The Reluctant Mate: (Book 13, Grey Wolf Pack Romance Novellas) (3 page)

“Surprised you recognized me,” he rumbled. 

His voice was a little deeper, and yes, he had shot up a few more inches, he now had to be at least six foot five – towering over her five foot ten frame, and probably even making Beau look small.  But that was nothing compared to his muscles.  He had filled out with enough of them for two men let alone one. 
But he was still Reid
.  Still the same boy with beautiful eyes, sharp, handsome features, and shaggy dark hair.  Although the closely cropped beard did suit him – made him look older than his twenty-four years.

“I’d recognize you anywhere,” she simpered, ashamed of how much she sounded like a teenage girl.  She tried to rein it in, even as her wolf tried to encourage her.  “Although I have to say, I love the beard.” 
Yes, that was reining it in
.

Without thinking, she ran a finger along his jaw, and his eyes widened slightly.  Her finger tingled at the touch, and she frowned as her wolf wagged her tail.

“You look the same as always,” he blurted.  “I mean you look just like you… I…”

“Thank you,” she grinned, inferring the compliment.

Their eyes locked and a smile stole across his face, virtually lighting up the room.  She slapped his arm and his brow furrowed.

“Six years, Reid and not one letter or phone call, seriously?”

Guilt flitted over his face.  “I’m not good at that sort of thing.  I only wrote my mom because she threatened to march over to my unit and spank me in front of everyone.”

Jolene knew that was true.  Noreen Jacobs was not a she-wolf to mess with.

“Well, you’re here now, and that’s all that matters.  I’d love to catch up with you – how about over lunch?”  Her insides quivered.  This had to be the first time she’d ever asked a guy out.  Not that she was.  This was
not
a date.  She just wanted to catch up with an old friend.

Reid froze and stared at her.

“I mean, if you’re free,” she added self-consciously.  He couldn’t have been back in town long – nothing stayed a secret in Rose for more than five minutes – so maybe he had a lot to do.  Or perhaps a female already had her claws in him.  She wouldn’t be surprised; female wolves were very competitive for males, and she imagined they’d be queueing up to fight over him.  Her wolf didn’t like that thought at all.

“No, no I… let’s do it.”

Jolene smiled, and he seemed to relax.  “Great, so twelve in the diner?”  The only diner in town was called The Honeypot Diner and was run by a family of bears.  Their meatloaf was legendary.

He nodded and took two steps away before he stopped.  “Actually, I came in here to try and get a permit to open a new business.”

Jolene slapped her forehead and giggled.  “Of course – I should have asked you why you were here.  Permits are two doors down on the left.  The lady who deals with them is Marie.”  She leaned forward conspiratorially.  “She’s in her seventies and a little deaf, but if you flash her some muscle, she’ll give you anything you want.”

Reid nodded.  “Thanks, I’ll see you later.”  He hovered as if considering what to do and then settled on grabbing her hand and shaking it before running out of the office.

“Reid Jacobs,” she murmured.  Same old Reid, she thought fondly.  So if it was the same old Reid why did it feel like gremlins were doing the Macarena in her stomach at just the thought of having lunch with him?

Chapter Two

Reid leaned against the building and panted.  Why the fuck hadn’t his mom warned him she’d be there?  His wolf snarled at him to man up, and Reid snarled back in return.

Six years, six long fucking years and he’d almost got himself to believe she didn’t mean anything to him.  But one hug and that was it.  His need for her was worse than ever.

Absently, he rubbed his chest.  He could still feel the heat of her soft form pressed against him.  He could smell her jasmine scent on his clothes.  He could still feel the burning touch of her finger as she swiped it along his jaw… 
Six years weren't enough
.

He’d wanted to steel himself before he saw her again, to prepare himself and make sure he didn’t come off as the same bumbling teenager she remembered.  But no, he was still the same idiot.

She said he hadn’t changed, but he wished he could go back in there and prove he had.  Although, deep down he knew that wasn’t the case.  He may be different physically, but inside he was still the same gawky teen mooning over his brother’s perfect girlfriend.

But she isn’t his girlfriend now, is she?  His wolf thought with satisfaction.  Nor was she married anymore.

Six years ago, he was convinced she would never want the love of her life’s idiot younger brother, so he ran away to forget her before he had to watch her be with someone else.  His wolf hated him for it.  He wanted to stay and find out if she really was his true mate.  Back then he was still too young to know whether she was his true mate, and Reid had been too afraid and angry to stick around and find out.

His mom always wrote him about Jolene, and he tried not to, but he couldn’t help but read the words over and over.  The only letters he kept were the ones that mentioned her.  No matter how small and inconsequential the news, he wanted to read it over and over.  Finding out she was married was excruciating, but finding out she was divorced was like a weight being lifted off his battered heart.

He’d adored her since he was ten and Beau first brought her home.  But he’d loved her since he first shifted when he was thirteen.  When his wolf came alive, so did his feelings for her.  It was that time that he started hating his brother, rather than just loathing the asshole.

Sweet Jolene
.  The she-wolf who always had time for her boyfriend's awkward younger brother, who took him to movies, who took him out for hotdogs, who helped with his homework – who didn't let his brother bully him. 
Perfect Jolene
.  Who was devoted to an asshole that would rather play sports and get drunk with his friends than hang out with her.  An asshole that expected her to do his homework while he flirted with other girls, and then dumped her at the drop of a hat for an awful pack princess called Tawny.

He clenched his fists.  It didn’t matter now.  She was free, and he was sure of what he had suspected for a long time – she was his true mate.

His wolf growled at him.  Yes, maybe if he’d stuck around they could have figured that out when he turned nineteen, but she would have been married then, and probably even more stubborn to convince.  She didn’t talk about it often, but she hated the whole true mate thing, and she could be damn mulish when she wanted.  He smiled as he thought of the way her cute nose wrinkled whenever she was being obstinate.

He’d told her she hadn’t changed, but she had – she was lovelier than he remembered.  Tall and curvy with long blonde hair and soft brown eyes.  Although her curves seemed a little less defined – he needed to do something about that.  Maybe she hadn’t been eating properly.  He’d soon put some meat back on her bones.  His wolf growled at the prospect of taking care of their mate. 
Although, easier said than done. 

His ability to woo and flirt with women was on par with his ability to fly and sneeze gumdrops –
non-existent.
  He wasn’t a prude when it came to sex.  He’d had sex, but he’d hardly call his encounters completely enjoyable.  Maybe because the female lying under him couldn’t compare to a certain blonde she-wolf, and nor did they like it when he called another female’s name.  They usually got pissed and accused him of being an unfeeling robot.  Not that he cared.  He was used to name calling and bullying. 
Weirdo.  Freak
.  They were some of the tamer favorites.  But he never cared what anyone thought.  His wolf may have growled at their taunts, but Reid could give a crap.  There was only one person who ever mattered to him.  And Reid just had to make her see past the boy she once knew to the man he had become, and get her over her aversion to the idea of true mates.  Hopefully, that was easier than it sounded.

*

Jolene tottered on her heels.  Stupid boss making her late. 
Of course, he needed that file right that second.

Ten minutes late wasn’t so bad.  She just hoped that Reid stuck around.  She worried he was kind of sensitive about things like that.  Growing up, Beau had always been the star of the family – the football hero – and Reid had been forgotten more than once when their football-obsessed dad forgot to collect him from the library so he could practice with Beau.

Not to mention when he was sixteen, and that vicious she-wolf bitch, Marley asked him out on a date and then turned up late with all her friends to laugh at the ‘weirdo'.  Jolene was furious – mostly at herself because against the wishes of her wolf she had encouraged him to go on the date.

Reid’s mom said it was just a she-wolf acting out, but Jolene had marched over to Marley’s house and yelled at her and her parents.  Reid hadn’t seemed to care that much; he seemed to be doing it to make her happy, but she couldn’t bear the thought of him being hurt in any way.  She knew encouraging him to go on the date was a bad idea, but she’d done it anyway because Beau had been teasing him about him being unattractive to females – which was utterly ridiculous.

Jolene almost cried with relief when she saw him at the back of the diner.  She waved at him, and he stood up and gave her a shy wave in return.  Her wolf yipped.

She inhaled his cinnamon scent, and what was that?  He’d taken a shower, and he’d changed and was wearing a black tie over his red plaid shirt, and some tight, tight jeans.  She smiled.  It was probably the closest he would ever get to dressing fancy again, and he looked ten times better wearing that than any other man would wearing a high-priced suit.  Although she wondered whether he still had the tux from his brother’s wedding – it probably wouldn’t fit anymore.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” she puffed.  She really needed to exercise more

He grinned, but she could see the relief in his eyes.  “It’s fine.  I hope you don’t mind I ordered you a sweet iced tea.”

“My favorite,” she said plopping onto her seat.

“I remember,” he murmured.

There were a few moments of silence while they watched each other.  They both chuckled at the same time.

“So when did you get back to town?” she asked trying to sound casual.

“Last night.”

“You already checked in with the Alpha?”

Reid grunted in the affirmative.  She didn’t imagine he enjoyed that very much.  When Reid left, he barely said goodbye to anyone, and he certainly didn’t ask permission from the Alpha to leave the pack.  It was perhaps fortunate that they had a new Alpha now, who was a little less strict than his predecessor, but that didn’t mean Adam was a total pushover.  Probably best to move on from that subject.

“Are you staying with your parents?”

“Yeah, but I’m planning on getting my own place,” he added quickly.

“Bet your mom’s pleased you’re back.”

He grunted and looked at the menu.

“And your dad, too.”

His eyes flickered to hers for a few seconds before returning to the menu.  She placed a hand on his and squeezed.  “I’m sure he is glad.  He missed you while you were gone.  He might not say so, but he was so proud of you serving your country.”

His chest heaved.  “Thanks.”

Kira, a fellow pack mate, bounded over with their drinks, her curls bouncing up and down.  She was a wolf who was virtually always happy – Jolene could attest to that as she and her sister had lived with Jolene for a while when they first came to town.  Jolene admired and envied her for her sunny outlook on life, even after everything she’d been through.

“Hey, Joey!  This for you?”  She placed a glass of water in front of Reid and passed her the tea.

“Thanks.  Kira, this is Reid Jacobs, he’s just come back to the pack after six years away.”  She tried not to sound
too
accusing about that fact.  “Reid, this is Kira.”

Kira beamed, and Reid gave her a polite, forced smile.

“Hi!  I’m mated to Gabe; he’s a sheriff’s deputy.  I’ve been with the pack just over a year now.  I’m a Virgo, and I like running in the snow and piña coladas.”

“She’s also disgustingly sweet all the time,” added Jolene with a smile.

“Says the nicest she-wolf in the pack,” countered Kira.  She turned to Reid.  “She took my sister and me in when we came to the town, took care of us without wanting anything in return.”

“Please, I just wanted free labor to clean my house.”

“She’s lying, she’s an angel, and I don’t do dusting – my mate will attest to that.”

Reid’s smile perked up, and he murmured a hello to Kira.

“Your usual?” asked Kira.

“Yes, please. Reid, what are you having?”

“Same,” he muttered.

Kira took their menus.  “Back in a jiffy, guys.”

“You don’t even know what my usual is.”

“I’m guessing either meatloaf or a cheeseburger.  It’s what you always order.”

Jolene rubbed her hand.  “Jeez, I really am boring, aren’t I?  I haven’t changed a bit in six years.”

“It’s nice to know some things haven’t changed.”  Reid fiddled with a fork.  “I kind of feel out of place in the pack.”

“You shouldn’t, it’s still the same pack.  I’d be happy to introduce you around to all the new members.”

“Oh my god, Reid?  Is that you?”  A far too happy and excited voice floated in their direction.

Jolene turned to see Marley, the stunning and lissom young she-wolf bounding towards them.  She bit back her wolf’s snarl.  To say Marley was not her favourite wolf was an understatement. 
Mortal enemy might be closer
.  The female was downright vicious, vapid and in addition the embarrassing date, had made Reid’s life hell in high school.  On top of that, she looked far too thrilled to see Reid again.  Jolene was mightily relieved that Reid actually looked mildly irritated by the interruption.

“Hi, ah… Marley?”  He frowned uncertainly, and Jolene coughed into her napkin as Marley’s face tightened.

“That’s right,” said, Marley, brightly, quickly covering her annoyance.  “How long have you been back in town?”

Marley leaned over their table, butting her hip against Jolene and giving Reid an eyeful of her plentiful cleavage.  The young wolf was wearing a low cut top and mini skirt, in spite of the cooler weather.  Jolene felt like a dowdy old maid in her modest knit dress.  Her wolf actually sniffed and seemed unconcerned by Marley’s display.  Maybe because Reid’s eyes never dipped lower than her face, and also because he seemed to be trying to ignore her and focus on Jolene.

After a few more desultory questions from Marley, during which she completely ignored Jolene’s presence.  And some grunted, monosyllabic responses from Reid, the young she-wolf left with a giggle, a wiggle of her hips and a promise to ‘see him around’.

“Unbelievable!” snapped Jolene, slapping her palm down on the table.  “How dare she?”

Reid’s lips quirked in amusement.  “She was kind of annoying, but…”

“How can she behave that way after what she did to you?”  Her wolf snarled and flexed her claws on his behalf.

He shrugged and actually looked confused.

Jolene gaped at him.  “You can’t seriously have forgotten?”  She sure hadn’t.  She and her beast were still furious.

He continued to look blank, and Jolene harrumphed.  “The date?  She asked you out on a date and then she showed up with her actual date and loads of her friends and took pictures of you and laughed at you.  She posted the pictures all over her webpage and called you a loser.”

Reid let out a maddening chuckle – like he didn’t care at all about the thing Jolene had been stewing over for years!

“Oh, that.  Yeah, she did that to loads of guys.”

“You’re okay with that?”

Reid scratched his beard.  “I never liked her.  I didn’t care what she did.  Still don’t,” he added after a moment.

“But don’t you remember how bad it was?”

“I remember you came and picked me up and took me out to the drive in over at Darlington.  We watched The Blob.”  He smiled slightly.  “We took a pizza with us, but we weren’t supposed to have outside food so we kept having to hide it and you hid a piece down your…”  He gulped as his eyes did venture below her face.  “Down your top.”

For all his animation during his speech he shut up just as quickly, and Jolene felt a warm flutter at the memory.

“Yeah, that was a fun night.”

She looked around the diner, more so he couldn’t see how flushed her cheeks were.  Course, what she saw didn’t help.  A couple of other females were also throwing him longing looks, almost as worrying as Marley’s.  Her wolf growled, but she needn’t have worried.  All the females were all met with a stony, disinterested look from Reid.