You screwed it up. Now she thinks you hate her. Arlo’s mouth was dry. He had to fix this. He’d panicked, before, but everything was under control now. The kids were going to Hideaway, and he could… try to make this work.
God, she was so—so—he bit back a groan. The sweater and pants she was wearing didn’t cling to her body like her soaking wet dress had. What they did was a thousand times worse.
He knew what her body looked like. He knew what she felt like, those warm curves pressed against his side.
And now she was wrapped in his clothes. He knew that sweater like the back of his hand. Its fabric was softened by years of wear, but still warm and cozy. There were a few loose threads that he’d meant to darn but not gotten around to yet, because he only remembered them when they tickled.
As though the universe had heard his thoughts, Jacqueline wriggled slightly and slipped one hand under her—his—sweater. It was too easy to imagine his own hand sliding under the soft fabric to brush away the stray thread and resting, just for a moment, against her even softer skin…
She was gorgeous. Gorgeous and inquisitive and so brave.
His heart sank. She was perfect. She clearly had her life together. He’d have to be arrogant beyond belief to imagine there was any room for him in it.
He cleared his throat. “Is there anyone waiting for you back home? Like I said, I don’t have a phone on the boat, but I can radio in and ask for a message to be sent through.”
Jacqueline’s face went carefully blank. “No,” she said quietly. “I’d better call in to work about the kids’ missing friend, and there’s my work, but… I don’t think they’re likely to check in on me until morning at the earliest. I’m free as a bird.”
She didn’t sound happy about it. Her hands were twisting together; no, Arlo saw as he looked closer, she was rubbing her ring finger. Her empty ring finger.
He’d thought he was an arrogant dick. Now he knew he was an asshole. Only an asshole would be as relieved as he was by something that clearly made her miserable.
“I’m sorry,” he said. His voice was rougher than he’d intended, and he braced himself for her to flinch away, like people usually did when he started growling. It was all he deserved, after all. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No, don’t be.” She didn’t even seem to have noticed the roughness in his voice. She tucked her hands into the too-long sleeves of her sweater. “It’s a sensible question. If there was anyone waiting up at home for me, I’m sure they’d be glad to know I wasn’t lying dead in a ditch somewhere.”
Her voice grated and Arlo was walking towards her before he could stop himself. He just managed to veer off at the last second and stand beside her, staring across the dark water towards the coastline, instead of wrapping his arms around her.
Jacqueline sighed and stopped rubbing her ring finger. “Not that it’s really home anymore, anyway.” She stared out over the water, her eyes squinting as though she was staring into the sun.
Before Arlo could say anything, she shook her head. “God, listen to me rabbiting on. You’d think I’d be happy to meet someone who doesn’t already know everything about my life.”
She glanced at Arlo nervously. He hoped his expression was reassuring. He wasn’t a good judge of what other people thought of his face, for the most part.
“That must be one thing small towns all have in common, shifter or human,” he said.
“Hah!” Jacqueline looked as though she was smiling despite herself. “We don’t have telepathy, though. God. I can’t even imagine how much worse that would be. Or maybe it would be better, maybe I would have—”
She took a deep breath and ran one hand over her eyes in a gesture that Arlo suspected was meant to look like she was pushing her hair off her forehead, not buying time as she got her feelings under control. “Forget it. I was meant to be somewhere else tonight, celebrating a, a fresh start. That’s going to have to wait until the kids are safe.”
Arlo’s wolf whuffled its approval. Of course she was going to stay with the kids. And with him.
Arlo frowned. We don’t know that. We can’t just assume everything’s going to be all right. Not with—he sighed. Not with me involved.
“You can always celebrate in Hideaway Cove,” he suggested.
She actually smiled. Which he didn’t understand, but hell, it was a win anyway.
“You know, that sounds even better than my original plan,” she said. “What do you recommend?”
Dinner. With me. Here on the boat, under the stars, with all the time in the world to get to know each other.
Arlo swallowed. “There’s a good restaurant in town—Caro’s Hook and Sinker. Best chowder you’ll ever eat.”
“Celebrating a fresh start in Hideaway Cove. The town where people can turn into animals.” Her voice echoed with wonder. “You’re right, that does sound better than the Spring Fling, and being pawed at by the same guys who’ve been trying it on since I got single. Why did I ever think having a fresh start in my home town was a good idea?”
Longing flooded Arlo’s veins, along with a protective anger at these men who’d bothered her. He should have said he would take her to Caro’s. Invited her.
Or would she think he was as irritating as those men in her home town?