The Wolf's Surrender - By Kendra Leigh Castle Page 0,68
ever seen him maneuvering the muscle car around curves and beneath tunnels of trees. They headed farther out into the country, and Mia watched farms and homes fly past. The air smelled rich, like decayed leaves and wood smoke. Some of her favorite smells.
When Jenner slowed and turned into a long drive, Mia looked around curiously. There was a lovely, weathered farmhouse at the end of the drive, and squatting nearby was a barn and chicken coop. Cattle grazed placidly in the fields surrounding the house.
She turned her head to look at Jenner. “I don’t care what you say. You’re not going to convince me to chase chickens. Not yet, anyway.”
His laugh, the deep, warm roll of it, pushed her further toward the edge of a precipice she’d been inching toward ever since she’d met him.
He parked the car on the grass beside the house, then killed the engine. They sat in silence for a long, surprisingly comfortable moment. Finally, Mia looked over at him, genuinely curious.
“Can I ask what brought this on?”
Jenner’s gold eyes caught hers when he turned his head. The lazy half smile made her feel like melting into her seat. But there was something in his expression that puzzled her...almost a kind of resignation. Mia wondered what it was about. Whether it was about her.
“I got up early.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Okay.”
“I had a lot of time to think while I was tracking this morning. We found a body, by the way. Didn’t belong to Gaines.” He frowned and put up a hand before she could ask any questions. “I should have saved that. It’s not what I brought you here for.”
“But was it one of...yours?” She’d almost said “ours.” It had been on the tip of her tongue.
He shook his head. “No. We think he might have been one of Gaines’ men. Unfortunately, that’s about as much as we can figure right now. He...wasn’t in good shape.”
“Oh.” He was right...this wasn’t a great lead-in.
Jenner laughed quietly, as though he knew what she was thinking. “I mentioned I wasn’t great at talking, right? Walk with me,” Jenner said. “It’s beautiful out here, and there are some things I guess we need to talk about.”
That, at least, was a relief to hear. “Yes,” Mia agreed. “I guess there are.”
Without another word, Jenner got out of the car. Mia got out, too, noting that Jenner had come around to take her hand and shut the door. It was a small thing, but he kept her hand in his as they headed off down a narrow path that veered away from the house and through a meadow that Mia imagined would be in all its glory come the spring. There was a pond in the distance, and she could hear a few ducks and geese.
Jenner walked quietly beside her for a few minutes, and Mia waited. Though she hadn’t known him long, she understood how he was. Jenner was a living illustration of how still waters ran deep.
Finally, he spoke. “I didn’t think I’d ever be all that interested in anyone again, Mia. But every time I’m near you I forget every damn rule I’ve made for myself. Last night...” He trailed off, then stopped, turning to face her.
“Last night meant something. I knew it would, I guess, which is why I was trying not to let it happen. But it did, and I can’t take it back. I wouldn’t want to.”
A hard knot she hadn’t even been aware existed finally began to loosen deep within Mia’s chest.
“I can’t stop thinking about you,” Mia admitted. “It ought to feel crazy, but it doesn’t. Look at what I’m dealing with, what I just went through. The last thing that should be on my mind is a guy, but it’s all I can do not to throw myself at you every time you walk in the room. And last night...” She tried to find the words and failed miserably.
The deep rumble of Jenner’s laugh rippled through her, telling her he understood.
“It’s like that with wolves, when things are...right,” Jenner said. “Even faster with us because you’re bitten already. Nobody’s really sure why werewolves have accelerated courtships, but it’s expected within the pack.” He watched her from beneath long, impossibly dark lashes. “I won’t lie, Mia. This might turn out to be a big mess no matter how you or I feel about it. But there’s no way in hell I’m letting Kenyon Chase or any other man anywhere near you for