“Sadie. Wow.”

Max gaped at her before she let him inside. She looked as if she had just walked off the set of a movie. Humans rarely had the captivating features that made a wolf shifter look twice, but when they did, they were hooked. The wolf within him was desperate to stake its claim on her; it was almost as if no time at all had passed. The wolf clearly didn’t know any difference, and the surprise and excitement that was radiating from Sadie’s body was a good indication that some part of her was feeling the same way. That was a good sign.

“Max, come in,” she said quickly, stepping out of the way to allow Max to step inside. He was overwhelmed by her scent once the door closed behind him. When they had dated before, he had been forced to pick her up at the house she had shared with her mother. That meant she smelled more of a pack, like her mother.

Now, though, she was on her own, and everything in the house seemed to smell of her body. Max’s body tensed up, and he suddenly felt angry. What the hell was he doing here? If she had given any sort of care for him, why would she have waited until they literally had to run into each other on the street to contact him? He had written to her so many times, and had never heard a damn word from her. What was he doing there?

“Smells good in here,” Max mumbled.

He still couldn’t quite get over the delicious scent of Sadie. The memory of her body against his–his entire being consumed by every most intimate part of her–washed over him, to the point where he wanted nothing more than to either take her right then or get the hell out of her house. It was impossible to tell which one he would benefit from the most.

“Thanks,” Sadie said, oblivious to the fact he was speaking about her scent and nothing else. “I have been working hard on getting this food done for you. It’s been a while since I made it, but hopefully, you like it…”

Max’s expression softened as he suddenly detected the scent of his favorite wolf shifter dish, Therda. It was the one thing he had remembered from being a child, before his grandparents had died and he still believed he was a part of a loving family. He had been too young to know better.

He had told Sadie about it during one of the few rare moments when he was willing to open up to her. He was reminiscing about the way his grandmother had cooked for him, and apparently, she had taken it to heart because, the next weekend, she had surprised him with a perfect rendition of his grandmother’s recipe. And that’s what she was making right now.

“I’m sure it will be great,” Max said, tearing himself away from the memory. It had been so long ago. It wouldn’t do him any good to get swept away by the past. Especially if she was still furious with him the way she had been the last time they had spoken with each other. Before the Vex pack had driven him out of town.

“Well, why don’t you come in and make yourself comfortable,” Sadie said, clearing her throat. “It won’t be done for a few more minutes. No sense in standing here like a stranger or something. Let’s go sit down.”

“Sure,” Max said, stepping forward a little too enthusiastically. Sadie smiled shyly at him, and they were soon sitting in her cozy living room. She had brought out a kettle of tea and they were sipping at it quietly, both of them seemingly lost for what to say or do next. How could they possibly pick up where they had left off when the history between them had been so messy?

Well, Max was the man here. It was up to him to lead things. It would probably be the best strategy to keep things casual. If she wanted to delve into everything, he would let her do it on her own time. What could they even say?

“So, how do you like your job at the post office?” Max asked, finally breaking the silence.

“Oh, it’s all right. But you know how it is. It isn’t my passion. It’s just something my mother pushed me into because it’s steady and reliable and it pays okay.”

“I always imagined you would be doing something with numbers,” Max said with a chuckle. “More profound than reading addresses all day long.”

“Yeah…well, most places don’t take you seriously if you don’t have some kind of college education. And you know how much I liked school.”

Max chuckled. Sadie was the smartest woman he had ever met. But she hadn’t been in her element when it came to schoolwork. She was brilliant and liked to do things her own way, but the teachers had always managed to make the subject matter dull and unengaging. But he knew she had a great head on her shoulders if anybody was willing to give her half a chance.

Unfortunately, Stonybrooke was stuck in its ways and had become a booming economic hub in the past thirty years. They wanted people who were going to be valuable assets to their companies, and were already unlikely to hire humans as it was, let alone humans who didn’t have the right discipline to go through the rigors of university. It was a shame, really, but that was the way things were. There was no point in challenging them. That never amounted to anything good.

A timer rang and broke into Max’s thoughts. Sadie jumped up and beamed at him, the shining look on her face bringing his heart into his throat.

“It’s ready,” Sadie said. “Come on, Max. Let’s go eat.”