Page 20 of Rejected By Blood (Mated in Silence 2)

I supposed that’s what celebrities did.

While I waited for my turn, I looked out over the fields. From this vantage point, I could see my mates in each of their occupations. Shane was bent over a row of bok choy of all things, picking out weeds and, every once in a while, swiping sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He didn’t wear gloves. When he scooted over, I saw the pools of sweat that stained his shirt and the dirt that marked his knees. He was a hard worker but would smile and make small talk if another pack member spoke to him.

I gasped as he looked up just as I was thinking about him--stalking him. A smile tugged at one side of his mouth, and he gave me a curt nod. My cheeks heated up like we were in the woods again, him naked, and me pressed against that oak.

“Jillian, you were waiting for me?” I jumped a good four inches in the air and, if I had a voice, I would’ve screamed.

I nodded and pulled out my pen and raggedy notebook from my back pocket. He was a busy man and the last thing I wanted to do was to get more negative points for wasting his time.

Would you mind if we moved so that the others can’t hear?

“Of course.” He began to walk away from the fields of vegetables and legumes and toward a small copse of trees. “There. We should be out of earshot. What’s on your mind? I can’t remember a time when you actually requested a moment with me.” He chuckled. “The others can’t seem to stay away and you...well, go on. I’m sure you have better things to do.”

I furrowed my brow at his attitude. It was so off from who he regularly was, but then again, I supposed he did have to put on airs for the others.

I saw those men again in the woods, calling me Callista.

He stepped forward. “Did they hurt you? Did they see you?”

No. I’m fine. They were passing through but I don’t think it’s the last time.

“Maybe you should consider staying close to your mates when you roam, Jillian.” I felt my eyes widen, and he chuckled a little. “Yes, I’m well aware that there are mates, plural. And honestly, it’s a good thing. The pack is happy for you. I know they keep their distance, but it’s for a reason.”

Why are they after this person? Callista?

Hells bells, I didn’t even know if I was spelling the name right.

“I really don’t know what they think they are accomplishing, Jillian. I think they are just shooting in the dark. Maybe one bullet will hit something. Until we know and can catch them, please stay close to someone. I know it’s in your nature to be a lone wolf, and most of that is my doing, but for the near future, stay with Shane or Dean. Okay? Look, I’ve got some things to take care of. Let me know if you see them again.”

I stomped as he walked away. My questions were avoided in the most diplomatic way possible and yet, I had stood there and taken it.

This pack stuff was frustrating as hell.

Since I had a bit of a lull in my work, I decided to cross the fields and talk to Dean. I could hear the slicing of the axe through the air and the crack of it as it penetrated the wood, splitting it into pieces, so I followed the sounds to my mate.

I stopped a good distance away and waited for him to see me instead of taking the chance of frightening him. Last thing either of us wanted was an axe incident.

“Jillian?” I didn’t have to wait long.

I waved and smiled at him. Gods, he had changed since I first found him in the woods. His chest had filled out despite our meager food, well, it wasn’t so meager now that he was getting rations from the pack. His arms, once scrawny and skinny more than lean were now rippled muscle and bulging biceps. He had his shirt off and, despite the still cool temperatures, I was getting flushed just looking at him.

Gods, he was mine.

How did I get so lucky?

“You keep looking at me like that and no more work is going to get done today.” He had come over and bent down to whisper in my ear, his specialty.

My notebook and pen were still in my hand so I wrote him an answer.Like what?

He chuckled and kissed the side of my neck. His lips were cool against the heat of my skin, and it made me shudder. “You know like what, sweetheart. Like you want me to take you right here on this stump. Like you want to eat me all up.”

Maybe I do.

That did it. One moment I was standing there with him in the woods, and the next I was over his shoulder like a sack of freshly plucked potatoes. He patted my butt while he carried me toward the cabin, but stopped once we were in a more private area.

“I can’t wait until we get back to the cabin. I have to have you now. There’s been too much tension between us. I feel like I’m going to snap.”

Chapter Twenty

---