Page 54 of The Pack Next Door (The Wolfverse #4)

Jace

“Where did you get to?”

My brothers got up from the worktable, the remains of their lunch in front of them. I added my own, taking another bite of my sandwich before answering.

“Made sure our mate had some lunch.”

“I told you we needed to feed Briar.” Some of Gideon’s old iron was back in his voice.

“But you…” Watching him stop, blink, and consider what he was about to say to Mads was so freaking weird.

When had he ever pulled his punches? Now, apparently.

“Were concerned that we would be interrupting her at work, which was valid.” His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at me. “Did you?”

“Only momentarily.” I strolled over, scanning the tally sheet we had going. “Just enough to remind Briar that her reserves are low after a heat. And to ask her out for dinner tonight.”

“What?” I grinned as Mads strode around the table. “I thought we were going to take things slow?”

“You said that.” I shrugged, then straightened up.

“Since I don’t have to spend all my time keeping the peace between you two, I could focus on what’s important.

Our mate. We fucked up, that’s clear, but sitting around here moping isn’t helping.

Making amends.” I nodded. “Proving with action as well as words that we’re in for the long haul. That’s what we need to do.”

“So we all go to dinner?—”

Bloody Mads, always trying to horn in on my plans.

“You can organise your own date.” I sat down and grabbed the scalpel I’d been using to remove all the bubble wrap.

Slicing through the tape became satisfying in a whole other way now.

I could see Briar’s lips twisting into an involuntary smile, her thanks ringing in my ears.

“I need to spend some one-on-one time with my girl, but first…”

I sighed, unwrapping the vessel to find the rim was sheared off on one side.

“Bloody hell. Did they wreck every damn piece when they dropped the pallet?” We’d gotten the whole story from Emma and Seb. “It’s such a waste.”

We had piece after cracked piece sitting on the table, a testament to the freight company’s incompetence. No wonder Tom was pissed.

“So what do we do with it?” Mads picked up a piece and turned it back and forth in his hands. “Toss the lot after documenting the damage? Like can’t we just glue stuff back together?”

“If we were in Japan, maybe.” Seb appeared, carrying a load of empty boxes headed for the recycling bin.

“We did a range of kintsugi vessels a while back and they sold like hot cakes.” At our collective look of ignorance, he continued.

“They use this special glue mixed with gold to put the vessels back together, making them more beautiful than if they were still whole. People love a cracked bowl if it comes from Japan.” He shook his head. “From Australia? Not so much.”

“Huh…”

I had opened up my phone, looking up ‘gold cracked bowl’ because I had no idea how to spell, let alone say, kintsugi . The vessels did look freaking cool in the photos that came up.

“Alright, art lesson over.” Mads wiped his hands on his jeans. “Let's see if we can finish the last of the unpacking before Briar leaves for the day.”

“You’re close to done?” Seb stared at the table as if only just seeing everything we’d already unpacked.

Blue vessel after blue, all across the tabletop.

“Gods, you guys are never leaving. I don’t care if Briar wants to accept the mate bond.

I’ll let you bite me if you can tear through that much work that fast.”

“There’s only one person for us.” Gideon’s tone was gentle but firm as he sat down in front of his box. “And you’ll find we are very motivated by making her happy.”

“Really…” I’m pretty sure Seb was thinking very evil thoughts right then, but instead of explaining, he hoisted the boxes back up. “Well, I’ll be sure to let her know.”

I smiled and unwrapped the next piece.

The sun had gone down by the time we were finished. Far cooler night air breezed in, sweeping away that stifling atmosphere in the shed. With a wipe of my brow, I retrieved the tally and then shook my head at the number of damaged items.

“Shit…” I glanced at my brothers. “I’m not sure if I want to take this to Briar.”

“So I will.” Mads plucked the paper from my fingers and then headed towards the door of our mate’s office. “And then I’ll take her?—”

“Nope.” Emma and Seb had already gone home, so I didn’t have an audience as I stepped in front of him. “You can head back to the hotel and cool your heels. I’m going to break the news to Briar.”

“Fine by me.” His grin made clear what a mistake I’d made. “You can upset her and then I’ll pick up the pieces tomorrow.”

With a whistle, he walked over to Gideon.

As they gathered their stuff and headed for the car, I stopped in front of the office door.

Telling people bad news was not my forte.

Mads would’ve given it to Briar straight and then dried her tears afterwards.

Gideon would… I dunno what the hell he’d do.

Probably swear to hunt down the delivery driver and bring her his skull.

So that just left me.

I knocked on the door, hearing her distracted reply to come in, right before I turned the doorknob.

“You’ve got the list?” I wanted Briar to keep on looking at me like that. A small smile curving lips that’d left an imprint on my skin I could still feel, her eyes bright. Suck it the fuck up , I told myself and came inside.

“And the news isn’t good,” I said.

Yep, there went that smile. A line formed between her brows and I wanted to smooth it away as she bent over the paper.

“This is…? All of…?”

I intended to be respectful and keep my distance, but when her voice broke, I was around the desk, my arm around her shoulders.

“This looks bad,” I said.

She stared at me, incredulous.

“Because it is.”

“If it helps, I think you’ve got a strong case to go beyond an insurance claim. This is pure negligence.”

“It doesn’t.”

Her eyes bore into mine and this close, I saw it all. Pain, shock, disbelief and anger, all emotions I was not well prepared to deal with. Think of a joke , I thought furiously. Cheer her up. Make her feel better!

But that wasn’t going to work.

No banter was going to have her looking past the colossal fuck up that this was.

I watched her hands rise and then fall helplessly, right before mine moved.

Turning me towards her, holding her close, it was even sweeter than when she was in heat.

The way she softened into me was a choice, not hormones.

“This fucking sucks.” That was the wolf as much as me growling. “Just say the word and I’ll greet the CEO of the freight company in fur and make clear what a mistake he’s made.”

A little snort gave me hope. She pulled back, blinking furiously, then dashing tears away.

“Probably shouldn’t compound the issue with menacing someone.

” Her lips turned down. “I think.” A big sigh and she was flopping back in her chair.

“I need to keep working, see if I can find a way forward. Like I knew this was an issue, but it's different when you see it in black and white, y’know? I need to contact Tom and then start emailing customers. No.” Briar shook her head definitely.

“Call them and let them know what’s going on. ”

“Which needs to happen tomorrow.”

“Jace—”

“It’s late, Briar. If you’re gonna piss people off, don’t do it over dinner. Speaking of which…”

“No. No.” She tried to fend me off, but I wasn’t having it. If I was tired from a long day at work, she had to be exhausted. “I can’t, Jace.”

I showed her what a lie that was, picking her up with one arm and shutting her laptop with the other. Her keys were on the desk, which made it easy for me to exit the office and lock it behind me before she scrambled free.

Gods, she was beautiful when she was pissed.

Her eyes flashed and her colour was up, making me want to kiss those lips until they were even more swollen. They were so damn soft. Maybe she’d part them, let me in, and then…

“You need to eat.” I put up one finger. “You told me if I was a good boy and got all my work done, I could feed you. I fulfilled my side of the bargain.” She smiled despite herself. “So now I get to indulge my praise kink and take my best girl for dinner.”

“If I promise to tell you what a very, very good boy you are…” Her hips swivelled in a very distracting way as she moved closer, my breath freezing in my lungs as she slid a hand down my shirt front.

One button was eased open and a single fingertip burned a trail down my chest. “Can you open the office and let me back in? We can order pizza and?—”

“Nope.”

I rolled down the door of the warehouse, locking that up as well, and then flicked off most of the lights. Then she was back in my arms and I carried her out to her car after I did the final lock up.

“You know you don’t have to carry me,” she said with a sigh. “I admit defeat. You win.”

“Yes, I do.” I wasn’t good at serious, because when I stopped smiling, everything I thought and felt was right there on my face.

She saw it now, her own grin disappearing.

This was a real moment of connection, small and fragile, and so easily shattered into pieces with how new it was.

“It’s taking everything I have not to turn up to your place every morning in fur and run you to work on my wolf’s back. ”

“OK, not that.” She took the keys from my grip and then wriggled free, walking around to the driver’s side door. “Get in, stud, because I am no passenger princess.”

I slid into the other car seat without a word, because hey, she knew the way better than me.

We travelled down street after street, the scent of the sea growing more pronounced as we drew closer to the pier.

The street was packed with cars, something that had me stifling a growl, but she found us a park, slotting the car in with ease.

I was out before we’d even rolled to a stop, grabbing her door for her.

That pleased little smile was everything, so I held out my arm for her to take.

“Milady…” I strolled us up to the fish and chip shop, then ushered her in.

“If you start bowing, I’m out,” she warned. “I’ll leave you by the pier and you’ll have to run all the way back to the place you’re staying in fur.”

“Are you getting hangry?” I made a show of inspecting her closely. “Because I’m pretty sure I told you that you need to eat.”

A shove to my chest got me stumbling into the fish and chip shop, the delicious scent of deep fried awesomeness hitting me as soon as I got inside.

“What’ll it be?” a harried looking man behind the counter asked, and so I was forced to focus on the menu above the deep fryer. Briar rattled off her order and I glanced her way with a smile.

“I’ll have what she’s having.”

Which was apparently the wrong thing to say. We sat down on a bench that ran along the back of the shop, but when I moved closer, she looked up at me. Serious now, there was something apologetic in her gaze.

“Look.” Yeah, nothing good came after a woman said that.

Turned out my instincts were right. “I was thinking about things after lunch.” Her hands started to shift in her lap, so mine reached out, linking my fingers with hers.

She gave me a little squeeze, but it wasn’t in encouragement.

“I really appreciate all the work you guys did and I’m happy to pay?—”

“In cuddles and back rubs?” I croaked out, trying for a smile and failing. “Because sorry, that’s the only currency I accept.”

“In money.” Her reply was firm. “Because this…” She pulled a hand free to indicate the two of us.

“Isn’t gonna happen. I went along with your plan to take over Moon River because it made sense.

You wanted a town to run, and I…” A long sigh had her shoulders sagging.

“I’ve built a life that doesn’t have space for three alphas. ”

My heart beat too hard, too fast, as I just sat there and listened to her rejection.

Once, playing footy, I got slammed in the solar plexus and dropped to the ground as my body fought to suck in air.

That pain, that feeling of my body struggling to do something it’d always managed automatically, had my whole world spinning.

I shifted, ready to pull my hand away. To nod and say I accepted her decision, but instead, my lips moved of their own accord.

“Pretend I’m not one of the idiots who completely fucked everything up. Imagine that I’m one of your girlfriends.”

Her eyes went wide at that.

“Oh, you do not want that.”

“Sure, I do.” I pulled back and placed my head on one hand. “Tell me what’s going on. What’d those men do, sis?”