by Day, Vella
Her brows rose. “Is this the same Wade you had your date with?”
“Yes.”
“A bear shifter, huh. Is that a problem?”
Emmaline had given that a lot of thought. She personally didn’t care if they were the same breed or not, but her family was a different matter. She should probably tell them to go to hell, but she did love them, despite their faults. “Yes and no.”
“Hmm.” She waited a beat, and when Emmaline didn’t answer, she continued. “Does Wade know he’s going to be a father?”
“Yes.”
“What does he think?” Piper opened Emmaline’s gown and squirted the cool gel on her belly before running the wand across her stomach.
“He thankfully hasn’t said anything about marriage, but he wants to move in with me. I’m afraid if I let him do that, he’ll expect more.”
“More?”
“More say-so on how I do things. He’ll end up telling me that I should take it easy. Next thing I know, he’ll be buying baby furniture.”
Piper chuckled. “That doesn’t sound half bad to me. Trust me when I say I hear a lot of stories from pregnant women about how their husbands or boyfriends want nothing to do with the child. It’s very sad. You’re lucky.”
Emmaline glanced at the ceiling. “Maybe. I just don’t want him to feel obligated to me.”
Piper moved the ultrasound wand around and black dots appeared on her screen—dots that made no sense to her.
“You’re not really giving him a chance,” Piper said.
“I am, too. I work for him now, so we’ll be seeing each other all the time.”
“I might be a human, but I’ve heard a lot about this mating stuff.”
“Like what?” Em was curious what others thought about this phenomenon.
“Apparently, the physical attraction between you and your mate is beyond intense. Is that true?”
“I never said he was my mate. But as far as the sex is concerned, it’s the best I’ve ever had.”
Piper wiped off the wand, set it aside then pulled down Emmaline’s gown. “Not that you’ve asked my opinion, but it seems to me that you two have a great start. Hell, girl, if he wants to move in with you and be part of your life you ought to consider it. That is, if you like him.”
That was the problem. She liked Wade too much. “We’ll see.”
* * *
Once Emmaline left the doctor’s office, she headed to the grocery store, deciding that she really needed to start eating better. A baby needed a lot of nutrients. The problem was that once she stepped inside the store, nothing looked appetizing, but not wanting to leave empty-handed, she bought fresh vegetables, fruit, and two packages of meat. No processed food for her baby.
As she neared her car, a man stepped out from behind his. Oh shit. It was Mr. Drake, the man wanting to know where his wife, Mahalia, was.
He approached her. “Well, lookie who’s here.”
“Mr. Drake, I don’t know where your wife is, and even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to tell you.”
He stepped closer, straightened, and bared his teeth. Like that would frighten her? He must not have a clue about her shifter status. Who said humans were the smart ones?
“I don’t believe you.” He swatted at one of the bags of groceries in her hand, and the hit was strong enough to break it open. Oranges, apples, and a package of fresh meat rolled onto the ground.
She saw a red. Bending her knees, she lowered the other package to the asphalt before standing again. “I’ll tell you for the last time. I don’t know where your wife is. Please leave.” Two of the oranges continued to roll under another car.
Between the guilt she had from speaking with Piper about Wade, not to mention the fact she was missing him, she’d reach the end of her patience. As Mr. Drake stepped closer—ready to do what, she didn’t know—Em shifted. The look of astonishment and fear in his eyes almost made her laugh, but she was too mad to do anything but attack his ass. She leapt at him, but he was able to move out of the way before she could do any damage.
Screaming, Mr. Drake twisted around and ran out of the lot. Emmaline chased him a few feet, growled, and then stopped. His ass wasn’t worth it. In a flash, she changed back and then retrieved her food, mumbling and cursing the whole time. She rubbed her stomach, hoping the change hadn’t harmed the baby.
When she collected her food, she was so shaken that even after she made it to her car, she didn’t start the engine right away. Her hand wouldn’t stop trembling, nor could she calm her breathing. If she didn’t need to put the groceries away, she would have driven to the shelter and spoken with Francis. Instead, she called her volunteer boss and told her what happened. Emmaline left out the part about shifting and chasing the man.
“Emmaline, I am so sorry. I’ll call the police and have them pick him up for assault.”
“That’s okay. I don’t think he’ll bother me again.”
“Nonsense. We can’t have the men harassing our workers. It’s not good for anyone.”
Emmaline didn’t want to make matters worse for Francis. “Thank you.”
Knowing she’d done all that she could, Emmaline started the car and headed home.
Chapter Ten
Wade had a rough two days in Pittsburgh. It wasn’t the work, it was trying to figure out what to do about Emmaline. He understood that she didn’t like being told how to run her life. Hell, he couldn’t blame her. He really did understand that it would be hard for her to accept him as her mate. From what she’d said, her parents would reject him, which had to be hard for her. He could live with that though. Right now, Emmaline and the baby were his main concern.
Once he landed in Asheville Sunday morning, he headed straight to the office. There were a few things he needed to pick up before he stopped over at her place. It might not be wise to visit, but he couldn’t help himself. After being away from her for so long, his need had escalated to the point of distraction. He could only hope it was the same for her.
From his desk, he retrieved the flash drive that he’d forgotten to take with him. Before he headed out, he stopped in her office to locate a folder, and the light on the landline was flashing. Thinking the message might be for him, he pressed the button and listened. “Hi, Emmaline. This is Francis.” Wade should probably click it off, but he didn’t. The message continued. “I couldn’t remember if this was your cell phone number or your work number, but I wanted to let you know that the police took Mr. Drake in; he won’t be bothering you again.”
Anger ripped through him fast so fast he was tempted to fling the phone off the desk. Wade wanted to know who the hell Mr. Drake was, and why the fuck he’d bothered Emmaline. This was all the more reason for him to be with her. God, his Emmaline was stubborn. In that regard, she was very much like a bear.
He had no choice now. Wade clicked off the office lights and headed out to his parents’ home to tell them of his plans. Emmaline would not be happy that he was about to barge in on her life, but too bad. It was what needed to be done to keep her and the baby safe.
It took him less than an hour to greet his parents, toss a few toiletries into a second suitcase, and drive back to town. Given the early hour, he stopped by a fast food restaurant to pick up some ham and egg croissants, as well as two cups of coffee. It wasn’t his first choice of food, but it was the best he could do on short notice.
When he reached her house, fortunately, her car sat in the drive. With both suitcases and the food bag in hand, along with the bag containing the coffee secure between his teeth, he traipsed up the front porch and set everything down. He probably would be waking her given it was so early, but perhaps she’d be in a better mood if her defenses were down.
He knocked and waited patiently for her to answer. A minute later, an adorable looking Emmaline pulled open the door, dressed in an oversized T-shirt. Her hair was rumpled, and she couldn’t have looked cuter if she tried.
“Wade? Why are you here?” She glanced from his fac
e to what he’d brought. He couldn’t tell if there was anger behind her confused look or not.
Without answering, he handed her the coffee and food sack, picked up his two bags and marched in. “Where shall I put these?”
“What are you doing?”
“What does it look like? I’m moving in.” Her home was as tiny as he remembered. The kitchen and dining room were on the right and the living room on the left. In front of him sat a hallway, and it looked like there were maybe three rooms off it. Damn, but the small size would make this quite hard. He’d been here before, but his mind had not been on the layout. “Which one is your room?”
By now Emmaline had perked up. “You can’t stay here.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re not invited.”
Wade held up his palms. “Fine.” He plucked the food bags from her fingers, stepped over to the dining room table, and sat down. “We should have some breakfast and talk about this.”
Emmaline shook her head but took the seat across from him. “Since you aren’t going to leave, I guess I can eat.” She looked up at him. “You’re lucky you know.”
“How’s that?”
“If you weren’t a bear shifter, I’d shift and attack you.”
Emmaline sure had a sense of humor. “Call me Mr. Lucky. So how was the rest of the week? Did everything go okay?” He wanted to divert her attention away from his plans. Wade had called her on Friday to ask about the doctor’s appointment, but all she’d said was that it had been fine. Before he could ask for any details, she’d received another call.
“Yes. No emergencies.”
He pulled out the croissants, and handed her one, along with a cup of coffee, and waited for her to tell him about the altercation with the angry Mr. Drake. When she said nothing, Wade decided to bring it up himself. “When I stopped back at the office before coming here, you had a message on the land line. It was from Francis.” Her face paled. “Care to tell me what happened?”
“What did she say?” She passed him her coffee. “I’m not supposed to have too much caffeine.”
Damn. He forgot. “Francis said that Mr. Drake was taken in by the police.”
She got up, filled a glass full of water, and returned. “It was nothing, really.”
“If the police had to intervene, I’m thinking the offense was serious.”
She inhaled and then proceeded to tell him about Mahalia Drake and the trouble Emmaline had with the woman’s husband. He’d accosted Em not once but twice. “I never felt as if I was in danger. I shifted, growled, and ran after him. If I had wanted to hurt him I would have.”
Wade liked her spunk, especially the shifting part. “As long as you weren’t hurt.”
“I wasn’t.”
He wondered what else she hadn’t told him about. They both finished their meal in silence. Emmaline was pale and her hand was trembling. He didn’t like it one bit. “I’ll toss these things in the trash. Why don’t you get dressed?”
She didn’t argue and headed down the hallway. He cleaned up the table and looked around. Her kitchen was a small-galley style, with old, but functional appliances. Clearly, he hadn’t paid attention the first time he’d been there. He glanced over at the closed front door and remembered the amazing sex they’d had against it. His cock hardened as he thought about taking her again. Christ, when he was near her, he lost all ability to control himself.
He’d had to use every ounce of his willpower to stay away from her during work, but that was because he didn’t want her to think he was only interested in her for sex—which he wasn’t—at least not all the time.
When a strange sound came from the bathroom, Wade jumped up and rushed to see if Emmaline needed help. He stood at the door and placed his ear against it. Oh shit. She was throwing up, and he had no earthly idea what to do. Wade was good in a fight. Hell, he could handle seeing a dead body, but he sucked when it came to dealing with a sick woman.
He knocked on the door. “Are you okay?”
“Go away.”
That worked for him, but then he pictured her hugging the toilet with her hair hanging down, and decided he needed to go in. Wade twisted the handle and peeked his head inside. He was about to help when she heaved again. He gagged, slipped out, and placed his back against the door. Maybe he wasn’t fit to be a husband and father after all.
* * *
Emmaline should be embarrassed that Wade was seeing her like this, but she wasn’t—not really. It came with the territory of being pregnant. While the ill effects seemed to be restricted to the mornings, they were getting worse by the day. She feared she might be having a boy—a very large boy bear.
When she’d questioned the doctor about the effects of having such a large child, he said the baby shouldn’t be any bigger than any other child, but she wasn’t certain he knew. He was, after all, only a human.
She sat back on her haunches, feeling a little better, her stomach finally having settled. After cleaning up, she opened the bathroom door. Whoa. Wade was there, looking a little green himself. “You okay?”
“Yes. I’m sorry I couldn’t help,” he said.
“There was nothing you could have done.” She glanced down and spotted something on her nightshirt. “Excuse me, I need to change.” She’d been headed to the bedroom to change in the first place when she took ill.
“Sure. I’ll wait for you in the living room,” he called after her.
She was tempted to tell him to go, that the idea of them living together would never happen, but she didn’t have the heart, not after he’d shown such concern. She’d truly believed that when Wade saw her at her worst, he’d walk out—but he hadn’t.
Once in the bedroom, she dressed in a lightweight pair of sweats and a large, baggy T-shirt. She didn’t even bother putting on a bra as she wasn’t in the mood for something that restrictive.
When she stepped into the living room Wade was on the sofa. He patted the seat beside him. Not in the mood to argue, she sat down and leaned her head against his shoulder. The comfort he brought surprised her. Had she not been so exhausted, Emmaline might have talked about his bold move to come here with his suitcases in hand.
“Would you like a back rub?” he asked.
That came out of nowhere. She’d love one, but she didn’t trust Wade not to take it a step further. Hell, she didn’t trust herself. Once his strong fingers touched her body, she might relent and give in to her urges. Even now, her body was reacting to his presence. If that happened, he’d never believe her if she said she didn’t want to be with him.
“Okay.” Well shit. Where was her backbone when she needed it?
“Why don’t you stretch out on your stomach and rest your head on my lap? I’ll see what I can do to make you feel better.”
Since she felt kind of crummy, she did as he suggested and rested her forehead on her folded arms. With one hand, he gently rubbed her back, and with the other, he fingered her hair. His touch was nice—soothing even, without being too seductive. Emmaline relaxed, letting him do his thing. Soon she found herself working hard not to fall asleep. Lying there without any expectations was like a drug.
She wasn’t certain how long he’d been touching her, but soon her body began to heat up from the inside out. As soon as she recognized that danger, she rolled over and looked up at him. “That was nice, thank you.” If she let his fingers wander any lower, the wolf in her would wake up.
“My pleasure. Would you like a foot rub?” he asked.
The man must be able to see into her soul. To her, nothing was better. “I’d love that, but only if you let me return the favor.” She sat up and twisted around.
Wade chuckled. “Oh, no you don’t. I’m not strong like you are. Be forewarned. One touch and I will have to possess you.”
“You have to be kidding. You want to have sex with me? I’m a mess.” At least she’d brushed her teeth and washed her face after her incident.
“To me you aren’t.”
This new side of Wade intrigued her. He untangled her limbs and began to massage one of her feet, but she quickly withdrew her leg from his touch, despite the intense pleasure. “What are we doing, Wade? And I’m not talking about the foot rub.”
“Honestly?” he said. She nodded. “I want to be part of your life, Emmaline.”
“You already are. You’re the father of our unborn child as well as my boss.”
“I want more.” He folded his arms over his chest and stared at her. “Let me say this. I’m not leaving, no matter how much you protest. I know you like me, and I know we make a good team.”
He was something else. “We’ll have to see, won’t we?”
He lowered his arms. “Does that mean I can stay?”
She chuckled. “If I said no, you wouldn’t leave, so it’s not like I have a choice.” Wade picked up her foot again, and when he massaged the instep, relief whooshed through her.
“You’re right. There’s nothing you can say or do that will get rid of me.”
She could think of a half-dozen things that would scare off the bravest of men, but the question was whether she wanted to do any of them.
Chapter Eleven
Emmaline wasn’t certain if she’d just agreed to give Wade a chance or not, but from the way he was grinning, apparently she had. When she’d decided she wanted him there, she didn’t know, but it almost felt good to give in. He reached out and stroked her arm, shooting her hormones into high gear. Perhaps it was because she was pregnant that her rational side kept going MIA, but right now all she could think of was having Wade.
The best way to signal him that she was interested in giving them a try was to take off her shirt. As soon as it floated to the floor, he whistled, and his eyes glazed over.
“Welcome to my home,” she said. His mouth opened, and when he licked his lips, fire flared inside her.
“I’ll admit I never expected this kind of reception, but I can’t tell you how happy you make me.”