Page 37 of Wild Wolf
Fumbling for the light switch, she wrinkled her nose at the smell of cleaning fluid anddust.
Finally she found the switch. A single light bulb flicked on. Well, okay. The closet was tiny, enough room for her to stretch out her arms and touch the shelving on either side. Huh. It was a mess. Bottles of cleaning fluid and dust rags, old accounting ledgers, even piles of clothing, it resembled a hoarder’s treasuretrove.
So Nolan wanted her to work,eh?
Soon she was busy, singing as she worked. Time flewby.
When footsteps sounded outside, she was stunned to see an hour hadpassed.
The door opened. Bottle of water in hand, Nolan stoodoutside.
“Well, are you readyto….”
It was his turn to drop his jaw. Nolan actually rubbed his chiseled jawline, staring at her as she dusted her hands off on herjeans.
“Took a whole sixty minutes, but there you are. Done.” She smirked at him, folding herarms.
Nolan blinked. His wide gaze took in the organized shelves, the old accounting ledgers piled on one shelf, cleaning supplies neatly lined up. Jordan gestured to theclothing.
“Went through all that and the clothes that are in good condition can be donated. The rest,” she pointed to the box next to the cleaning supplies, “should suffice asrags.”
She leaned against a shelf. “Satisfied?”
Nolan walked into the closet, his big body crowded against her. She could smell his unique cedar and leather scent, the masculine fragrance of him. He handed her the water and she uncapped it and drankdeeply.
And then he rubbed a hand over his jaw again. His full mouth twitched as if he tried to suppress alaugh.
“Can I go home now?” she asked. “If you’re not ready, I’ll hitch a ride withsomeone.”
“No.”
“But…”
“I didn’t tell you to clean this room. I told you to clean the bathrooms.” He reached for the mop, thrust it into her hands. “Now, get towork.”
8
So Nolan thoughthe could tame her by scrubbingbathrooms.
Later that afternoon, Jordan jogged along the path she’d known well, down to the barn and the stables. Her stomach knotted with tension. That little showdown in the store had turned her sunny day sour. She was good with the customers, knew the product. Hell, she’d even organized the damncloset!
Yet Nolan had yanked her from the bar and set her into the bathrooms toclean.
I’m not amaid.
She didn’t resent hard work. But busy work, for the sake of showing his pack he held no favoritism, that didn’t sitright.
Dread curled through her as she thought of the upcoming full moon run. As his mate, Nolan would expect her to run at his side. Maybe even shift in front of the pack. If she failed to do so, they’d see her vulnerability, perhaps exploit it. And Nolan, well, he didn’t know. It might make him look weak as well, taking a mate who struggled toshift.
Oh, she was fine in other places. On the road, she’d had no trouble shifting intowolf.
But here on the farm, it had always beendifficult.
She hadn’t even shifted here since…that night. Tensing, she flexed her hands. Shirl and Erica taunted her. Were they the ones there that night and held her down, laughingas…
No! Don’t go there.Halting, she doubled over, gasping for air. After a few minutes she regained her lostcomposure.
If any of the pack saw her lose it, she wastoast.
