He knelt to be level with the fire stove to stir the pot full of our dinner.
I try to make conversation, I thought a nice comment will be ok. Oh, how wrong I was. As soon as I ask about the cottage he is all uncomfortable, squirmy. His eyes flash a gold rim with his wolf peeking through like he was arguing something.
I didn't even consider the history of this place, then it dawns on me... maybe it belonged to his mother.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," I start backtracking quickly.
Things are already somewhat awkward because of earlier when he tried to kiss me. It came so naturally to him to want to do the action. I didn't mean to hesitate when I did, I just wasn't ready yet. I hope when I get to know him more as himself then maybe I'll feel more comfortable doing those things naturally, too.
Kia is fuming that I didn't let our mate kiss us, but I wasn't ready, and she needs to understand that.
"It's alright, you should know anyways. I'm still coming to terms with this place myself if I'm honest," he mumbles.
I frown, not sure where this is going.
"It was my grandmother's cottage, my mother's mother. I guess she moved here to be close to mum when she moved to dad's pack. I hadn't been here in years. I only have a few memories of this place, some of them are snippets of mum with me in the garden but not too many," he says with a shrug, his eyes darting all over the place rather than meet mine.
Damn me and my big mouth. I try to make nice yet I just made him uncomfortable. So, rather than making things worse I just nod my head and smile at him, waiting to see if he will continue.
He is silent for a bit as he peeps into the soup over the fire.
"I think dinner is ready if you would like to eat now?" He says.
"Sure, is there anything I can help with setting up?" I ask looking around. The inside of the cottage is beautiful. I love the little living room and kitchen area. It’s a cosy area, not too small, just big enough for two people or a small family.
He nods in response and grabs some plastic bowls from the bench and starts to unwrap them.
"I wasn't sure what else was around so I just bought a few throw away cutlery and dishes for tonight, I might have to go to the shops properly later and buy a few things if we are going to spend our time here."
I look up to him, a bit startled that he would consider meeting regularly here.
"What's wrong?" he asks while studying my puzzled face.
"I didn't know you’d want to meet regularly." I shrug. I know we are mates but I kind of thought the whole thing with our pack's history and all the girls he likes to be with might turn him off being with me.
Yes, I know he gave me the Luna heirloom and has confirmed he wanted to work things out, but I still had a small bit of doubt lingering in my mind, that maybe one day he would wake up and just not want to be together anymore, especially with his history.
He nods and says, "Yeah, for sure. You are my mate, I want to be with you and you only. Plus, Jace would never let me be with anyone else."
I smile at the reassurance and determination in his voice, it makes me feel a little guilty for having the doubtful thoughts.
He moves closer to me invading my space, cupping my cheek, sensing my unease, "you will always be the one I want, I know it's only been a few days, but the only way you will be getting rid of me is if you reject me."
His scent is making me dizzy and with the feeling of the sparks coursing through us, it's like all time has stopped and I don’t want to move away from this feeling, to be here in this moment together forever.
His eyes turned dark with lust as I unconsciously licked my bottom lip soaking in his delicious scent. I said I didn’t want to wait to be intimate with him just yet but being alone here in this house with him is harder than I thought.
A sizzling sound startles us bringing me back to reality. The soup had boiled over the top spilling onto the fire stove.
"I think dinner is officially ready," Zander smirks. I swear I see a little glint of mischief flashing through his eyes as he moves back towards the stove.
'He knows exactly what he's doing,' I mumble to Kia.
'Of course, he does! He wants to jump your bones. I also wouldn't mind getting a taste of our mate,' Kia responds, licking her chops greedily.
I roll my eyes internally to her. Silly, horny wolf... maybe one day we will be with him, but today is not that day. Kia grumbles about me being silly and retreats to the back of my mind.
As Zander dishes out our meal I could see outside through the kitchen window. The sun has set completely leaving a black sky covered in shining stars. I love running in the evenings. At night, when everyone is asleep, Kia and I could be ourselves without any worries. I wonder if Zander did actually want to go for a run tonight or if he meant next time.
While my thoughts ramble he guides me through to the lounge to sit and eat, I look around and realize there isn't a table for us to dine at.
He must have noticed me looking so he asks, "is the here all right? The dining room is out the back. Here felt a bit more comfortable."
"Ohh yeah, this is okay," I reply with a warm smile. "Let's eat, I'm starved."
He chuckles and rolls his eyes at my exaggeration as he sits on the lounge, placing the things on the table for us to use.
"So, you were thinking of fixing something up?" I ask while stirring my food and taking a sip of the beautiful rich sauce, hoping this line of conversation will be okay to discuss and not make him feel uncomfortable again.
He nods with a mouth full of food. He'd scooped up the soup making the bread all nice and soggy.
"I just need to make a list of a few things and maybe get some updates for a few things. I was surprised Dad didn't have anyone checking in on the place, but then again maybe he also didn't know anything about it." He shrugs.
"I can help out too if you like, the garden looks amazing, I don't mind getting into that if you want some help," I suggest. "Anything you need help with just let me know."
He nods in response, settling down and relaxing back on the sofa.
I am still leaning forward with my bowl placed on the coffee table for support, but I could feel Kia wanting to push back and cuddle into our mate.