Chapter 11
Time was of the essence. After borrowing Lakota’s truck and driving me home, Salem loaded my work equipment into the back. Worried someone might break into the house and steal everything, including a kiln, I carefully packed up each item and placed them in boxes.
I wondered what Scott was doing. He wasn’t the type to slander, but I guessed he was having a bit of fun hanging around the community and seeing what he could learn about us.
I worried what people might think about an outsider asking questions about me.
It would only take a few phone calls to the right people for someone to discover I was convicted of a crime.
Even though Scott had cleaned up my mess and vouched for me, the crime itself wasn’t expunged from my record—yet another reason I’d dropped my surname after moving to Storybook.
“Wow!” I twirled around the quaint heat house and marveled at how a building as small as my own house could look so elegant.
“Who decorated it? I always imagined these places with just a bed and toilet.” I rushed to the kitchenette on my right.
The L-shaped counter had a sink, a toaster, a coffee maker, and a microwave.
On the left end was a full-sized shelf with a few snacks on it.
Salem walked past me and set a box in the living room. “The cooler’s by the door. I’m not sure what’s in there.”
I rushed past him into the bedroom and searched for a light switch.
When a lamp flicked on beside the bed against the left wall, my eyes widened.
The bedspread was a sumptuous red that invited me to pet it, but as soon as I did, I glanced over my shoulder and noticed a gigantic TV mounted on the wall at the foot of the bed.
“Wowie! This is like a hotel. Better than a hotel,” I said when I spied the bookshelf across from me. The only door in the bedroom opened to a bathroom equipped with a shower and a tub. There was even a chaise to sit on. “I never want to leave. How much do you think I could pay to rent this place?”
“The women need it for their heat cycle, so that’s not possible,” he answered from the cased opening.
I laughed softly before gliding past him. “I’m only kidding, but this place is amazing. It really is.”
“So they say.”
I collected my bag from the small kitchen table and moved it to the bedroom. “Why aren’t there windows?”
“There are.” He pointed up at the skylight. “It’s for privacy reasons.”
“Ohh. Right.” I glanced up at the blue sky through the skylight and wondered if you could see stars at night.
Salem scratched the side of his nose. “Is this room big enough for your work?”
“Well, more space would be better for the tracing and designs. Does your pack use the living room in the day?”
He stroked his chin. “I’ll speak to Lakota. He’ll have an idea.”
Salem had a way of making me feel better about everything.
“I can cut the glass in here. I brought a plastic tarp to put on the floor, just to be on the safe side. It’s in the truck, and I’ll finish unloading everything in the morning. I use a special mat on the table that catches the glass.”
“It’s nice to know you take safety precautions.”
“You saw me after stepping on that glass bottle at the party. I’m not a fan of cuts. I have goggles and gloves. Wherever you put me, I promise to clean everything.”
“I have no doubt in your skills.”
I rested my hand on the chair. “Now you’re just trying to feed my ego. Well, it’s working.”
Absently playing with my braid, I admired the grey sectional in the next room.
The bright-pink pillows were a nice touch and made me think of Melody’s sofa.
I couldn’t get over the fact they had a massive TV in both the living room and bedroom.
I didn’t own a television, so it was exciting to imagine myself sprawled out on the cozy sectional while watching a movie and snacking.
“Your pack treats the ladies like queens. This is so much better than I could’ve imagined. I’ve never had to worry about hiding when going into heat.”
“You’ve never lived with a group?”
I shook my head. “No. Maned wolves don’t usually live in packs, and since I didn’t grow up in one, that’s not a life I know. It must be awkward with all those pheromones floating around the house and turning on the men.”
He gripped the back of a chair. “Being aroused by the chemicals a woman releases during heat is natural.”
“How do you handle it?”
“We leave the room. Men are still in control of their actions.”
I snorted. “Maybe the men are in control, but you’ve never been in heat, so you have no idea what it’s like for us.”
It got so bad once that I’d contemplated grabbing a random guy off the street to make it end, but no sense mentioning that. Salem was a man and could never truly understand how the pain and amorous feeling created an urgency that tested our common sense.
“Urges can be controlled,” he repeated.
“Someday when you’re mated, you’ll understand.
If you’re not ready for kids, it’ll test your willpower like nothing else.
” I gripped the back of the chair with both hands.
“Because she’s your mate, her scent will call to your wolf.
She’ll beg for you to make it go away. Your medical logic won’t stand a chance against the heat between her legs. ”
The silence dropped between us like a curtain at the end of a performance, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to get a round of applause or jeers for my unnecessary explanation of raw passion.
While I wasn’t a mind reader, I saw desire twirling in his eyes. The way his lips parted, his cheeks flushed, and even his breathing grew heavier.
I felt the same. That simmering lust wasn’t me wondering how good it would feel to have a man take me during heat, it was about how good it would feel to have Salem take me.
Maybe on this very table.
After all, we were alone.
Very alone.
Salem cleared his throat and abruptly headed to the door. “You didn’t have to bring your own food. We would’ve stocked the cabinets.”
“I’m intruding enough. I’ve never called on a favor before, so I didn’t realize how many people could get dragged into it. I don’t want to be an imposition.”
He gave me a hot look over his shoulder that made my toes curl. “You’re not an imposition.”
“I’m so glad there’s a microwave. If you have bowls in the cabinets and silverware in the drawers, that’s everything I need to heat up my food.”
He stepped outside the door but clutched the doorjamb. “You could join us at dinner.”
“Uh, no, thanks. Not that I wouldn’t want to, but mealtimes in a pack house are a whole bonding thing, and I’m an outsider. I’ll just heat up soup and watch TV.”
“We have plenty of drinks.” He gestured to the cooler by the door. “That isn’t stocked like it usually is. Come inside and help yourself to whatever you like.”
I drew closer until we were inches apart. “Whatever I like, huh?”
A tendril of hair loosened from his knot when a gust of wind blew, and it floated in front of his face. “If you get cold, there’s a thermostat. The women say it’s comfortable year-round. Should you change your mind about dinner—”
“I won’t. Don’t mention this to anyone, but this job is important, and I don’t want to come across as a freeloader.
Tak might not recommend me. Or maybe he will, but he’ll add a joke about how I’ll clean out their fridge.
” I smiled at my surroundings. “This is more than enough. Heck, it’s better than my own house.
I’ll get the rest of the stuff out of the truck as soon as I settle in.
We can leave the kiln in there unless Lakota needs the truck before then. ”
“Don’t worry about that. It’s too heavy, and we almost killed ourselves loading it. I’ll have Bear help with that in the morning.” He scratched his chin. “I’ll see what we can do about giving you a larger table to work with.”
Gosh, he’s so thoughtful. I didn’t even have to ask.
I wasn’t able to load my workbench into the truck, especially with the kiln, so that had been on my mind.
I tucked the wayward hair behind his ear, daring my fingers to stroke his neck. “You’re an angel.”
Salem clasped my hand and briefly held it before letting go.
Long after he left, I kept thinking about the way he took my hand.
Did he not want me touching him and that’s why he moved my hand away, or did he grasp my hand on purpose to initiate contact?
His conflicting emotional imprints confused me.
Was I misreading him, or did he have mixed feelings about me?
One thing was for certain: Salem was a complicated man.
Fates, how I wanted to figure him out.
I spent the afternoon organizing the food in the cupboards as if someone might drop in with an unannounced inspection. After unpacking my clothes and neatly placing them inside a small dresser, I spent time daydreaming about pack life.
What better place for a woman to ride out her cycles?
This cabin was private with all the amenities.
Not only was it a romantic space for a couple trying for children, but it was also perfect for a little sexual recreation.
And if a woman preferred to be alone during her time, she had everything she needed.
Books, television, her own kitchen, cozy furniture, privacy, and a few naughty accessories I discovered beneath the bed.
Following a bowl of beans and a little television, I waited until dark before heading into the main house to grab a few drinks. Hopefully, they wouldn’t care if I pilfered a soda or two.
Ascending the steps to the deck, I glanced at the windows on the right where the house jutted out and glimpsed the pack eating dinner at a long table.
Tiptoeing inside, I immediately noticed how all the doors and archways were unusually high.
Bear and Tak were giants, so they must have built this house to accommodate their height.
It made me wonder what their bathtubs looked like.
When I entered the kitchen, I blinked in surprise. They had two refrigerators. Two!