Page 15 of Falling for the Werewolf
It was on the third morning when they had kissed for the first time. In the middle of the woods, in a patch of early morning sunlight, he had stopped, cupped her face, and lowered his head.
The moment his lips had touched hers, his world changed, and everything else ceased to exist. There was only the feel of her arms curling around his neck, the press of her body against his, and oh, her taste! One sip and he was hooked. He had spent the rest of that day feeling the effects of that kiss, knowing that, from that moment on, he would steal every opportunity he could for another.
If he’d had any lingering doubts that she was his mate, that single kiss had obliterated them.
One evening, they sat in the finished gazebo, a soft summer rain falling around them, enjoying an hour or two together before Dani had to go to work. They had been discussing some of the interviews he had taken when Dani put her hand on his arm; a familiar, comforting touch that instantly filled him with warmth.
“Why?” she asked in that innocent, honest way of hers as her fingertips stroked him lightly. “Why do it if you hate it?”
“Most women would prefer a man who pulls down a six-figure salary to a carpenter, one who doesn’t come home so dirty and sweaty every day that he needs a shower before he can even kiss her properly.”
Dani tucked her legs up under her, arranging her dress over them. “Not me,” she said thoughtfully. “Money isn’t everything, you know. I’d prefer my man to be happy.” She looked at him from half-shuttered eyes. “And I happen to love showers.”
Something shifted inside Jace the moment Dani had spoken the words “my man.” His wolf rose to the surface, and he knew his eyes were probably glowing.
Dani averted her gaze and played with the hem on her dress. “I mean, look at Aunt Bess. She’s nuts about your uncle Amos.”
“Is she?” Jace asked absently. He was temporarily distracted by thoughts of coming home at the end of the day and hopping into a shower with Dani, soaping each other up, running his hands all over those slick curves while water sluiced down her ...
“Oh yeah.” Dani chuckled, bringing him back to the present. “She’s already tried on about a hundred outfits, hoping he asks her to go to the county fair with him tomorrow night.”
Jace raised his eyebrows and laughed. “Then I guess I’ll just have to make sure he asks her. I’m sure he’d like nothing better.”
“Aunt Bess said the county really goes all out for the fireworks display.” Dani sipped her tea, letting one leg dangle off the swing.
“There’s none better,” Jace agreed. “Are you going? To the fair, I mean?”
Dani blushed. “Probably not.”
“Are you working tomorrow night?”
“No.”
“Then why not?” he pressed.
“I’d feel like a third wheel,” she admitted. “Bess doesn’t need me tagging along.” She looked at him, her eyes slightly more blue than green. By now, Jace knew that meant she was feeling uncertain or shy. They glowed a beautiful turquoise when she was feeling very strongly about something, like right after he kissed her.
“Why aren’t you going?” she asked, tilting her head slightly. A few rebellious curls unfurled along her shoulder, inviting him to touch them.
“Who says I’m not?”
“Amos. He said you avoid things like that, but he didn’t mention why.”
“Did he now?”
It was true enough. Jace did tend to stay away from those sorts of things. For one thing, it was not the kind of event a single man went to alone, especially not a shifter. Women were drawn to him, their primal instincts recognizing him for what he was: an excellent potential mate. When he was younger, he welcomed the attention, but as he got older and wiser, not so much.
But things were different now. He wouldn’t have to go alone. He could have the most beautiful girl in the county with him, one who he knew would find joy in the simplest of things. The fact that the whole town would be there was an added bonus. He wanted everyone to know that she was his.
“Does that mean you’re thinking about it?” The cautious hope in her voice had him suppressing a smile. Already he could see the sparkle in her eyes. He wondered vaguely if he would ever be able to say no to anything she asked for when she looked at him like that.
“I don’t know ...” he teased, shaking his head slightly.
She scooted closer, putting her hand on his knee. In turn, he stretched his arm around her shoulders.
“What might persuade you?” she asked.
“Hmmm,” he hummed, looking down at her hand and pretending to think about it. “Well, I wouldn’t want to go alone. I’d need someone to go with me. And it couldn’t be just anyone, you understand.”
