Page 5 of Mated to the Pride

I was about to have three whole months to work it out.

Hale

The drive to the cabin was long and uneventful, but it gave us an excellent opportunity to confirm that we were 100% right about Jessica. No matter who was driving and who was hanging out with her in the back of the van, she seemed totally comfortable with us. It was obvious that she was a little nervous, but that made sense. She had no idea where she was going, and had only met us a couple of times.

Still, she was managing to laugh and joke along with us. We heard a little about her family, and how lame her past job was. The story about her asshole boss’ reaction to her leaving with such short notice had us all in stitches.

All our instincts about her had been right. When we met each other’s eyes in that brief moment before Blake offered her the job just one week ago, we had already been pretty sure. Now, finally pulling up to the cabin after many hours of driving, there could be absolutely no uncertainty left. At least, not on our part.

We probably still had to earn her full trust.

“Alright,” I said, closing the door behind her as she climbed out of the van. “Honey, we’re home.” Was it weird that I was so drawn to hang around her? Probably not. She was a beautiful woman. Her smile was really charming. Even when it had been my turn to drive, I could see her lighting up the van every time she flashed it.

I wasn’t the kind of guy to get smitten, but… suffice to say, I knew she had my attention.

“Shall I get my bag?”

“Not yet,” said Blake, heading straight for the front door. “We’ll get them later. Let’s just go settle in first. I think we’ve earned that.”

The cabin itself was pretty basic, with wood-panel walls and an open fire. The place was open-plan on the inside, and not quite as spacious as our home, but it would definitely do for the time we spent here. Most of the time, we’d be working in shifts anyhow; we wouldn’t need to share the space altogether much.

“Hale,” said Blake, nodding down the hallway. “Why don’t you show Jessica to her room?”

“You know, Jess is fine,” she said, following after me with an awkward smile. “But I’d love to see home for the next few months, sure.”

I swept my arm, leading her down the corridor. There was only one direction to go, so it wasn’t exactly a grand tour, but there was no harm in playing. I opened the door for her with a slight bow. “Right this way, madam.”

“You’re too kind, sir,” she said, bowing right back. She stepped into the room and took a look around. Judging by the smile on her face, she wasn’t disappointed. “It’s nice. Much bigger than my bedroom back in the city.”

“I guess that’s the benefit of being out here in the wilderness,” I said, choosing not to tell her that we’d given her the biggest room on purpose. She seemed like the type to try and refuse it. “No Starbucks unless you drive for two hours, but… man, plenty of room to swing a cat.”

“I will not be swinging any cats,” she said, dropping her bag onto the bed with a playful smile. “But it’ll be nice to go through my morning yoga routine without bumping my head on the dresser, for one thing.”

“Right, right,” I said, folding my arms. “I thought the same thing.”

Jess smiled at me, shaking her head. “Don’t make fun of me. We can’t be all that bendy with muscles like that.”

“Glad you’ve noticed.” I grinned, pleased by the blush on her face. “You want to see the rest of the place, anyway? May as well get familiar.”

Back out onto the main corridor, I pointed out the rooms on the side opposite to hers. “Alright. That door’s Blake and Stone’s room. This one is mine and Preston’s. Bathroom on the end there will probably be ours, since you, Blake and Stone are all en-suite, but… you know. We’re easy.”

“And this is the main room,” she said stepping out into it. “Kitchen, dining room and living room all in one.”

“Right you are,” I said. “Pretty cozy, I guess. Convenient.”

“Does that door lead to a garden?”

She stepped over to it, peering out through the glass. I pulled up beside her. “It does,” I said, “but you might want to watch how often you’re out alone, especially after dark. Not to freak you out, but… you know. Safety first, on a job like this.”

“Oh.” She blinked, glancing at me. “You aren’t kidding…?”

“No, ma’am.” I ruffled my hair, teasing my fingers through the longer bits on top. I kept my voice serious to make sure she could tell the difference; it was easy to forget that strangers couldn’t immediately detect when I was and wasn’t joking. “I mean… don’t be scared, you know? We wouldn’t have you here if it was unsafe. You want to go out and get some fresh air, you’re more than welcome. I just wouldn’t stray too far, just in case.”

“Got it.”

I could see I’d unnerved her. It made me feel bad, but even stronger than that it made me want to make her feel safe again. It’d probably be weird to put my arm around her this early on, wouldn’t it? Instead I shifted between my feet, opening the door to take a few steps outside. Hopefully that would prove the situation wasn’t too dire. “Nice out here, actually. Looks like somebody had a vegetable garden here once.”

“Shame we don’t have time to restart it,” she said. “Bet you guys would love eating fresh.”

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