The Alpha's Saviour

Chapter 12

COOPER POV

           I step out of the truck and can tell the instant that she realizes that her visitor is me. Her eyes open wide, and a warm smile spreads across her face, her delighted reaction filling me with joy. My mate is happy to see me, even if she doesn’t feel the bond the same way I do and to the extent that I do. I know in that second that I will do anything in my power to make her smile like that every day for the rest of our lives.

           “Hi there. I hope I’m not disturbing you?” I say, remembering to walk a little slower and gingerly, like someone recovering from surgery would if they were not yet fully healed. Her gaze drifts over me from head to toe as she crosses the lawn towards me, pulling off her purple gardening gloves as she walks. Her tongue flicks out to moisten her plump pink lips before she speaks, and I clench my fists by my sides to stop myself from just sweeping her up and kissing her there and then.

           “Not at all, it’s good to see you up and about. You look really good,” as soon as the words are out of her mouth, her cheeks flush and I can hear her heart rate pick up, “Good compared to the last time I saw you I mean! I didn’t think you would be up and about so soon.” she corrects, flustered by her blatant admission that she was checking me out. I try not to grin too hard, totally thrilled to know that she is not completely unaffected by the pull that I feel, and for the first time in two weeks, I feel a bit more confident that I can make this work.

“So…what can I do for you?” she gazes up at me now with a serious expression, and my short-lived confidence boost vanishes. Even though I am flashing her my most dazzling smile, she has no concept of mates, and it’s clear that she isn’t going to just leap into my arms as a she-wolf would just because she finds me attractive. In a way I like it, I am going to have to work harder, but wolves do love a chase. I rub my hand across the back of my neck like a nervous schoolboy as I try to remember what I had planned to say.

           “I wanted to thank you in person for what you did,” I look her straight in the eye and I see her pupils dilate slightly, the eye contact feeling powerful and intimate, “and to apologize for my mother accosting you at work, she can be a bit full on.” She lets a big laugh out at that but doesn’t deny it.

“Well, it’s been lovely getting to know Leila, we’ve gone for lunch a couple of times and it’s great to meet someone else in town.” I must thank Leila for making her feel at home in Pine Ridge, but I notice that she chooses to acknowledge my thanks and any praise for what she did. Ethan was spot on about the modesty part.

“Ethan mentioned that you are doing some work on your place here, and that happens to be my line of business.” I nod my head towards my truck which has Jones Construction and a logo printed on the passenger side door. I love my old truck but as I look at it now, I wonder if it really screams successful, trustworthy company to someone who doesn’t know us. Hmm, maybe I should have borrowed dads to impress her.

           “So, you’re here looking for business…?” she asks, tilting her head to the side with a little frown, and I wonder is she a little disappointed thinking that this is all I am here for.

           “Yes and no. I really wanted to meet you, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you helped me out. I can’t ever repay you for what you did, but I’d like to do something, and this, helping out with what needs doing, is the best thing I can think of to offer.” She squints her eyes at me suspiciously as she takes a step closer, and it’s my heart rate that picks up this time as a waft of her delicious scent hits me. This is the strongest blast of it I have gotten yet and it’s heavenly.

           “I’m not going to let you fix up my house for free,” She states simply, in a tone that leaves me in no doubt that she will not change her mind.

           “I was going to suggest that if you give me an idea of what you need done, I could lend you a couple of apprentices to do the small stuff for you, and maybe we could work out a friends and family discount on any of the bigger stuff.” I say, lying through my teeth. I have no intention of letting her pay me for anything, but I just need to get her to agree first. I see her hesitate for a second, she purses her lips, and I can nearly see her internal struggle between not wanting to accept help and the tempting but still reasonable offer. Ethan told me how she is doing as much as she can herself at the weekends so the savings on time and money must be appealing.

           “You really don’t owe me anything, I was just in the right place at the right time,” she hedges, but she taps at her lower lip with her index finger as if she is still pondering my proposal. I can’t help but stare at the movement, I want to suck that bottom lip between mine and r****h her mouth until those lips are red and swollen. I pull my thoughts back out of the gutter and look her straight in those big, bright eyes, and sneak another step closer myself.

           “I know, but please consider it. It would really make me happy, and my mother happy, to be able to do something in return. Why don’t you show me what you need to do and at least let me give you some quotes? If you decide to go with someone else for the bigger stuff in the end, I won’t hold it against you.” I wink at her, and I see her resolve break. She chuckles and smiles openly at me, blushing slightly again at my cheekiness.

           “I suppose some help with the smaller jobs would be great. I have been teaching myself some things as I go with YouTube videos, but some things are really a two-man job or beyond my skills,” she admits. The fact that she has nobody to help with the two-man jobs all but confirms that there is no other man in the picture. That thought makes my day. Looks like I won’t have to fall out with Marcus after all.

“Great!” I exclaim, taking this as a win, and I decide to press on quickly before she has the chance to change her mind, “Do you have time now to show me?”

“Em… yeah, sure. Just give me a minute to clean up,” I follow her up the steps onto the wide ranch style porch that runs the length of the front of the house and try not to stare at her perfect ass when she bends again to toe off her mucky boots, stowing them along with her gardening gloves underneath a bench right beside the front door. Jesus Christ. I bite my tongue and try to think unsexy thoughts to tame the semi that has appeared instantly making my jeans uncomfortably tight. Nothing like a hard on to make things awkward with someone you just met.

“It’s a beautiful house.” I say as I trail along behind her as she heads in through the front door, and around the corner into the large kitchen.

“It is, or it will be again when it’s finished. There’s nothing major that needs fixing other than the roof, but I want to make some changes to the layout, to open it up a bit. Then do some small repairs and painting. I’ll try to do most of the garden myself.” She keeps chatting as she washes her hands at the sink with her back to me, and I can’t help my gaze from travelling down her long, bare legs. I bite my lip hard to try and pull my focus back to what she is saying.

“I want to keep most of it open plan downstairs, but I’ll keep two rooms separate, one en-suite bedroom for anyone who has problems with stairs and one that I can use as a separate dining room for guests…,” she continues on.

“Wait… what? Guests?” I ask sharply, and she turns to look at me as she dries her hand on the towel with a slightly puzzled look on her face.

“I told Ethan, sorry I assumed he would have mentioned it. I’m turning this place into a bed and breakfast. There are plenty of rooms and it’ll give me some extra income…” Oh hell no. Absolutely no way. No way is my mate going to be living in a house, unprotected, with a stream of strangers coming in and out through those doors, sleeping just down the hall from her. Over my dead body. Concern and possessiveness rage through my system in equal measures, and I struggle to push down the desire to just demand that she change her plans. I turn away from her, pretending to consider what changes she could make to the space just so that she doesn’t see my face, and my eyes which have no doubt changed to gold, showing that my wolf is close to the surface.

“Ethan never mentioned it…” I say in what I hope sounds like a casual voice. I’ll kill him. Although I know why he never told me, because I would have reacted like this and obsessed over it for the last 2 weeks. “But are you sure it’s safe?” It’s not safe! My brain is screaming at me to tell her that under no circumstances can she have other men staying here, that nobody other than me should be sleeping under her roof, ever again. If she wasn’t a human, that’s exactly what I would say, even though I am aware that it’s not really appropriate. But I force myself to remember that she is human, and clearly a very bright and independent one at that, moving here on her own, buying this house and working hard to make her plans happen. I know that acting like a Neanderthal is going to knock any chance I have with her on the head right here, so I keep my mouth shut. She walks around the island and stands just a foot away from me, and this close to me, her scent is intoxicating, and I itch to reach out for her and pull her to me. She looks up and meets my gaze defiantly, with a slight smirk on her face, as if she sees straight through my fake calm façade and knows exactly what I am trying so hard not to say.

“That’s funny, that’s the very same thing that Ethan said. It’s almost as if you boys think that a girl like me isn’t capable of taking care of herself.” She doesn’t wait for me to answer before she turns and goes to step away again. Before she can, I grab her hand and pull her back, so she is only a few inches from me, and sparks of electricity fly up my fingers and arm at the skin-to-skin contact. A small gasp passes her lips as we touch, and her eyes flash up to meet mine, and I hope that means she felt the sparks too, and not that I have overstepped the mark with her by touching her so soon.

“I didn’t mean it to sound like that. I have no doubt you can take care of yourself, but there’s nothing wrong with having other people looking out for you sometimes too.” I dip my head down so that we are eye to eye so that she can see my sincerity. She eyes me dubiously for a second, and unconsciously pulls her hand back and brings it up to her chest, placing it right over her heart which is pounding.

“Good, because I seem to remember I was the one who dragged your ass out of the river and not the other way around.” She rolls her eyes at me, but grins at the same time, letting me know that she is exasperated rather than annoyed, and it makes me laugh out loud. As the future Alpha of my pack, and a powerful wolf, there are very few people who have the nerve to roll their eyes at me and tease me, but I suppose my mate was always going to be someone strong enough to challenge me.

           “There must be something in the air around here, all these tough men trying to protect little old me.”

           I spend the next hour trailing her around the house, taking notes as she points out the various jobs that needed doing and making small talk about the town, restaurants to try, bars to avoid, her work. It’s pure bliss just to be in her company at long last. Every time she laughs, it’s like sunshine, and it makes me feel like a king to be able to make her happy. I am tempted to drag out my visit because I never want to leave her side again, but I don’t want to make her uncomfortable so I promise to get back in touch soon with some quotes, and details of when I can spare a few of the young guys to help her out. As I leave, I can’t help myself and reach for the doorknob at the same time as she does so I can ‘accidentally’ touch her again, and the feel of her small soft hand underneath mine sets my heart racing. I hear her own heart suddenly beating loudly again and she tilts her head up slowly, locking eyes with me. The light-hearted atmosphere between us has transformed, the air suddenly thick around us with s****l tension. I cough and force myself to pull the door open, the rush of cool evening air disturbing the spell around us.  Despite every fibre of my body telling me to do the opposite, I step outside and jog down the steps. I wave as I climb into my truck and I see her in my rear-view mirror still watching me from her porch as I drive away, with a stunned expression painted on her beautiful face.