“Sweetheart, you can see anything I have.” She shoved her shoulder into his chest as hard as she could and he laughed harder. “I mean it he said soberly.” He leaned back taking her with him until she was lying on top of him. “I want to run with you.” Harper bit her lip. “I want to chase you across these fields and play with you in the moonlight.” She kissed him then, softly at first then more intensely. Ryder rolled her to her back hovering over her. “I want you.” She licked her lips. “I’ll wait but I want you.” He left a trail of kisses from her ear to her throat and back. Her heart quickened with his words. Someone cleared their throat a few feet away.
“Jack?” Ryder said without looking up.
“Sorry for interrupting. Again. Curtis said to bring this before he goes deaf. Her phone keeps ringing.” Jack brought the small purse that she’d carried to the bar over and placed it in the grass beside them. “Sorry, but Curtis said.”
“It’s okay Jack.” Ryder looked up and nodded.
“Thank you Jack.” Harper said and smiled at him reaching for the purse and digging the phone out of it. It would need charged soon. She had forty-six missed calls. Jeez Sid, chill out. She thought.
“Ma’am.” He nodded and hurried back to the house. Harper’s brow furrowed and Ryder kissed it until it relaxed.
“Ma’am.” He whispered. She rolled her eyes. Suddenly, the phone squealed loudly startling Harper. It jumped out of her hands and tumbled in the grass. Ryder laughed and picked it up then gave it to her after looking at Sidney’s face on the screen.
“Sidney is checking on me.” Ryder turned his head away from the noise.
“You need to change that ringtone.” Ryder scolded. She nodded.
“Hey Sid.” Harper said. “What’s up?”
“Where have you been? I have been calling for hours. Things are nuts over here.” Sidney scolded her loudly.
“What happened?” Harper ignored her question and plucked at the grass. Ryder closed his eyes after laying back in the grass and crossing his arms under his head. He looked so relaxed. She wanted to curl up with him. It still amazed her that this powerful Alpha wanted to stay by her side. That he wanted to be with her.
“Max has lost control of this pack. Ellis is calling for a fight and of course Jake is instigating.”
“About what?” Harper froze and listened. What had happened in a day?
“You of course. They don’t think that Max should’ve let you go so easy and Ellis is saying that Max gave away a potential mate for one of them. It’s a bunch of bullshit but it’s out of hand. Are you mated yet? Has he marked you?”
“Not yet, why.” Harper glanced over at Ryder’s peaceful face. He looked like he was sleeping but she knew that he wasn’t.
“Get it done. They’ll be coming after you with torches by sundown. Hey, someone is at my door. I’ll call you later and answer the damned phone sooner next time.” The phone went dead.
“Torches by sundown huh?” Harper nodded. “We’ll be waiting.” He hadn’t moved. His eyes were still closed and he was still as relaxed as ever. Harper was growing worried though. What if they came for her? There were so many of them. “Is your friend going to be okay over there? Do you want to invite her here?”
“You don’t have room for anyone else and she isn’t sleeping with us. I love Sid, but that’s where I draw the line.” Harper grinned.
“I think Curtis took a shine to her, he has a room set up in the basement that he uses for his ‘solace time’ he calls it. I think that means when he needs alone time from the others. Sometimes they’re like a bunch of twelve year-olds.” So far Harper hadn’t seen that. They all seemed very responsible and grown up. They were more mature than Bronson’s friends anyway.
“I can ask her, but we should ask Curtis first. Sidney is…very um, overbearing sometimes. She can be loud and annoying, I love her but she is who she is and a lot of people don’t appreciate it, or her mouth. It’s why she isn’t mated.”
“He didn’t seem to mind her mouth and she isn’t mated because the right wolf hasn’t come along to tame her. Sometimes when a she-wolf acts that way it’s for self-preservation. She is so soft and delicate inside that she feels the need to protect her…heart. She puts on an aggressive front until someone comes along that sees through the shield. I think that’s Curtis.” The corners of Ryder’s lips lifted when he looked at her. She could imagine the look on her face. “I’ll speak to him. Come here.” He patted his chest. She curled up beside him and rested her head in the hollow of his shoulder.