Jaeden shrugged. “I have no idea, sorry.”
“OK.” Caia tried not to bite her lip anxiously. “Well, thanks for the ride.”
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”
“Thanks.” She reached for the door handle to get out, and then slowly turned back to Jaeden. “And thanks again for … well … you made today a lot easier for me.”
The young lykan’s smile lit up the whole car. “I’m really glad you’re back, Cy.”
Smiling despite herself, she climbed out of the Buick, and waving Jaeden goodbye made her way into the store. All was quiet with no one manning the front. Taking in a set of doors at the back of the room she guessed Lucien was in there somewhere. It was quite a large space; the showroom was filled with all kinds of pieces of furniture. She looked over some of it, awed at how beautifully crafted they were. His work came in all styles and woods. Stunning, she shook her head amazed, and then thoughtlessly turned over a tag on one of his rocking chairs. Her eyes widened. That’s how Lucien was able to contribute so thoroughly to the already substantial pack inheritance. Entranced by the rustic whimsy of the chair, Caia didn’t hear Lucien come up behind her.
“So how was school?” The dark voice rumbled in her ear.
“Wha...” She jumped, turning to face him, her hand floating to her heart in reflex. Dammit, she breathed closing her eyes. She did not want him to know how much he unnerved her. She opened her eyes at his gentle, mocking laughter.
“Didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Yeah, well, if your intention is not to scare people don’t sneak up on them.”
“I thought you would have at least smelled me. I picked up your scent, that’s how I knew you were out here.”
She shook her head gently, turning to look back at the rocking chair. She didn’t want to analyze the rush of hot shivers that ran down her spine when he mentioned he’d followed her scent. She was acting like an idiot.
“I was too busy looking at this chair. It’s really beautiful.”
“Thank you,” he acknowledged and took a step back from her. Her body appreciated it and was almost functioning normally again. “So how was school?” he repeated.
“Fine. I met Dana and Daniel, Sebastian, Alexa and Finlay, and their brother, Malek.”
“How was that?” Lucien smirked, as if he knew how uncomfortable it must have been for her.
“Again, fine.” No way was she going to let him think this was hard for her. From what she knew of Pack Leaders he’d treat her like a baby otherwise.
“Just fine?”
“They’re nice.”
Lucien laughed outright. “Nice. No. Uh, I’ve met Dana, Alexa, and Malek and they’re not nice.”
Caia rolled her eyes. “OK, well … the others were nice.”
“And …?”
“And nothing.”
He quirked an eyebrow in a very disarming way, something inside her stomach actually tugged in reaction to it.
“I’m trying to fit in with everyone here. If I have the Pack Leader running to them every time I’ve got a problem, they’re going to hate me.”
“So there is a problem?”
Caia felt a growl purring at the back of her throat. She never growled. “No,” she said between clenched teeth.
He seemed to take the hint. Kind of. “Your classes OK?”
“Yes. Thank you. They’re fine.”
A moment of silence descended upon them. His silver eyes never left hers and she began to squirm, stepping from one foot to the other. She hated that he affected her so much. When she couldn’t take it any longer she blurted out the first thing that came to mind, “Why did you ask Jaeden to drop me off here?”