She smiled, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. “You won’t give up.”
“I think I’ve said that.” Another neck squeeze. “Give me a chance?”
She hesitated. Was there another answer? “Okay.”
He blew out a long breath. And then he touched his lips to hers, angling to one side.
As if the universe had it out to get them, a new noise disrupted this second kiss. It sounded like an electric saw or a drill.
Wyatt groaned. “Dale. He’s working on the deck.” He sat straighter, releasing her neck and reaching for her hand.
“Right. Perhaps after I get some clothes, I should go outside and meet him.”
“You should. Now, what about breakfast? If Gavin is joining us, I should get something started. I don’t want him to feel like he has to drop your stuff and run. He’s your friend. I should get to know him.”
She wasn’t sure how she felt about her best friend and the man she was slowly coming to realize was her life partner having a powwow. It was bound to happen sooner or later and would continue to happen presumably for the rest of their lives, but it made her nervous.
“Stop chewing on your lip.” Wyatt plucked her lip from between her teeth even though she hadn’t realized what she’d done. “And stop worrying so hard. I’m not going to pound him into the ground. I’m not an ass. I would never do anything that distressed you. Relax.”
She nodded. Of course he wouldn’t. He was Wyatt. My mate. When would that idea flow through her thoughts naturally?
She heard her car pulling up at the same time Wyatt did. “Uh, what about Dale? How did he get here? I didn’t hear him arrive the other day or today.”
Wyatt pushed off the couch. “He usually comes on paws.” He winked at her.
“Huh. I’ve never gone anywhere in grizzly form.”
“This is Silvertip, babe. People do it when they can. Why drive when you can run through the mountains? Shorter distance and saves on gas.”
She laughed. “Undoubtedly half the reason why your citizens live so long and are so fit. Less pollution. More exercise. I’ll be sure to get that into my report,” she joked.
“That’ll go over well.” Wyatt opened the front door just as Gavin stepped onto the porch.
“Never going to get used to the weird way you people know I’ve arrived before I’m actually somewhere.” He nodded at Wyatt, stepped inside, and came straight for Paige.
“I’ve done it to you all of your life, you know.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t make it less weird. It gives me chills every time.”
“Why do you think I do it?” she teased as she stood and closed the distance between them. She gave her friend a big hug.
“Right. Okay. Well, here’s the thing,” Wyatt said, his voice slightly strained.
Paige released Gavin to meet his gaze. “What?”
“I get that you two are friends and all. I get that you’ve known each other forever, but Paige, I’m gonna need you to put some clothes on while we’re entertaining him or anyone else.” He gritted his teeth.
She rolled her eyes. “Okay. You don’t have to get quite so possessive. Gavin is…well, Gavin.”
He pointed toward the hallway. “Gavin is a man who just wrapped his arms around my woman who is wearing nothing but my T-shirt. Go.”
She rolled her eyes a second time, took the bag from Gavin’s hand, and left the room. “Please don’t discuss me while I’m gone. It makes me uncomfortable,” she shot over her shoulder.
“Wouldn’t think of it,” Gavin responded.
She made her way to Wyatt’s bedroom and heaved the bag onto the edge of the unmade bed. It was heavy, and when she opened it, she saw why. He’d brought her enough clothes to last a week. The thought made her cheeks heat again. “Matchmaker,” she mumbled as she pulled out some tight yoga pants and a comfortable fitted tank with a built-in shelf bra.
She was only thinking of comfort and a day that would surely be spent lounging on the couch hashing out her life’s mistakes. And probably some of Gavin’s. Comfort was the name of the game today.
Pulling her hair up into a ponytail, she padded back down the hallway to find Gavin sitting at the kitchen table and Wyatt facing the stove. The scent of bacon filled the room.
Wyatt would have sensed her approach, and he turned around, but he stopped instantly while she still had her arms raised above her head, fiddling with her hair. His eyes widened.
“What?”
“Seriously?”
“What?” She glanced down at herself, her gaze following his. She was dressed. Everything was covered. What was wrong now?
Wyatt groaned. He set the spatula on the counter and tromped in her direction. As he wrapped his hand around her biceps and turned her around, he spoke over his shoulder. “Watch the bacon for me, would you?”
“Love to.” Gavin’s voice was filled with laughter.
What the hell?
Wyatt didn’t speak again. He marched her down the hall and into the master bedroom. After he shut the door, he released her and headed for his closet.
“What’s the matter?”
He returned holding a sweatshirt that would almost be too large for him and certainly would swallow her whole if she put it on. But that’s exactly what happened because he tugged it over her head without a word. And then, with her arms trapped at her sides instead of through the sleeves, he backed her against the door and set a hand on either side of her face. He looked so serious that she had trouble not laughing.
“Love the tight workout clothes, babe. And you may wear them anytime you want in the house when we’re alone. If you want to stretch or do some yoga or something in the living room, knock yourself out. When no one else is here. But for the love of God, they’re significantly more revealing than my T-shirt, so the improvement was non-existent.”
She was going to laugh. There was no way to avoid it. It was so darn cute that Wyatt was suddenly so possessive of her that he didn’t want her gay friend to see the exposed skin of her ankles and wrists. Maybe she should have been a little miffed, but she’d never experienced anything even close to enjoying having a man look at her with such a smoldering look in his eyes before—like he wanted to devour her.
So, she couldn’t bring herself to be remotely angry. Instead, she was turned on. “You do realize Gavin is gay, right?” she whispered.
“Super clear on that.”
“I don’t think he cares what I’m wearing.”
“Sure he doesn’t.”
“So what’s the real issue?”
“I care. I care that other people can see all your curves. I also care when other people watch me fumbling around with a hard-on while my mate traipses around half naked making me that way.”
She smiled. “Okay.”
“Okay.”
“Breakfast?”
“Breakfast.” He didn’t move though, not for a long time, and before he did, he gently kissed her lips. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
“Probably.” Maybe he was right. Maybe she could get used to being with him. So far, this banter was kinda fun. Invigorating. New to her, but not in a bad way. And she hadn’t even flipped out when he touched her. Granted, he hadn’t caught her off guard yet. There was a good chance the first time he touched her when she wasn’t expecting it she would jump out of her skin and slap him before she could think better of it.
After pulling her into his embrace for a brief hug, he reached around her and opened the door. She followed him back down the hall, but the way he held her hand made it impossible not to.
Gavin was nowhere in sight. For a second, she thought he’d left. But then she caught him out of the corner of her eye standing on the deck talking to Dale. “I should meet Dale.”
“You should eat first. Dale isn’t going anywhere.”
“I had coffee.”
He didn’t release her hand until they were standing next to the stove. It had been turned off. A pile of bacon wa
s resting on a paper towel next to the burner. She figured Gavin had done that before he went outside in order to avoid whatever was happening in the bedroom.
“How do you like your eggs?”
“A little closer to noon?”
He chuckled. “I’m gonna make you eat them raw if you don’t answer me.”
“Fine. Scrambled or fried is fine. As long as they’re cooked all the way, not runny.”
“See? That was so easy.” He turned the flame back on and cracked several eggs into the pan.
“If you think I’m going to eat more than one of those, you’re crazy.”
“Chill. You aren’t the only person here.”
“Just making sure.”
He glanced at her and then smirked. “Are you always cranky in the morning?”
“Yes.” She started to walk away, or at least head toward the table or the window, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back to his side.
“I like you right here,” he said.
“I feel flustered when I’m so close to you,” she admitted.
“Good.” He grabbed a plate and slid the eggs onto it. “Now you can sit.”
“Are you sure? You want me to grab a belt loop or something to get to the table?”
“Smartass,” he muttered.
Yep. Paige was loving this weird thing they had. It felt right.
Chapter Thirteen
Before they finished eating, Wyatt was shocked to have Dale reaching out to him in his head. “Can you come out here a second?”
“Sure… Be right there.” Wyatt glanced at Paige and then pushed from the table. “Dale needs me for a minute. You finish eating. I’ll be right back.”
“’K.” She picked up a piece of bacon and crunched into it. “But I’m not sure how I’ll know what to do with myself without you guiding me every second.” The sarcastic tone in her voice made his breath hitch. She was so fucking sexy. And she had no idea.
He stopped briefly to kiss the top of her head as he went by. “Don’t move,” he teased in return.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Ten seconds later he was on the deck with the door closed behind him. Gavin was standing on the ground at the side of the deck, watching Dale.
Dale was hammering a nail into the porch in the strangest spot. He didn’t lift his head as he communicated with Wyatt. “Be casual, but there’s someone watching us.”
Wyatt stiffened, and then he inhaled long and slow. “Fuck,” he muttered under his breath. “What the hell is she doing here?”
“I’m guessing it’s the reporter Gavin told me about?”
“Yes. It’s her. How’d you know?”
“Gavin caught a glimpse of her lurking in the trees. She must have followed him. He said she showed up at his apartment this morning and wasn’t happy to find out your woman wasn’t there.”
Wyatt smiled inwardly at the way Dale spoke of Paige, even though he had yet to meet her. She was definitely Wyatt’s mate, but they certainly hadn’t said anything public yet, nor had they discussed binding. If he even mentioned it, she would probably run so far so fast that he wouldn’t be able to find her for a week.
“Gavin thinks she has a camera.”
“Why would she be hiding on my property? That’s insane.” He glanced at Dale again, who took a another nail from between his lips and hammered it into the side of the steps. “What the hell are you nailing?”
“Absolutely nothing. Just making myself look busy.”
Wyatt laughed into Dale’s head. “You’re so covert. You should take a job with the government next.”
Dale lifted his face and shot Wyatt a glare. “That’s not funny.”
Wyatt blew out a breath, feeling incredibly insensitive and idiotic. “Sorry, man. You’re right. I wasn’t thinking. Come inside and eat.”
“Eat? Dude, I don’t usually lounge around at your house in the morning having a leisurely breakfast. You’re paying me to do a job.”
“Yeah, well this morning I’m paying you to at least pretend to eat while we talk. So get inside.” Wyatt lifted his gaze toward Gavin. “Breakfast is ready,” he yelled a little louder than necessary as if it were the reason he’d come out in the first place.
Wyatt stepped back inside, leaving the door open for the others to follow.
“So fun chatting with you guys,” Gavin joked as he stepped inside with Dale on his heels.
Wyatt glanced at him to find him rolling his eyes. Did Gavin realize Dale and Wyatt had communicated telepathically?
Gavin waved a hand in front of him. “Kidding. Not going to say it isn’t weird, but I get that you were discussing the situation silently. I’m still learning your habits. The only shifters I was ever around were Paige’s parents, and they were far too proper to have risked making me uncomfortable.”
“Sorry.” Dale looked chagrined as he shut the door behind him. “I guess if your only shifting friend is Paige, you aren’t used to being around that sort of thing.” He headed straight for Paige, hand lifted as she stood from her spot at the table. “Dale Gerben. Nice to meet you.”
She smiled up at him with that killer smile Wyatt realized would often make him jealous when it was aimed at other people. “You too. The deck looks fantastic.”
Dale tipped his head to one side, blushing. Blushing? “Thank you, ma’am.” He turned his attention toward Wyatt.
But Wyatt shifted his gaze toward Gavin, curious to know more about how much this human friend of Paige’s knew. “Did the Osborns realize you know about shifters?”
Gavin shook his head. “No. There was no way to tell them without…” He shot a look at Paige.
“I see,” Wyatt interrupted. Of course. He glanced at Paige also to find her face scrunched.
Dale stepped closer to Gavin, his brow furrowed. “Didn’t mean to make you feel left out.”
Interesting. Wyatt watched this exchange, the subtle body language of both men. How much time had they been spending together while all of Wyatt’s energy was focused on Paige?
Gavin responded. “I didn’t mean to imply… I mean, don’t worry about it. I totally understand.” He backed away from Dale and pulled out a chair at the table.
Wyatt thought perhaps he needed to sit to keep from having his knees buckle.
Paige headed for the sink with her plate. She had the sleeves of his oversized sweatshirt rolled up so many times she couldn’t even lower her arms to her sides fully. “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?”
Wyatt wasn’t about to start his relationship off with a lie of omission, so he went for it. “Your reporter lady followed Gavin here. She’s hiding inside the tree line taking pictures of Dale working.”
“What?” Paige shouted, grabbing the edge of the counter at her waist with both hands at her sides.
Gavin spoke next. “Told you she was odd this morning. Pissed off that you weren’t there. I didn’t notice she followed me, or I would have tried to lose her.”
“Maybe she didn’t follow you, and it’s just a coincidence.”
“Could be, but it’s a hell of a coincidence,” Dale stated, heading for the coffee pot and helping himself to a full mug of steaming caffeine.
“I can’t imagine what that woman wants. She’s annoying as shit,” Gavin added.
“She’s so anal that she probably wants to catch me not working so she can tattle to my professor or something.” Paige groaned. “She’s been hounding me about working with me ten hours a day. I’ve put her off to the point of being almost rude.”
“You didn’t ask for a reporter to be assigned to you, babe. Did you contact your professor to find out what this is all about? Maybe he has no idea this Kelly person thinks she needs to be glued to your side.”
“I emailed him. He didn’t respond yet. I’ll try to call him this morning.” She shot a coy grin at Wyatt as she picked up her coffee cup from the counter. “You know, later, when he’s more likely to be out of bed.”
Wyatt chuckled. “Ju
st so I know, Gavin? What time is late enough in the morning to speak to this woman?”
“Always safe by noon.”
“Got it.” He took her mug out of her hand and headed for the coffee pot. Maybe if he gave her more caffeine… Then again, he found he loved all sides of her, even the snarky morning version.
Dale stood at the side of the table eating a strip of bacon. “What do you want me to do? I need to get back to work. I’m not seriously going to lounge around in your kitchen shooting the breeze all morning just because some reporter is hiding in the trees.”
Wyatt agreed. “Yeah. I can’t imagine she’s dangerous, and I doubt she’ll approach because she’d look like a fool, so ignore her. Let me know when she leaves.”
“Got it. Guess I’ll just keep my ass to her so she can get a shot of my best feature.” Dale laughed as he gave a mock shake of his butt toward the window.
Gavin headed for the door behind Dale. “I already ate. I’ll just sit and look pretty and pretend I’m supervising,” he joked, sounding far gayer than Wyatt had ever heard. Wyatt glanced from Dale to Gavin and back as the door shut. Yep, definitely interesting.
Wyatt reached out to Dale again as the man jumped down from the deck to the yard with a bit of flourish. “You’re flirting, aren’t you?”
Dale visibly flinched even from the distance. “What? With Gavin? He’s adorable, but he’s like twelve.”
“He’s twice that age, and you’re so totally flirting.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Uh-huh. Try not to hurt yourself nailing boards to themselves out there.”
“Don’t you have a woman to woo?”
“Watching you is more fun.” Wyatt stared out the window for a few more seconds, trying to spot Kelly while eyeing his friend—a man he’d known for many years, including through some extremely tough times.
Finally, Paige jerked him out of his thoughts with a hand on his back. “What are you communicating to Dale while intentionally blocking me?”
He winced and reached back to put his arm around her, thanking whatever deity was listening that she didn’t jump out of reach. He was making headway in that area. “Nothing secret. Just reiterating the obvious.”
Grizzly Promise Page 14
