Page 20 of Sweeter Than Honey
“What’s happening?”
The crack of the doorhandle followed Cara’s fearful voice. Jett whipped out one arm to stop her. “It’s okay,” he croaked. “It’s just my... sometimes this happens... ok,never, but for some reasonright now, my bear is being an asshole.”
“Your... your bear?”
“Yeah. The thing that lives inside me that I turn into sometimes.”
What the ever-loving hell was going on? He grabbed a discarded bottle of water from beneath the front seat, cracked the top and took a swig. The lukewarm liquid did nothing to cool the chaos inside, but at least his throat didn’t feel like it was cracking in two anymore.
She eyed him warily. “Did I cause him to be an asshole? Your bear?”
It took him a second before he could respond. Yes and no. But he wasn’t going to place any blame on her. None of this was Cara’s fault.
“No, I’m just having some,” he paused, “indeterminant feelings about all this. Sometimes changes in my mood will rile him up.”
A soft breath eased out of her, and she looked at her folded hands in her lap. “That’s understandable.”
He should have called his father, the fucking pack leader, and asked him to figure out what to do with this woman. But no, he had to play the hero and here he was, stuck in close proximity to a female that was clearly getting his bear’s attention.
Clearly. And a bit painfully.
Downing the rest of the water, he put the truck in drive and continued up the road.
Mentally beating his bear down kind of helped. It quieted but rumbled just enough to remind Jett that it was there. The silence was killing him, so he said the first thing that came to mind.
“Yeah, so, finding a suitable candidate won’t be hard if that’s the route you want to take. But it’s not like you get the baby imprinted and then you walk away. You realize that, right?”
Her fingers twined over each other. “I don’t realize anything, no. Because I have no idea how this works beyond the basics.”
“Right. Well, shifters are protective and territorial. No male is going to commit to revising your cub’s DNA and then wave goodbye. He’ll want you as a mate, and the cub to raise as his. He’s going to want his family.”
“No offense, Jett, because I really am grateful for all your help. But is there someone I can talk to about all this who might know what the hell I should actually do? Maybe point me in a direction of some legal counsel who can advise me, or...?”
“Legal counsel for what? Are you going to take out restraining orders on an entire pack? What’s a lawyer going to do to stop these shifters from coming after you?”
“Put them in jail. Maybe arrange some sort of guard or protection around my home or business, or something. There has to be something I can do besidesthis.” She made a frantic circle with one hand in the air. “I’m not ready to settle down and have a goddamn family. I’m at the height of my career. My business is taking off, I’ve got orders and publicity up the ass and now I’m supposed to give it all up for what?”
“For your baby.”
Stunned silence snapped between them. Jett’s face itched with a flash of anger, but the crestfallen expression that washed over her face quickly cooled it.
“Of course. I didn’t mean it like that. I didn’t mean that I wouldn’t do anything to protect him.”
He didn’t respond and she resumed looking out the window. Fuck. He shouldn’t have snapped like that. It had been a knee-jerk reaction. Children were worth doing anything for.
“I’ll speak to my father. He might have some ideas.”
He wasn’t obligated to be involved. Maybe it would be best to hand her off to someone else, even if he wanted to play this out. The realization filled him with guilt. His family…
They were gone and he’d remained alone after their deaths because of grief. Nothing could ever replace his family. What would Frannie say if she knew he was bringing a strange woman into their home?
She’d be proud of you for protecting a pregnant woman, dumb ass. She’d want you to do this. She’d want you to move on…
Cara glanced at him. “What?”
He didn’t realize he’d made a sound. “Nothing. We’re almost there.”
“This is really far from town.” Trepidation laced her voice.
