The feeling of security she had when she was around him was refreshing, and not something she knew she needed until now.
Allie tried to focus on her list, but her mind was other places. Dax.
Dax.
Dax.
Damn, Dax.
With a sigh, she resolved to not bother going home tonight. It was only seven p.m. and she wasn’t a lick tired. Her cell phone buzzed. Pulling it from her pocket, Allie hesitated before checking the screen. She suspected it would be Blake before she even looked.
I’ve had enough of your silence, Allie.
Her brow knitted as a blip of fear bubbled inside her chest. Was that a threat? She hadn’t responded to any of his past messages. She didn’t owe him a damn thing! Their breakup hadn’t been exactly clean. After he’d publicly humiliated her, he’d done a three-sixty and begged for her to come back to him. He’d texted and called repeatedly for weeks afterward, drove past her house at random times. Then he’d moved, and the harassment had stopped just as she was considering a restraining order, of course.
Tightening her jaw, Allie responded.Leave me alone, Blake. I’m not interested in speaking to you.
She watched the screen, knowing Blake well enough to figure he’d have an immediate response to her rejection. A minute or two passed with nothing. Glad that she was wrong in her assumption, she moved to put the cell in her back pocket when a loud knock came from the front door.
She froze. She had a single light on behind the counter as she always did at night, and the front shades pulled down. Blake wouldn’t... would he?
“Allie? It’s me. I’m coming in.”
She let out a breath at Dax’s voice.
The door opened, and he stepped inside. He moved effortlessly, with a kind of manly grace that made it hard to look away. His body was in perfect coordination, the sleek muscles and supple skin definitively masculine. He held a paper bag in the crook of one arm. It crinkled as he made a half turn to close the door, and heaven help her, his jeans fit him perfectly!
“Didn’t want to scare you by just coming in.” His eyes narrowed, and his face carried a tension she’d never seen on him before. “You do look scared. I’m sorry.”
Allie waved him off. “It’s nothing. What are you doing here?”
The tension she’d been carrying in her shoulders all day melted away as she drank up the sight of him. Honestly, she’d been like a teenager with a hard crush trying to stay busy to keep her mind from wondering when she’d see him again. Having a lot to do hadn’t worked in keeping the nervous energy at bay.
Now a different kind of tension replaced it. Allie grew warm between her thighs, with an ache that was becoming a familiar byproduct of Dax’s presence.
His blonde hair was wavy and tousled, as if he’d been running his long, sculpted fingers through it often.
“Saw the back lights on. Thought I’d stop by.”
He carried himself like he was expecting a blow at any moment. His upper body appeared tense, and he stood completely straight which made his impressive height and build even more intimidating.
And delicious.
“Okay.” Allie smiled faintly. “But, why?”
What was wrong with him? He was staring at her like he was about to devour her or do something illegal. Maybe both. Now that she thought about it, he did have an air of nervousness about him that seemed out of place. He was normally so cocky and sure of himself.
“Is everything okay?” She asked carefully.
Despite her relationship with one, she didn’t know much about shifters. Maybe he’d just been in his animal form and was transitioning back into his human state of mind. A shudder went through her at the thought. She’d love to see him morph into his bear. All that power and strength and wildness. He was deadly, but he was also gentle. The two traits together were almost more than her ovaries could handle.
His gaze bore into her so intently, Allie had the urge to step back. But she didn’t. He’d never given her a reason to believe he would be dangerous toward her. Just yesterday, he’d had her half naked on the counter while he gave her an orgasm. She’d been completely vulnerable to him and lived to tell the tale. If he’d meant her harm, she’d know it by now.
He wasn’t Blake. She had to remind herself of that.
“Everything’s fine.”
Allie wasn’t sure how much more tension she could take. Her entire body was getting warmer and the pulsing ache between her legs was a hundred times worse. He’d mentioned before that he could smell her arousal.
