Chapter 9 - Mira
It’s late. I had to do two separate training sessions today because half of the students are jumping leaps ahead in their ability, and I don’t want them to get bored or distracted by the students who are learning in more of a hobby sense.
I’m so proud of all of them, but damn, it’s getting exhausting keeping up with that and my own designs and work, which I’ve been neglecting.
Luckily, two of my top students are showing such promise that I’ll be able to enlist them to teach the others soon. It will challenge them in ways they need to be challenged and force them to push harder and learn more.
I pull the Jeep to a stop outside my cottage and stare at the giant new chunk of whatever it is sitting just behind my home.
“What in the world…” I mumble, pushing the door open and climbing out.
As soon as I exit the car, Jace is by my side, grinning like a kid.
His expression catches me off guard because why the hell is he so excited?
“What…”
“Close your eyes,” he demands.
“Jace, there is an entire house thing behind my house…please just tell me what’s going on,” I sigh, exhausted.
“Can you trust me for once and close your eyes,” he growls playfully.
I sigh and roll my eyes, then squeeze them shut. He takes my keys, bag, and phone from me, and I hear him putting them back in the jeep. Then, he places his hands over my eyes, walking behind me as he leads me toward the brand new building behind my house that came out of nowhere.
“It’s not finished on the outside yet, ok. We’re going to add cladding to make it look like it’s part of the cottage. It will blend in more,” he explains as I almost trip over my own feet.
“I’ve got you, don’t worry,” he reassures me.
The truth is, it’s not being blinded that has me stumbling; it’s being this close to me. I’m still going into heat, and it’s only a matter of time before he starts to smell it on me. I’ve managed to avoid him for the most part, but right now it’s impossible.
At least the first few days of heat are more about me being in pain than me giving off any certain scents.
Of course, as it progresses, the pain is going to change into a need that will become even more painful if I don’t give in to it…
But that’s not a problem I need to be thinking about right now.
“Ok, stand right here,” he says, positioning me. “You can open your eyes.”
His hands drop from my face, and I open my eyes, blinking a few times to adjust to the sun's intrusion of light.
My jaw drops open. The small garage, shed, or extra space behind my house is a workshop. A workshop that looks almost identical to the one at the tech lab.
“You made me…my own…” I stammer, confused.
“I thought it might be nice if you had a private space close to home where you could design and create whenever you wanted. Now you also don’t have to travel to work every day. You can work from here,” he gestures around the room.
I’m so stunned I can’t speak.
“Do you… Like it?” he asks, nervously. “I tried to set it up in the same way as yours is at work. Most of the same equipment is here, and if I got something wrong, you can just let me know and I’ll…”
“You made this? You built this?” I stammer.
“I had some help, of course, but yes,” he cocks his head to the side.
“For me?” I stammer again.
“Yes, Mira, for you,” he laughs.
“Thank you,” I whisper, barely a breath, hardly audible.
“It’s my pleasure,” he grins.
No matter how hard I try to clear my head, the shock is not wearing off. After walking around the workshop with Jace showing me all the details, he leads me inside for dinner, and I still can’t believe he did this for me.
And why?
Was it so he could keep an eye on me?
Was it because he didn’t really want me to go to the office?
I don’t understand.
Over the next few days, I sort of avoid it. Despite being curious about it, I have an odd reluctance to use the space until I understand why he made it for me.
But one morning, I woke up so tired that I didn’t even feel like getting dressed, let alone driving to the lab. So I finally go into my own private little workshop.
From that moment on, everything changes. This place is freaking incredible. No one distracts me. I have everything I need. I can do whatever I want in my own time. It’s too perfect. Everything he put together here for me is absolutely perfect.
I shift from avoiding it to viewing it as my second home. My own little secret place that feels safe and inspirational.
Each day that passes also brings more pain.
My body and my wolf are both screaming at me that I don’t have to be suffering like this. All I have to do is tell Jace, and he’ll give me exactly what I need.
All of this is natural; it's normal, and if I stop fighting against it so much, it might even be fun.
But it’s also new to me, and I honestly don’t know how to handle it.
Late one afternoon, Avery knocks on my cottage door. She’s a good friend of mine who works in the same building as me as a coder. She also happens to be Jace’s cousin.
As soon as I open the door, she bursts through it and hugs me, then shoves a bottle of homemade lemonade into my hand.
I laugh, closing the door and carrying the lemonade into the kitchen, where Avery is already pulling glasses out and filling them with ice.
“You know my mom, the moment the weather gets a little warm, she makes seventeen thousand gallons of lemonade,” she grins.
“Well, your mom’s lemonade is welcome here anytime,” I say, pouring us each a glass.
“Where is that oversized cousin of mine?” she asks, looking around the cottage.
“I think he’s in the shower. I saw him come home a little while ago,” I say.
“What are you guys doing for dinner? Are you making something?” she asks, lifting herself onto the kitchen counter and swinging her legs back and forth.
I giggle and shake my head. “Is there ever a time when you visit me and you’re not hungry?” I tease.
“Oh, please, even if I’ve just eaten, and I come visit you, I’ll be hungry the moment I walk through the door. Don’t you understand that you always have the best home-cooked meals here?”
“You better not tell your mother that. She’ll never forgive you!” I tease.
“Shit, you’re right. Sorry, Mom, your lasagna is the best on the planet,” she says loudly, joking.
Walking over to the fridge, I mumble about the possibility of leftovers, such as mac and cheese or maybe some lamb stew, but when I tug the fridge open, the leftovers are gone.
“Damn, sorry, I forgot I had the pasta for lunch, and Jace must have had the stew.”
“Ugh, you live with a man-wolf now. You’re never ever going to have leftovers again. My life is ruined,” Avery complains dramatically.
I laugh again. She always has me laughing with her antics.
“Next time I make pasta, I’ll put some in a container for you and hide it at the back of the fridge,” I promise.
“No, next time you call me, as soon as it's ready, and no matter what time it is, I’ll come fetch it. Right away. You can’t trust Jace around food.
Have you seen the size of that guy since he came back from training?
He’s a monster,” she smirks. “He must eat four times the amount any other guy in this pack eats.”
“It’s true, those muscles need a lot of protein,” I chuckle.
I close the fridge door and huff, puckering my lips.
“Ok, but we still need dinner. Let me grab my phone, and I can order us some takeout. Pizza or something. Give me a sec,” I say, leaving Avery alone in the kitchen to head into the bedroom.
I left my phone there so I could work in peace this afternoon.
Being on heat has me three times as hungry as I normally am. They'd better bring those damn pizzas fast. Maybe I should drive into town and get something else? Burgers?
My thoughts scream to a dead stop as I skid to a halt in the doorway of the bedroom.
Jace is standing shirtless in a pair of grey sweatpants, weights in his hands, headphones over his ears.
Each rep he does ripples over his entire arm, across his shoulder, and down his chest. His stomach muscles glisten with sweat, and my body turns to jelly at the sight and scent of him.
Salt, fresh sweat. Masculine, solid, pulsing form.
I gasp, choking on my thoughts as I take a hurried step backward, straight into the ceiling-high bookshelf in the hallway.
I bump hard into it and yelp, ducking impulsively as it topples forward.
I expect it to come crashing down on me, but instead I feel a solid arm pull me against a solid chest that smells like a drug I desperately need.
Jace catches me and turns his back to the bookcase.
He manages to stop the entire thing from shattering over the floor and me.
I yelp again when I realize he took the whole weight of a massive, hardwood bookshelf filled with seriously heavy books.
“Jace,” I stammer in shock.
“Mari,” he stammers at the same time. “Are you ok? Did you get hurt?”
“Did you get hurt?” I blurt out.
He leans back and pushes the bookshelf upright against the wall again. The few books that managed to spill out are splayed over the floor, but all in all, it was a very close call that he saved me from.
“I’m fine, it hardly weighs anything,” he says, his arms still around me. “Did you get hurt?” he asks, his voice low and husky.
Oh fuck.
A thick honey of desire runs from inside me and into my panties, preparing me for what is supposed to happen that I have been trying to avoid.
I gasp in horror and push away from him.
“I, um, I’m fine. I have to go. Got to go.
Avery is here, and she wanted food. I have to get food.
She’s waiting for me and…” I try to run away, literally, but his long fingers wrap around my arm.
He pulls me tight against his chest again, taking a step toward me, and he pushes me against the wall opposite the bookshelf.
“You’re in heat,” he growls, dangerously low, his voice edged with something so raw and savage that I almost melt against him.
“I…” I stare at him in absolute shock, fighting desires so thick they cloud my mind. My body aches as pain shoots through me, desperate to have him inside me.
He growls again, smelling more honey as it soaks me.
“I… I have to go…” I manage to whisper.
He grunts and pushes away from me, clearly struggling to do so.
I run into the bathroom to freshen up, try to catch my breath, and ease my racing heart. Then I hurry back to Avery.
“So, what did you order?” she asks when I walk back into the kitchen.
“Oh…” fuck. “I can’t find my damn phone,” I laugh.
She grins and shakes her head. “It’s ok, I’m going to have to rain check anyway. Mom just texted to remind me that I promised to have dinner with her tonight. I mean, I would have had two dinners, but oh well,” she laughs, sliding off the countertop and shoving her phone into her back pocket.
“I’ll come over next week. I’ll text you,” she says, heading toward the door.
“I’ll make lasagna,” I say, walking her out.
Standing outside the cottage, I watch Avery walking away and quietly dread the idea of going back inside to face Jace. But it’s out in the open now. And I can’t exactly stay out here all night. Besides, now that he knows my pain seems worse.
I groan, squeezing my eyes shut. But instantly, I see visions of him thrusting into me. My body shudders, and for the finest second, the pain disappears, just at the thought of it. But then it’s back, angrier and needier than before.
Fuck.
This has deteriorated rapidly, from bad to worse.