When I wake early the next morning in my bed with an arm wrapped around my middle, wearing nothing but a pair of my blueberry print panties, it isn't difficult to work out what must've happened.
"I knew I shouldn't have made pasta," I murmur to myself.
Jackson's arm hauls me closer to a hot, naked body. "What was that, darlin'?"
I close my eyes at the husky, sleepy note in his voice.
"Nothing. I was talking to myself."
"You do that often?"
"Every single day," I admit soberly.
Jackson snorts with laughter. "You're a strange creature, Regan Blackshaw."
"Does that mean you regret me staying?"
In response, he lowers his head and kisses my neck, making me shiver. "It means, darlin', that I intend on keeping you."
I go still at his words because that sounds a little too permanent for my liking. "Well, unfortunately for you, that's not on the cards."
"You sure about that?" Amusement colors his voice.
I nod. "Absolutely."
He kisses my neck again, this time right on my pulse. "Well, it looks like I'm going to have to work on convincing you otherwise, aren't I?"
Before I can respond, he's out of the bed and striding naked into the bathroom.
Instead of taking advantage of his absence to throw some clothes on and run for the hills, I just lie there, staring at his ass and wondering, not for the first time, what it'd feel like to grab it.
"And I'm still waiting for the strawberry," he calls out.
It takes me a while to figure out what he means. And that's when I realize he not only carried me up to bed, he stripped me and took a peek at my panties.
I could kick up a fuss, and I would… if I hadn't heard near identical stories about what Dayne and Jeremy are like about not wanting Talis or Savannah to wear clothes to bed.
"Alpha dick," I mutter under my breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Just… nothing."
He snorts but doesn't respond.
To my relief, after a shower, Jackson dressed and headed back to the office to make more calls while I made some scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast with coffee and took it in for him.
I meant to ask him about what's going on with the house build because the work has barely started, and it sounds like there are more problems than there should be at this early stage. But instead of asking him, I passed out from too much pasta on the couch and probably drooled all over myself.
Even though Savannah assured me that Jackson and Jeremy dealt with the last of the Merrick pack, I can't help but wonder if it isn't one of them causing all the trouble.
Jackson doesn't seem too concerned, though. In my overheard conversations he has with the project manager, they both think it's local kids. With it being summer, there's little for them to do in a town that seems to cater more to the tourists visiting the National Forest than it does anyone else.
After I clean up from breakfast, I grab the trash that's building up and head out to the trash can at the side of the house. I'm getting ready to head back in when I realize I'm no longer alone.
Hesitating for a second, I wander toward the forest that sits at the back of the rental. A rental I'm still working out how to ask Jackson how he can afford it. Although Savannah said the Stone brothers made a bunch of money in property investment, this house is no joke.
That he's rented this eight-bedroom, twelve-bathroom home next door to Dawley's biggest attraction for an entire year, according to Savannah, makes me wonder just how well Jackson and Jeremy did with their investments.
I take my time approaching the trees that border the backyard, halting before I step into the forest itself. Although I'm in bare feet with only a pair of denim shorts and a tank top, it isn't my bare feet that stops me from venturing any further.
It's my not wanting to scare off the small blond-light brown wolf peering out at me from behind a tree.
Instead, I drop to the grass and stretch my legs out in front of me, fixing my gaze at a tree in the opposite direction. "I hoped I'd see you again."
There's no response, not that I was expecting one.
"I thought maybe you didn't get the food, that a bear or… I don't know what other animals you can find in this forest did instead. Did you?"
I glance over at him and wait.
Several minutes pass before I catch a tiny nod.
"Good." I turn away and go back to staring at another tree. "I didn't have long to throw some food in a bag because… well, that's a long story, but I figured everyone likes chips and soda. I wasn't sure about chocolate because not everyone does, otherwise I would have put some in for you."
I stop and turn to him again. "You like chocolate?"
There's a longer pause after my question, but this time, the nod is a little bigger than the one before.
I grin at him. "That's a relief. I don't know if we could've been friends otherwise."
I turn away and keep talking. "My favorite has to be milk chocolate. White chocolate is just milk and sugar, not really chocolate at all. Dark chocolate is just…" I gag. "Someone once bought me this fancy box, and it had this one piece that was ninety-five percent cocoa." I turn back to him. "If you had any idea how bitter that was, you'd know it was no gift at all." I pause. "I don't think I talked to her for a week. It took that long to forget how bad it tasted."
While I ramble on, the wolf sinks a little, as if sitting on his haunches.
I hide my smile and cross one leg over the other. "But here I am, chatting away without even telling you my name. I'm Regan Blackshaw. I'm from Hardin, near the Rockies. You ever seen the mountains?"
There's a small head shake.
"Well, one day you should. It's amazing. It made my friend cry because it's so pretty. It's like looking up at another world." I try to find the words to explain it. "Don't laugh, but when I was younger, I was really into gods and goddesses and that sort of thing. Ancient mythology. Zeus and Athena, you know?"
The wolf hesitates a little before nodding.
"Well, they lived on Mount Olympus. I know it's not real, or maybe it is… anyway, I always liked to think that I was looking at Mount Olympus. When it was super cloudy and you couldn't see the top of the mountains, I'd imagine they'd be up there gazing down at us drinking cups of ambrosia in their togas and gold sandals." I shake my head. "Dumb, huh?"
This time, I don't hide my smile when the wolf shakes his head no. He doesn't think it's dumb.
"Thanks for not laughing. I probably would have if my friend Talis said what I just did. One day, I'll tell you about when I caught my other friend burying her poop in a sandbox."
The wolf chuffs, and at the sight of that small wolfy grin, something in me eases.
He still carries more pain than a boy should, but that he knows how to laugh is a good sign. My mom always said laughter was a good place to start when you were trying to make friends. At twenty-three, I find it's as true now as it was when I was a kid.
Knowing that I don't have long before the wolf remembers his wariness and that sooner rather than later, Jackson's going to come looking for me, I get to my feet.
"Well, it was nice talking to you. I have to go back now." I turn, but as if I've forgotten something, I spin back around. "Oh, I forgot to ask about the steak. My friend didn't think it was a good idea for me to be hugging a bag of meat through the forest."
There's another chuff and I grin. "So, I wanted to know if you liked it? I like my steak cooked. What about you? Cooked?"
He nods twice.
"Good. I can do that." I point at the porch. "I don't want to leave food in the forest because I don't know if you'll get it or if a bear will steal it first. How about I leave a bag there?"
His eyes narrow a little in suspicion.
I shrug. "It's up to you. I made pasta and sauce with garlic toast yesterday and there's plenty left. If you don't want it, that's cool. I was only going to throw it out, anyway."
Without waiting for a response, I wave and turn back to the house.
I don't want him thinking I'm pushing anything on him, or that the food comes with any conditions. If he's hungry, he'll come, and I guess he must be to eat raw steak if he prefers it cooked. And in time, I hope in the not-too-distant future, he'll trust that all I want is to help him.
Behind me, I hear leaves rustling as he slips away. I'm almost positive he'll be back. Maybe even today, since he did look hungry. But not right away. So, I'll wait for a couple of hours before I package the food and leave it out for him.
As soon as I near the top of the porch steps, I stop because standing at the open door is Jackson, looking deep in thought. I get the sense he heard everything I just said to the boy.