Afterward, she slumped against him, her breath labored and her skin slick. Wrapping his arms around her, he eased her down, coaxing her to relax and let him support her. He felt her go boneless with contentment.
He should probably be worried about the close bond developing between them. But when he was filled with joy and satisfaction, he had a tough time being worried about anything. Maybe someday he’d regret his openness with Rachel. But this wasn’t that day.
They lay there together for a long time, and he was content to let her choose the moment they would move. Her body was warm and comforting against his, and he could have stayed that way without complaint for hours.
Eventually, though, she stirred and propped herself on her elbows to gaze at him. “I like being in charge.”
He chuckled. “I noticed.”
“No, really. I understand that you’re probably an alpha male who expects to be in command of the situation, but I congratulate you on holding back.”
“Alpha male? Where did you come up with that term?”
She smiled and traced the line of his jaw with one finger. “I had some time on my hands while I was pacing the floor worrying about you, so I got on the computer and researched wolves.”
“I’m not a—”
She laid a finger over his mouth. “I know you’re not a wolf, but you have packs the way wolves do, and surely there are some similarities.”
“Yes, there are.”
“You mentioned that Duncan MacDowell’s mate is in line to be the alpha of her pack.”
“She is.” He found her interest flattering. “But what makes you think I’m an alpha? I’m not in command of any pack.”
“That’s true.” She cupped his face in one hand and gazed at him. “But I have the distinct feeling you would like that, Jake Hunter. You’re a born leader. You’d be very good as a pack alpha.”
“It’s a nice compliment, but I’m not going to challenge my pack alpha, a Were named Keegan, who happens to be doing a great job.”
“You have a pack?”
“Sure. All werewolves do. I belong to the Hunter pack based in Idaho.”
She looked puzzled. “That’s not very close. Do you ever see them?”
“Sometimes.” He shrugged. “I’ve always felt more like a Wallace, I guess, although the Wallace pack doesn’t exist anymore in Alaska. The Were community maintains the Wallace museum near Sitka, but that’s about all that’s left. Anyway, I like it here. It feels right to me.”
“Hmm.”
“What?”
She propped her chin on her fist. “I’m sure I’m not telling you something you don’t already know, but sometimes, in the wolf world, a young alpha goes off and starts his own pack.”
“Yeah, so?”
“Why not do that, Jake?”
It was a stunning concept. As much as he enjoyed his independence, he’d thought about the advantages of having his own pack nearby. He’d wondered if his mate, whoever she turned out to be, would go along with staying here, even though his pack was in Idaho.
“It’s a good idea, isn’t it, Jake?”
“I don’t know. I’m still thinking about it.” A pack of his own. The beginning of a dynasty. Yeah, he liked it. She was right about him. He was an alpha, which might be one reason he’d organized WARM.
But WARM was not a pack. It was a social movement. Rachel was suggesting a true wolf pack, of which he would be the alpha. He couldn’t create a pack without a mate, however.
He gazed into her silver eyes and knew exactly what she was thinking. But it violated every belief he held. She might have come up with a life-changing idea, but that didn’t mean she should be a part of it.
Yet she was the only one he could imagine by his side.
Enough. It was past time to end a discussion that had nothing to do with her and gently disentangle himself from a situation that could go nowhere. He wouldn’t leave abruptly, but he would leave.
“You’ve given me a lot to think about,” he said. “Thanks for that.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
“Sure. Let’s eat.” But the sparkle had faded in her eyes. She obviously knew he’d changed the subject on purpose because he didn’t want to continue discussing his future plans with her.
And so their parting would begin. Maybe he should leave abruptly, after all. Quick might be more merciful than slow. Perhaps she should have a say in that.
“Rachel, you know how this is going to end, right?”
“I know how you plan for it to end.”
He kept his gaze locked with hers. “It will end with me leaving Polecat. I’ll put my cabin up for sale, but I don’t intend to stick around and wait for a buyer to come along. I’ll let a real estate agent handle it for me.”
She swallowed but didn’t say anything.
“I’m telling you this straight out because I . . . care about you. A lot.”
“I care about you, too.” Her voice was husky.
“I know now I can trust you not to breach werewolf security.”
“Thank you for that.”
His voice softened. “I’ve never really thought you would, but my knee-jerk reaction was to keep you close until I was sure.”
“So I’m free now to go about my life?” Her smile was faint.
“We both are. So I’m asking you . . . would you like me to leave right now?”
“You can’t, unless you can fit into my jeans.”
He laughed. It was a damned serious situation, and yet he couldn’t help it.
Then she started laughing, too. “God, I’d love to see that!”
They laughed until the tears came. It felt good. And finally, they both stared at each other with silly grins on their faces.
She wiped her eyes and sniffed. “Tell you what. I’ll drive over to your place and bring you some clothes.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
“But if you don’t mind, I’d rather you didn’t leave just yet.”
“You’re sure? Because I don’t want to make this any worse than it already is.”
She looked into his eyes. “When you leave, it will be the worst day of my life. It doesn’t matter if that’s today, tomorrow, or a week from now. I’ll hate that day because it’ll be the last time I’ll ever see you.”
He nodded slowly.
“So can I be greedy and ask for a little more time?”
“Yeah.” He leaned forward and kissed her. “Because I want to be greedy, too.”
Chapter 19
Rachel missed Jake the minute she drove away from her cabin. She’d have to get over this intense desire to be with him, or at the very least to maintain contact, because she wouldn’t be able to for much longer. But she’d left him her cell number and had insisted on digging his phone out of her backpack and turning it on. Knowing she could call him, or vice versa, gave her comfort for the time being.
She had two errands to run—clothes for Jake at his house, and a pound of coffee at the general store. She hadn’t told Jake about the coffee because he might have objected to her making contact with Ted. But she wouldn’t take long, and she just had time to drop by the store before Ted closed up for the night.
She was almost out of coffee, and a day without caffeine wouldn’t work for her, especially considering the stress she was under. She’d meant to pick up a pound a week ago, but she’d been distracted by a sexy werewolf.
Jake was in charge of cooking dinner while she was gone. He’d do a far better job of it than she would. When she’d left him in her kitchen, he’d been whistling as he concocted a barbecue sauce for the ribs she’d taken out of the freezer and stuck in the microwave.