Page 7 of The Pack Next Door
And there she was.
Perfect, so perfect. That loop of light brown hair that had my fingers itching? I’d smooth it back behind her ear over and over until we were both too old to do a damn thing. Those full lips? When she accepted the mate bond, I’d kiss that tight line away, until they became soft and swollen. And those hazel eyes. I wanted to lie in the sun and count every colour from green, brown, and amber. But right now, my mate had a problem, and I needed to solve it.
“Seems like you’re having issues with your lawn mower.” I crouched down beside the machine, wanting to get closer, but forcing myself to focus on the issue at hand. “Won’t start?”
“Ah… no,” she said. “So who are you? Some random lawn mower mechanic that wanders the world, helping people keep their grass cut?”
“Not quite.” I tried not to smile and failed, right before holding my hand out. “I’m Mads.” With a shake of my head, I corrected myself. “Maddox. Your new neighbour. We just moved in next door.”
“With Jace.” That rueful look made me think that their meeting hadn’t gone so well. “Got it. Well, you’re not my neighbour.” She looked up at the grass, the shed that looked like it would fall over in a strong wind, and then the sky. Anywhere but at me. Interesting. “You’re my mum’s. This is her place, and I’m just down…” Something stopped her from saying much more, and I watched her eyes roll sideways. “To mow her grass, so if you excuse me, I promise not to assault your delicate ears with any more swearing.”
“So you’ve got this?” I dusted off my hands, and while the wolf scrabbled inside me, insisting we stay right where we were, I took a step backwards. “The swearing was just you asserting dominance over an inanimate object.”
“It was an attempt to ward off bossy alphas and keep them out of my yard,” she said, getting to her feet.
A puff of breath had her hair ruffling, and it was all I could look at as she primed the lawnmower and pulled the starter cord.
The wolf revolted.
He knew I could do this. After watching me do it over and over when we still lived with our parent pack, he couldn’t understand why we would stand by and let our omega struggle. Maybe because her cheeks were getting pinker and pinker, her lips parting as she panted.
“Are you done?” I asked, crossing my arms.
“No…?”
She didn’t sound so certain. I leant over the machine, unscrewing the spark plug from the motor, then taking a look at it. Sure enough, it was covered in crap.
“Reckon there’s a wire brush in the shed?” I asked.
If there wasn’t, I’d dig through the toolbox that was somewhere in the moving van and remove every speck of crud from the plug.
“Ahh… maybe?” She frowned as she stared at the open doorway, her scent souring slightly. Something about that shed made her not want to go looking.
“I’m happy to dig around in there,” I said, strolling over towards the shed. “For your mother, of course. What was her name?”
“Maggie.” My omega shot me a dark look, as if she knew what was coming. “Maggie Reynolds.”
“Tell me your name.” I looked over my shoulder, wincing at the state of the shed. “And I’ll battle whatever the hell lurks in the shed of doom”
When her hands went to her hips, my eyes followed. I wanted to knock them away and replace them with mine, now. Slowly, I told the wolf, trying to place it in terms he understood. Hunting big game, a wolf had to be careful, lest all that effortgo to nothing as the prey ran away. We had to earn the right to touch our mate.
“My name?” Her eyes narrowed as she looked me up and down. “Why would you need that?”
“I always like to know the name of the woman I’m servicing.”
That had her making a very rude noise. I couldn’t tell if it was a snort or a scoff, but it was her arms that had my focus. They crossed under her breasts, creating a movement that was very distracting.
“Servicing?” One eyebrow rose and I loved the spark of defiance in the omega’s eyes. “You’re cleaning a spark plug, not me.”
My grin widened.
“I’m multi-talented.”
Well, theoretically. I’d never touched a woman, waiting to find my fated mate, but I’d made sure to educate myself extensively on the topic.
“Well.” I loved the way she looked at me. Like I was a treat that she was trying really hard not to taste. “Congratulations on your versatility.”
“Name.” I tossed the spark plug up in the air, catching it easily. “Or…”
