CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – Jasper
Mariska’s creamy cinnamon vanilla scent had grabbed ahold of me before she even got to the truck and wouldn’t let go.
There was a heavier musk in her perfume which had me hard as hell and desperate to eat that sweet pussy again.
Her heat was progressing faster than we’d thought, and all we could do was roll with it.
I fingered her on the drive to the farm and made her scream in the backseat of the truck. Balthazar cursed from the driver’s seat that he wanted to taste her delicious juices, but I licked my fingers and shot him a grin. Mariska snuggled against me lightly dozing.
We had Lucian prepare the guest room, but also the pack room.
Mariska could choose any bedroom in the house to stay in, but we wanted to show her we were prepared to care for her.
Forever. There was space here for her. If she wanted her privacy she could have it, and if she wanted us all in the pack room with her, the bed was large enough.
When I picked up Mariska from the truck to carry inside, she wiggled and nudged me. “I can walk on my own.”
“Yes, but your bare legs would turn blue from the cold without my body heat.” I chuckled and set her down, only for a gust of wind to swoop in and prove my point.
Balthazar let Artemis out, and the dog ran around jumping in the snow and biting at it as if she had never seen winter before. He carried Mariska’s bag and laughed at Artemis. “She’s definitely a winter dog. Poor girl is going to miss the snow when you move to California.”
I expected a glare from her at him for that comment, all fire and ice, but she didn’t make eye contact with either of us. What was going on there?
We walked up to the wrap-around porch which was lit by multi-colored twinkling Christmas lights.
There was a Douglas fir wreath on the door decorated with holly berries and a big red ribbon.
Home always made me feel warm and whole, but Mariska gave the wreath a look as if it were a screeching guardian telling her not to enter.
“Welcome to our home.” Balthazar pushed open the front door, grinning from ear to ear. Artemis nearly bowled me over as she dashed inside.
“Artemis!” Mariska yelled and the dog swiftly came to sit in front of her, stiff and alert. “Stay. Could I borrow a towel to dry her off so she isn’t getting anything wet from all the snow on her?”
“Of course.” Balthazar took her bag in and rushed off to the linen closet.
Lucian came down from upstairs. Artemis looked up at him and her tail started wagging, but his gaze was focused on Mariska. “Hi. How are you doing? I’m so sorry to hear about Eloise.”
“Thanks.” Mariska flashed him a shy smile and crouched down to take off her boots. Seeing her in that little Mrs. Claus dress earlier made me horny as fuck, but with her legs bare, I was about ready to bend her over right there in the mudroom and have my way with her.
Balthazar returned with a towel and rubbed down Artemis. She ate up his attention and then wandered into the house to explore.
“I’ll put out some food and water for Artemis.” Lucian offered, and when Mariska started to protest, he shook his head. “It’s okay. I borrowed some dog food and bowls from Liz. Her dogs eat a ton every week, so she always has a lot.”
“Thank you, again. Thank you all for letting me stay tonight.” This soft and demure side of Mariska evoked something new in me.
When she was fiery, I pushed, rising to the challenge.
Now I wanted to gather her up in my arms and never let her go, see to her every need, and make her happy on every level.
“You’re welcome.” Balthazar’s chest was puffing out. It was obvious the same thing I was feeling was feeding his Alpha nature. “And it doesn’t have to be for one night. You can stay as long as you want. Stay for—”
“Time for a tour.” I cut in before he said something that would have Mariska running for the hills.
I shot him a brief stern look. She wasn’t ready yet.
We’d anticipated a couple more dates before bringing her to the house, but this was something we had to do.
I would have ended up sleeping on Primrose House’s damn porch if she hadn’t agreed to come with us.
“Right!” Balthazar had completely ignored the look I’d given him. “This is the mudroom. We added this on about ten years ago. Big space for the whole pack. And plenty of smaller cubbies for children.”
Mariska’s eyes widened, and she wrapped her arms around herself.
Fucking guy with babies on the brain all the time.
I clenched my jaw and reined in the urge to punch Balthazar. Lucian, thankfully, was more on top of it than I was. “Bal, come with me and let’s make an evening snack. We don’t want to crowd Mariska as she gets settled in.”
Balthazar folded his arms, determined not to budge, until Mariska piped up. “I am a little hungry.”
“We’ve got you covered, babe.” Balthazar headed out of the mudroom and paused, “What are you feeling like? Sweet, savory, something fruity?”
“I think I had enough sugar today.” She smiled and fiddled with the fur cuffs of her dress. “And then the burgers… So something light and good for me would be nice.”
“Done.” Balthazar and Lucian disappeared into the house. Artemis trotted by us and followed them toward the kitchen.
“Just you and I now.” I winked at Mariska and led her out of the mudroom into the foyer.
Closing the door behind us, the warmth from the fire in the living room rolled in to warm us.
“To the left is the living room. We spend lots of time there. It’s open to the dining room which leads to the kitchen. ”
A big comfy gray sectional couch was framed by a pair of recliners.
We could sit on the couch to face the river rock fireplace or the gigantic TV.
Photos of us and our families and friends covered the walls in frames of different sizes and styles.
Overlapping rugs covered the hardwood floors and natural wood beams ran width-wise along the ceiling.
Of course it was decorated for the holidays.
Stockings hung from the mantle, and garlands looped around the entire area.
An eight foot tree stood near the wall between the living room area and the dining room.
It was decorated with a silver and blue theme this year, and a pile of presents already sat under it.
“It’s really cozy looking.” But Mariska didn’t step into the room. I tried to read her expression, but I couldn’t quite get what was going through her head.
I walked to the right side of the foyer.
“The first door is my office.” Opening it, I flicked on the overhead light.
Compared to the rest of the house, this room was minimalistic and modern.
My large executive desk was the main feature.
Sleek and black with my leather high back chair behind it.
A pair of black shelves sat on either side of the picture window spartanly decorated with some books, a couple of fake plants, and nearly a dozen awards and honors the farm had received over the years.
“It’s gorgeous,” Mariska said in a quiet voice, but she didn’t step inside.
Switching off the light, I breathed her in. Her perfume filled me, no less potent than it had been in the truck. It told me nothing of her mood or why she had seemed to withdraw into herself.
I took her to the next room. A lamp on the bedside table already lit it with a warm yellow light.
“This is the spare bedroom. It has a full bathroom.” It was the one room none of us had done much with since we moved into the house.
It was like a picture from an old farmhouse with its wire framed queen bed, patchwork quilt, and ruffled bedskirt.
A big dresser sat under the window with its blue curtains drawn and paintings of farm animals decorated the walls.
A ceramic Christmas tree sat in the center of the dresser and reindeer figurines danced around it.
“If you want to stay in here, the bedding is fresh, but we have other rooms upstairs.”
“Let’s look upstairs.” Again, barely a comment from her. Had Balthazar scared her with his kid talk or was she more worn out from the day’s events than she let on?
“Down the hall is the laundry room and storage which connects to the hearth room on the far side of the kitchen. We’ll show you that later.” I took her hand, and she offered no resistance. No smile either. I laced my fingers with hers, my heart beating a little harder as my concern grew.
We went upstairs and stopped at the top.
It placed us in the middle of the hall. “That side,” I motioned to the right.
“Has Bal’s and Lucian’s rooms, along with two smaller rooms. One has a bunk bed we use for our nephews when they stay over.
” She glanced at me and I grinned. “My brother Hudson is married to Justine, Bal’s sister, and they have two boys, Scott and Oliver. Absolute terrors.”
Her mouth twitched. Almost a smile. I pointed to the left. “My room is that way next to a small exercise room, and across from me is the pack room.”
Mariska pursed her lips as she looked one way and then the other. She tugged at the collar of her dress, and I repressed a smirk at the peek of her cleavage. This girl had no fucking idea what she did to me.
“So, is it the bunk bed room for you? You’re the right height to be cozy in a kid’s bed.”
Her amber eyes flashed. Fuck yes, there was the warrior. My hard-on twitched as she lit up, but her light dimmed too quickly.
Mariska squeezed my hand and didn’t release the pressure. “I don’t know. I don’t want to be a burden, and I can’t decide which space I want to be in.”
“Sweetheart.” I caressed her cheek and lifted her chin to look at me.
“You’re not a burden. Don’t ever think that.
We invited you, because we want you here.
You can pick any room. If you just want to sleep on the couch with Artemis, we’ll make that happen, but what’s important is you’re comfortable. ”