Bailey looked into the mirror she applied lipstick. From a purely impartial perspective, she was a pretty girl. She had thick pouty lips. A cute button nose that curves slightly upwards. Big brown son eyes. And a mane of cinnamon colored hair. But even though on some level she knew she was pretty she often felt like the troll. As a child all she wanted was to be adopted. And yet time after time she be rejected by one family after another. She told herself it was because she wasn’t smart enough or pretty enough she wasn’t funny enough. There has to be something wrong with her else someone would’ve wanted her she would’ve gotten adopted. But she never did, no one ever chose her. She aged out of the system and started life penniless without a friend in the world. But she refused to accept the hand life dealt her.
She started her own business. After she restored furniture. Taking the trash discarded by others turning it into treasure. Maybe Felicity was right. Maybe she has to be just as aggressive with her love life as she was with business. She didn’t sit around and wait for success to find her because she knew it never would. She knew in order to get the things she wanted out of life she had to fight for them. So why was it so hard? Because being rejected in business was one thing but being rejected in matters of the heart was something she couldn’t bear. It just seems so personal especially given her childhood. But nothing good ever came to cowards. So she would meet this man. This man Gerri believed could be everything she needed and everything she wanted. Maybe he was. Stranger things had happened.
A knock at the door jolted Bailey from her thoughts. She balled up her fists and steadied herself. Fortune favors the bold. She took long steady strides towards the door and with the deep breath she opened it. She gasped at the sight of him. Over the past couple days she had imagined many different men with many different appearances. No matter what he looked like she was going to keep an open mind and get to know the man before making any decisions. But she wasn’t prepared for the man that stood in her doorway. He looked absolutely stunning. He was tall, a full head taller than her. And he had broad sturdy shoulders. This dark curly hair shone in the light of the hallway. He had a handsome face with the chiseled jaw. And his sexy grin could stop traffic.
She had to fight the urge to confirm that he was there for her. After all, his expensively tailored suit suggests that he was looking for a movie star or perhaps an heiress. He couldn’t have possibly expected just a regular girl like Bailey. But the way he looked at her, as if he could eat her alive. His eyes were smoldering. He extended a hand towards her and in a deep baritone voice introduced himself. “Hi, I’m Jaxon.”
Bailey stared at his hand outstretched towards her for a good five seconds before she realized she should probably reach out and shake it. She shook his hand, her mind fumbling for her own name. “I’m…um… I’m Bailey. Pleasure to meet you Jaxon.”
He offered her his arm. Not only handsome but also a gentleman. “Shall we go?”
Bailey took his arm eagerly. Just the idea of being seen what a man like this. He was the kind of man that would make other women jealous just from looking at her. She has to give Jerry credit. The woman had amazing taste.
Given the way he was dressed, Bailey was Surprised to see that he drove a Bronco. It seem like such a down-to-earth car for man who clearly had refinement and taste.
As they drove, she stared out the window. Usually she’d be focused on the dirt and grime of the city, taking notice of every broken bottle, every filthy puddle. But not this time. All she noticed this time was the amber-colored glow of the streetlights and how the illuminated Jaxon’s skin. She still couldn’t believe he was real.
He must have sensed her eyes on him because he said. “So, tell me about yourself.”
She flushed, her gaze darting between him and the road in front of them. His wiry grin put her at ease. “Well, there isn’t much to tell. I’m an interior designer.” That was an understatement. She’d built her own business from nothing, but didn’t want to sound like she was bragging. “You?”
He hesitated for a moment, as if he was coming up with an answer. “Um…I run a bar in a small town thirty minutes from here called Southoak.”
Bailey quirked a brow. “You’re wearing a six thousand dollar suit. You expect me to believe you’re a bartender?”
He looked over at her surprised. “This suit cost six thousand dollars?”
Confusion swept over Bailey’s expression. “You don’t know how much your own suit cost?”
“I had my assistant pick something up. I didn’t know she’d pick out a six thousand dollar suit.”
Bailey crossed her arms. “So you’re a bartender with an assistant?”
Jaxon sighed. “I also own a brewery in Southoak. My assistant handles the day to day, while I manage the bar.”
She gawked at him as she put two and two together. He couldn’t be… “A brewery in Southoak? As in Southoak beer?”
His eyes darted back and forth between her and the road. “Yes. Much to my endless regret, I’m a beer baron.”
She couldn’t help but giggle. He seemed genuinely ashamed of being rich. “No one gets to choose who their parents are. Don’t worry, I won’t prejudge you because you come from money, as long as you promise not to judge me because I don’t.”
He gave her another sexy grin. “You have a deal. Our past does not define us.”
When they got downtown he pulled up in front of the most expensive and exclusive restaurant in the city. Bailey had never eaten there, but she heard people made reservations a year in advance, yet somehow he’d gotten one at a moment’s notice. How he thought she’d believe he was bartender was beyond her.
The valet moved to open her door but Jaxon waved him off. He opened it instead, offering his hand. She took it gladly. It was firm and strong, with the slightest hint of roughness under smooth skin. As they headed inside she asked, “Did your assistant handle the restaurant reservations too?”
His look of surprise told her that he had no idea how popular the place was. “Yes, how’d you know?”
“Oh, I just had a feeling. What’s her name?”
“Jasmine.”
“Well, Jasmine deserves a raise.”
The hostess was a leggy redhead with a short skirt and glossy lips. Bailey peeked over at Jaxon to see if he was checking her out. She wouldn’t hold it against him, the woman was beautiful. She was just curious. But much to her discomfort, his eyes were glued to her. That made her turn away and blush.
“Two for Knight,” he told the hostess.
While he might not have noticed what Bailey had checked his reaction to the hostess, she certain did. Her lips curled in amusement and her voice was extra perky as she said, “Right this way!”
“Night as in opposite of day or guy on a horse saving damsels?” Bailey asked as they followed the hostess to their table.
“The latter.”
Bailey chuffed. “Of course.”
“Hey, don’t knock it. You might be Mrs. Knight someday.”
Bailey froze in her tracks, his words knocked her completely off balance. Not that she hated the idea, but she’d just met him.
Seeing her face, he realized his mistake. “Sorry…I didn’t mean…I’m no good at this. Most the people I talk to are already drunk and believe me, I’m far more charming after a few beers.”
She chuckled. “Don’t worry, you’re not doing too bad.”
They sat down at the table and the hostess handed them their menus. Bailey paid little attention as a waiter came up and began the describe the Chef’s Choice. She had more important things to worry about, like the entire menu being in French. How the hell was she supposed to order?
After the waiter finished his pitch, Jaxon handed him his menu and said, “That sounds great, I’ll have that.”
Bailey stared up at the angular faced man with a thin mustache and fumbled for anything to say at all. How could she admit she grew up with nothing and while her job afforded her some understanding of the rich, she was completely out of her element? She vowed not to judge him because of his wealth, but this was downright embarrassing. So she did the one thing she could, “Yes, I’ll have the special too.”
Wait, was she supposed to call it that? Diners had specials, not five star restaurants. The look on the snooty waiter’s face as he said, “Very good, ma’am” told her she’d probably called it the wrong thing.
The waiter turned back to Jaxon, “Would you like to see our wine menu?”
He shook his head. “No, just bring a bottle of your best.”
The waiter left to put in their order and Bailey turned to Jaxon wanting to fill the moment with talk of anything. “So, what do you do for fun?”
“Well, with the bar and brewery, I don’t have much free time, but when I do I enjoy the usual stuff—hiking, kayaking, you know.”
Bailey blinked. That was ‘the usual stuff’? She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen a kayak in real life. “Reading, musicals, you know, the usual.”
He smiled, which completely disarmed her. “Yeah, that’s the thing about Southoak, there isn’t much to do, so most of the people I know have the same hobbies as I do. I’m afraid you won’t find any musicals.”
The waiter returned with a bottle of white wine and filled both their glasses. She gave him a nod of acknowledgment and lifted the glass to her lips. “Don’t worry, I have a car and I’m willing to travel for a good musical.”
As they waited for their food, they talked about their work and Bailey was becoming more and more at ease with every sip of wine. Though it wasn’t just that, there was something about Jaxon, that even in a six thousand dollar suit could only be described as homey. And it was hard to be uncomfortable around a man who exuded warmth. He was like a big teddy bear and she just wanted to brush up against him and forget the world.
But that wasn’t an option, because the world was determined to intrude on their little bubble. The waiter came back and sat a plate down in front of each of them. Octopus. She had ordered fucking octopus! She glanced up at Jaxon and the waiter giving them a fake smile.
“Will there be anything else?”
She shook her head. “No, this is great. Thank you.”
Jaxon examined his forks for a minute, chose one and began eating.
Bailey stared down at her plate knowing what she had to do. She was an incredibly picky eater and didn’t like seafood. And if she had to choose, octopus would probably be the last thing she’d willingly put in her mouth. But she was at this expensive restaurant with a handsome, sweet guy and the last thing she wanted to do was insult him by wasting his money. This had to be an incredibly expensive dinner and she didn’t have it in her to tell him she wasn’t paying attention to what she ordered.
Fortunately, the fancy dish didn’t have much of anything on it. Just a few bites and she’d be done. She picked up the slimy piece of tentacle with her fork, closed her eyes and popped it into her mouth. It was raw.
She couldn’t spit it out, so she swallowed it down. The idea of having to take another bite sickened her. What she’d just eaten made her nauseous too. It was almost as if she could feel it squirming inside of her. She covered her mouth with both and jumped up. She was going to throw up, right in front of him. His several hundred dollar dinner and she was going to make a mess of octopus and white wine right there on the table.
She didn’t know where the bathroom was, so she ran for the front door as fast as she could in heels. She pushed through the double doors and was hit by the cool night air. She bent over and tried to wretch but it didn’t come up, instead she stood in front of this five star restaurant dry heaving. She was like a walking Yelp review.
Tears welled in her eyes. Not only from the discomfort and embarrassment, but from the fear of having ruined her chances. Guys like him were one in a zillion and she just stood up and literally ran from him. He must have thought she was insane.
“Are you okay?”
She spun around to find him looking at her with concern. She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand and pushed her brown strands from her eyes. “Yes. The octopus didn’t sit right with me. I didn’t mean to order it. I wasn’t listening.”
He laughed. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I was listening and he never said octopus. He said a bunch of stuff I didn’t understand and I just pretended I did because I didn’t want to look stupid and unsophisticated in front of you.”
Now it was her turn to laugh. “I did the same thing.”
He offered her his hand. “Let’s go get some real food.”
She took his hand and followed him down the stairs. The valet brought back his car and she rode with him to see what constituted ‘real food’. Within thirty minutes they were sitting on the hood of the Bronco under a starlit sky splitting a box of cheese sticks and a six pack of beer.
Bailey picked up a piece with her mouthwatering as she watched the cheese stretch. “If you keep spoiling me like this, I’ll come to expect it.”
He smiled and took a swing from his beer before saying, “Eat up. The dough will help soak up the octopus.”
She shook with laughter, before once again being distracted by their picturesque surroundings. She had been nervous when he drove her out the city, more so when he turned off the road and into the woods somewhere. But there was something about this place that seemed almost magical. The chirping of the insects, the smell of the air. The lake that spread out before them reflected the moon so vividly, it seemed like she could jump in and touch it. This place felt like the forest out of a fairytale. “How did you find out about this place?” She asked between bites.
“We’re in my backyard.” He pointed across the lake. “You see there? In the distance? That’s my cabin.”
Bailey squinted, she could barely make out the building on the other side of the lake, but she could tell it was two floors tall and very big. “That’s not a cabin,” she said decidedly.
“Is so, it’s just a very big cabin.”
She shook her head. “Do you do anything like a normal person?”
Jaxon chuckled. “Usually no, but I swear I try.”
She finished off the last cheese stick she could stand to eat and leaned back rubbing her tummy. “That’s okay, normal people are boring anyway. I like a guy that keeps me guessing.”
When he didn’t respond, she looked over at him to find him staring. His eyes smoldering with desire. “What?” She asked anxiously.
“For a moment there, you looked so incredibly sexy, my bear almost rose up and took over.”
Bailey sat up, at full attention. “Your bear?”
“I’m a grizzly. Gerri didn’t tell you?”
“No, it never came up.” She had asked for excitement, but she’d never really thought about how the matchmaker would deliver. A charming, handsome, down-to-earth, shifter. The woman was good at her job.
“Is that a problem?”
“I don’t know. Do you plan to eat me?” She asked teasingly.
“Only in ways you enjoy.”
Her cheeks turned red. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Anything you like.”
Ha! That list was already long and graphic and growing longer by the minute. But she couldn’t risk him thinking less of her. Deep down she had a feeling she’d never had before. When she looked at Jaxon she felt like he could be the man she’d spend the rest of her life with. It seemed crazy, she barely knew him, but the feeling was there, deep in her bones.
They spent hours talking about everything. She told him about her childhood, all those years she spent alone, wondering how she could become worthy of love. She rarely talked about her childhood, but there was something about Jaxon that made it flow out of her. She wanted him to know who she was.
He told her about his clan. He was the leader of it, but his role was being challenged by an outsider. She practically swooned as she watched him talk about his people and how he’d do anything to protect them. She was imagining him having the same passion when it came to protecting her and their family. It would be a dream come true.
As the night rolled on, Bailey grew tired, but she wouldn’t say anything because she didn’t want the night to end. What if she closed her eyes and it all went away? What if it was just a dream? She fault sleep until she couldn’t anymore.
She woke up for a moment as Jaxon put her into the car, but she quickly dozed again when they started moving. Once again as he was taking off her shoes and slipping her into a soft warm bed. “Goodnight, Bailey.”
“Night, Jaxon,” she mumbled before pulling the comforter under her chin and dozing off again.