She sighed, and her shoulders lost their stiffness. “I can live with that.”
“Good. It won’t be easy getting Nick on board. Unlike me, he doesn’t have an undying need to give you whatever you want and make you happy.”
She smiled. Jesse could be sweet sometimes, although she doubted many would believe that. “No, but Nick does have an undying need to do those things for Shaya.”
“If you get Shaya on board, he won’t stand a chance.” Jesse scooped her up. “Now let’s move on from this and get to the makeup sex. I’m hungry.”
Sounded good to her.
CHAPTER TEN
Walking Jesse to the front door, Harley asked him, “You leaving with Nick soon?”
“Yes,” he replied. “Hopefully Hector’s old Alpha will have something interesting to tell us.” Even though he’d be back by the evening, he’d miss her. Miss her humor, her smile, her scent, and that sense of whimsy that warmed his life. “Any plans of your own for today?”
“I’m hoping to finish the book I started yesterday.”
When she said no more, Jesse arched a brow. “Nothing else?”
“Nope.” Reading would be quite enough to get Harley through the hours alone. She’d also practice the violin later while she wouldn’t have an audience. She didn’t like to practice in front of people. Refining and reconnecting with her craft was an intensely personal process.
“No baking at all?”
The hint made her roll her eyes. “What is it you want me to make?”
“It would be good if you could make more cinnamon twists.”
She released a long, suffering sigh. He was so spoiled. “Fine.”
Satisfied, Jesse nodded. “We’re visiting Tess tomorrow, right?”
“Right.”
“Do you think she’ll approve of our mating?”
“She will if she thinks I’m happy.”
“Are you?” he asked carefully.
She pretended to think about it, and then she was squealing because he threw her over his shoulder and spanked her ass. Spanked. Her. Ass. Twice. She bit him hard and pounded his back with her fists, but he just laughed. Bastard.
Chest rumbling with laughter, Jesse put her down and kissed her hard. She literally shoved him out of the lodge, which just seemed to make him even more amused. Alone, she settled at the reading nook. Forty minutes. She got forty minutes of peace before there were light knocks on the door and two pups yelled her name, giggling. It was ironic that Jesse worried Harley would be lonely; she rarely had any time to herself.
The moment she opened the door, the two pups rushed inside, telling her all about their brand-new coloring books. Shaya, Ally, and Roni followed them into the lodge, looking at the pups with affectionate exasperation.
“Why don’t you two girls sit at the big table while you color your books,” proposed Shaya, ushering them into the dining area.
As Harley closed the front door, Ally said, “We were going to leave them with Kathy, but once they heard we were coming here, they begged to come along. They said it smells good here. I’m assuming they mean because it always smells like a bakery.”
Roni pulled her lollipop out of her mouth. “We came to talk about the club. Ally told us you’re hoping to buy it.”
Unable to tell by their expressions whether or not they were going to back her on it, Harley simply gestured for them to sit on the sofa and said, “All right. Who wants coffee?” Once everyone had a drink, Harley settled in the rocker.
“So, about the club,” said Shaya.
Harley sighed. “Nick’s not gonna go for it.”
“No, he’s not,” agreed the redhead. “We need to be smart in how we go about this.”
“You mean we need to manipulate him,” said Roni.
Shaya cocked her head. “I prefer to think of it as avoiding complications.”
Lightly rocking the chair, Harley said, “Can’t I just go to him and—”
“No,” stated Shaya. “If you’re serious about buying the club, we need to be smart about how we present the matter to Nick. Trust me, I know him well.”
“Have you mentioned it to Jesse yet?” Ally asked Harley.
“Yes. He didn’t react well initially, but he’ll support me as long as he’s responsible for the security. Since that’s not my area of expertise and it gives him peace of mind, I’m okay with that.”
Shaya smiled. “It would be really cool to have a place to go that we know is safe for us. I love our territory, but there are times when I’d like to go have some fun without Nick worrying too much. I’m glad you’re willing to stick around, Harley. I know you haven’t officially claimed Jesse yet, but you’re not holding back—you’re really giving this relationship a try. I like that. He’s a good guy, and I’d really like to see him happy.”
“It really doesn’t bother you that I come with a ton of shit?” Harley asked.
“Even if I didn’t like you—which I do—it wouldn’t.” Shaya was silent for a moment. “You know, I always thought Jesse was bad at relationships. They never lasted long, they often ended badly, and he just didn’t invest anything of himself in them. But when you came here and I saw him with you, I realized it’s not that he’s bad at relationships, it’s just that—to put it simply—those females weren’t you. He knew who he wanted and who could make him happy. And I want Jesse to be happy.”