ChapterFourteen
Logan
Dressed in a suit when surrounded by people in plaid shirts, cowboy hats, and boots felt a little like overkill. Bibi was here, of course, so she evened out the equation.
“What’s going through your mind right now?” she asked.
“It was good to see Cindy relax. She’s an incredible mom, but I want her to be Cindy. Does that make sense?”
“Total sense. It’s hard when there are little ones around. They’re totally dependent on her, and no one in that pack likes to ask for help.”
“It’s not a dominant wolf trait.” I could draw many parallels with my own pack.
Bibi laughed. “Definitely not. Tell me more about the couples’ massage.”
“We’ve technically only known each other for a day, but it feels like so much more.” My mind went back to her bare body on the table. Laying there with her eyes closed, so willing to trust. Her skin slick and shiny from the warm oil.
The way she gave me that shy grin when she opened her eyes and caught me watching her...
“It’s because she’s your mate.” Bibi snapped me back to reality. “What’s got you smiling like that?”
“She wants this. The big, dangerous love affair. And I’m ready to give it to her.”
Bibi moved forward in her seat. “We’ll schedule time to talk about what you mean by dangerous, and figure out exactly how to give her everything she wants and needs, but here she comes.”
I stood, my wolf on point inside me. Everything was dangerous right now. Her ex, and the threat he posed in his pack. My feelings for her. If I could be the wolf she needed me to be.
Cindy was fucking gorgeous. Her hair had been pulled away from her face, and curls cascaded down her back. The glow from the spa hadn’t faded from her skin. If I had my way, it would be a permanent fixture. A black flowered dress fit and flared, complimenting her curves.
Every head on the deck turned as she walked toward me. Because this woman was magnetic. And she was mine.
I reached for her hands when she approached.
“I want to kiss you,” she said.
“Funny thing about that. I want you to kiss me.” There was no hiding the rumble in my words. This was the most wolf I’d felt...
Cindy leaned forward and pressed her lips against my cheek, lingering there long enough to feel the power go through me, and then pulled away slowly.
Our first kiss earlier today was hot, but this one was just as unexpected and sexy in a totally different way.
“Thanks for the surprise makeover.” She held out her skirt. “I have no idea where you guys found this dress on such short notice, but I kinda want to wear it every day.”
“That could be arranged.”
She laughed. “It’s date night only. If I wore this around the boys, one of them would have the skirt up around my waist at the worst time possible.”
“Good thing we’ll have plenty of date nights.” There was a table reserved for us at the corner of the deck. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
I slid the chair in behind her and took the seat across the table from her. Her gaze scanned the scene. A band was setting up on the far end of the deck. People gathered along the railing, laughing over their drinks. And the sun was putting on the biggest show of all, painting the sky with a riot of color as it set over Colorado Ranch.
“What are you thinking?” I asked.
“So many things. I can’t believe how much my life has changed over the course of twenty-four hours. I didn’t think it would happen, even though Bibi promised it would. I thought I was trapped in my circumstances—even if Pedro wasn’t my mate, my fate was set in the Green Mountain pack. But things can be different.”
“What do you want to change?”
A waiter had appeared with a bucket of champagne. The pop of the cork garnered a cheer from the people around us. They had no idea what we were celebrating, but they wanted to be a part of it. I liked that. I was used to cutthroat competition and people always wanting something from me.
I could get used to Sunset Springs, Colorado. Especially with this woman at my side.
We toasted, and Cindy took a sip.
“I want more nights like this. I want to push my limits. My world feels like it’s been so small.”
“Have you traveled?”
“Furthest I’ve ever been from Green Mountain Ranch is Sunset Springs.” She took another sip. “And before the show, it had been a while since I left the village.”
“Where do you want to go?”
She thought about it for a moment. “I’d like to see the ocean. Maybe some palm trees. I like it here, though. Green Mountain doesn’t seem like much, but when you’re a wolf, it’s perfect. Far enough away from civilization where you can run for miles. Haven’t done that for a while either.”
Don’t keep secrets from your mate,my wolf warned.
“Did you shift a lot before kids?”
She nodded. “I love to run. Now that I might have a babysitter every once in a while, we can do it.”
Tell her.
“I’d love for you to show me the forest,” I said, and my wolf muttered that I’d lose her if I didn’t come clean. I turned to Bibi. “Can you shut the camera off?”
Bjorn looked at Bibi, but the camera was still rolling.
“We film everything,” Bibi said. “You do have a say over final edits.”
But she hadn’t wanted to film the altercation between Cindy and that she-wolf at the park...
I had to tell her, whether the cameras were rolling or not. This wasn’t about me or my reputation. This was about my mate. Starting our lives together.
“How about we shut the camera off, and then we can decide how to include this?”
You’re among wolves, and you’re not gonna get what you want here just because you’re famous, my wolf groaned. You have to earn every single thing.
“Logan, is something wrong?” Cindy reached for my hand. “Wendy showed me an article online that you had to leave your last movie—”
“Because I couldn’t shift.” It felt surprisingly good to say it out loud. What didn’t feel good was the shock on Cindy’s face. “Doc thought it was exhaustion. I’d gone from project to project without taking a break. Gotta strike while the iron’s hot. No one wants to see an old guy coming back from his shift. So my body decided to take a break for me. Thought after a couple weeks of rest, hiring a personal chef, and a masseuse to get my body right, I’d be back, better than ever. But I still haven’t been able to shift.”