The Wolf in Sheep's Skin

Chapter 69

Jay’s house was dead silent as we walked inside. It was pitch black outside, the moon nowhere to be found. We must’ve stared at Jay’s friends house longer than I thought. Jay closed the door behind us. I stopped in the entryway, glancing around the eerily quiet and empty house.

“Are you sure you don’t want to see your family? I’ll drive you. Or you could take one of my cars?” Jay froze at the door, squinting at me.

“No, it’s too late to go now. Their probably all asleep.” I smiled at him, hoping to hide my nerves. I knew he could smell them though. He’d been frowning since I’d refused his offer to drive me to my house.

He pressed his lips together and grunted. I waited for him to make a comment, telling me I needed to see them. I tensed, preparing another excuse. I’ll have to see them eventually, but another night won’t hurt. I shivered, picturing the fear in their eyes, knowing that I’d lost control.

Jay nodded, and stepped further into the house, past me. It only added to my nerves, the house overbearing and eerie. He frowned as he went to the fridge. F*ck, did I make him mad?

“Were you leaving? Before I came?” I pointed at the bag that still sat by the front door. My stomach twisted into knots. He gave me a confused look, then cracked a smile when he saw the bag.

“No. I always have a bag packed in case I have to leave to handle an emergency.” The fridge light illuminated him.

“Oh! I didn’t think of that.” I let out a little laugh, and sat on a barstool, leaning my elbows on the island. Will he be gone often? The thought made my stomach churn, being alone all the time in the big quiet house.

“I see you found the cake.” Jay chuckled and pulled out the domed glass tray. My cheeks warmed and I bit my lip as he set it on the counter and lifted the lid. He raised his brows at me.

“Sorry, it was so good I could barely stop myself from finishing the whole thing.”

He pulled the lid off and laughed, his face lighting up. I thought about apologizing again, but I couldn’t. It was the first time he hadn’t looked gloomy since we’d left Rhett and Pepper’s place.

“It’s nice a reminder someone else is here. I’ll have to bake more. I’d like to learn your favorites.” He grinned, grabbed a fork out of a drawer, put it on the plate, and slid it across to me.

“I nearly ate the whole thing! You should at least have a what’s left.” I glared at him and slid it back across the counter.

“Fine. But I’m glad you enjoyed it.” He took a bite, and I squirmed in the chair, unsure what to do with his indirect compliment. Saying ‘thank you’ seemed a bit strange.

“Is that why you keep your house clean? Because you leave a lot?” I glanced around, all too aware of how sterile everything was. He glanced around while slowly chewing.

“Clean, yes. But…” His face flushed, and he scratched the back of his neck. “If you mean the lack of décor, I always meant to get to it. It just felt wrong.”

“Minimalism is nice.” I shrugged. “Clutter just collects dust anyway.” I smiled, thankful that at least my mate knew how to pick up after himself.

“I… that’s not what I meant. I built the house years ago. Took a long time planning it, making different blueprints. Then I spent a long time on design, the flooring, wall colors…” He frowned and shrugged. “After spending so much time on it, it felt odd to add décor too. Like I’d given up.” He whispered to the cake, shifting his feet. He shoved another spoonful of cake in his mouth.

My stomach twisted, and I frowned at him, hating the scent coming off him.

“Given up on what?” I tensed, dread pooling in my core. He raised his eyes up to mine. They were watery and I hated it.

“Finding you.” He cleared his throat and glanced around the house. “My mate. I waited so long; I wanted things to be ready. Maybe it’s old fashioned, but I wanted to make sure you’d have a home. I had no idea what lifestyle you’d come from. And planning and building and prepping everything took my mind off things, so I just… kept building.”

He built the house for me? For us? Before he even knew me? I glanced around the house, letting it sink in. He’d spent his free time building his future mate a whole d*mn house.

I’d never believed in Fate, not like my family did, or like it seems Pepper and Rhett did. I knew the house wasn’t really for me. At least, not in the literal sense. He didn’t have me in mind while he built it, he hadn’t even known me. It was for his mate.

But I was his mate. Whether or not it was by Fate didn’t matter. He’d built me a house. How did I get so lucky?

I jumped off the barstool, ran around the counter, and wrapped my arms around him. I squeezed as hard as I could without hurting him. He wheezed, like all the air had been forced from his lungs.

Big warm arms wrapped around me, and he nuzzled his face in my face. I can’t believe I tried to force him away. I’ll work hard to make sure I deserve him.

“Our home is beautiful. I love it.” I pressed my face into the crook of his neck, my lips brushing against his skin. He shivered in my arms.

“You have no idea how good that sounds.” He mumbled in my ear. But I did. The pain in his voice, the sheer loneliness was obvious.

“Does that mean you’re okay with me moving in?”

“I was worried you wouldn’t want to. Not yet, at least.”

“You’re my mate. Of course I want to.”

He squeezed me tighter, a lovely purring rumble vibrating in his chest against mine. We stood like that for a while. His scent wrapped around me, and I could’ve stayed like that all night. Instead, I pulled away from him, just a bit.

He lifted his head up, giving me a concerned look. I stood up on my tippy toes, pecked him on the lips, and lowered back onto flat feet. He gave me a mischievous smile, making my stomach flutter.

His hands cupped the back of my head, and he kissed me firmly. I sucked in a breath through my nose. My legs threatened to collapse under me, the scent and taste of chocolate cake mixed with him making my head hazy.

He groaned and slowly pulled his lips from mine. Copper eyes flashed for a moment, before they fluttered shut. His thumb stroked my cheek, and my legs wobbled. Will it always feel like this? I frowned, the idea of getting used to, or worse, bored, with his touch leaving a sour taste in my mouth.

“We should go to bed.” Jay whispered, raising goosebumps on the back of my neck.

“Oh?” I squeaked out. He chuckled.

“To sleep.”