cry,” he apologized tentatively. “I never meant to.”
She sat. “I know, Stag,” she said softly, staring into the yellow flames wavering in the grate. “It wasn’t really you. It was …” She trailed off, slim straight brows pulled together in thought. “It was what you said and how it made me feel.” She flicked a hesitant half-smile his way. “Jodi and Dixie have been trying to teach me to pay attention to my feelings. Have you ever wanted something all your life, wanted it so bad that you would do anything to have it? But every time you grabbed for it, it turned out to be a fake and bit you on the ass? And then, one day, someone held it out for you to take. But you were afraid to take it because it was too easy. You thought it would turn and bite you too.”
He thought he understood what she was trying to say. His mate. He had always wanted a mate. But he wasn’t afraid of it, only of losing her. “What if it doesn’t bite you? What if this time it truly is the one thing you want? Isn’t that worth taking a risk for?
After a quiet minute she nodded. “Maybe it is. But leaps of faith are scary.”
Stag dared to take one of her slender hands into his and squeezed it gently. “I’ll catch you,” he promised fervently. “My wolf will never let me to fail you.”
Her delicate jaw tightened. For a minute her hand was limp in his. Then she grasped his hand in a firm grip.
“Yeah, that’s the next thing on the agenda. We need to talk about your wolf, Stag.” She was silent a second, gathering her thoughts. “Where I come from we don’t have wolves like you. And you know what bugs me the most about it?” She jerked her hand free and her voice sharpened. “It’s this mystical mumbo-jumbo Bam!-you-are-my-one-true-mate-and-neither-of-us-has-a-choice crap. That sucks, alright? I don’t believe in magic. And it’s totally not fair that I don’t have a choice.”
He waited to be sure she was finished. “Sherry, you do have a choice. I’m the one that doesn’t have a choice. For me, it’s you or no one. My wolf won’t let me have anyone else. But you can tell me no.”
“Can I?” She stared into the fire, arms wrapped around herself. “Doesn’t seem like it, especially considering you kidnapped me to force me to stay here with you for a week.”
Oh. He forced down the urge to squirm. She had a point. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think of it that way.” It was a good thing Taye had left or he might have punched him. But he couldn’t blame Taye. It was his own fault that he let his impatience get the better of him. “I thought it was a good idea for us to be alone so we could talk and get to know one another.”
She surprised him by saying, “It was a good idea. I just wish we had talked about it first so I could have agreed. Not that I would have,” she admitted reluctantly. “But I’ve learned a ton about you in just the short time we’ve been here.” She’d been picking at her thumbnail, but now she looked at him. “I need to meet your wolf. Will you change for me?”
Inside, Stag’s wolf sat up with excitement. Stag forced his own excitement down. “Are you sure?”
She half turned in her chair. “Yeah. Can you tell him –or think at him, or whatever— to not jump on me? That might be a little scary.”
He almost wanted to laugh, but she sounded so nervous he didn’t dare. “Yeah, I can do that.”
He stood up and pushed his pants down, kicking them away as he called his wolf. You heard her , he muttered inwardly, no jumping . In his mind, he projected an image of the wolf sitting like a well trained poodle beside her chair. He swore he felt the wolf chuckle as he faded back to let the wolf out.
From the distant place in the back of the wolf’s mind he was always relegated to when his wolf was out, Stag felt the wolf go to Sherry, nails clicking on the wood floor. He sat primly and lifted one paw for her to shake. The wolf seemed confused when she didn’t take
She sat. “I know, Stag,” she said softly, staring into the yellow flames wavering in the grate. “It wasn’t really you. It was …” She trailed off, slim straight brows pulled together in thought. “It was what you said and how it made me feel.” She flicked a hesitant half-smile his way. “Jodi and Dixie have been trying to teach me to pay attention to my feelings. Have you ever wanted something all your life, wanted it so bad that you would do anything to have it? But every time you grabbed for it, it turned out to be a fake and bit you on the ass? And then, one day, someone held it out for you to take. But you were afraid to take it because it was too easy. You thought it would turn and bite you too.”
He thought he understood what she was trying to say. His mate. He had always wanted a mate. But he wasn’t afraid of it, only of losing her. “What if it doesn’t bite you? What if this time it truly is the one thing you want? Isn’t that worth taking a risk for?
After a quiet minute she nodded. “Maybe it is. But leaps of faith are scary.”
Stag dared to take one of her slender hands into his and squeezed it gently. “I’ll catch you,” he promised fervently. “My wolf will never let me to fail you.”
Her delicate jaw tightened. For a minute her hand was limp in his. Then she grasped his hand in a firm grip.
“Yeah, that’s the next thing on the agenda. We need to talk about your wolf, Stag.” She was silent a second, gathering her thoughts. “Where I come from we don’t have wolves like you. And you know what bugs me the most about it?” She jerked her hand free and her voice sharpened. “It’s this mystical mumbo-jumbo Bam!-you-are-my-one-true-mate-and-neither-of-us-has-a-choice crap. That sucks, alright? I don’t believe in magic. And it’s totally not fair that I don’t have a choice.”
He waited to be sure she was finished. “Sherry, you do have a choice. I’m the one that doesn’t have a choice. For me, it’s you or no one. My wolf won’t let me have anyone else. But you can tell me no.”
“Can I?” She stared into the fire, arms wrapped around herself. “Doesn’t seem like it, especially considering you kidnapped me to force me to stay here with you for a week.”
Oh. He forced down the urge to squirm. She had a point. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think of it that way.” It was a good thing Taye had left or he might have punched him. But he couldn’t blame Taye. It was his own fault that he let his impatience get the better of him. “I thought it was a good idea for us to be alone so we could talk and get to know one another.”
She surprised him by saying, “It was a good idea. I just wish we had talked about it first so I could have agreed. Not that I would have,” she admitted reluctantly. “But I’ve learned a ton about you in just the short time we’ve been here.” She’d been picking at her thumbnail, but now she looked at him. “I need to meet your wolf. Will you change for me?”
Inside, Stag’s wolf sat up with excitement. Stag forced his own excitement down. “Are you sure?”
She half turned in her chair. “Yeah. Can you tell him –or think at him, or whatever— to not jump on me? That might be a little scary.”
He almost wanted to laugh, but she sounded so nervous he didn’t dare. “Yeah, I can do that.”
He stood up and pushed his pants down, kicking them away as he called his wolf. You heard her , he muttered inwardly, no jumping . In his mind, he projected an image of the wolf sitting like a well trained poodle beside her chair. He swore he felt the wolf chuckle as he faded back to let the wolf out.
From the distant place in the back of the wolf’s mind he was always relegated to when his wolf was out, Stag felt the wolf go to Sherry, nails clicking on the wood floor. He sat primly and lifted one paw for her to shake. The wolf seemed confused when she didn’t take
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