Great, now he probably thinks I’m some fan-girl. What a turn-on.
His surprised expression slides into the sexiest crooked grin I’ve ever seen, his pale eyes focused solely on me.
“U-uh, my dad and brothers love football. We used to watch it all the time as a family. I remember you from the TV.”
Good job, Adley. That totally made you look like less of a bumbling idiot.
But everything I said is true. I remember seeing this gorgeous man’s face on the screen in our living room, watching him catch the football with amazing ease… my gaze drops to his hands, and holy shit, they’re huge.
That’s so fucking hot.
Jasper lets out a laugh. “I didn’t expect to find a fan here.” His voice is smooth and confident, deep and calm. It does things tomy insides that normally I’d keep to myself, but this man? He’s my destiny.
I’m pretty sure we both know it.
“Will you tell me your name, beautiful?”
“A-Adley.”
When the fuck did I start stuttering?
His eyes grow hooded and he leans on my shopping cart. “Adley. I’ve never met an Adley before. But I guess that makes sense, since you’re one of a kind. Aren’t you, Adley?”
Each time, the way he says my name has heat pooling in my lower belly, an unbidden whine struggling for freedom inside my chest. When he steps around my cart to stand only a foot in front of me, my breath hitches, and his nostrils flare again, a low grumble or maybe even a growl vibrates his chest.
“I never imagined I’d meet you. Not here, maybe not ever.” The fingers of those big hands twitch like he wants to touch me, but he’s holding back. Instead, I stand dumbfounded as he begins to load the back of my SUV for me.
“Please, tell me you’ll be staying here for a while.”
I nod my head, yes, furiously. “Uh, yeah. I just moved here. Yesterday, actually.”
“Thank the gods,” he breathes, more to himself than to me. “Where are you from?”
“L.A.”
“What brings you here?”
His question fans away a bit of the fog from my brain, and I sober. “My uncle owned and ran a pet sanctuary here in town. He died and left it to me. Now, I’m taking over.”
Jasper has finished loading my things and looks at me with a sympathetic gaze. “I’m sorry to hear about your uncle. I didn’t know him, but I know of the sanctuary. A few years back, someone I know adopted a mom and puppy from there.”
My brows fly upward. “Adopted? Really?” Uncle Jim never adopted out pets. The sanctuary was built and maintained to be a stable, forever home for the animals that came to it. The people who left their pets with Jim trusted him to care for them for the rest of their lives.
“Yeah, they said your uncle knew the dogs belonged with Izzy the moment they saw each other. And since their pack decided to take both mom and her puppy, your uncle was happy to let them adopt.”
My eyes grow hot, warmth spreads inside my chest. Uncle Jim must have been happy, then, for the two dogs to stay together in a loving home. “That’s wonderful to hear.”
His head tilts as he looks at me. “Let me help you with all of this stuff. Help you settle into your new home.”
Under normal circumstances, my answer would be an immediate “No.” But these aren’t normal circumstances, are they?
Jasper Lang is my mate. He’s my Alpha. I’m safer with him than I am with anyone else on this earth.
And letting him help me means keeping a promise to my uncle.
“If you’re ever lucky enough to find your scent match, hold onto them with everything you have. Don’t play hard to get with destiny. Don’t let anything stand in the way of your happiness.”
My head bobs in agreement, then I remember something. “I actually have to go to the grocery store before I head back.”
