Page 37 of Sweeter Than Honey
Chapter Sixteen
“I’vegoneviralformy jewelry before, but this is ridiculous!”
Cara refused to give him back his cell phone, her eyes glued to the photos he’d taken of Allie’s screenshots.
“These assholes are calling themselves, ‘seekers.’ Seekers! It sounds like a religious cult.”
The high pitch of her voice displayed how nervous she was. She was unsettled. So was he. After that kiss, things felt… different. The predicament she was in squeezed him with its urgency. He’d been running the social media elements through his mind on repeat. No self-respecting shifter pack would be involved in hunting down a pregnant woman for a cash payout. More, no honorable pack leader would allow members of his pack to participate in such bullshit. Jett’s father would lay down some serious ass whipping if any member of the Estes Park pack thought to do such a thing. Not that Jett could imagine any of their members doing something like that.
Itching to slide his hand over to hers, Jett swallowed and gripped the wheel tighter. The kiss had been enough. Touching her now would send him into another spiral of emotions and he needed to keep himself in check. He’d felt guilty about his attraction to her. Then the guilt had lapsed enough to allow him to enjoy a hot kiss with her. But now the guilt was back because he felt guilty for not feeling guilty during the kiss and it was fucked up.
Deep down, he already knew what his father was going to say. Jett’s nostrils flared. He spared Cara a quick sideways glance. She’d pulled her hair into a ponytail. Her face was make-up free, her outfit a simple tee shirt and flared linen pants. A dainty necklace graced the base of her throat, a simple gold chain with two small gleaming golden spheres affixed to it. She fingered the chain thoughtfully as she looked out the window.
Jett pulled the image of her deep into his mind. She looked natural, beautiful.
A vehicle pulled in behind him. Jett glanced in the rearview. Dax’s SUV rode his bumper much too close. Rolling his eyes, Jett turned onto the long gravel driveway that led to their childhood home. The gravel turned into a paved parking area in front of the house. The Lodge was a sprawling 9,500 square foot log home, handcrafted from logs harvested from their own property.
Growing up here meant that the boys could literally spend days without seeing each other if they each kept to their own wing, which, as their teenage years hit, they did. Rowan Mitchell had built the Lodge as not only a home for his family, but as a community home for members of the pack who might need a place to stay or visiting travelers. They held pack gatherings here several times a year. The grounds were as sprawling as the house, and during full moon and mating celebrations, the surrounding woods were filled with campers and tents and men sleeping in hammocks beneath the stars.
His chest pulled. He’d like Cara to experience a pack celebration. To participate in a family dinner. To just be here… with him.
No, Jett.Enough.
The small voice inside him wasn’t as loud as it usually was, but it was still there. Reminding him that he can’t have what he thinks he wanted.
“Thisis where you grew up?”
Jett parked and leaned back against his seat as he regarded the house. Cara leaned forward in her seat, taking it all in.
“My dad built this cabin when he found out my mother was pregnant with Dax.”
She gave him a dubious look. “I think your definition of cabin and mine are completely different. This is more like a mansion.”
He couldn’t argue with that. “You want to see real mansions; I’ll take you to the development just East of here. Some of those homes make this place look like a hot dog truck.”
Jere Lighthouse had been after Jett’s land so he could raze the place and plop another multi-million-dollar house where his beehives sat now. It would make a nice addition to his growing portfolio. Prickles attacked the back of his neck at the thought. He’d been apathetic about selling his property for so long that it struck him how the idea made him feel now: Pissed.
“The Lodge was built to hold not only our family but members of the pack and their families, too. No pack member will ever be homeless thanks to this place. It’s also meant to be a home for my brothers and me after we take a mate. My dad wanted us to move here, raise our cubs inside the Lodge, be one big happy family.”
“Dax and Allie live here?”
“Yes.”
“But… you and your wife didn’t.”
He looked at his hands, still on the wheel. “No. We wanted our own space. I’d purchased the house before I even met Frannie. She fell in love with it and had no desire to live in the Lodge.”
Cara made an understanding sound. “Your house is beautiful. Secluded. Peaceful. I don’t blame her one bit.”
Jett whipped her a look. Their eyes met. She was sincere, her voice wistful and understanding. Did she feel the same way about his home in the woods?
A rap on his side window drew his attention. Dax knocked on the window and stood back with a ‘let’s go’ spread of his hands. He cracked his door open while his brother went around to open Cara’s door. He realized Dax was nearly humming with excitement.
“Jett, you and I need to have a serious talk about your cell phone practices. Where’s your damn phone?”
Jett flipped up a hand in question. “What now?”
“Desi’s coming home! For fuck’s sake, turn your ringer on! He’s coming home.”
