. Now it’s my turn.”
I watched her with interest, unsure what she meant.
“You want to know about my damage. I always hated being the big girl. Taller than the other shifter women in my town. Chubbier.”
“Paige, you’re not—”
She raised a hand. She had more to say. “I wasn’t into any of those lumberjack types anyway, but it still hurt that no one ever wanted me.”
I wanted her. There wasn’t a damned thing I’d change about her body. She was tall—I loved that. She had womanly curves—I loved that, too.
“I know that we’re supposed to be forever, that we’re supposed to fall in love. But I don’t know what a guy like you would see in a woman like me. And I want to show you my damage.”
She pulled her shirt up over her head and dropped it to the ground. Her breasts were big and beautiful, and still hidden in her bra.
I rose to my feet but gave her space. I wasn’t going to cut her off again. This was what she wanted. She wanted to show herself to me. When she was ready, I’d show her the truth. She wasn’t damaged, she was beautiful.
She toed off her shoes, slid down her pants. And she lifted her chin as gooseflesh crossed over her bare skin.
“This is me,” she said. “And if you don’t like what you see, well—”
I pulled her in to my chest, threaded my fist in her hair, and I kissed her like the world fucking depended on it. My tongue was claiming, igniting. Her breasts
heaved softly as I held her close.
Her lips were supple and minty, and she moaned gently against my lips.
“Paige.” I leaned my forehead against hers. “You aren’t chubby or too tall. You’re gorgeous, smart, caring, and absolutely fucking perfect.”
She giggled and shook her head like she didn’t believe it. But it was true. There was no one more perfect for me than her. And I couldn’t understand how I was so lucky to have her as my mate.
“Are you going to ask me a question or should I go again?” she asked.
“You just asked me another question.” I smiled against her lips and gave her a peck. I ran my palms over her back, reaching down to squeeze her ass. It was the perfect handful, and the noise she gifted me with when I pinched her—delicious.
“I guess you’ll have to get two in a row.” She smiled and pulled the jacket down off my shoulders.
“Okay,” I said. “Paige, will you be my mate?”
“Yes. A thousand times, yes.”
I kissed her deep, the wolf inside of me growling to mark her for the whole fucking world to know, my cock pressing hard against my fly to be inside of her now. I pulled back and cupped her breast in my palm, flicking my thumb over the thin fabric of her bra. Her nipple tightened into a bud and her eyes fluttered shut.
“Question number two…” I leaned in and scraped my teeth over the lobe of her ear. She whimpered and arched her back, pressing her breast harder into my hand. “How many times do you want to come?”
Chapter Fifteen
Paige
My fingers fumbled as I tried to lift the hem of his shirt up over his head, to undo his pants. My body was fire, he was the kindling, and I fucking needed the log. I’d never felt so accepted by someone. I thought we were a terrible pairing from the start, but I was wrong. I was wrong about everything.
This was the love story I’d waited for my entire life, and none of it was happening like I’d expected. I’d thought I wanted roses and candle-lit dinners. Turned out, it could be a blanket in the middle of the woods, and I couldn’t imagine anything more perfect. It was him, and it was us. This was what love was really like.
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