Page 7 of A Breath of Fresh Air

“Amaia.”

This is the most serious I’ve ever seen him, and I know that he’s not technically an alpha wolf, but in this instant he very well could be with the way he commands my gaze.

“I want to see you again.”

I nod. It feels so unfair that I live so far away. We already exchanged numbers while at the cafe, but this declaration means something, and sets the butterflies in my gut flying. “I’ll come down next month.”

“Good.” This time he does lean in to kiss me. I rise on my toes, doing my best to meet him halfway, a breathy laugh escaping my lips as he grips me by the waist, lifting me, pressing me against the back of his ute as his mouth slants over mine. He feels just as good as I remembered, his tongue against mine and the graze of sharp canines across my lower lip making me moan.

I could spend forever kissing him, soaking up every touch and the grind of his hard cock between my legs, but the sound of tyres against the gravel carpark has us breaking apart. To my horror I recognise the car that pulls in. The windows of the very expensive Porsche are too tinted to see the driver inside, but I swear under my breath as it pulls down the additional driveway markedPrivate Residence. Do Not Enter.

“That was Van, wasn’t it?”

“Yep.” I lean my forehead against his shoulder, the sweet, masculine scent of him a calming balm against the absolute mortification I feel at being caught pressed up against a car, my legs wrapped around a guy. Brettworks hereat the moment, for fuck’s sake. “That’ll be a fun conversation,” I mutter.

Brett huffs with amusement, and his warm lips press against my forehead. “I really wish you weren’t heading home today.”

“I know.” My boat back to the mainland is leaving in five hours. Ellie will have just finished off her morning of garden design work, and I’m going to spend the afternoon with her before I head north. Tomorrow I have to take my elderly father to the hospital for some routine tests, and then it’s back to work on Tuesday. “I’ll see you next month.”

“I’ll text you,” he promises.

I nod, unsure of what to say. He kisses me again — a bruising, desperate tangle of lips and tongue — and then he’s setting me down on my unsteady feet. I step back, watching him drive away, trying to ignore that burning sensation at the back of my eyes.

It doesn’t make sense to feel so invested so soon. I’ve felt this way once before; I was a young mum and let myself fall in love with a man who turned out to be a complete asshole when it came to my child. He expected me to always prioritise him over my young daughter, and since then I’ve been wary of catching feelings. Decades of one night stands and short summer flings, that’s all I’ve had.

This feels different. I miss him already, and that makes me very, very scared.

MAY

Icheck my phone first thing in the morning, grinning like the lovesick fool I am, because I already have a voice memo from Brett waiting for me.

“Morena!”he starts off, as he has done from the morning after I first said it to him.“I’m on my way to get coffee before work. We’re doing the groundwork for the new event space Van has sorted. I can’t believe it’s all happening so fast but I guess that’s where big bucks get you, right? I think he just says what he wants and people jump at the chance to make it happen for him. Money talks more than anything else in the world. She’s living the dream, your girl is. I mean that in a good way. Ellie deserves all the happiness; she’s a sweetheart. Like her mum.”

Every morning has been the same for weeks now; voice messages about nothing in particular at all.

“Morena,” I reply as I climb out of bed. “I’m only getting up now. I’m on the later shift today which is nice right now, but I’m going to hate it when I’m waiting around at ten-past-seven and the final parent is running late again. It’s not anyone’s fault, there’s just terrible traffic at the moment with all those roadworks. I’m hoping today is different but I’m pretty sure that’s wishful thinking.” I think about thetamarikiI teach —I’m with the four-year-olds at the Early Childhood centre I’ve worked at since Ellie was a baby — and I still love the job, but I would be lying if I said I don’t dream about trying something new sometime. It’s just scary. I’ve been in the same job at the same workplace for twenty-six years. I’mWhaea Amaia, thekaiakothat leads all thete reo Maorisongs and activities, and there’s a certain level of safety that comes with having existed in a role like this for so long.

Ellie was the reason I went into this job in the first place. I needed a job where I could take my kid to work, and working at a daycare was the obvious answer. At the time the owner had been a lovely older woman who took pity on me and let me bring Ellie in for free, and I’m damned lucky that she did.

I turn the kettle on for my morning coffee, debating about what I’m going to say next to Brett. Fuck it. “I had a dream about you last night,” I record in a fresh voice message. “A good one.”

Part of me is tempted to delete it as soon as I hit send, but I force myself to set the phone down and get ready for the day. When I hear the notification chime my stomach swoops in anticipation, and I grin reading his message back.

BRETT

Like a sexy dream?

Maybe

I type back. I let out a deranged giggle when he replies.

I’m at work now so I can’t VM you but fuck woman, you’ve made me hard and it’s not even 8AM. When you come down to Auckland you better be ready. I can’t wait to knot you. You belong on my cock.

I let out a high-pitched squeal. “Oh mygod.” Staring open-mouthed at my phone, I shake my head in disbelief.I can’t wait to knot you.This isn’t the first time we’ve said flirtatious things to each other, but he’s never beenthatdirect before.

Looking forward to it,I type, hitting ‘send’ before I can chicken out.

“Mum,”Ellie says over the phone in that tone that tells me she’s about to ask me something very direct. “Are you and Brett a thing, or what?”

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