Jonas took the offered hand of the gorgeous wolf in front of him. She turned and led the way out of the crowded room, down a hallway and into a room that was clearly being set up as a library. He resisted the urge to tug on the hair that hovered a bit above her shoulders, sort through the strands that seemed to vary between rich brown and gold. She was holding his hand, and that was going to have to be good enough…for now.
He’d never wanted to bury his nose in someone’s neck so soon after meeting them before. Could she be his mate? If so, he was ready, willing and able, that was for sure. Her bright blue eyes had called to him from across the room, and he’d waited until she’d detached herself from first one woman, then a pair of them, and had headed into the kitchen alone. He’d made his move, only to be caught off guard with the punch-to-the-gut sensation when he was close to her. And when he’d shaken her hand. And gotten a good whiff of her amazing scent.
Damn, if she wasn’t his mate, he still wanted her.
He listened to her explain how they were setting the room up to be a good place for kids to do schoolwork and young adults to take online courses if they wanted to learn a new skill. It was fairly standard for a pack house, so he just nodded, letting her talk through her nerves. He couldn’t deny he was feeling a bit of the butterflies as well.
Was this it? Was she the one?
He wanted to know, but found he was sort of enjoying the mystery.
“You guys have accomplished a lot in a short amount of time,” he complimented.
“It was a lot of work, but we thought it was important for people coming to the party to feel they’re being welcomed into a real pack house, not a temporary or transitory situation.”
“So you feel pretty sure this will be the permanent home? Alicante, I mean.”
“I think so. It’s early, I know, but it does feel right. It’s always possible we’ll need to move for some reason, but so far, we’re pleased.”
“It’s such an odd thing, starting a pack from scratch like this.” He leaned against the back of the couch, still holding her hand, but resisting further touch. For now.
“It really is. It’s kind of cool being involved from the beginning, I’m enjoying it.”
“It must feel good to have your opinion so valued by your alphas.”
She blushed. “I probably shouldn’t admit to it, but it does. Myra’s been my alpha for a long time, and my best friend for nearly as long, so I know she trusts me and values my opinion. But this does take it to a new level, and that feels really good. And I’ve enjoyed seeing Adam find his way to being a true alpha. It’s wonderful to witness.”
“Yeah, when I met him in Mountain View and heard he was a lone wolf, I was astonished. He reads so clearly alpha, I’m amazed he made it that long without trying to be in charge of people and fix all their problems.”
She laughed and nodded. “Right?” She swallowed, her gaze focused on his face, captivating him so that he almost missed her free hand coming up to touch his chest. Her breathing picked up. “This seems…important, doesn’t it?”
He liked that she wasn’t shying away from it. “Yes. We have two choices. Take things slow and enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Or jump at it full throttle and see where we end up.” In that moment, he couldn’t say what he hoped she would answer. Knew only that he would win, either way. And so would she.
She swallowed, let her eyes drift down for a moment, then met his again. “Let’s go slowly. For now. But I reserve the right to change my mind at any time.”
He couldn’t help it. He laughed, pulled her into his body and wrapped his arms around her. His chin rested naturally on top of her head, and he took in a huge breath. He would enjoy the journey.
“Can I take you to dinner tomorrow?” he asked, opening his arms so she could pull back and see his face. He wished he could take her tonight, but they’d be too tired after the run, and it would be late.
“That would be nice. Or maybe lunch would be better,” she suggested.
“Somewhere public would be good. To help me keep my word.”
She gave him a saucy grin. “I’ll pick the place.” She pulled his cellphone out of his back pocket, turned it on and quickly found the messages app while he watched. She sent herself, he assumed, a message, and returned the phone to his pocket.
“I should get back to the party. I haven’t met everyone yet and we’ll be changing for the run soon.”
“I don’t know if this counts as much of a tour,” he complained.
“That just means you’ll have to come back for more,” she tossed over her shoulder as she headed out of the room.
He stayed where he was, breathing deeply to squelch the urge to run after her, throw her over his shoulder and carry her to his car. He closed his eyes but that just brought to mind her pixie face, pale blue eyes, and kissable lips. Shit. He stood and adjusted himself, then rejoined the party. If his suspicions were true, he might just be meeting his new pack.
His parents were in conversation with Myra and Adam, so he joined them. Myra gave him a considering look.
Uh-oh, best friend inspection time.
“It’s definitely different than a forest in New England,” Adam was telling Jonas’ parents. “But amazing. You can run in canyons, high desert, forest. Some really spectacular land available to us.”
