Page 17 of The Werewolf Who Gave A Shift
“No, you listened to me.Never has anyone offered to chop firewood for me, but you come here and do it.That may seem like nothing to most, but to me...well...it’s everything.A monster would not do that.Only a man with honor and respect.And you…” Her voice cracked, but she pushed through it, her gaze locking on his with burning intensity.“You kissed me like I wasn’t some broken Crow girl trying to hold herself together.You kissed me like I mattered.”
Kaelen swallowed hard, her words slicing through every wall he’d ever built.“Macy…”
“No.”She jabbed her finger lightly into his chest, her lips trembling with fury and something deeper.“Don’t stand there and tell me you’re nothing but trouble when every single thing you’ve done since you walked into my life proves the opposite.You think I don’t see it?That part of you that wants more, even if you’re too damn stubborn to admit it?”
Her words were a punch to the gut, and he had no defense because—damn it—she was right.Yet, he knew his time here was limited.He knew this because it was a fact that anywhere he tried to settle down, he had been run off because of what he was...a fucking monster.Whether she would admit that or not, it was a fact that he had been living his whole life.He knew how this world worked, and unfortunately, he would never belong in her world.
CHAPTER11
Macy wanted to scream in sheer frustration.Partly because Kaelen refused to see himself the way she did, and partly because her body was still humming from the kiss he’d cut short.A tinge of sexual frustration?No, it was a hell of a lot more than a tinge, but that was beside the point.
He opened his mouth like he was about to say something important, and her breath caught, and then his phone rang.
“Of course,” she muttered, rolling her eyes, wanting more than anything to know what he was about to say.
Kaelen cursed under his breath and answered, his gaze snagging on hers for a moment before flicking away.“Hello,” he said, clipped and low.“I can be there in five minutes.”
Macy crossed her arms tight against her chest, her foot tapping as she watched him.She told herself not to look, but her traitorous eyes roamed down his broad shoulders, the flex of muscle in his forearm as he gripped the phone, and the outline of the bulge he hadn’t even tried to hide earlier.Heat rushed through her, and regret slammed into her gut...regret that he had stopped what sheknewwas about to happen.Damn him.
Snapping her focus back to his voice, she froze at his words.
“Yes, I’m alone,” Kaelen growled, lowering his tone like he actually thought she wouldn’t hear.
Oh, hell no.
Her feathers metaphorically ruffled, Macy marched right up to him.“No, he’s not alone,” she yelled, loud enough to be heard over the phone.“He’s with me—Macy—and I’m still alive and breathing.He has not killed me.Isn’t that what you wanted to really know?”
Kaelen’s head whipped toward her, his eyes narrowing into golden slits.She just shrugged, unapologetic.“Told you I was a loudmouth, opinionated pain in the ass.”She even wrinkled her nose at him, daring him to argue.
“Fine,” he bit out into the phone, then shoved it into his pocket before turning his full attention on her.His tone angry.“What the hell was that?”
“The truth,” she shot back, planting her hand on her hip.“Both parts.Iama loudmouth pain in the ass, and you weren’t alone.You were with me.You know, the one who miraculously survived your terrifying presence.”
“Is smartass on your list?”Kaelen growled, his jaw clenching.
“Definitely,” Macy fired back without hesitation, her eyes flashing.
“They’re coming here,” he said at last, his voice grim, like the words tasted bad in his mouth.
“What, for a wellness check?To see if I’m still in one piece after spending a whole evening with the big, bad Werewolf?”Macy’s sarcasm dripped like poison honey.She knew she was pushing him, but dammit, they’d made progress, real progress, and now it felt like he was back to building walls.Like he was trying to save the whole damn world from himself, and it pissed her off almost as much as it broke her heart.
He remained silent, just staring at her.
Her voice softened, guilt creeping in.“Sorry,” she muttered.
Kaelen studied her with those molten-gold eyes, his mouth twitching like he was trying not to grin.“No, you’re not.”His eyes dropped to her mouth when a small smile formed on her lips.
“You’re right, I’m not.”She agreed.
Kaelen’s gaze lingered on her mouth far too long before he finally tore it away, jaw tight, shoulders flexing like he was holding himself together with sheer willpower.“They’ll be here any minute,” he muttered, more to himself than her.
“Then I guess I’ll go get ready for work,” she said, dismissing herself before he or anyone else could.She started to walk past him toward the cabin, but he stopped her.
“No,” He shook his head.“I want you here.”
“Why now?”Macy whispered, really wanting to know.
When he didn’t say anything, just stared at her, she knew.
