Page 16 of Sweeter Than Honey
“What I mean, is—”
Cara shook her head. “It’s ok. I know what you’re saying, and you’re right. If you had ulterior motives, you could have easily taken advantage of me by now. That you have to ask what I’m afraid of tells me that you’re not part of the problem.”
“You want to tell me what the problem is?”
She turned to her work. “No more than I want to stay at your Air BnB.”
He grinned. She got him there. “Noted.”
Glancing briefly at her, he returned to the dishwasher. She wasn’t showing yet, meaning her pregnancy was still very new. Where was her mate? Dax barely left Allie’s side. In fact, Jett was amazed his brother had actually gone out of town today. Jett understood Dax's need to always be around her while she was carrying his cubs. It wasn't only a territorial thing but the need to make sure his mate was all right. He'd been the same way with Frannie and their daughter. He barely let her out of his sight from the moment she announced she was pregnant to the second Chloe was born.
Who was here to protect Cara? The scent of her pregnancy had the hallmark of a shifter sire. No shifter of honor would let his mate be alone at a time like this.
He cleared his throat; he didn't need to worry about it. Being around all these pregnant women was getting to his head. He needed to get this shit done and get home. Once he did, he wasn’t coming back to town for a hell of a long time.
"C'mon, we better get a move on."
They finished up and went into the bakery just as customers were filtering in. They waved to Allie while Jett grabbed the box of sticky buns and held the door for Cara.
Heading toward his black truck at the curb, he opened the passenger side door for her. The truck was tall, and easy enough for him to get in, but Cara struggled to get a good footing on the step to hoist herself up. He put her luggage in the bed of the truck, watching in amusement as she kept trying.
She groaned. "Your truck is way too tall.”
“Just jump a little and get up in there.”
Cara whipped him a look. “No one should have to jump a little to get into a vehicle.” There was a light undertone to her voice that said he might get out of this alive if he played his cards right.
“That’s right. I forgot how soft you city folk are.”
She huffed. “Soft? Wait, are you—are you calling mefat?”
“Uh, no? Christ. Just get in.”
Placing the box on the roof of the truck, he reached to give her a boost, but she stopped him with a glare. “What are you doing?”
“Giving you a lift so we can go before I’m a hundred.”
Before she could protest, he lifted her beneath the arms and quickly boosted her into the truck. Her insulted intake of breath didn’t have time to fully develop before he shut her door. But the moment he opened his door, her sweet scent slapped him in the face. It took everything in him not to have a reaction to her. It felt like a payback.
"You’re kind of an ass.”
"I’m delighted that you finally noticed."
He handed her the bakery box and closed his door. His middle rippled inside, like the quintessential butterflies were doing a number in there. This had to stop. He hadn't slept with anyone since Frannie, and he wasn't going to start with a woman who belonged to someone else.
He started the truck and turned it toward the end of town. It didn’t take them long to get to her Jeep. She jumped out before he could come around and help her.
He’d been a little out of it yesterday, so he took his time inspecting the outside of her vehicle. There was no mistaking the claw marks that ran along the side, and the busted headlight that radiated bear scent. Unsettled, his body tightened with protective instinct.
She unlatched the hood.
Jett pushed it up and put the rod in place to hold it. "So, what happened?" It was a loaded question. The aggression pheromones imbedded in the marks were poking at his inner bear. Now he was itching to be let out and fuck up some trees, better yet, the shifters that did this to her.
"I was driving when the overheating alert came on. I didn't even make it half a mile before the Jeep wouldn't go anymore."
“That’s not what I mean. They wanted something from you.”
He pointed to the marks, and her face went pale. For the first time, the panic that had been quietly resting inside her eyes fully bloomed.
