Page 28 of Fetch Me A Mate
Diana rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Duty calls. Save some work for this afternoon?"
"Probably." Rowan watched her head downstairs, then returned to his subfloor with renewed focus. Or tried to. Twyla's voice carried clearly through the old building.
"So," Twyla was saying, "interesting storm last night."
"Very dramatic," Diana replied. "Lost power for hours."
"I heard. Also heard Rowan's truck left before dawn broke when Mrs. Simonson went to let her dog out."
Rowan's hammer missed the nail entirely, catching his thumb instead. He bit back a curse and sucked on the injured digit, straining to hear Diana's response.
"He stayed to make sure the tarps held," Diana said, her voice carefully neutral.
"Of course he did. Such a conscientious contractor." Twyla's tone suggested she wasn't buying it for a second. "Funny thing about small towns, honey. People notice when the lights come back on and there's still candlelight in the inn's front window."
Rowan closed his eyes. Mrs.Simonson was the town's unofficial information network. By lunch, half of Hollow Oak would know he'd spent the night.
"We were just talking," Diana said.
"I'm sure you were. Lots of talking happening by candlelight these days."
"Twyla."
"What? I think it's lovely."
Rowan's grip tightened on his hammer. He should go downstairs, put an end to this conversation before it spiraled further out of control. Instead, he found himself frozen, waiting to hear what Diana would say.
"It's complicated," Diana said finally.
"Best things usually are." Twyla's voice softened. "Just remember what I told you about wolves needing reasons to stay."
The conversation moved on to other topics, but Rowan couldn't focus. His wolf paced restlessly, pleased with the idea of the town seeing Diana as his, while the rational part of his mind catalogued all the ways this could go wrong.
By the time Diana returned upstairs, he'd worked himself into a state somewhere between arousal and panic.
"Everything okay?" she asked, studying his face. "You look tense."
"Town gossip," he said shortly.
"Ah." Diana settled back onto the step, her expression thoughtful. "Bothers you?"
"Doesn't matter if it bothers me. It's out there now."
"And that's bad because...?"
Rowan set down his hammer, meeting her gaze directly. "Because people will expect things. Make assumptions about what this is."
"What is this, Rowan?"
He wanted to give her a simple answer, something clean and uncomplicated. Instead, all he could think about was the way she'd felt in his arms, the taste of her mouth, the soft sounds she'd made when he moved inside her.
"I have no idea," he said honestly.
"Neither do I." Diana's voice was steady, but he caught the slight tremor in her hands. "But I know what it felt like last night. And I know I'm not sorry it happened."
His wolf surged forward, demanding he close the distance between them. Demanding he kiss her again, claim her properly this time, mark her so thoroughly that every shifter in town would know she was his.
"The work's almost done," he said instead. "Another week, maybe two."
