Chapter 8

Charlotte lay in the large bed that Jaxson insisted she share with him. His way of keeping an eye on her, he said. However, whenever she would wake during the night, they were always wrapped around each other and she could feel every hard line of Jaxson's body. She blushed when she thought about just which hard line she felt so vividly last night.

She has awakened during the night again. But, instead of facing Jaxson and being wrapped up in his arms, they were lying spoon fashion, with his arm tucked around her waist. She realized that something was poking her in between the cheeks of her bottom. Charlotte blushed again, remembering the size and hardness. She couldn't imagine what it would feel like. She had never experienced anything remotely sexual with a man.

She knew she was different than other young women her age. Most girls didn't wait to get out of their teens before losing their V-card. But Charlotte had wanted to wait. It was the only thing of worth that she could give her husband and she wasn't going to throw it away on just anyone. She had decided that if she wasn't married by the time she was 25 she would consider it. But for now, that was not an option.

Charlotte turned her mind to the current predicament. Rio had been here for one week and while she understood why he did what he did, it still scared her to be in the same room with him. He had taken to spending a lot of time outside. He would leave after breakfast and go out to work in the barn or somewhere on the farm. One day, he had gone fishing and had come back right before dinner with several fish that he and Jaxson cleaned and froze after dinner.

She tried not to react to him, but he seemed to understand and did his best to avoid being in the same room with her for long periods of time. What bothered her was how it was affecting Jaxson's relationship with his brother. It hurt her that she was the wedge that pushed them apart. Thinking about it made tears well up in her eyes and she sat there crying.

Feeling warmth as Jaxson wrapped her up in his arms. She cried even harder, because he should be with his brother not in here holding her. This whole situation was strange. Jaxson was insistent that she stay here until everything "blew over." She had her doubts about her life ever being anything approaching normal again.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt a deep rumble in Jaxson's chest, similar to a growl and giggled like a little girl. Setting her away from him a bit so he could look in her eyes, he said something that he really didn't want to.

"Charlotte, Rio's boss will be here tomorrow, and I know you have something to give him." Jaxson felt his heart twist as Charlotte's face went pale and she broke out in a sweat caused by fear and anxiety. "Relax. I promise you will be safe here. I will protect you with my life. Believe it or not, so will Rio."

"How do you know that I have something?" her voice quivered as she asked.

"I felt it. Under the skin on one of your ribs. I found it while we were cleaning and stitching you up. Henry will come up here and take it out for you. It won't hurt, I promise. He'll deaden the area and open up the small scar you have and sew you right back up. Giving time to the locals to work, it might take about ten to fifteen minutes for everything. Then we can hand it over to Rio's boss and then when the arrests start happening, we'll know for sure that you are safe."

Jaxson felt her shiver and watched her face as her emotions played out. Her fear was the strongest, and it smelled bad. Acrid and sour. Then her anxiety, smelling acidic and metallic, followed swiftly by an emotion that he was hesitant to name. It felt like a combination of comfort, acceptance and if not love, then the beginnings of it. His bear tried to rise to the surface at that smell. But Jaxson ruthlessly pushed him back down. His bear didn't understand that their mate would be terrified of him and needed to be told and shown who and what he really was. It had been difficult this last week. Sleeping with her. Holding her in his arms. It was the most peaceful he had slept in over two years.

"Okay. Call Henry and tell him to come so we can do this." Turning to look up at the gentle giant of a man, she said five words that told him much. "I want my life back."

Jaxson leaned down and kissed her forehead and replied, "I really understand. More than you realize. Get dressed. I'm taking you for a walk. You're healed well enough and could probably stand to get outside and get some fresh air. Meet me at the barn when you're ready."

Charlotte sat there for a minute lost in wonder, then reached up to touch her forehead where Jaxson had placed his lips and kissed her. She remembered reading somewhere that when a man kissed a woman on the forehead it was a sign of genuine care and affection. She could only hope that he would return the feelings that were growing in her heart.

Getting up, she walked over to the dresser where her clothes were. Jaxson, it seems, had thought of everything. The day after he had found her, he ordered a tremendous amount of clothes for her. Everything from jeans to skirts and sandals to boots. She blushed when she thought of the undergarments. Lace, silk, satin. All of it barely there. Except her bras. How he had gotten the size right was beyond her. Then she realized that he had probably used the bra he had cut off of her to get her size. She pulled a simple t-shirt and pair of cotton shorts out of the drawers and chose a pair up underwear and a bra.

She rushed to get dressed. She wanted to be outside. But she wanted to be outside with Jaxson. She put on socks and sneakers because they were going to be walking, and swiftly walked out of the house towards the barn. What she heard stopped her in her tracks.

"You have to tell her, Jax! It isn't fair to her or your bear to keep dragging this out. At this point, if she rejects you, it might kill you or make your bear feral. Charley deserves better than that. She's crazy about you, and I suspect that even without the mate bond, you would love her. But, she deserves to know, Jaxson. Mom and Dad would be very angry at you for this. They raised us better." Charlotte stopped right outside the barn door and covered her mouth. She had read enough supernatural romance novels to understand what they were talking about. She was just having a hard time believing it.