Light the Fire (Jackson's Hollow #1)

Chapter 36

It didn't take long for Jo to be proven right. She heard the gravel in the driveway crunch under the wheels of a truck, a sound that had become familiar over the past couple months. Part of her felt relieved. Another part of her knew that Ryker would now be on high alert for perhaps forever, and he was probably going to be mad that she hadn't texted him herself. Well. At least she knew what she was dealing with.

After getting up and double checking that it was his truck through the window, she unlocked the door and stepped out onto the porch. Ryker was storming toward the house, his eyes glinting golden as the faint moonlight caught them.

A movement at the edge of the woods caught her attention, and she noticed a wolf that was almost as big as Ryker was sitting at the edge of the woods. The lack of real light made it hard for her to make out its fur color, but there was something about this wolf that made her think it was possibly Brett. She guessed it was possible to have a family resemblance between wolves.

As he approached, Ryker got that faraway expression for a moment, right before he shot a glare over at the wolf. There was a huff like a wolfish chuckle, and the wolf padded off into the forest.

"Why didn't you call me?" Ryker asked as he came up the steps.

Jo held up her hands. "Because we had it handled. And I really don't think whoever dropped off the flowers was going to hurt us."

"Jo, you don't know that," he snapped. His face twisted with annoyance and pain, and she felt a little guilty. Just a bit. "Why did you tell Brett and not me?"

"Because I wanted you to have a night off from worrying about me," she said, mildly frustrated but also trying to understand where he was coming from. "And again, I'm pretty sure the flowers are just a scare tactic."

Ryker ran a hand down his face then looked away for a moment. She knew she shouldn't read much into the small action, but it hurt, because it felt like she'd hurt him. And that wasn't what she intended at all.

"I'm going to worry more if I think you won't tell me things," Ryker said quietly, shoving his hands in his pockets while still not looking at her. Jo couldn't take it anymore. She stepped forward, sliding her arms around him and tucking her head against his chest. His arms immediately circled her in response, the warmth and feel of him reassuring her enough to relax into his hold despite the fact they were semi-arguing.

"I'm sorry," she murmured at the tail-end of a sigh.

"I'm sorry if I overreact sometimes." His voice rumbled against her ear and she snuggled closer, enjoying the feeling. "As a future Alpha, it's...it can be hard to control. I already have a need to protect my pack. And when it comes to my mate..."

Jo bit her lip and looked up at him after a moment. "See, that's what I'm worried about. I don't want you to resent me because you feel like you have to watch me all the time." Hell, that was half the incentive for her agreeing to those damn 5:00 am trainings. She wanted Ryker to worry about her less, knowing she could take care of herself.

He cupped one of her cheeks with his big, well-calloused hand, a small half-smile on his face as he leaned in to kiss her forehead, then shifted back a little to look at her again. "I like protecting you, Jo. Call me a caveman or whatever, but it feeds my manly ego, okay?"

It was impossible not to grin a little at that. "So you're saying I damage your ego when I take care of myself and don't go all damsel in distress? You seriously do have a caveman problem."

"I'm working on it, ok," Ryker huffed grouchily. "Blame the wolf part of me."

"Nuh-uh." Jo poked his chest. "Own up to your actions."