Diablo Lake: Moonstruck (13 page)

“Like I said, I’m not anyone else. And you don’t know Katie Faith very well if you think she’d stand for any foolishness from me or anyone else. She’s a big girl now.” Jace let himself smile at the memory of her distinct hatred of mornings.

How it was that Katie Faith being grumpy made him all hot and bothered, he didn’t know. But there he was, struck stupid by the way she scrunched up her brow and her hair went all bristly as she’d stomped off to the bathroom.

“You all have a good evening.” He bowed slightly, totally done with their test and the conversation.

“Thanks for the Cokes, Jace,” Alice called out as he headed back to where practice was beginning to wind down.

“It’s really gross how many moms are up there scoping out your butt,” one of the kids waiting his turn to run told him.

Jace shrugged. Wasn’t like he was going to complain a bunch of folks found him attractive. He wasn’t unaware of his looks or of his position. He’d grown wary over the years after getting burned by people he thought truly cared about him.

Katie Faith didn’t give a shit about any political stuff. She respected his position and his power, but she just seemed to find her way around anything she didn’t want to do.

Yeah, he knew she liked the way he looked. He loved the way her scent changed when he took his shirt off, or when she stared at his forearms and hands as he was drying dishes.

Compared to that scent—just for him—what was the temptation?

Still didn’t mean he was going to let a seventeen-year-old pup bust his balls. “Give me thirty push ups,” he tossed out as he turned his back and focused on the rest of the kids practicing.

* * *

The brew pub had a pretty decent take-out pizza business going so he ordered two different kinds of loaded combos and asked them to set aside a few bottles of the Diablo Lake Porter.

He jumped in the shower, changed and before he ran up the road to get the pies, he checked in on JJ to have a little chat with him about offering discounts and such to Katie Faith.

It was just his grandmother in the kitchen though, when he came through.

“Alice called over here a while back,” she told him as he bent to kiss her cheek.

He grunted. “Is Grandpa around?”

“He’ll be around when he wants to be. And he doesn’t just now.”

Jace withheld the sigh he knew she’d be annoyed by. “I’m sure he knows I’m looking for him. I’ll check again soon but I need to grab my dinner just now.”

“No one thinks you’re Darrell.”

He did sigh then. “Hard to think otherwise when half the town thinks I’m going to get Katie Faith in a family way and then dump her. I’m not
him
either.”

She flinched slightly, getting his point about his dad. “He wasn’t all bad, but he was weak. Some people, no matter how much they were loved and raised right, are broken.”

Jace didn’t say aloud that he’d spent his whole damned life trying to prove to people who should know better, that he was better than that. Better than the male Jace had no memories of.

But he was eternally sick and tired of carrying Josiah Dooley’s bullshit around.

“You don’t have to be stoic every minute you know.” She pointed to a chair at the table and he obeyed.

“I have a pizza order waiting,” he said to her, trying to be patient.

“Use that thing to tell one of your brothers to go get it then. I have some things to say and I won’t take no backseat to pepperoni.” She pointed at his phone.

Knowing there was no way around it, Jace texted Major, who said he was on his way to the pub anyway and would drop the food by when it was ready.

“Everything would be so much easier if you all just obeyed me like this the first time.” With a sigh, she sat across from him. “I sometimes forget that Josiah’s mistakes weigh on other people’s shoulders too.” At Jace’s surprised look she waved a hand. “What? That’s the bullseye, ain’t it?”

He
really
didn’t want to have this conversation. He had pleasant things to look forward to, like pizza, beer and his woman. Talking about his father was only going to make his life less pleasant and it wouldn’t change the past in any case.

“We loved Josiah. Same as we did the rest. He never seemed to settle or be still. Nothing satisfied him. You’re a Prime. He never was. Not even potentially.” She shrugged.

“Why’s everyone in my business then? A bunch of aunties show up at practice to give me stink eye and make me cart sodas to ‘em?”

“Pack business is their business.” She lowered her voice. “If you were truly like him, or like Darrell for that matter, you’d be surprised by the fact that your kiss this afternoon was as good as you getting down on one knee. But you know what you’re doing. You do
everything
with a reason. That’s why you’re Prime. Why you’ll be Patron soon enough. Katie Faith and that kiss mean things will change now. For everyone in this town. The question isn’t
are you a womanizer layabout like Josiah
. It just isn’t an issue with you.”

“Am I worthy? Is that it?” he burst out.

“I think that’s part of the question, and you and I both know it’s more important to you than anyone else. The answer for your family is that they took a long look and liked what they saw. A man ready to lead. A man ready to dig deeper roots and a stronger foundation for the future. What is it you see?” his grandmother asked him.

That was a hell of a question, wasn’t it?

“It was a point needed making,” he said, avoiding the other question. He’d wanted everyone to know Katie Faith was his. That they were together. Wanted to extend his protection to her in a way she’d accept and one that meant something to them both.

“Okay then. Since she hasn’t burned the place down, I take it she’s all right with you making your point on her lips in front of her mom and daddy?”

He cracked a smile then. “No one hit me or used magic to toss me in the street on my butt. I guess so.”

“You’re worthy, Jace. You’ve been ready and now you have someone to be ready for and with. But it’s going to be rocky awhile. I expect you know that too.”

He nodded. “Things are already unstable. It’ll come to a head, some bones will be broken, some blood will be spilled and we’ll move on. It’s how things work here and we sure aren’t moving down to Chattanooga.”

“Show some respect for your elders. Don’t make it a big deal if she sleeps over or if you sleep over there.” She gave him the stink eye.

“It’s respect for Katie Faith too.”

His grandmother beamed. “I taught you right. Okay, go. I heard your brother pull up. Katie Faith just got home too.”

She had a good ear still. The same hearing that always caught Damon sneaking out. Though never Jace because he wasn’t a dumbass like his brother.

He hugged her tight. “Thank you for the pep talk.”

She kissed his cheek and smoothed his hair back the same way she had since he could remember. “I’m your grandmamma, that’s my job.”

“I’m still looking to have a word with Grandpa so when he’s ready to be found, send him my way, please.”

“He’s eighty-four years old. He does what he wants. Go on now.” She waved him out.

He followed his nose as pepperoni and sausage guided him to his door, where Major stood, chatting with Katie Faith.

“Hi!” She turned a goofy smile his way. “Gabe made out with Lacey and then he didn’t even give her a corsage. Can you believe that guy?”

Someone’d had a few. Jace kept that to himself as he took the pies from his brother and opened his door.

“I invited him to eat pizza with us but he’s going back to the pub. Lots of women out tonight I noticed on the walk back from Aimee’s.”

“I’ll see y’all later.” Major hugged Katie Faith and ducked out.

“It was very nice of him to pick up our pizza. Is everything all right?” She tossed her bag on the floor next to his couch.

“I just got caught up in a conversation with my grandmother and rather than run out on it, I asked Major if he could grab the pizza when it was done. He was supposed to call me to see if I’d finished, but he clearly didn’t bother to wait for that.”

Jace put the pizza down and then pulled her close. “Evening, Katie Faith,” he murmured into her hair.

“Hi.” She seemed to melt against his body. This was coming home.

“Who’s Gabe?”

She laughed and told him about some reality dating show thing she watched with Aimee as they plated up the pizza, grabbed beer and he took her out his bedroom window to the roof where he’d put a blanket earlier.

“From here we can see the stars but no one but the stars can see us.”

“Sneaky. I like it.”

“How was practice?” Katie Faith asked. She didn’t go for nonchalance because she’d gotten a call from her mom telling her how many aunties showed up at practice that night and also how many single folks sniffed around too.

She figured it was better to just get it out of the way before they had sex. Because she had plans for that and they didn’t include any deep conversations about nosy elders.

His expression was adorable though. Panicked and annoyed all at once. She was going to hell for that too probably, but she loved to poke at him. Ruffle him up and make him laugh.

He had so much on his shoulders she craved easing that when she could. Also, he needed someone not to take him so damned seriously as Jace Prime Alpha Wolf. Grr.

“I should have known you’d hear about it. I figured tomorrow first thing, but apparently this relationship of ours is the most weighty topic in the whole fucking town’s mind.”

Katie Faith snorted. “Stop. I hear you had a legion of lady fans who fed you cookies after you hauled sodas for them.”

“Carmen made her oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.”

She nodded, totally understanding. “I don’t suppose you saved me one.” He ducked his head and she gave in to her desire to give him a quick hug. “I’m joking.”

“I have a dump cake. Aunt Alice sent it home with me after practice.”

“Another reason to keep you around. You have excellent connections for baked goods on the regular.”

“The kiss this afternoon got everyone riled up,” he said.

“Like you knew it would.”

“I knew you’d figure it out soon enough,” he muttered. “You said you hated that people kept asking you. Now they won’t have to.”

He was even more handsome when he jutted his chin out defiantly. Ridiculous.

“So, you did it for me?”

“I can’t tell if I should be scared or if you actually get it.”

“You should always be scared, Jace. I’m not mad that you kissed me. If I was, I’d have told you right then instead of locking lips and hugging up on you.”

“So what’s the problem then? Everyone knows we’re together so they don’t need to talk about it all the damned time.”

“It’s cute when you’re so clueless. But right now you know exactly what’s going on.”

He nibbled on her fingertips a moment before grabbing another slice of pizza. “By kissing you today I told everyone you were mine. Is that what you mean?”

Warmth burst through her. “That’s a start. A really good one, but don’t let it go to your head. You got all riled up about the whole offer of free movie tickets. From a boy I babysat, by the way.” She rolled her eyes.

“Boy’s got taste, I’ll give him that.” He gave her a pirate’s grin. “Like all the others have been boys. Let’s get that straight.”

She shifted closer to him so she could nibble on his earlobe. He exhaled, a little shaky.

“I don’t have anything confused so there’s nothing to get straight, buster.” She grabbed his bottom lip between her teeth and tugged slowly until he moaned, relaxing, giving in to that essential need to be touched shifters came with.

“I warned you. Back in the early days, what it would be like with me.”

He got up quickly, gracefully, and hustled her back inside, closing the window once they’d brought food in.

“Better?” he asked.

“Huh?”

He was on her in two steps, sliding his body against hers as he then embraced her, rubbing his hands all over her upper body.

As if that was going to make her more coherent? She fell into his touch, the strength of his hands as he touched her.

“I saw you shiver outside. Getting cooler at night. Now that there’s a witch in my life I need to remember things like getting cold.”

“I like it when you pet me,” she confessed. “And I like it that you got jealous. I mean, you didn’t do anything I
absolutely
wasn’t on board with. Enthusiastically so. Now. You were reminding me of some sort of warning you gave me?”

He tugged her to his gigantic recliner, tucking her against his body. He gave off enough warmth that her muscles relaxed and she snuggled in.

“I’m not a boy. I’m not even a man. I’m a Prime. Other wolves bringing you flowers and thinking they can sniff around? For what? They don’t know you like I do. Don’t see every beautiful, wonderful, weird as hell thing about you like I do. And I don’t like it one damn bit. Not only because you’re mine so they can all fuck right off.”

She snickered as she patted his chest a few times. “I don’t like it either. But it’s not going to make any difference in the choices I make. In the one I made when I let a gorgeous werewolf I’ve been half in love with since I was seventeen kiss me and touch my boobs.”

He rumbled. A sound of contentment from deep inside his chest.

“They’re great boobs. I’m mighty glad you let me touch them.”

“Where did you hide this sense of humor back when we were teens? You just brooded all around like the hottest older boy crush ever. Frowning.”

He frowned just then and then deeper as he realized she’d seen.

“I’m well known for my wit, I’ll have you know.”

Truth was, he did have a really great, dry as a bone humor.

“You make me laugh more than anyone I’ve ever known.” He looked a little surprised at his admission, but recovered quickly. “I can’t for the life of me imagine what you and Darrell talked about. You dated him for a long time.”

Darrell had rarely laughed at her weird comments. She couldn’t poke fun at him or be lighthearted because he’d been really sensitive and who wanted to upset the person you thought you loved?