Page 18 of Falling for the Werewolf
Chapter 6 – Going Public
The next night, Amos appeared at Bess’s house with a bouquet of flowers—flowersnotpicked from her award-winning gardens—cleanly showered and shaven, and looking more than a little handsome. In his mid-fifties, his six-three frame was still tall and packed with solid muscle—a result of his shifter DNA and years of demanding physical labor. His dark chestnut hair was only beginning to show the first signs of lightening at the temples.
Dani couldn’t help thinking she was looking at Jace in another thirty years. The possibility that she would still be with him then sent a warm flush through her entire body. She didn’t know what it was about the sexy wolf shifter, but he had felt likehersfrom the moment fate had placed him in her path.
“Where’s Jace?” Dani asked eagerly, peering around Amos’s shoulder.
“He wanted to drive separately,” Amos said with a slight quirk of his lips.
A moment later, Jace pulled up on his Harley and parked behind Amos’s truck.
Dani’s eyes got as wide as saucers. She looked down at the sundress she was wearing and tore back up the steps. Less than two minutes later, she was back downstairs, the dress exchanged for snug fitting denim capris and a white silk cami beneath a lightweight turquoise blouse. She was at the door, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet, flinging the door open as Jace lifted his finger to ring the bell.
“You have a Harley?” she squealed, grabbing his hand.
“I do,” he said with a grin. “Like it?”
“Like it? Oh, Jace ... Iloveit!”
He shot his amused uncle anI told you solook over Dani’s head.
* * *
When they first got to the fair, the four of them walked around together, taking in all the sights and sounds and smells, getting a feel for what was there. Almost immediately, Bess and Amos were approached by people they knew.
Jace wasn’t surprised. Bess had lived in Kenner’s Mills her whole life, and Amos for the better part of twenty years. Both were well-liked among the close-knit community, and Jace had been around long enough to be a familiar face, too. Normally, he was content to slip away after the obligatory polite greetings, but tonight, he was proud to quietly advertise the fact that he and Dani were together.
Dani, however, seemed uncomfortable with all the attention, and he couldn’t blame her. She was still new, and other than doing classes at the senior center and working nights at the diner, she didn’t go out much. Whether she realized it or not, that bit of mystery only made her more appealing, and inquiring small-town minds wanted to know more about her.
She shot him a grateful look when he made their excuses and pulled her away to steal a few kisses behind the fun house. For his part, he was more than happy to keep Dani all to himself for the remainder of the evening.
And what an evening it was.
Dani was like a kid in a candy store, pulling Jace onto nearly every ride. He learned quickly to appreciate the spinning ones the most, because afterward, she had a tendency to be a little off-balance and clung to his arm for support.
They played games, too. He enjoyed showing off his strength and skills at things like the strong-man hammer and the baseball pitch. Meanwhile, she delighted in totally kicking his ass at skee-ball and the water pistol races.
When they had exhausted all the rides and games, Dani was right there beside him, happily sampling the local treats.
Time flew by, as it always did when he was with Dani. Jace couldn’t remember when he enjoyed a fair so much. Being with Dani was amazing. She saw the beauty in everything, and with her, it was like experiencing everything for the first time again.
He did his best to avoid the gossip-seekers, but they still drew plenty of looks and stares. The fact that he was there at all was news. The fact that he had a female with him was even bigger news. But what probably had most tongues wagging was his decidedly possessive behavior.
Jace made sure he was touching Dani whenever possible; her hand in his, his at her back or around her waist. And when she wandered more than a few feet away, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. It was the behavior of a predatory male around his mate, and the locals knew it.
It was hardnotto notice the attention, and Dani eventually mentioned it.
“Going to the county fair around here with someone is a serious show of commitment,” he explained half-jokingly as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Are you committing yourself to me, Jace?” she asked, her eyes too wide, her uncertainty obvious. The blues and greens swirled playfully, but he caught the undercurrent.
Yes!his wolf barked, but this was a discussion for later, when they weren’t in the middle of the county fairgrounds, surrounded by hundreds of others. Instead, he smiled, kissed the back of her hand, and said, “Well, no one else will ride the Death Plunge with me.”
She smiled at that, but he could see that the uncertainty remained.
Jace was half-tempted to pull her away from the crowds and tell her just how much he wanted to commit, but a familiar face in the crowd ahead of them had him shelving that idea for the time being.
Amanda was making her way to the reserved VIP seating area, where her family would watch the fireworks show—they were a major financial contributor. Her expression was stormy, and Jace was pretty sure she had already received news that he had been seen at the fair. Knowing the efficiency of the small-town gossip mill, her cell phone had probably been buzzing the moment he had walked through the entrance gate with Dani.
