Chapter Five
The next evening, Skylar and Emery walked to Killian’s house. It seemed logical to walk instead of drive the five minutes. A Bronco wasn’t exactly a gas-saver, and Skylar was trying to conserve as much money as she could. That morning she had driven to Dee’s Diner, where she was introduced to an older portly woman with friendly hazel eyes and a ’fro of short blonde curls.
Dee, short for Delilah, had a booming voice, a love for cooking, and a serious case of rheumatoid arthritis that made serving a little on the difficult side. She’d had two waitresses quit last month—one got “knocked up” and had to move back home to her family, and the other went off to college. Now Dee was short-staffed and had all but “shouted to the heavens” when Cat mentioned having a friend who could help out too. But she also wasn’t going to hire just anybody. She gave the usual interview questions, sending Skylar on her merry way without so much as a hint whether Skylar had gotten the job or not. Luckily, Skylar had bought a prepaid cell phone before they’d even reached California, so she had a number to give Dee.
“God, can you imagine the look on Jonathon’s face if he saw this house?” Emery whispered when Killian and Cat’s house came into view from the driveway.
Skylar shook her head, thinking of their old Alpha and his mate. “He would fight tooth and nail for that kind of luxury.” She sighed and tilted her head toward Emery, looking from the corners of her eyes. “But you can’t mention them, Emery. They can’t—”
“I know, Skylar. I won’t talk about Jon and Selma to them.” Emery rolled her eyes, but her voice was reassuring.
They walked the rest of the way in silence until their footsteps creaked on the wooden porch. The door swung open, and Cat stood in the entrance with a bright smile.
“I wasn’t sure if you were going to come or not.”
Skylar smiled back, the tiny woman’s mood infectious. “We wouldn’t have missed it.”
“Come on in. The rest of the pack is pretty excited to meet you both.” Cat stepped away, ushering Skylar and Emery inside.
The smell of Shifters and marinara sauce wafted across the house to Skylar. She inhaled the scents, both familiar and unfamiliar, reaching over to squeeze Emery’s hand. She walked all the way into the house, finally stopping in the kitchen at the far side. Kelly stood by the stove, a smile on her face as she laughed at something an older man next to her said, his deep blue eyes crinkling back at her. Killian leaned against the island, watching the entrance to the kitchen with wariness.
“Oh! You’re here!” a familiar feminine voice exclaimed. Skylar turned her head just in time for the blonde hairstylist from the day before to grab her hands. The stylist’s eyes, the exact same shade as Jamie’s, twinkled. Skylar bet they were related now that she knew they were in the same pack. “I figured you were looking for Killian to join the pack.”
Skylar searched for her name from their small encounter, just a blip in the flurry of events that seemed to have happened since their arrival. The woman’s smile widened, and she rolled her eyes.
“It’s Jessica. Don’t worry. I didn’t expect you to remember anyway. And this is?” She flicked her gaze to Emery.
Skylar’s cheeks heated, embarrassed that she had forgotten Jessica’s name. Trying to cover herself, she reached back for her sister, pulling her farther into the room and in front of the curious eyes of the pack. “This is my sister, Emery.”
“Such beautiful names,” Jessica said, looking between the both of them. “They fit you.” Jessica grabbed one of Emery’s hands, and Skylar didn’t miss the way Emery flinched from the sudden movement. Neither did Jessica. Her face momentarily dropped, but she caught herself and plastered the smile back on her lips. “Emery, I’m so happy to have another young girl here. I thought my poor Mia would be the only child in this place.” Jessica shot a quick glance at Cat, who only shrugged and walked to the stove to help Kelly with whatever she was cooking.
Emery smiled at the hyper woman, ignoring the “child” label, and the tension released from her shoulders. “How old is Mia?”
“She’s four going on thirteen.” Jessica laughed. “That girl has got personality and attitude.”
“I’d love to meet her.” Emery had always loved kids. At the old pack, she would babysit for free for the other packmates when they needed it.
“Come on, then. She’s playing on the patio.”
Jessica pulled Emery toward the back door, and Skylar couldn’t help the nervous feeling as she watched her sister’s back.
“She’ll be fine,” Cat said, her mouth full of chips. “Jessica is good at getting people to relax. Take my word for it.” She turned her gaze to her mate, who smiled down at her from his more carefree position behind her. His arms encircled her waist.
“Oh, that is definitely something Jessica is good at,” the man who was speaking to Kelly earlier said, moving toward Skylar with his hand outstretched. His blue eyes were kind, and his laugh lines and the crinkles on his cheeks spoke of a man who had a happy life. Gray peppered his black hair, carefully styled in a professional do. “I’m Finn, Kelly’s mate.”
“Nice to meet you.” Skylar shook his hand, surprisingly rough for a man whose appearance and suit pointed toward desk jobs and well-manicured fingernails.
“Did you meet Jamie? Jessica’s brother?” he asked, and Skylar finally noticed the man sitting at the dining table.
How did she not notice him the minute she walked in? He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest and the ever-present grin plastered to his face. Skylar tried to ignore the way his muscles tightened the sleeves on his T-shirt and the way his chuckle sent her back to a night she was trying desperately to forget.
“Yeah, we’ve met, Finn,” Jamie said slowly.
Finn’s eyebrows rose, and he looked between the two of them. “Really? When?”
“Yesterday.” Skylar interrupted Jamie and shot him a glare. His mouth, already open to reply, closed rapidly but broke into a smile at her lie. “He stopped by the place we just moved into. Jamie saw my truck and wanted to make sure I wasn’t breaking in or something.”
“Oh, that’s right. Cat did mention you were going to be staying at Lia’s old place.”
A throat cleared behind Skylar, and she turned in time to see Killian shooting a narrowed glare toward Finn.
“Sorry, Killian.”
“Lia? Is that the name of the woman who lived there?”
Giving an apologetic glance to Killian, Finn continued, “Yes. But we don’t talk about her.”
Skylar nodded, but the pang in her heart distracted her from the atmosphere of the room. Lia. Such a common name, so why did it leave a bad taste in Skylar’s mouth? She shook off the feeling of discomfort. It wasn’t possible.
“Oh, Skylar,” Cat exclaimed. “I almost forgot. Dee called me this afternoon and said you went to an interview.”
“Yeah.” Skylar sighed. “But she didn’t let me know anything.”
“Well…” Cat paused, a smile breaking out on her face. “She called to tell me that you got the job. She lost the sticky note with your number on it, so she called me instead.”
It felt like a great relief to hear those four words. You got the job. It might not be much, but any income was better than none. Luckily, the pack had a place for her to stay rent-free. If they had to rent an apartment, Skylar doubted minimum wage and tips would cover it. Plus, she kind of looked forward to working with Cat. The woman wasn’t overwhelmingly friendly like Jessica, and the hints of a painful past in her eyes made Skylar feel a sort of kinship.
“All right, dinner’s done! Everyone get your plates and sit down,” Kelly said, brushing a splatter of marinara from her hand onto her yellow gingham apron.
The pack took turns getting their food, Killian and Cat being served first. Jessica and Mia came in shortly after, leaving Emery and Skylar the last to be served. The benefit of being new packmates, of course. Emery sat next to Skylar at the table, quiet and focused on her spaghetti. The rest of the pack carried the conversation, a buzz of voices humming over the clang of silverware to porcelain. Skylar watched the camaraderie in quiet fascination. It would have been unimaginable in her old pack to have such a calm and friendly meal. Someone was always trying to best the other, to get to the top of the pack. But not too far. Nobody messed with Jonathon.
Scanning the table only led her gaze to go where it shouldn’t. When it clashed with Jamie’s, who stared back unabashed, Skylar’s stomach fluttered. He was disarming. Like he could see her very reason for being there was a lie. Could he find her innermost secrets with just his heavy glare?
Jamie brought a bite of food to his mouth. A drop of spaghetti sauce strayed to the corner of his lips, and Skylar couldn’t help her body’s reaction. She found her tongue making its way to the corner of her own mouth as his did the same. She wanted nothing more than to climb over the table and lick his lips, inside of them, tasting the flavor that was all Jamie.
“So, Skylar, what are you going to do with the first floor of the building?” The lips she ogled moved with the voice, shaking Skylar out of her reverie. Jamie smiled knowingly, and Skylar had to clear her throat past the desire that seemed to flood her entire body.
“Well, it won’t be any kind of store. I figured I would make it a studio of some sort for Emery and me.” Skylar looked over at her sister, whose head shot up at the sound of her name. “Emery loves ballet, and that wall of mirrors is a perfect practice space for her.” Emery beamed, tucking her hair behind her ear. Skylar slung one arm over her shoulders and squeezed. Emery wanted nothing more than to have her own practice space. One where she didn’t have to hide, dancing only in candlelight and silence in hopes the other people in the house wouldn’t hear.
“And what about you?”
Skylar looked back at Jamie. “What about me?”
“Well, you said a studio for Emery and you. So what is your talent?”
“I wouldn’t call it a talent exactly. More like a hobby—”
“Sky paints. Watercolor, acrylic—anything she can get her hands on really,” Emery interrupted, a smug grin on her face. Skylar was never one to brag about her paintings. They were usually hidden away in her truck, where others couldn’t see the lackluster images.
“I’d love to see them,” Cat said, jumping into the conversation. Everyone at the table had stopped to listen in interest to the new person.
“I don’t usually let people see them…” Skylar trailed off as Cat deflated from her words. “Well, maybe I’ll do one especially for you. And then I’ll give it to you.”
Cat’s smile reflected in her eyes, and she nodded. “I’d like that. Thank you, Skylar.”
Uncomfortable with the attention, Skylar went back to eating her meal. She was all too aware of Jamie’s eyes boring into her from across the table. Would the man ever drop it? Was she going to be faced with the temptation and pressure of the delicious creature for the rest of her life? God, he was so right and oh, so damn wrong for her. He screamed relationship material despite his best attempt at seeming loose. His gaze shone with equal parts curiosity and interest, two things that could ruin both her and Emery. And Skylar would do anything to protect her sister.
The rest of the dinner went well, and Skylar was grateful for it to finally end. Jamie’s constant staring, and her constant need to fight the urge to meet him in Cat’s bathroom and relieve the tension between them, were about ready to drive her nuts. Skylar hugged Cat at the door, surprised at how easy it felt.
“You’ll start tomorrow. Dee will have another uniform for you when you get there. You’ll work mid-shift, so come in around 10:30?”
“Sounds great. I’ll be there.”
Cat waved while Skylar and Emery walked down the driveway.
“Skylar, wait up,” Jamie yelled from the door.
Skylar turned her head. Jamie jogged to them with a serious expression.
“Em, go on ahead. I’ll catch up with you in a second,” Skylar said, not even turning to look at her sister.
“But—” Emery tried, not wanting to walk in the darkness alone.
“It’ll be a second, I swear.”
Emery glanced between Skylar and Jamie, who was just catching up to them. To Skylar’s relief, she nodded and walked down the driveway, though at an incredibly slow pace.
“What is it, Jamie?”
“We need to talk.”
“Not now.”
“But—”
“Not. Now. Jamie,” Skylar said between clenched teeth, glancing behind her at Emery’s retreating form.
“Okay, but, hey.” Skylar had already started walking away, and he grabbed her upper arm. He turned her back toward him slightly until she faced him again. “But we will talk about it, Skylar.” He tucked some of the hair behind her ear, letting his fingers linger on her jawline. Her hair stood up on end as a shiver of heat shot down her spine. She fought the urge to close her eyes, swallowed past the need to say she wanted him right then and there.
Instead she leaned forward, her lips a scant inch from his. His breath fanned across her face, and Skylar felt smug satisfaction at the acceleration of his breathing. She looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes. “All right, cowboy. We’ll talk about it. Just not now.”
Licking her lips, she almost touched his. Her heart stuttered, and her stomach clenched at the thought of how easy it would be to just close that distance. Instead, she turned away and jogged to her sister. But she did cave eventually, turning to look at him. He stood where she left him, a small smile on his face and his hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans.
She had just played with fire. And she wasn’t so sure she would fight the burn.