Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 36039 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 180(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36039 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 180(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
She nibbled her bottom lip. “I have no idea.”
Her gaze fell away from him and then she walked away.
Running fingers through his hair, he felt the frustration and hopelessness of his situation. He had fucked up big time and he’d not even realized it all those years ago. This is what he hated for being cast aside, left out in the cold all these years. Being part of a pack was new to him. Ashley was still so young and he didn’t want to be without her. Even his wolf wanted to stay. The wanderlust had faded quickly.
He’d looked at his bike this morning, parked outside of this house. He’d walked all the way home with Ashley last night, and this morning he’d gone through the town, greeting everyone, talking, chatting, feeling a part of the whole community. There was a time when his bike was his salvation. Straddling the machine was his way to escape. To move on. To not feel that clawing loneliness that had started to manifest. Wolves were pack creatures. They thrived together, but being alone, he’d tried to convince himself he didn’t need anyone.
Abandonment had given him the chance to live his life without anything or anyone.But that was a lie. A big fat fucking lie. He didn’t want to be alone.
Each time he saw Ashley and got close to her, he felt a peace he’d never experienced before. The desire to run had faded away to nothing. There was no reason for him to leave. His home—his salvation was right here, in a brown-haired, brown-eyed, sexy, curvy package. Phoenix didn’t exactly know what he had to do to win her, or earn her forgiveness, but he wasn’t going to stop. Not ever.
Following her downstairs, he watched her ass. He’d been trying to watch her for a long time. He hated that she successfully avoided him for so long. When he found out she worked at the DIY store, he’d been pissed as he couldn’t come up with any logical way of stumbling into her. Damn it, he’d been a fucking loser. She was his mate.
Seeing her that night had caused a mixture of elation and disappointment. He’d wanted nothing more than to throw her over his shoulder, find the nearest bed, and fuck her until his name was the only one spilling from those beautiful lips. Instead, he rejected her, for her own good.
It wasn’t for her own good.
You failed.
You hurt her.
And because of him, she had starved herself for a long time, but no more. Phoenix wasn’t going anywhere. He was there at the pack to stay. Ashley would see that he meant to be her mate. He intended to give her a life she deserved, and he would never stop.
She didn’t even realize it, but without even trying, she had given him something he had forgotten he craved.
Ashley had given him a home.
Chapter Seven
The days passed rather productively. Ashley spent her mornings waking up, enjoying a cup of coffee, and watching Phoenix as he held up swatches for her to help him decide the color scheme of the house, even furniture. They were still a long way off from furnishing the house, but he wanted to be prepared with orders.
So far, most of the upstairs was fully plumbed and the electric outlets were all working. Ashley had gotten electrocuted downstairs over a miscommunication. Her tongue had been numb for a couple of hours afterward and some of her hair had stood on end. Phoenix was pissed and from that day forward, whenever the electrician was in, he made sure she went back to the DIY store to gather supplies.
While the men worked on the house, Ashley started to uncover the most breathtaking garden she had ever seen. It truly was a dream. The house was surrounded by forest, but there was a back porch that led onto a large thatch of grass, totally designed for late-summer picnics. Beyond the main garden, covered by large bushes, appeared to be a small field. She was trying to work on revealing the beauty. It was hard work, and she had no choice but to ask Daniel for help. Seeing as his father was the main gardener, it made sense to ask him.
Thankfully, Daniel saw what she did, and so they had worked together, only that came with another load of problems. The main one being that Phoenix was jealous, even though Daniel left before her each night, and she walked home with the alpha. They shared a meal together with her parents, and there had been a few occasions late at night when they’d been the only two up. Each time that happened, she couldn’t help but think about the kiss they’d shared. His lips on hers, the feel of his hard body wrapped around her.