Jace laughed. He could picture it easily. “What about your mom?”
A cloud drifted over her sunny features. “My mom died when I was very young. I don’t remember her much. Wish I did, though.”
“I’m sorry.”
Dani looked down at her hands. “Thanks. It was a long time ago. And I have Aunt Bess. She and my mom were twins, so in a way, it’s almost like she’s still here.”
That was something Jace could relate to. His father and Amos weren’t twins, but they were brothers. Having Amos to turn to had helped him tremendously.
Jace opened the passenger door and waited until she was seated before walking to the other side and sliding into the driver’s seat. He was pleased to hear her soft sigh of appreciation as she sank into the buttery-soft leather, a custom modification.
“Any brothers or sisters?”
“One older brother. I don’t see him very much. He’s in the Navy and spends more time overseas than here. You?”
“Four brothers. They’re still back in Ohio, working the family farm.”
“Four! Wow. I bet your house was active.”
He laughed. “That’s an understatement.”
“So, what brought you to Kenner’s Mills?”
“I got a football scholarship out of high school to attend the university out here. Long story short, I busted up my knee my second year and lost my scholarship. Amos took me in, let me work days with him so I could go to night school and finish my undergrad, then went for my Master’s. Took a while, but I just finished up a few months ago, in fact.”
“In what?”
“Finance.”
Her expression turned thoughtful. “Is that why you were in the city last week? You were interviewing?”
“Yeah,” he admitted. “Didn’t work out, though.” Jace didn’t go into any more detail than that. He certainly didn’t mention that they had extended an offer nearly double what he had expected, or that he had turned them down. “How about you? Amos said you were looking for a teaching job.”
“I am. Like you, I did the work during the day and go to school at night thing, so I feel like I’m a little late to the game. Bess said this is a great district, though, and suggested I apply. I put my resume in at the local schools, but there’s no guarantee I’ll get a position. Competition is fierce. I thought I might have a better chance in the city.”
The thought of Dani teaching in the city wasn’t one that Jace found appealing. The inner-city schools were known for their violence. He had nightmarish visions of what might happen to someone as slight and feminine as Dani.
He kept his thoughts to himself, however. He couldn’t help that his kind were a naturally protective, possessive species. Even though his wolf had been drawn to her from those very first moments, Dani was human and might not appreciate his candor.
Besides, he wasn’t even sure she knew what he was. Bess knew about Amos, but that didn’t mean she had told her niece. It was a subject they would have to broach soon, given the intensity of his attraction toward her, an attraction that appeared to be mutual.
“Either way, I’ve given myself until the end of the summer to find a job.”
“What happens then?”
She shrugged. “I haven’t figured that out yet.”
All too soon, they pulled up in front of Bess’s house. Dani began opening the door before Jace could get out and do it for her. She grinned sheepishly when he gave her an admonishing look.
“I really appreciate the ride, Jace. This is one sweet car. You should be proud of it.”
“I am,” he said truthfully as he walked her to the door. “Maybe you’d like to drive it sometime.”
Dani’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I would love that!” she practically squealed. Then her eyes dimmed. “But I can’t.”
“Why not?”
When Dani pulled the house keys from her bag, Jace took them and opened the door for her.
“Because I, uh ... kind of lost my license for a while.”
Jace raised his eyebrows as Dani turned red.
“Should I ask?”
“No, probably not.” She dropped her bag and went into the kitchen. “I’m starved. Are you hungry? Yes, of course you are,” she answered herself, looking him up and down. “Aunt Bess says Amos burns more calories in an hour than she eats in a week, due to his shifter metabolism.”
Well, that answered that question.
“Are you okay with that?” he asked carefully.
“What, you being a shifter? Yeah, I think it’s awesome. About you being able to eat anything you want and stay looking like that? Not so much.” She grinned. “Burgers okay?”
Relief and amusement flooded through him. She knew what he was, and she was okay with it.
“Burgers sound great,” Jace confirmed, leaning against the counter, arms crossed. “How did you lose your license?”
Dani stepped out onto the patio to start up the grill, then grabbed some lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and pickles from the fridge. Jace took the knife from her and started slicing the tomato.
“Speeding,” she answered quietly.
“You lost your license for speeding? How fast did they clock you?”
She flicked her eyes toward him. “One thirty-five.”
“Holy hell!” he exclaimed. “What were you driving, a rocket?”
“It was a Nova SS 450, okay? Took me years to get it just right. I had to, you know, see what she could do.”
Jace stared at her, his jaw hanging open.
“Oh, come on,” Dani said, putting her hands on her hips. Jace tried not to think about how that made her breasts press forward invitingly. “Are you telling me that, the second you finished that Shelby, you didn’t do the same?”
Okay, so it was true.
A devilish glint shone in his eye and a smirk played around his lips. “Yes, but I didn’t get caught and lose my license.”
Dani had the good sense to concede. “Touché.”
The phone rang, and Dani bounced over to answer it. “Hey, Aunt Bess ... Yes, Jace brought me home ... Uh-huh ... Sure, no problem. Have a good time.” She hung up and looked at Jace. “They’re going out to dinner,” she reported. “We’re on our own.” Dani suddenly stopped peeling the leaves from the head of lettuce she had gone back to. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said, looking horrified.
“For what?”
“I never even asked if you had other plans.”
“I don’t,” he said easily, reaching for the plate of burgers. Then he disappeared outside, placing the burgers on the grill, before coming back inside.
“Jace, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” He popped the top off on a can of soda, handing it to her before getting one for himself.
“Did Aunt Bess put you up to this?” she asked, running her finger along the condensation forming on the outside of the can.
“Put me up to what?”
“Babysitting me?”
The question was unexpected. He brought the can slowly to his lips, fascinated by the sudden change. Dani had gone from sexy and confident to almost shy and unsure in the span of a few heartbeats. “Is that what you think I’m doing?”
Dani chewed her bottom lip like she wasn’t sure. “I know Aunt Bess worries about me,” she said slowly. “She thinks I spend too much time alone; that I should maybe get out more, make some friends, meet people.”
Jace didn’t say anything for a moment. The predator in him sensed her vulnerability. It was hard not to draw her to him and explain exactly why he was here. Just because she knew about shifters didn’t mean she understood the kind of intensity a male felt when he found a potential mate, and if she didn’t know, telling her at this early stage might scare her off.
“Dani,” Jace spoke quietly. He touched his finger to her chin, lifting her face to look at him. “The only reason I’m here is because I want to be.”
“That’s ... good.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “Yes,”
he agreed. “That’s very good.”
He looked into her eyes for a while longer, watching the mesmerizing swirls of greens and blues. Her lips parted slightly in subtle invitation. All he had to do was lean down a little closer ...
She wouldn’t resist him. And, at that moment, there was absolutely nothing he wanted more, except maybe to make her want him even more. If she was who he thought she was, then once his wolf got a taste of her, he wouldn’t stop at just one kiss. However, Jace wanted to make sure he was not alone in that respect. He wanted her to think about exactly what their first kiss would feel like, to imagine it over and over in her head, like he had been doing since the first time he had seen her.
“I think the burgers are done,” he said, his voice husky with desire.
“Burgers,” she echoed dreamily. “Right. I’ll get the plates.”
Jace smiled to himself as she forced herself to turn away. So far, so good. He only hoped he had the strength to hold out.
Chapter 4 – Walking a Thin Line
The next two hours flew by while they sat on the deck, in the soft breeze, amidst the blooming trees and flowers, the reds and oranges of the sky becoming purples, then blues, then velvety black. They talked, they laughed, as comfortable with each other as if they had spent years together rather than mere hours. Only when Bess and Amos returned around ten did Dani seem to realize the time.
“I can’t believe it’s that late!” she exclaimed, quickly gathering the remains of their dinner. “I have to get ready for work!”
Bess shooed her off while she finished, with help from Jace and Amos.
“Dani’s the one, isn’t she?” Amos asked quietly, joining Jace on the patio while Bess made coffee.
Jace shot a stunned look at his uncle. He had just been thinking exactly the same thing. “Excuse me?”
Amos narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Dani. She’s the female you’ve been thinking about these past few days, isn’t she?”
Oh. Yeah. That one.
“Yes.”
“Bess told me she’s been walking around with her head in the clouds ever since she came back from the city last week.”
“Yeah?” Jace’s heart picked up speed. Did he dare hope that he had something to do with that?
“Mm-hm.” Amos put his hand on Jace’s shoulder. “Bess thinks the world of you, Jace, you know that; but she worries for Dani, especially after the way she saw Dani looking at you today. Dani’s not the kind of girl you play with, and I don’t know that she’s had much experience with our kind.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Just ... be real sure on this one before you let it get too far, okay?”
Jace nodded as Amos patted his shoulder twice before rejoining Bess in the kitchen.
Amos wasn’t typically one to offer unsolicited advice, but Jace understood his uncle’s concern. Bess cared deeply for her niece, and Amos cared for Bess. The thing was, Jace was having some pretty strong feelings of his own.
Dani called to him on a level that extended far deeper than a physical fling or topical friendship. It was still the early days, but so far, everything about her screamed “mate.”
Jace insisted on driving Dani to work at the diner, arguing that it was on his way home, anyway.
He didn’t miss the pointed, assessing glares he received from the cook when he escorted Dani inside. The guy was bigger and more muscular than most full-human males. Jace quickly pegged him as a half-breed—half-human, half-shifter—probably bear.
In a clear gesture he knew the bear would understand, Jace placed his hand on Dani’s lower back. He couldn’t help himself. He needed the contact, however slight, and his wolf needed every male in a hundred square miles to see it.
Jace was well-aware of the cook’s unfriendly glare and didn’t care for it at all. It was too possessive. He wondered briefly if the other male thought to lay claim on Dani. Then he realized it didn’t matter. Jace would challenge him if that was the case.
“Need a ride home?” he asked, reluctant to walk back out again and leave her there.
“No, thanks,” Dani said with an appreciative smile. “You’ve done more than your share of driving me around today.”
“It was my pleasure. How will you get back to Bess’s?”
“Same way I always do.” She gathered her hair into a large comb at the base of her neck, making his mouth water. He wanted to lick and nibble the creamy skin there. “It’s only a mile or two through the woods, and I love walking in the mornings this time of year.”
Jace’s eyes snapped from her neck back to her face, his protective instincts rushing to the surface.
Kenner’s Mills was a pretty safe place, as far as small towns went, but most shifters were predatory by nature.
He pulled Dani aside and spoke in a low growl, “You walk home through those woods every morning? Alone?”
She tilted her chin up defiantly. “Yeah. So?”
“Do you have any sense of self-preservation?”
“I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“Is that so?”
Dani stood taller and straightened her shoulders. “You doubt me?”
“I don’t doubt your spirit, Dani. But, let’s face it; do you really think you could fight off someone, say, my size?”
“Why?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you planning to attack me, Jace?”
She had no idea the things that had crossed his mind, the very erotic ways in which he wished to “attack” her with his hands, tongue, and the extremely rigid appendage aching in his jeans. It was a good thing he had excellent control over his wolf, or that was what they would be doing right now, instead of having this discussion.
As it was, he was doing his best to be a gentleman and not come on too strong. However, he couldn’t help his innate protective instincts.
“Of course not,” he barked. “I’m just saying that you need to be more careful. You have no idea what’s lurking out there.”
“Well, just say it somewhere else,” she snapped, pulling a pocketed apron from behind the counter and tying it around her small waist. “I just met you. That does not give you the right to tell me what I can and cannot do. And, news flash: I don’t need you or any other man to protect me. Thanks again for the ride. I have to work.” With that, she pushed the swinging door into the back and disappeared, leaving Jace to wonder what the hell had just happened.
The cook smirked, obviously having overheard the whole thing.
Jace left before he gave in to the urge to remove that smug smile for him.
* * *
“Do you know she walks home alone from that diner every morning?” Jace ranted to Amos the second he walked through the door. “Through the woods! Alone!”
Amos calmly placed his keys on the peg by the door.
“Anybody could just grab her. She’s a human female, and a tiny one at that.” Jace paced back and forth. “She’s supposed to be smart, right? So, tell me, Amos: what the hell is she thinking?”
“Feeling a little protective there, eh, son?”
“I ...” Jace’s nostrils flared with every breath. Hell yes, he was feeling protective! “What difference does that make?”
“You’ve spent what, the better part of one day with her?” Amos pointed out. “Doesn’t exactly give you the right to start telling her what she can and can’t do. She’s human, Jace. She doesn’t live by her instincts like we do. And last I looked, Dani was a grown woman.”
Yeah, Dani had already pointed that out.
Jace blew out a breath. “I know you’re right, Amos, but ...”
“But you can’t stand the thought of anything happening to her,” Amos finished. “I get that, son, I really do.” Amos laughed. “I guess some things just run in the family.”
Jace shot him a puzzled look.
“Your dad looked like that when he first met your mother.” Amos chuckled. “Said he knew from the moment he laid eyes on her she was the one for him.
Neither hell nor high water could keep him away from her. That’s the way it is with our kind, Jace. Our animals know. They can sense when we meet our mates.
“Your mother fought it,” Amos continued, his lips curled in fond memory, “but not for long. Your brother Thomas came along ten months later. Best be careful, Jace.”
“So, what do you suggest?”
“Seems to me you need to find a way for you both to get what you want.” Amos paused at the bottom of the stairs. “You’ll figure it out. By the way, I need you at Bess’s no later than nine a.m. tomorrow.”
“Nine?” Jace asked. “But you like to get started by seven—”
Amos fixed him a pointed look, laying his index finger aside his nose. Chuckling, Amos then turned and ascended the stairs, shaking his head.
Chapter 5 – Treading on Soft Paws
When Dani finished her shift at seven the next morning, she wished she had taken Jace up on his offer for a ride home, and not just because she was so tired.
About an hour after he had left, she realized that, in her moment of righteous indignation, she had possibly forfeited the chance to see him again.
Maybe she had gotten her point across, but was it worth it?
Yes, of course it was, a little voice in her head answered. She was a strong, independent woman. She didn’t need a man telling her what to do or when to do it.
No, she didn’t, but wasn’t it nice the way he seemed to worry about her, wanting to make sure she was safe?
Nice, but totally unnecessary. She was only a few classes away from earning her black belt, for heaven’s sake.
He didn’t know that, though, did he? And that kind of overprotective male comportment was wired into his DNA. Her aunt Bess had commented several times that Amos had exhibited similar behavior. Bess seemed to accept it and take it in stride. Though, in fairness, Bess had also lived in Kenner’s Mills her whole life and was probably used to it.
“Good morning.” Jace’s deep, velvety voice roused her from her internal debate, stopping her in her tracks right there on the sidewalk.
Falling for the Werewolf: A Wolf Shifter Romance Page 3
