Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Her unexpected burst of romanticism threw him. Without overthinking, he reached over and took her hand. Her fingers were cool from the night air, but her warmth seeped into his skin.
“I’m not sleeping with you, Jackson,” she said without pulling away.
“I’ve got a guest room, sweetheart. Three of ‘em, in fact.”
Her gaze moved to the house, studying the grand log home with its wide front porch and tall windows reflecting the mysterious moonlight. “Your house is bigger than I expected. It surprised me when I came over to make breakfast.”
“You thought I lived in a shack in the woods?”
“Yes. Ramshackle with tons of booze and lube. The ultimate bachelor pad,” she mused.
He chuckled, adjusting his grip on her hand as they approached the stairs. It had been much too long since he’d been a free spirit, although he hadn’t minded giving that impression to the other packs.
Being underestimated was always a good thing.
Yet he’d also had to fight battles, so his reputation had quickly darkened. That also kept his pack safe.
Her hand, small and delicate in his, contrasted sharply with the strength he knew she possessed. They climbed the steps, boots clunking against the wood, and he pushed open the heavy front door, the hinges creaking slightly. Warmth spilled out from inside, chasing away the chill of the night as he led her across the threshold.
She smiled, looking around. “Earlier I noticed how lovely your home is.”
“It was my father’s.” Jackson guided her inside. “Feels like a good home.”
“When did your mother die?” she asked.
The personal question caught him off guard, but he quickly recovered. “When I was just a baby. There was an attack from a rogue pack. During one of the rough patches the Stope Packs Coalition went through, I believe.”
Her sigh held sadness. “That’s happened a few times, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah, but we’ve always had each other’s backs. Or at least that’s what I was told. After the attack, the coalition banded together and wiped out that rogue pack. It doesn’t exist anymore.”
Emily swallowed and pressed her free hand against her rib cage. Was she bruised there, as well? “I miss my mother so much. I knew her until I was ten.”
Silence stretched between them as their footsteps echoed across the hardwood floor. They had that in common—being raised by Alpha fathers without a mother’s touch. Yet, where Jackson carried a rough edge, a product of stepping into leadership too young, Emily wore her grace like armor.
“Your father did a good job,” Jackson said.
She snorted softly and nudged him with her hip. “So did yours.”
Jackson’s lips quirked as he guided her into the main gathering room. The fire inside the massive fireplace crackled warmly, casting shadows over the worn leather furniture arranged around a low coffee table. He’d had Thane stop by earlier to make sure all the fires were lit, especially the one in the guest bedroom he planned for Emily.
The scent of pine and woodsmoke lingered in the air, grounding the space in earth and tradition.
Emily paused as if soaking in the warmth radiating from both the fire and the walls. Her light hair glowed in the firelight, and her eyes had darkened to an unfathomable midnight.
He turned her to face him and released her hand to cup her face. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
Her gaze dropped to his mouth.
His groin hardened instantly.
Then, shock of all shocks, dignified and graceful Emily Nightsom levered up on her toes and pressed her sweet lips against his.
Chapter 16
Shock trilled through Emily. What in the world was she doing? The image of Jackson bursting into that cabin earlier in his wolf form, fierce and unyielding, wouldn’t leave her mind.
He’d come for her.
Her skin tingled, and her pulse thrummed, yet her mouth was on his. He had stilled as if her touch had stunned him. Oh, God. This was about to become the most embarrassing moment of her life.
She started to pull away, but his hand pressed against her lower back. The heat of his fingers spread through the thin scrub shirt, his touch spanning her waist as if he could hold her there through sheer will alone.
He slowly tilted his head and moved his mouth against hers. A rumble vibrated from his chest, low and deep, traveling through her lips and down her spine. Her knees weakened, but this time, it wasn’t from her illness. With a growl that seemed torn from somewhere deep inside his hard-packed body, he pulled her closer. The kiss shifted from soft to claiming, his mouth firm, hot, and demanding as he tilted her head back.
The world outside ceased to exist. Fire streaked through her veins, settling low in her belly, heating her from the inside. Her heart pounded so hard she could feel it in her throat, her pulse a wild rhythm that matched the need suddenly coursing through her.