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Just thinking about how she smiled at the twins, at how they responded to her as if she’d always been around them, brought out instincts he was unfamiliar with. He’d always wanted Juliette, but seeing her taking care of his niece and nephew added another edge to his want, a sharp and possessive one. He wanted to fuck her, to mate her. It didn’t matter that she couldn’t have children—his feeling hadn’t changed, not ever. Anders Bergefjord was a fool to let go a woman like Juliette. But then again, Anders might be burdened to produce heirs to further their lines. Anders was a future alpha, and in their clan, the position of alpha is passed down by bloodlines.
Unlike his clan that simply chose the strongest.
Juliette’s vulnerability that she showed him earlier had made him ache to touch her and protect her even more. No woman should have suffered alone like that, especially when she didn’t deserve it. She hadn’t been at fault. She was nothing but a victim in the cruel circumstance.
Gunther’s voice was groggy on the phone. “I’ll take the paperwork there myself, Wilhelm.”
“Good. Also … flowers. Take her a large bouquet of flowers.”
“On the card?”
“Just have them write thank you. She’ll know what for.”
Gunther sniffed. “Your usual bouquet?”
Wilhelm hadn’t had much time for dating lately, but when he did take a lady out and show her a good time, and usually after they’d spent at least a few hours in bed together, he’d tell Gunther to send the usual to her the next day—a large bouquet of mixed flowers in pastel shades with a card that simply said, “Thanks for a wonderful evening.” Gunther had once called it his morning-after flowers.
“No, not my usual. White roses. Two dozen in a crystal vase.”
Gunther didn’t say anything for a moment, probably from shock. Then he exhaled heavily. “Two dozen white roses in a crystal vase, and correct rental paperwork, six o’clock. Anything else?”
“That’s all. Call me when it’s all delivered?”
Gunther scoffed. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping at some point tonight?”
Wilhelm ran his fingers through his hair, still damp from his shower. “Text me, then. Better?”
Sometimes his beta got protective enough to question Wilhelm, and he appreciated Gunther for that.
“Yeah. Get some sleep,” Gunther said before they hung up.
Wilhelm didn’t get back into bed, though. He’d chosen one of the guest rooms closest to the nursery, so he padded barefoot down the hall to check on the babies. Both slept soundly.
He watched them for a few minutes, thinking about Juliette and the glow that came over her face when she looked at them. His pajama pants tightened as arousal washed over him. He wiped his hand down his face with a soft chuckle and headed back to the bedroom, feeling only slightly guilty that he could get hard thinking about Juliette on a day when he’d lost his brother. Maybe his sudden, stronger attraction to her was something to keep him from thinking about unpleasant things?
As he crawled back into the bed and immediately imagined Juliette sliding in next to him, straddling him, her hair brushing against his face as she lowered her mouth to his, he knew this wasn’t distraction. He’d gone from attraction and desire to something else, something he wasn’t ready to name.
Wilhelm thought about how he’d come so close to kissing her before they were interrupted, and how she’d leaned toward him, ready and willing. He fell asleep replaying that moment over and over in his mind, but without Leanne appearing in the doorway and stealing what should have been their first kiss.
Chapter Eight
Juliette’s morning had started fine, but Andy and Noelle had so many questions she felt interrogated before five thirty in the morning. She answered their questions as best she could without giving away too many of Wilhelm’s family details, and finally convinced them that she was all right.
She’d never left them in charge for a whole afternoon. They’d been shocked when she left at all, but when she called and said she wasn’t coming back, they’d both worried something was terribly wrong. Of course, it was, but there was nothing wrong with her.
She joked and told them to leave her the hell alone for the rest of the morning, so they’d both laughed and gone back to their tasks. Then Juliette noticed Gunther hovering outside the door in a sharp gray suit with pinstripes, his hair neatly slicked back, a frown on his face.
The only people who were ever there that early were the early-bird mall walkers, and most of them never glanced into her shop, probably trying to avoid temptation. But this morning, Gunther paced back and forth, his hands behind his back.
Wilhelm would have tapped on the glass and expected to be let in. Because Gunther was so polite as to wait, Juliette unlocked the door and opened it, a knot forming in her stomach when possible reasons for his visit flashed through her mind. Was everything okay with Wilhelm and the babies?
“Good morning,” she said softly. Before she could ask her questions, Gunther pulled an envelope out of his breast pocket and a smile replaced his frown.
“Wilhelm wanted this delivered to you first thing. It’s rental paperwork, so you can rest assured that your rent isn’t going to double or go up at all. Just sign it and mail it, or someone can come and pick it up.”
“Oh.” She took the envelope but didn’t open it. “Thank him for me?”
“Of course. Oh, and also …” He took a few steps to the right, and Juliette’s gaze followed him. Gunther picked up a large glass vase with a light pink tint to it, filled with huge, blooming, white roses. “He wanted you to have these.”
