Once Mated Twice Shy(27)

“Mister Thompson is always talking about retiring and going to Florida. He wants to sell the store but he wants to sell it to someone that he trusts.”

“What part of broke did you not understand?” One eyebrow rose at her.

“Yeah that’s the beauty of it. The store sits on nearly one hundred acres of land that Mister Thompson didn’t want developed because he didn’t want the traffic passing his house. It’s been in his family forever. If we can get all of it, we can sell some of that to the developers. It won’t matter about the traffic because he will be in Florida.”

“Still broke.” He leaned toward a rosy nipple.

“No we aren’t Jordan. Get your head out of the box.” She pushed him back down. “We are sitting on two thousand acres and thirty-nine houses that we own outright. We can borrow against all of that to buy from Thompson, then turn around and sell to developers. Meanwhile we can run the grocers. All of the wolves who have been loafing around here since Frank sold the business can go back to work at the store. You know we need help, everyone has been working overtime to fill in.”

“And you can manage it…” A slow lopsided smile spread over his face deepening the dimple at the corner of his mouth.

“Because I have been for years, the only thing I haven’t done is collect the profits.” Her smile was playful and self-satisfied. Jordan nodded with only pride on his face. His mate was amazing. He knew it and he’d always known it, because she was his miracle.

“You are brilliant darlin’, did you know that?” Lettie threw her leg over him straddling him. “And so damned sexy.” She reached between them and put his stiffness inside her channel sinking down onto him with a sigh. Jordan groaned when she moved on him. She moved gently, easily. “Shit Lettie. More. Move.” She eased up and back again. “Oh hell no! I can’t take this; you’re going to kill me.” Lettie giggled. She was always good at goading him into being rough like she wanted him to be. Jordan rolled her underneath him and pounded into her. He buried his face in her neck, and mouthed his bite. Lettie loved it every time he stroked the nerves inside of her, every time his lips nipped at her neck. She raised her legs higher resting her feet on his hipbones. Each thrust forward opened her up more for him. “God I love you.” He grunted when he came but he didn’t stop moving until she exploded around him. Her body bowed and shook. She arched her back for him taking all of him as he collapsed into her. When their labored breaths eased, Jordan rolled to his side and held her close to his chest. His arms wrapped tightly around her as they both drifted off to sleep satiated.

***

Lettie sat on the bed with her back propped against the iron headboard. His laptop rested on her naked thighs and she sipped coffee. Jordan cracked one eye open. He hadn’t slept that well in years. His mate was amazing. She had her bottom teeth clamped down on her top lip. She looked like she was doing her impression of a bulldog but he knew better. Lettie was deep in thought and was on the verge of working out all of the problems in their world. He smiled but she didn’t see him. She was tapping keys on the computer. He hated that damned contraption. Every time he used it, his problems multiplied and Jordan did not need any more problems. Besides being on probation, he still had the packs debt to work out plus his own personal finances sucked for the first time since he was fifteen, it was all too much. The first step was complete though, he had Lettie back, and she was always smart enough for both of them. Step two; present this stroke of genius to the pack. They were going back to work any way that you looked at it because if they didn’t they were all going to be living in tents in the woods. Some of them may not mind that but Jordan was partial to a mattress. Step three; was to carry out her plan once the pack accepted it. He took a deep breath and sighed.

“Give me a minute and I’ll show you what I’ve worked out.” She said without looking at him.

“I will wait patiently if you let me hold that coffee cup.” She smiled and reached over to the night table for his waiting cup. “Yep, brilliant.” Lettie laughed. Jordan sat up beside her and looked down at the screen. There were way too many numbers there to make sense to him. He sipped his coffee and closed his eyes, even her coffee was better than his was. You put grounds and water in a machine for God’s sake what did she do that was different? He would watch her sometime and figure it out.

“Okay, here.” Lettie turned the laptop to show him. They sipped coffee while she explained and pointed at the numbers on the screen. She was still explaining it to him while she scrambled eggs twenty minutes later. By the time she started to load the dishwasher, Jordan understood her plan in depth and step by step. He was right before when he told her that she was brilliant. This would work. They would pull themselves out of financial hardship and would have a sustainable income. Once the developers bought the land from the pack and the profits divided among the pack, they would be safe again. The members would stay on as well paid workers. The land closest to pack land would stay undeveloped as well as the land closest to the store. They would develop that later with pack money into high-end rental units that the pack would control and run. It was intricate and it was genius. The pack must agree and Mister Thompson must agree but he didn’t think there would be a problem with either.