“I’m all ears.” She half turned and crossed her arms over her chest.
“We were attacked a few months ago, and our Alpha’s mate was threatened. I could use his help to make things go faster tomorrow, but there’s no way he’s going to agree unless there’s someone to hang around with Maple to keep an eye on things.”
She tilted her head to the side, her brows furrowing deeper. “You want me to babysit a grown woman?”
“Babysit? No. She can hold her own, but we need someone observant around her. Someone who will notice if danger is coming and then know how to deal with it. Don’t get me wrong, Maple is awesome, and I respect her as the head of our pack, but she’s a new wolf, and her instincts aren’t quite sharp enough yet.”
“And she’ll be happy having a stranger just pop up and hang out with her?” Her tone said it all. If it were her, she’d never go for it. But it was Maple, and although she was the Alpha female, she still needed to grow into her position.
Besides, he’d be willing to bet the farm that when Maple found out he’d met his mate, she’d be banging on his door, wanting to meet Rylee. He was counting on it. Hell, he was surprised she and Jaxon hadn’t shown up yet.
She went back to prepping the veggies. “I’ll do it. Maybe we can go shopping or something. I don’t have any clothes except what’s on my back, and it’ll get pretty warm if all I have to wear are my leathers.”
Niko smiled. “Great. I’ll give Jaxon a call.”
Eight
Rylee grinned at the other woman’s squeal. Maple Hudson didn’t look like the type to wear thigh-high boots. Then again, what did she know? The woman was as sweet as her name insinuated, but feisty, too. Within a minute of their introduction, Maple had given her mate crap about forgetting to put out the trash, which made Rylee take an instant liking to her. The fact that she had looked all doe-eyed and madly in love as she’d done it had sealed the deal.
“I wonder if they can order these in black? It would go great with a certain outfit I have,” she said.
Rylee took one look at the woman’s flushed cheeks and knew exactly what kind of outfit she was talking about. It wasn’t one she’d be wearing in public. “If they don’t here, I know a great online site where you can buy some just like these, and even racier ones,” she said.
A throat cleared from a few feet away. “I can order them, Maple. The shipment would be in by Tuesday,” the sales clerk said, casting an annoyed glare her way before turning her attention to the Alpha’s mate.
Crap. Not a great way to start things off in a new town.
Maple looked at the boots again and sighed, then put them down. “I better not.”
The sales clerk shook her head. “You know, Jaxon called a little while ago. Told me to ring up whatever you looked at that made your ‘eyes all shiny’. His words. Your eyes were shining all over these. So, you want these in black?”
Maple huffed before smiling and nodding. “I swear, I don’t know what I’m going to do with that man, Rebecca. He can’t keep doing this.”
“He just wants to spoil you a little. Nothing wrong with that.”
“Rylee, this is Rebecca. She owns the store. Rebecca, this is Rylee McCormick. She’s Niko Garcia’s mate.”
Rebecca’s eyebrows shot up until they disappeared under her short bangs. “Pleased to meet you, Rylee. Does that mean you’re here to stay then?”
“Likewise. As for staying in town, I’m not sure yet. It’s all very new. I mean, we just met yesterday. A girl needs a bit of time to figure these things out.”
Next to her, Maple gasped. Rebecca’s smile fell a little.
Guess that was the wrong answer. “To be honest, Niko and I haven’t had a chance to talk about it all that much.” The steaks he’d made them for supper had been cooked to perfection, and she’d enjoyed every bite, but the second they’d finished eating, he’d shown her to his bedroom, and they hadn’t come out until morning.
A knowing smile brightened the woman’s face as she nodded. “Understandable. I’m sure you’ll get it all sorted soon enough.”
“Right,” Maple added. “In the meantime, we have more shopping to do. We should have started off with clothes. We need to get you out of all that leather before you melt.”
“That would be great. Let me just pay for these,” she said, finally remembering the tan boots she’d been hanging on to. Like the pair Maple had chosen, the boots were thigh-high and as soft as could be. The four-inch heels would make her legs look amazing. She glanced at Rebecca. Time to mend some fences. “I don’t suppose these come in pink and in blue?”
“I don’t have those colors in stock, but I can get them. Do you want baby or hot pink?”
“Definitely hot.” They’d match her bike. Not that she’d wear those kinds of boots for riding, but a girl could never go wrong with a properly accessorized bike.
The woman headed to the register, leaving her to follow, but at least she was smiling.
Even though they hadn’t been in the shoe store long, the temperature outside was climbing. They stashed their purchases in the trunk of
