Haley jerked her head towards him. “You did what?”
“Stop looking at me like that. Girls date older guys all the time. How old are you anyway?”
When she didn’t say anything, he shook his head. “Okay fine, I’ll go first. I’m thirty.”
“Really? I didn’t think you were that old.” He looked like a college student himself.
“Stop avoiding the question. How old are you, Haley?” He shot her a glare.
“Twenty-four. I would have already graduated from college if I didn’t change my major two years ago.”
Jayden nodded thoughtfully.
“My parents got married when my mom was only sixteen and my dad was thirty.” Werewolves looked at age differently than humans. Once you found your mate, you were with them forever, regardless of age.
Jayden gawked. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope.” She patted him on the back and gave him a forced smile. “That should make you feel better. At least I’m a legal consenting adult.”
He continued to stare at her like she’d grown two heads. His car veered off the street and his tire grazed the side of the road. She screamed.
“Sorry, sorry. “ He righted the car and kept his attention straight ahead.
He made a turn on to a quaint street and slowed down. When he pulled into the driveway of a cottage-style home, she cut her gaze at him.
“What’s wrong? You don’t like it?” Jayden looked from the house back to her.
“You really did move to Fayetteville.” Why would he have done that? Why wouldn’t he have just rented a hotel room?
A slight smile tugged at his lips. “Nah. It’s Barrett’s house. He stays here when the Razorbacks are playing in town. That dude is a serious football addict.” He cut the engine and got out.
“Well, it’s the South. It’s kind of expected,” she muttered.
Jayden opened her car door just as she reached for the handle. She blushed as she walked around to the trunk of the car. It had been a long time since a guy opened a door for her.
It took them one trip to bring her stuff into the house. After piling it all into one of the bedrooms, she took the opportunity to look around.
The house was small, probably no more than twelve hundred square feet. It was an older home, but it looked like everything had been remodeled and updated. New windows had been put in, the walls had been painted modern colors, and the heart of pine floors had been refinished. She wandered into the kitchen. It too had been remodeled. The cabinets were new and white, the countertops dark granite, and the appliances had been updated to stainless steel.
“This is totally not what I expected Barrett’s house to be.” Haley cut her eyes at Jayden.
“I know, right. Doesn’t look very manly.” Jayden snorted.
“Maybe he had someone decorate it.” She couldn’t imagine the lethal Pack Master picking out wall paint colors and throw pillows.
“Ah, that would be a definite no. I heard his decorator…passed away.”
“Oh, well maybe his girlfriend did it.” Haley cocked her head and faced Jayden. “Does Barrett have a girlfriend?”
Jayden wrinkled his nose. “Ah, that would be a definite no. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him out with a woman.”
“Well, maybe he’s gay.”
“Absolutely not!”
Haley crossed her arms. “How can you be so sure?”
Jayden stared at her for a second. “Because his screen saver has a half-naked model on it.” Jayden leaned closer and smiled. “She wasn’t wearing any clothes, just a pair of wings.”
Haley’s breath caught in her throat at his nearness. Jayden’s scent of ocean and wind seemed to curl around her like smoke. She couldn’t help herself as she leaned slightly in to him.
She’d always been attracted to him, even on that first night when he’d come to rescue her, but when he didn’t try to find her afterwards, she’d quickly gotten the message that he wasn’t interested.
She sucked in a breath as she met his intense gaze. If he didn’t want to be near her, why was he looking at her like he wanted to eat her alive?
A smirk froze on his full lips, his pupils dilated. He cocked his head to the side, letting his gaze drift down to her lips. Her heart thumped against her chest as she saw something dangerously close to lust emerge behind his blue eyes.
She held her breath waiting for him to kiss her.
He straightened and cleared his throat, as his expression hardened. “I need to go see what’s in the kitchen for dinner.”
Without so much as a glance, he walked away, leaving her alone with her conflicted feelings.
#
“What the fuck is wrong with me?” Jayden snarled out as he white-knuckled the kitchen sink and looked out the window into fenced backyard. He had almost made the biggest mistake of his career as a Guardian by giving into his instincts and kissing Haley Guthrie. He knew it wouldn’t have stopped there. He wanted more than just a kiss.