DAKOTA
I wipe down the display counter one more time and step back to check out my completed shop. It looks damn good. I found someone in town to paint a pet mural on one wall and it’s perfect. They finished yesterday and, other than the deep cleaning I just finished, it was the last thing on my list.
Now, I’m really done.
It’s kind of wild when I think about how far I’ve come in this little space. I have some treats cooling in the kitchen since I cleaned back there yesterday while the painting was happening. Give me a wall that needs a solid color and I’m your girl, but art? Yeah, not going to happen. Not by me anyway.
When I spoke with Hadley yesterday, she was so excited about the road trip she’s taking with her men, Luke and Brock, to come to Screaming Woods for the grand opening in a few days. I can’t wait to see her and meet the men who have stolen my best friend from me.
I know it’s not true, but I’m still going to give them shit about it.
Things are good. I’ve seen Jace every day since I went to his cabin in the woods. As much as fear fills me with me the idea of it, I know I’m falling in love with him. Or I am in love with him, if I’m being honest.
I think I fell in love with him the moment I smelled his forest and apple scent. It comforts me and wraps warmth around me without even trying. I’m glad I told him about my fears and what happened with Macneal because it feels like a weight has been lifted from me now with it out in the open.
I know he hates it, and it makes him feel rage that is almost too much for him to handle. I can feel it through the bond we share. I can’t do anything to change my past and he knows it just as well as I do.
The fact that he’s willing to take his time, even though we’re already tied together, means everything to me. He’s breaking down the walls around me and the fear.
I spent months walking around Denver looking over my shoulder. I felt safe in Screaming Woods from the moment I moved here, but after meeting Jace, I feel untouchable. It should make me wary, but it doesn’t.
It makes me feel alive, like I can do anything.
As I look around Paws Up again, I realize I can.
I have a few interviews tomorrow since I’m looking for an employee or two, even though the thought of not knowing how the shop is going to do and hiring someone gives me anxiety. I know I can’t run the business all by myself, not if I want to stay on top of making the treats. I could do the treats at night, but I don’t want to miss out on time with Jace either.
I start to head into the back to start bagging up some treats when the bell over the door rings. I smile because I installed the bell all by myself yesterday afternoon. I knew Jace was watching me, but I wasn’t going to ask him for help.
Yes, he could have reached the top of the door without the stepladder I required, but I’m not going to use him for his height or his strength.
The moment I stepped onto the stepladder; he was stomping across the street from where he was hiding while watching me. He’s not there every day like he was when I asked or space, but he’s there often enough.
I giggled a little at the look of frustration on his face when he couldn’t open the door since I had positioned the stepladder right in front of it. My amusement only made him scowl. I could feel his worry for my wellbeing through our bond.
“Little mate,” he growled, the sound traveling through the window easily, “what are you doing up there?”
“I’m installing the bell,” I sassed him.
“I can see that.” He scrubbed a hand down his face, his eyes starting to glow yellow with how much he didn’t like what I was doing. “I meant why are you up there when I would have helped you? It’s not safe.”
I scoffed, “It’s a stepladder, Jace. It’s not like I’m on some rickety chairs or something. This is perfectly safe.”
I wiggled a little on the step to prove my point and his eyes widened as he growled louder in warning. The last thing Jace would ever do is hurt me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t push his buttons. I know I do.
“Dakota,” he pleaded, “please get down. I can’t stand out here and watch this. What if you fall? I won’t be able to get to you.”
I batted my eyelashes at him and blew him a kiss but went right on installing the bell. The moment I stepped down and moved the stepladder out of the way, he charged inside and hauled me against his chest. When he buried his face in my neck, he inhaled deeply. The feeling of his breath on my mate mark made my pussy gush as I shuddered in his arms.
“I’m fine,” I assured him gently. “I need to do some things on my own and I wasn’t in danger.”
He took another deep breath, kissing my mark gently before his tongue ran along it. Holy shit, it lit my whole body on fire. When he pulled back from me, I could see the concern in his eyes, the yellow still swirling with the green.
“I know.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m still going to worry,” he insisted.
I could only smile up at him before wrapping my arms around his neck while I tipped up on my toes and pulled him down for a kiss. Even though someone was there painting and the windows allowed anyone walking by to see in, I didn’t care. I kissed my wolfman like my life depended on it, thanking him for his concern and his care.
The memory of it, so fresh in my mind, has tingles running through me. I feel a blast of contentment and curiosity coming through the bond. Jace is working today, mostly at my insistence because he can’t spend all day watching over me. He’s lucky he knew what his calling was early on and then made it happen. He loves the forest and he’s there to protect it.