“Take as long as you need. I don’t mind paying a little extra to ensure my wife and I retain our privacy. ”
Chris didn’t miss the emphasis and jealousy reared its head. However, punching his employer on day one probably wouldn’t go over well. He gnashed his teeth as he followed Jack to the basement. He needed to find a way to change the husband’s mind about his work hours. The whole point of getting the job was to run into Jill. Flirt a little. Touch her a few times innocently and see what happened. He’d have a hard time convincing her of their destiny as a mated couple if he never saw her.
As Chris worked, getting his job site setup and some of the basics started, he pondered the problem. Stewed over it all day as a matter of fact and when four thirty hit, he was tempted to ignore Jacks’ request and stay late. He could have pled losing track of time. But, just as he pondered the wisdom of pissing off his new boss on the first day, he got an idea.
Returning Saturday at nine a.m. – because Jack didn’t specify what days, just the time – Chris knocked. No one answered and he noted the lack of vehicle in the driveway. Damn. He’d hoped his decision to work weekends would allow him to run into Jill. However, just because they weren’t there now didn’t mean they wouldn’t return soon. Perhaps they went out for breakfast, or to run some errands. Maybe they’re having sex?
Chris growled at the thought until he reminded himself the car was gone from the driveway. They weren’t home, but if he was lucky, they would probably return while he worked. Desperate, he knew, but unable to get her out of his mind, he’d take whatever thin chance he could. Chris let himself in with the key Jack gave him.
As soon as he stepped in, her scent enveloped him. Clinging to the walls, the furniture, it surrounded him and while it roused his wolf, at the same time, it calmed him. Breathing deep, he allowed himself to enjoy the fragrance for a moment before heading to work. He’d almost made it to the basement stairwell, when something whacked him on the back of the head. Stunned, he didn’t initially react, so the person hit him again.
Chapter Eight
Jiao heard someone knocking at the door but ignored it. House rule number one when Jack went out was ‘don’t answer the door’. So she didn’t and nearly peed her pants when someone opened the front door. Worse, she couldn’t smell them because she’d caught a cold and with her nose stuffy – red too, from blowing, ick – she didn’t know if friend or foe entered. Although, considering they had no friends, foe seemed more likely.
Grabbing a hold of the rolling pin she was using to make a pie crust for the quiche she’d planned for lunch, she vetoed the hallway which would have meant a direct confrontation with the intruder and instead, slunk through the dining and living room area coming up behind the stranger in the front hall. Wearing a plaid shirt, jeans, and a baseball cap, he seemed really large and imposing.
Shutting her eyes tight, she swung. The object of her whack, grunted, and she opened her eyes to see him still standing, so she swung again.
Down he went in a sprawled mess. Rolling pin held to the side, she approached him on silent feet, ready to hit him again if he moved. Up close she noticed a few things. How the jeans molded a taut ass and the seams of the shirt strained. Oh, and the fact that lying prone on her floor, face turned to the side, eyes closed, was Chris, the wolf and object of her fantasies the last few days.
Oops.
Chagrined, she dropped her weapon of baking destruction, and knelt beside him. Before she could touch him and see if he lived, she found herself flat on her back, a heavy body pinning hers to the floor. Startled she could only squeak in surprise. While her tongue lost its ability to speak for a moment, her body had no problem feeling, though. She noted how his calloused fingers gripped her wrists above her head. How
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