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We’d gotten into Cedar Harbor late in the afternoon two days ago after a non-stop drive from Colorado. We’d made brief pauses for food, coffee, or bathroom breaks, but that was it. I’d been so tired that I’d gone straight to bed while Cade had decided to head out, considering he was expected to be at the Ironwood packhouse for the next round of the Fall Games.
In the aftermath of overwhelming feelings, I hadn’t quite gotten out of bed unless absolutely necessary. I didn’t have work, my parents didn’t know I was in town, and all my friends were gone. There wasn’t a good reason to get out of bed. Crying and napping in between snacks seemed like a reasonable response.
“What?” I whispered, not knowing how to handle him. It was early, I still had my silk scarf tied in my hair, and I didn’t have an ounce of coffee in my system.
“Did you just wake up?” He breezed into my house, putting a coffee in my hand as he passed. His gaze swept up and down my body. “That looks fucking comfortable.”
I glanced down at my cream pajama set. It was old with piling around the ribbed design, but I loved the thing. So much so that I was attempting to find another one to replace this one.
“It is,” I replied. He kicked off his shoes and sprawled out on my couch while I shut the door. “Come in, Cade. Make yourself at home.”
“I always do.” He grinned. “So, about my question.”
I shushed him and made my way to the kitchen. So early. It was so, so early. I needed a minute—a ridiculously long minute. He fell silent while I took out my favorite coffee mug and transferred the frothy drink to help it cool. Glancing at him, I found him on his phone. For as needy as he was, he was very good at self-entertaining. It gave me the chance to go to the bathroom, take off my scarf, and get somewhat situated for the day. Somewhat was the keyword here. I needed a hot bath, candles, coffee, and a good book to find my center. Three of those things weren’t happening. Coffee, a pee break, and moisturizing my face would have to work.
“Okay,” I began as I rejoined him. Grabbing my cup, I joined him in the living room. “Ask me that question again.”
“All right, you gorgeous fucking fiend, do you want to sit home and mope in this quiet little house? Or do you want to make that bounty hunter regret the day he didn’t do his damn job and keep chasing you?”
Hunted down by a bounty hunter… sounded hot.
No. No, no. That bounty hunter was my angry husband. No hunting down. No thoughts like that. God, I needed to have sex. And soon. My lady parts were starting to do all the thinking for me. I wouldn’t ever tell a soul about the kind of dreams I had about Killian after that kiss.
“So?” Cade prompted, his voice ripping me from my thoughts. See? Distracted by my lady parts.
“What’d you have in mind?” I asked, unable to help myself.
“Be my date tonight,” he said. “You’re supposed to be there. You were invited after all. Let’s doll you the fuck up, dance, drink, and have the night of our lives. You know Raven will join us and Isla too. And I bet Nolan would rather hang out with us than drink with a bunch of idiots.”
“Those idiots are the idiots you’re trying to impress,” I reminded him.
“They’re brilliant pack leaders,” he countered, “but they’re drunken idiots. We’re all drunken idiots. Let’s be hot drunken idiots. I’ll take you out for a nice coffee, nails, and new clothes. I’ll pamper you with the whole works.”
There was so much wrong with his plan, but the petty part of me liked it—the petty part of me wanted to see if Killian would squirm.
I lived out of my guest room—not that Cade knew it was my guest room. I just couldn’t bring myself to sleep in our room. Even after three years. A therapist would’ve been unimpressed with my lack of moving on if I actually saw a therapist.
Trust in God, my dad kept telling me. He wouldn’t steer me wrong and all that. At least, that was what my dad insisted. In three years, I could feel my faith fracturing. It broke my heart. I grew up in the church. I still worked at the church. And yet, somehow, I struggled with my relationship with God when I shouldn’t.
Yeah, I was more of a mess than I let on around people.
“Bare essentials, woman.” Cade dropped into my reading chair, kicking his feet up as he made himself comfortable while I packed. Again.
“Says the man who packs enough for a small army,” I scoffed.
“Those are the bare essentials,” he said. “I never said it had to be a small amount. That was your assumption.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re high maintenance?” I asked.
“I’m fully aware,” he replied with a cocky grin. One day he would drive some man crazy in the best of ways.
I peeled my sweater off, letting it drop to the floor—yeah, I could be messy. I had on a bralette so I didn’t mind changing around him. Wolf or not, I was still working on comfort with my body around people.
“Stop,” Cade ordered, and I froze. I glanced at him. His head was cocked to the side as his gaze fell to my neck. Subconsciously, I toyed with the golden necklace I wore. The dual-locked loop design made it easy to play with the hoop resting between my breasts. Even the slightest movement would tighten the delicate chain around my neck. “I’ve spent a lot of time in sex clubs, you know that, right?”
“You may have mentioned it,” I replied casually, pretending to think nothing of it, even as my heart rate kicked up in my chest. My wolf stirred, ready to defend me as that familiar anxiety of someone finding out my secret nagged at me. I’d always been very careful about anyone figuring it out.
“Then you should know that I’d recognize a submissive collar when I see one,” he said. Damn it. “Even a discreet one like that.”
