Page 14 of Falling for the Werewolf
Chapter 5 – Treading on Soft Paws
When Dani finished her shift at seven the next morning, she wished she had taken Jace up on his offer for a ride home, and not just because she was so tired.
About an hour after he had left, she realized that, in her moment of righteous indignation, she had possibly forfeited the chance to see him again.
Maybe she had gotten her point across, but was it worth it?
Yes, of course it was,a little voice in her head answered.She was a strong, independent woman. She didn’t need a man telling her what to do or when to do it.
No, she didn’t, but wasn’t it nice the way he seemed to worry about her, wanting to make sure she was safe?
Nice, but totally unnecessary. She was only a few classes away from earning her black belt, for heaven’s sake.
He didn’t know that, though, did he? And that kind of overprotective male comportment was wired into his DNA. Her aunt Bess had commented several times that Amos had exhibited similar behavior. Bess seemed to accept it and take it in stride. Though, in fairness, Bess had also lived in Kenner’s Mills her whole life and was probably used to it.
“Good morning.” Jace’s deep, velvety voice roused her from her internal debate, stopping her in her tracks right there on the sidewalk.
In one hand, he held a single, perfect lavender rose. In the other, a cup of fragrant coffee from the specialty shop down the street. He held both out to her.
“I’m sorry, Dani,” he said with a smile that melted her heart. “Can I ... walk you home?”
Just that quickly, her disquiet melted away.
Dani lifted the rose to her nose and inhaled. “This is beautiful, Jace.” She looked around. “Where’s your car?”
“At Bess’s. Where do you think I got the rose?” He gave her one of his lopsided grins, and she suddenly didn’t feel so tired anymore, either. “So ... is that a yes?”
“Is this a hazelnut mocha from Agliano’s?”
“Yes.”
Somebody did his homework, she thought with a grin. Agliano’s hazelnut mocha was her absolute favorite. She would have to thank Aunt Bess for that later.
“Resorting to bribery, Jace?”
He shrugged. “Let’s call it: creative acknowledgement of an error in judgement.”
The walk through the woods was beautiful. A slight fog hovered just above the ground, and the sun broke through the trees here and there in dreamlike beams. The scents of dew, mixed with earth and leaves and pine, filled the cool morning air. It was like walking in an entirely different world.
“I can see why you enjoy the walk so much,” Jace said when they emerged from the forest a few blocks from Bess’s.
“I enjoyed it a whole lot more today,” she said truthfully. Sharing the walk with Jace had been nice. Really nice. And she had to admit that she did feel safer when he was around. “Thanks. And ... I’m sorry, too.”
Jace gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Apology accepted. I’ll try to subdue my caveman tendencies from now on, but no promises.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “Good enough for me.”
* * *
Walking her home each morning became a regular occurrence. While he and Amos finished up the custom gazebo, he would hear her radio, get a whiff of coconut oil, and know she was up there, on the roof-top balcony, catching a few hours of sleep and sunbathing. Somehow, he managed to keep his feet firmly on the ground, but it wasn’t easy.
After lunch, she would appear with a pitcher of homemade sweet tea or lemonade and cookies. She would sit and talk with him and Amos while they worked.
Rather than be a distraction, Dani’s close proximity kept Jace calm and focused. It was only when she was out of his reach that he felt unsettled.
Each day, he was more convinced that Dani was, in fact, his mate. Besides the obvious physical attraction, there was a deeper connection there, as well. They could sit for hours in comfortable silence, or talk on any number of topics, from muscle cars to politics. Dani was intelligent, funny, kind, and when he was around her, he feltcomplete.
It was difficult, but Jace forced himself to take things slow. He stepped back and let Bess take Dani to the senior center for her classes, going back to his place every other evening, just to prove to himself that he could. On the nights they were together, time flew. On the nights they were not, Jace grew restless until the next time he saw her again.
