stalk back to Maddie, who’s still standing by her chair, sweeping up the last vestiges of my haircut and shave, and dropping it in the trash. Kind of like her memories of last night.
I bend down and toss her over my shoulder. With a brusque nod to the gaping patrons, the wide-eyed counter girl, and the smug face of the owner, I carry Maddie out of the salon.
She beats at me with her tiny fists and yells about how I should let her down and what the hell I’m doing.
I pop open the passenger door to the truck and shove her squirming body inside. “I’m taking you home.” She pushes at me, but I outweigh her by a good hundred pounds, maybe more. Leaning across, I find the seat belt buckle and fasten her in.
“You let me go,” she demands. Her hands fumble with the buckle, but I shut the door and lock it and keep locking it every time she tries to unlock the door.
I hurry around to the driver’s side door and climb inside, keeping the lock button on the key fob depressed. Once inside the cab, I clamp one hand around her thigh and use the other to engage the drive shaft and get the damn truck into gear.
She sits silently on her side of the truck as we rumble toward home.
“What’s it going to take to get you to stay, Maddie?” I ask as I steer down the long gravel road that leads up to the house.
“Something you can’t give,” she retorts. Her arms are crossed.
Fuck. What could it be? I have some money. Maybe she doesn’t know that. Maybe she thinks that I’m broke as shit and can’t afford to feed her. “I’ve got plenty of money, and you know I can feed you. There’s more venison around here. Do you prefer a doe? I can catch that next time,” I offer.
She shifts in her seat and glares at me. “Are you making fun of me?”
“What? No!” I resist the urge to beat my head against the steering wheel. “I just don’t know what you want. You tell me and I’ll get it for you.”
“I’m tired of shifters,” she says, and her voice does sound resigned. “I’m tired of someone chasing me hard only to decide that they don’t want me after all.”
“Don’t want to be with you?” I echo in surprise. What in tarnation is she talking about? “Little wolf, I’m kidnapping you and taking you to my den. That’s about as opposite of not wanting you as it gets.”
“Fine, you want me now, but what about tomorrow or the next day? I don’t want to get involved with someone who’s going to throw me over for someone else.”
“Another woman? Why would I want another woman? I want you!”
“For how long?”
“For goddamn ever!”
“For—” She breaks off. We stare at each other. Our chests are heaving like we’ve just fought a fierce physical battle. “You don’t do mates, remember?”
“I…” I stick my tongue in the corner of my cheek. Fuck. I did say that. When she was first here, I was trying to remind myself not to get attached, but it was already too late. It was too late from the moment I walked into the bar.
Maddie huddles on her side of the cab seat, and I realize that no amount of words is really going to convince her of my intentions, but I’m putting forth both words and action today. I give her a firm nod. “You’re right. I said that because I’m a stupid man, and I was trying to avoid what happened to my dad. See, Mom was his true mate, and after she died, his spirit went with her. He hasn’t been the same since. I didn’t want a mate because I figured it was better to live without one than to suffer the loss. But having just the tiniest taste of you makes me realize that I don’t know nothing about life and living it. You probably don’t believe me, so I’m just going to show you what I mean.”
“Wait—” she calls out, but I’m out of the door and rounding her side of the truck. I pull her out and fling her over my shoulder.
She pounds on my back again. “You can’t keep tossing me around like I’m a bag of flour.”
“You know your safe word.
I bend down and toss her over my shoulder. With a brusque nod to the gaping patrons, the wide-eyed counter girl, and the smug face of the owner, I carry Maddie out of the salon.
She beats at me with her tiny fists and yells about how I should let her down and what the hell I’m doing.
I pop open the passenger door to the truck and shove her squirming body inside. “I’m taking you home.” She pushes at me, but I outweigh her by a good hundred pounds, maybe more. Leaning across, I find the seat belt buckle and fasten her in.
“You let me go,” she demands. Her hands fumble with the buckle, but I shut the door and lock it and keep locking it every time she tries to unlock the door.
I hurry around to the driver’s side door and climb inside, keeping the lock button on the key fob depressed. Once inside the cab, I clamp one hand around her thigh and use the other to engage the drive shaft and get the damn truck into gear.
She sits silently on her side of the truck as we rumble toward home.
“What’s it going to take to get you to stay, Maddie?” I ask as I steer down the long gravel road that leads up to the house.
“Something you can’t give,” she retorts. Her arms are crossed.
Fuck. What could it be? I have some money. Maybe she doesn’t know that. Maybe she thinks that I’m broke as shit and can’t afford to feed her. “I’ve got plenty of money, and you know I can feed you. There’s more venison around here. Do you prefer a doe? I can catch that next time,” I offer.
She shifts in her seat and glares at me. “Are you making fun of me?”
“What? No!” I resist the urge to beat my head against the steering wheel. “I just don’t know what you want. You tell me and I’ll get it for you.”
“I’m tired of shifters,” she says, and her voice does sound resigned. “I’m tired of someone chasing me hard only to decide that they don’t want me after all.”
“Don’t want to be with you?” I echo in surprise. What in tarnation is she talking about? “Little wolf, I’m kidnapping you and taking you to my den. That’s about as opposite of not wanting you as it gets.”
“Fine, you want me now, but what about tomorrow or the next day? I don’t want to get involved with someone who’s going to throw me over for someone else.”
“Another woman? Why would I want another woman? I want you!”
“For how long?”
“For goddamn ever!”
“For—” She breaks off. We stare at each other. Our chests are heaving like we’ve just fought a fierce physical battle. “You don’t do mates, remember?”
“I…” I stick my tongue in the corner of my cheek. Fuck. I did say that. When she was first here, I was trying to remind myself not to get attached, but it was already too late. It was too late from the moment I walked into the bar.
Maddie huddles on her side of the cab seat, and I realize that no amount of words is really going to convince her of my intentions, but I’m putting forth both words and action today. I give her a firm nod. “You’re right. I said that because I’m a stupid man, and I was trying to avoid what happened to my dad. See, Mom was his true mate, and after she died, his spirit went with her. He hasn’t been the same since. I didn’t want a mate because I figured it was better to live without one than to suffer the loss. But having just the tiniest taste of you makes me realize that I don’t know nothing about life and living it. You probably don’t believe me, so I’m just going to show you what I mean.”
“Wait—” she calls out, but I’m out of the door and rounding her side of the truck. I pull her out and fling her over my shoulder.
She pounds on my back again. “You can’t keep tossing me around like I’m a bag of flour.”
“You know your safe word.
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