Chapter 50 #3
Immediately, the pup shifts to Bailey who instantly throws herself at me. I catch her, kissing her.
She pulls back far enough to look in my eyes and exclaim, “That. Was. Fucking. Epic!”
I press a kiss to her mate mark, not putting her down. “Fun?”
“So much fun!”
“Good, baby. Let’s get you inside. Get some clothes on before anybody sees you. Wonder where I should break in.” I look around.
“The inside door will be open, we can go through the garage,” she says.
“You stay here. I’ll go get you some clothes from your old room.”
“I’ll just–” she starts to say but I interrupt.
“Stay here.” I set her on her feet and grab cushions from two chairs. “Cover yourself with these.”
She laughs. “I’m not cold.”
“No, but you are naked. Take them.”
She accepts the cushions but asks, “So?”
I lean in. “I don’t want anyone looking at what’s mine.”
She smiles. “First, nobody’s around. I’m in a fenced yard. Second, I’m eventually going to run with other pack members. Eventually, I’ll be nude in front of folks, and it won’t be a bigger deal than anyone else being nude in front of everyone.”
I let out a frustrated growl.
She loops her arms around my neck. “Nobody will care, silly. But you are so sexy, Jason.”
“I’ll care,” I inform, irritated.
Her face changes. I don’t like the new expression.
“Bailey… don’t be upset with me. I can’t help how I feel.”
“Okay, but how about how I feel? I always felt different and not in a good way, especially after getting bullied.”
By my fucking sister. I clench my teeth.
Bailey keeps talking. “I wanted to be like everyone else and didn’t think it was possible. Especially not once everyone was shifting except me. And now I know that it is possible. Not just possible but probable. Can you appreciate that?”
I sigh.
She adds, “I’m not saying I’m looking to shake what my momma gave me in public intentionally, Jase.
I’m telling you I want to be like any other pack member.
Shifting. Running. Being in touch with my wolf.
I want to know my wolf. I want to synch up with her.
And if that means occasionally being without my clothes for a few minutes before getting back into them like every other shifter around here, then it should not be a big deal. ”
“It’s too soon after our mating for me to fathom anyone setting eyes on your naked body.”
“What you did just now was perfect. You let my wolf explore. You followed along, keeping me safe because I sure as heck couldn’t.
She was scared of the stairs but not afraid of the river and I didn’t know if she could swim or not, but then she’s crossing the road and I could hear that motorcycle coming.
I’ve got no way to make her safe. All I can do is watch for now, but I’ve got you keeping her, I mean me, us…
safe. You know? I want you to keep doing that but like today, letting me explore. Let me be a wolf shifter, Jason.”
“I hear you, baby, I do. It’s my job to keep you safe. Always. Can we not talk about this right now? The idea of anyone setting eyes on you without your clothes makes me rage.”
“I want you to understand where I’m coming from.”
“And I want to not imagine anyone else with their eyes on you, Bailey.”
Her expression warms again. “Okay. Go up to my room and get me a robe and then I’ll go upstairs and pack up a couple more things and we can go back to your place.”
“Back home,” I correct, snapping more than I intend.
“Back home,” she agrees, about to let go of me so I pull her tight to my body.
“I love you,” I tell her.
Warmth seeps from her. I see it and feel it, which settles me. This is new and very convenient.
“I’ll deal with it when I have to. Today, I don’t have to and I don’t want to.”
She puts both hands on my neck, grazing her ink with her thumb, staring at it for a beat before her eyes meet mine again.
“Okay,” she says softly, before getting on her tiptoes and pressing her lips to mine in a quick kiss. “Go get me a robe.”
51
BAILEY
The Following Day
The only thing better than waking up the morning after being mated to Jason Creed is waking up yet again today feeling just as excited about my life.
Once again, I’m asleep on my tummy and he’s crashed practically on top of me. We both sleep on the same side of the bed. I guess neither of us has relented and retreated to the other side so far. And I kind of hope neither of us ever does.
After we went back to his place, or, I should say our place, we napped and then I accidentally burnt a lasagna that his family made and put in the freezer. In my defense, it’s half my fault, half Jase’s fault. I forgot to set a timer, but he’s the one who distracted me.
With his penis.
We peeled away the extra-crispy (black as tar) top layer, and it wasn’t a total loss.
After dinner, we snuggled up on the couch planning to watch a movie, but he couldn’t keep his hands off me, so we didn’t see much of it.
That’s okay. It was The Princess Bride, which I’ve seen no less than a hundred times.
I’m sore today. And I want to shift again. Because I want to and also because it dawned on me yesterday that the shift I’d done had eliminated all my virginity-removal related muscle pain.
Convenient! Shift+alt (ernate body shape) and … delete!
If I had a brand-new book for every time over the years that I’d wished I could shift to delete an ache, pain, or ouchie like other citizens of our pack, I’d need another dozen bookshelves.
I’m still astonished I no longer need my eyeglasses.
Heck, I’m more than astounded that I have a wolf!
Shifting yesterday was incredible, but it still felt like I was locked behind a screen, simply watching a scene play out.
I can’t wait to shift again today and see if there’s any difference.
And also visit my parents. Because they didn’t get to meet my wolf yesterday.
I’m betting word has spread through the pack by now, especially given that my brother’s neighbor Claire saw my wolf. She’s a founding member of the Arcana Falls phone tree. Jase told me my wolf was still the size it was the night we mated. We’ll see if there’s any change today.
Today, there are a whole lot of supplies being delivered. And I’m excited to watch my hunky mate create bookshelves and make me a rolling ladder with his skilled, bare hands from my new pink reading chair. I wonder if he’s got popcorn here.
***
I’m sitting on the floor, a wood stain palette in my hand. But my eyes are on Jase. And they have been for a while.
“Surprised you’re not in your new chair, reading a book,” he says. “This is a process, babe. Gonna take time before there’s progress.”
“I like to watch you work.”
And I really do. Always have. He’s in a deliciously tight white muscle shirt, his toolbelt over his faded old jeans. He’s got a baseball cap on. Construction boots. Even the red carpenter pencil tucked behind his ear is sexy.
Watching him concentrate, make decisions, watching those muscles move as he stretches, squats, bends over, and carries heavy stuff… yum.
It’s extra fun watching him do this, because he’s making me bookshelves for not only my book collection, but also the additional twenty-odd books that he gifted me.
I’ve always thought he was good with his hands and now I know what he can do with them on an intimate basis, giving me an even deeper appreciation.
“Since your parents didn’t give you a middle name when you were born, I think I’m going to give you one. Dexter.”
He frowns. “My middle name is Robert, babe.”
“Is it?” I ask. “Hm. I can’t believe I never knew that. I think Dexter makes more sense.”
“Because?”
“Dexterity.”
He gives me half a smile while writing something on a piece of wood with his pencil and tucking it behind his ear again. He’s missing my point, I guess.
“You are dexterous,” I point out, wiggling my eyebrows. “Quite dexterous.” I wiggle my fingers.
He throws his head back and laughs.
“Finally, he gets my meaning.”
My new chair is in the master bedroom right now. It’s way too large to fit out here with the amount of building materials and tools required for this project.
He’s already gotten my input on his plan, which I absolutely love.
The shelving will be built all around the front window, going straight up to snug into the outline of the roof peak so we’ll have some partial and shorter shelves right up to the ceiling.
He’ll be putting my chair in front of that window and since the foot of it will nearly touch the banister overlooking the stairs, blocking the way to the other rooms, he talked about upgrading the window to make it a bump-out, giving us more space.
We don’t really need easy access to those rooms for the time being, but I like the way he thinks.
And this quickly escalated to Jase offering to also put a small second floor balcony off that window so I can opt to read inside or outside.
I told him he didn’t have to go through such an enormous project, especially since we have a front porch and a back deck already, both of which are excellent outdoor reading spaces, but after seeing how excited I got at the notion, he insisted and admittedly, I’m stoked.
“What color do you like the most?” I ask, examining the wood stain palette in my hand.
“Told you already, doesn’t matter to me. Pick the stain you like the most.”
“But what if the one I like today isn’t the one I’ll like in a few years. I should pick something timeless. Something that matches the stain on the banister. Or some washable white paint like I have on the bookshelves at my parents’. Then I can do it myself and white goes with everything.”
“Not unless you want them white. Then I’ll do the painting. And if you want to change it later, I’ll strip and re-stain them, paint them, I’ll even be-fucking-dazzle them if that makes you happy.”
He uses his circular saw to cut another piece of wood.