“I’ll let you inside. Tell her not to worry about work, I’ve got her covered,” Laurie said before opening the doors and allowing him to carry his precious bundle inside. Laurie quietly shut the door behind him and left without another word. She really was a great sister. He’d have to think of some way to thank her in the near future.
True to his word, as soon as he laid Samantha on his bed, he removed the offending clothes. Once she was completely naked, he gently pulled back the covers and tucked her inside. He was tired. Not only had he not slept, his soul was weary from the scare he’d received this morning. He knew it couldn’t have been any less traumatizing for Samantha, being caught in a strange shifter town in her animal form. Jason remembered her abject terror a few weeks ago when discovering she’d stumbled into a wolf den. It was no wonder she passed out in the car.
Pulling off his own clothes, Jason crawled into bed in his boxers and pulled Samantha into his embrace. Comforted by the feel of her curling into him, her hand resting over his heart, Jason breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t forgotten about Cody or his private farewell to Samantha, but there was plenty of time to get to the bottom of that mystery later. Right now, there was nowhere else he wanted to be but next to his little fox.
Chapter 11
Jason wasn’t sure if it was the lack of Samantha’s warm body pressed against him or his own internal clock that woke him after only an hour and a half of rest. Whatever woke him, he was furious to discover Samantha was not only not in his bed, but not in his house at all.
Jason stormed out of his house and jumped into his car. His anger grew the closer he drew to the bookstore. He rushed inside, determined to find Samantha. How dare she leave him after the scare he’d had this morning? A scare she had put him through. He stopped short when he saw Laurie making coffee behind the bar. Panic started to set in after he realized Samantha wasn’t there. Where could she have gone? He didn’t think she would take off again. Even in his anger, Jason hadn’t forgotten how happy she’d been to see him earlier, or how she had clung to him almost desperately. Samantha had had a scare today, too, and he couldn’t picture her taking off on her own again anytime soon.
“Laurie, have you seen Samantha?” Jason bit out, walking to the counter. He resented having to admit he’d lost his mate for the second time in twenty-four hours. It was his job to make sure Samantha was safe and cared for.
“No, but I thought I heard the shower running upstairs a few minutes ago,” Laurie responded.
“Thanks,” Jason choked out. Why hadn’t she showered at his house? Jason was fed up with all the uncertainty he was feeling. It was time to lay his cards on the table and tell her that he wanted her as his mate. That he never wanted to spend another night without her. That he wanted her to move in with him and be his partner for life.
Tonight, he decided. He’d cook her dinner, set a romantic scene and ask her to spend her life with him. He would spend every moment of his life thanking whatever force had brought her to him…if she said yes.
Jason turned around, intent on planning his seduction, when a tall woman barreled into him, almost tackling him to the ground. He grunted at the impact, his arms automatically closing around the woman and preventing them from falling over.
“You’re losing your touch, old man, we almost fell over,” the woman said as he righted them. He looked into familiar hazel eyes. He couldn’t help but return her smile as he pulled her into his arms for a tight hug.
Samantha rushed out of her apartment after taking a hurried shower and changing out of the clothes Cody had loaned her. She had hated leaving Jason’s bed after she woke up safe and secure in his embrace, but she knew she had to get to work. She felt bad enough about getting lost this morning. Missing more work wasn’t an option.
Samantha wasn’t exactly a morning person, but she could easily see it becoming her favorite time of day if she got to wake up in Jason’s arms every morning. She had such a sense of comfort there; she felt cherished for the first time in her life. Briefly worrying she might be projecting her wants and desires onto the situation, Samantha decided there was no harm in a little fantasy. She was already in love with the man. If her heart was going to be broken in the end anyway, she might as well throw her hopes into the mix, too.
Simply allowing herself to hope lifted Samantha’s spirits. She hadn’t hoped for anything since she was a little girl. She’d almost forgotten how hope’s warm glow felt like a blanket wrapping her in its embrace and telling her everything was going to be all right. The world seemed to have taken on new life.
Feeling even lighter of heart than she had when she’d left Cody’s house with Jason, Samantha walked through the door of Books and Crannies, only to feel her heart shatter and fall to her feet in pieces. The scene before her had the same effect as a bucket of cold water.
So this is what heartbreak feels like, Samantha thought as she watched Jason smile down at the brunette in his arms. She knew what was between them couldn’t have lasted forever, but it was a blow so soon after waking up feeling loved.
It hurt to admit it, but she had begun to think he was in love with her. But looking at Jason’s face as he gazed at the woman in his arms, Samantha knew she saw true love in his features. He looked so pleasantly surprised.
The woman was stunningly beautiful in a soft, feminine way. Judging by her scent, she was full human. She was tall, her head coming up to Jason’s chin, causing her to fit perfectly in his arms. Her reddish brown hair fell down her back in a gentle wave, and delicately arched eyebrows framed her smiling hazel eyes. She smiled up at Jason and he smiled back at her. Samantha watched as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, a gesture she knew meant affection. A gesture she had thought Jason reserved only for her. The woman was gorgeous in a way Samantha could never be.
Swallowing a sob, Samantha backpedaled out of the store. She heard Jason call her name as the doors closed behind her, and she ran to her apartment, refusing to stop. All she could think about was leaving. Staying in town, being forced to watch Jason with his new lover, was more pain than she could withstand.
Jason closed a hand on her shoulder as she was fumbling with her keys, and she almost collapsed as Jason turned her to face him. Tears trailed down her cheeks, and she bit her lip to hold in the scream threatening to break free.
“Oh, honey.” Jason’s rough voice held sympathy and pain as he looked down at her tenderly. “It isn’t what you think, little heart. That was Julie, my–”
Samantha didn’t let him finish as she sobbed out her reply. “It’s okay. Honestly. I knew you’d find your mate eventually.” She couldn’t finish as her knees gave out under the weight of her despair. She felt the beautiful world of this morning crashing down around her.
Jason caught Samantha before she hit the ground and carried her into the apartment. He felt her hot wet tears against his neck and his heart broke for her. He had wanted to woo her and romance her when he finally took her as his mate, but waiting to tell her his intentions wasn’t an option anymore. Seeing her grief and knowing he had caused it, even unintentionally, was like a knife in his chest.
Jason gently set her on the bed and crouched down, looking up at her.
“Little heart, please stop crying. You’re killing me. You are my heart, my soul, my life. You are everything to me, my entire world.”