Page 7 of Wolfish Heart (Billionaires of Wolfe Mountain #1)

KADEN

I ’ve always been a deep sleeper. When I used to go camping with my brothers in our teens, Kellen always told me I slept like a log.

But lying with my arms around Zoe for the first time, how can I possibly drift off? How can I miss a single moment of being so close to her? Each breath, each sigh, each moment she twitches in her sleep and clutches me closer feels transformative, and I want to witness every single one.

Ever since we met, we’ve been bonding at top speed. It’s like I’ve known her for months instead of days. I’m picturing our future months and years ahead, not just weeks.

She’s the one. I know it.

Once I see the first cracks of light coming through the curtains, I slowly begin disentangling our bodies.

Every movement is made in triple slow motion, so I don’t wake my sweet girl.

Finally, I find my shoes, leave her a note, and creep down the stairs to go to Corina’s Coffee and pick up breakfast.

By the time I return, Zoe is standing in the doorway with slightly damp hair.

“Good morning, gorgeous.” I almost kiss her cheek, then switch to the top of her head when I notice she’s already put on some makeup. “It’s video shooting day, right?”

“Yup.” She squares her shoulders as I pick up her backpack. “Can’t wait to get it over with.”

I give her ass a firm squeeze as we get into the truck. Once we’re enroute, I reach out to tap her knee. “I know you’re nervous. Nobody likes a camera up their nose. I’ve given countless TV interviews, and they always make my skin crawl.”

“How do you deal with it?”

“By lying to myself.” I flash her a big grin. “I tell myself I’m ‘excited’, not nervous. That the only thing that matters is the company. I just have to take care of my bit, and other people will look after the rest.”

Zoe’s laugh fills the truck. “Lying to yourself. Not exactly the most wholesome advice, but I’ll try it.”

By the time we’re walking into my house, she is chanting in a sing-song voice. “Mom’s in charge of content. Subscribers are in charge of learning the material. All I have to do is read the script and be charming.”

“See? Easy. Especially since everything you do is charming.”

We eat breakfast in the kitchen, then I help Zoe check the office, adjusting the curtains and blinds until the right amount of morning light is coming in to complement the side lamps.

I come over to kiss the top of her head again. “I’m going to go work from my bedroom. Text me if you need anything. Other than that, I will not come in this room or even this side of the house until you tell me we’re all clear.”

She grabs my hand and squeezes tightly. “Thank you for understanding. I’m so sorry to kick you out of your own office.”

“I’m already thinking of this as your office, baby.”

I hate that she looks worried. “Are you able to work in your bedroom?” she frets. “I don’t want you to get behind because of me.”

I smile, waving dismissively. “I have a whack of virtual assistants for a lot of the day-to-day stuff. Plus, there are five of us running this company. One of us can take a slow day now and then.”

I expect her to smile, but instead, Zoe’s face falls. “What is it, baby? If you’re nervous about the videos?—”

“No, I just realized that…you know. If I stay here in Old Hemlock Valley, eventually I’ll meet all your brothers. What if they don’t like me?”

“Oh baby, I know for a fact they will like you.” I gently brush her hair from her eyes. “Maybe I can introduce you to them one at a time? Less overwhelming that way?”

“That sounds like a very good plan.”

Tipping her chin up with my finger, I give her a feather-soft kiss, being careful not to mess up her lipstick. It’s getting more and more difficult to keep myself from caressing her all over and pulling her lush, curvy body against mine.

“Sometime in the next few days we’ll have a chat about how long you’re staying here. I hope you know that if it was up to me, it’d be forever.”

Her lovely gray eyes are wide as she leans back and straightens up, and her soft smile is strained.

“Enough. Just focus on one thing at a time, baby.” My finger taps the script on the teleprompter off to the side. “Don’t forget to breathe, and smile about ten percent more than feels natural.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

I take my laptop up to my bedroom. I motor through a bunch of unimportant emails while delegating smaller tasks to my assistants, but there’s a heavy cloud forming in the back of my mind.

I know it’s super early in this relationship, far too soon to expect Zoe to just up and change all her life plans for me. But even though I have no right to expect it, I want to feel like we’re permanent already.

We belong together forever. I’m positive.