Cooper POV
I lift my head from my front paws and stand to shake off some dead leaves clinging to my fur. I am shocked to find that I have slept till dawn. Hiding in my mate’s back garden isn't the ideal way to ensure a good night's sleep, but it did the trick as my wolf was comforted by her scent. I stretch out my limbs, still marveling at how much better I feel when I hear the latch on the back door click, and the door swings open.
My heart jumps into my mouth as Hayley steps out and turns to lock the door behind her. She has her head tilted to the side while she slips on her headphones, and waves of toffee-colored hair cascade over her tanned shoulders, shimmering with natural blonde highlights from lots of time spent outdoors. I admire her slim, toned legs that seem to go on forever, and the tiny running shorts she has on. I never really considered myself a leg man, but I am now.
Jesus. Staying away is going to be tough.
She finally turns to face into the woods and my breath catches as I get my first glimpse of her face, she is just stunning. I stare at her large almond-shaped golden-brown eyes and full pink lips, and my heart soars. She is perfect. I take a step towards her without realizing it and the movement catches her attention. Her eyes lock onto mine and she freezes in shock at the sight of me, a very large black wolf standing in the trees, only 30 feet away. Her mouth opens slightly, and her eyes widen in wonder, not fear. Still, the last thing I want is for her to be in any way scared so I take slow steps backward until I hear her heart rate settle a bit, before turning to bolt off into the trees.
Hayley POVMy hands are still trembling slightly as I open the door and step inside the house, never turning my back until I am safely indoors. I peer out through the window, but I can't see the wolf anymore. It ran off at such speed that it's probably long gone by now. I have never seen such a beautiful creature up that close before. The intensity of its stare had set my heart racing and yet somehow, I wasn't afraid of it. The wolf seemed to be as stunned as me by our encounter. I wonder if a jet-black wolf is rare. And the size of it, was it unusually large, or had I just not appreciated how big they could be before? Not wanting to disturb it any further, I decide that my run can wait for another day. Instead, I snatch up my car keys and wallet from the kitchen counter and head for the front of the house. I have a never-ending list of DIY projects to be done and I might as well take advantage of this unexpected long weekend.
I bought the house two months ago, draining my savings and the proceeds of a redundancy package from my investment banking job. It was tricky to keep its purchase a secret from James, but it would all be worth it in the long run. As a lawyer himself, he would have expected me to come to him for help with something like this, but he was the last person I wanted to know about it. This house was my escape plan. When James had announced our engagement, without having asked me to marry him, the blind panic that had gripped me was enough to tell me how I felt about our relationship.
I had always talked about wanting a simpler life and getting out of the rat race, but James had laughed at me and never took me seriously when I brought it up. He could never understand why I wasn't impressed by the flashy cars and fancy restaurants he adored so much. He couldn't fathom why I always tried to escape the city and get out into nature. He had been so charming at the start of our relationship, too charming and smooth now that I look back, but after the 'engagement' when I refused to wear the ring that he had given me, the mask had slipped, and I needed to get away fast. This house represents my new life and a fresh start, bought through a complicated company structure to try and make it as hard as possible to trace back to me.
"Hayley!" A familiar voice broke my thoughts and I look up to see Ethan strolling towards me down the aisle of the local hardware store with a big smile on his face.
"Oh, hey there. How are you doing Ethan?" I reply casually, throwing some paint samples into the trolley.
"Great, but what are you doing here? I thought you'd be resting up at home." He investigates my cart, taking in the tape, brushes, tins of paint, tiles, and grout, and raises an eyebrow.
"I'm fine, nothing a good night's sleep couldn't fix. Just doing some bits around the house. I only just moved in, and I'm trying to do as much of it myself as I can." He nods but he doesn't look confident in my abilities. I try not to take it personally. I know I don't really look like I'd be handy but it's amazing what you can teach yourself when you have no money. Thank you, YouTube.
"I presume it's your own place if you're doing all this work?" He asks, trailing along beside me as I start to move down the aisle again.
"Yep. I'm going to turn it into a bed and breakfast, rent out a few rooms to get some extra income. But I need to get it a bit more presentable before I can do that." I gesture to the loaded trolley. He steps in front of me, blocking the way, and frowns down at me, arms crossed over his muscular chest.
"So, you're going to have complete strangers coming and going, staying overnight in your home?" He asks slowly and when I nod, he lets out a long breath and shakes his head as if this is the worst news he has ever heard. It's a bit dramatic.
"That's the general premise of a B&B. I am not going to make much money if I don't let people stay overnight." I am baffled by his reaction to my plans, he's making it sound like it's the most bizarre idea he's ever heard.
"It's not safe though." He states flatly, and I swear I see his pale blue eyes darken slightly. I roll my eyes at him. Great, another guy who thinks he knows what I should be doing. My brother isn't in the country to give me shit so the gods have sent someone else to do it.
"Oh yes, because you regularly hear stories of bed and breakfast owners in sleepy towns up and down the country being killed in their sleep by guests," I say sarcastically, and his frown deepens. "Anyway, it's probably safer than a single girl living out in the woods all by herself. Not that it's any of your business." I push the trolley around Ethan who still looks very disturbed and start loading up my items at the cash register. Ethan eventually follows, helping me to pack and load all my purchases into the boot of my little car. It's only as I drive off that I realize he didn't buy anything or go back in after I left. Was he just in there looking for me?
Hayley POV When I arrive back at work on Tuesday morning, it's immediately clear that news of my dramatic weekend has reached everyone in the office. There are a big bunch of flowers and a hamper of muffins waiting for me at reception. Everybody keeps hugging me which seems a bit over the top since I only started here six weeks ago and have largely kept to myself. Angela the receptionist has tears in her eyes as she goes in for a second squeeze and it dawns on me that they aren't happy that I am ok, but that Cooper is. He appears to be equally loved by all my colleagues and they genuinely appear to be shaken up by the whole thing. It makes me wonder who he is that everyone is affected by him getting hurt this much. She hands me a stack of messages to get through. "Everyone wants to talk to you after that article in the paper yesterday. We've had reporters calling non-stop." She obviously expects me to be thrilled about being the local celebrity for a few days but it's the last thing
Cooper POVThese have been the longest two weeks of my life. It has been absolute hell, but today I have a spring in my step because I can finally go and meet my beautiful Hayley. My nights have been filled with dreams of her. During the day, my thoughts return to her over and over, wondering where she is and what she is doing.I am getting no work done and my short temper is driving everyone around me crazy. Ethan has bumped into her a few times over the last couple of weeks, by accident on purpose, and some of the mated males from the pack have been keeping an eye on her house in the evenings. While knowing she is okay has kept me sane, it has not been even close to enough to satisfy my wolf and I am exhausted from fighting his urge to just go to her. My mother's insistence that she saw 'a spark' between Hayley and Marcus when she accosted her in her office has done little to help.I pick up the local paper from last week that I have kept by my side, staring a
Hayley POVWow. Just wow.I stay out on the porch for a good five minutes trying to work out what on earth just happened. When I heard the truck coming into the drive, I just assumed it was a delivery driver from the hardware store with my next load of supplies, but when I realised who it was, I felt butterflies in my stomach like a teenager with their first crush in high school.I had seen his picture printed beside mine in the local paper and had been drooling over it all week. I'm ashamed to admit this was on top of turning the thank you card that he sent me over and over in my hands as if it was my very first valentine's day card. Is it possible to fancy someone's handwriting? Was it possible that the card smelled like him?Yes, I sniffed it.Even I am embarrassed at my behaviour on that one. I was acting like a crazy woman, getting obsessed with a man I didn't even know. But then there he was, looking even better in person, and I knew instantl
Cooper POVAs I push through the door of Greg's accountancy office, all heads turned to look at me, and you could hear a pin drop. Even though I pride myself on being approachable and friendly to all pack members, wolves operate in hierarchical structures and most pack members are naturally submissive to the pack leaders. For those who rarely have reason to interact with me, this instinct to submit is hard to overcome and they feel on edge as soon as I enter the building. I smile politely and nod at everyone I pass, greeting anyone I recognize by name to try and put them at ease as I make my way through the open plan area to Hayley's office.I knock gently on the door, and then as the door is already ajar, push it open slowly without waiting for a response. Hayley is sitting behind her desk, which is covered in a sea of papers piled haphazardly, with brightly colored pens and post-it notes strewn everywhere. Her shoes are kicked off under the desk and her bare feet are
Hayley POVFor the last week and a half, Cooper has arrived early every morning, before the rest of the crew, just to 'keep me in the loop'. He appears just in time to enjoy a cup of coffee and a quiet chat on the porch before I dash off to work, and it has become the highlight of my day. Seeing his handsome smiling face as he climbs out of his truck cheers me up without fail, and just being close to him sets my pulse racing.No guy I have ever met has taken things this slow though, especially after teasing me with that kiss the first day we met. I would adore it if it weren't driving me crazy. I want him and I think that he wants me, so what is the problem? Maybe I'm reading the signals completely wrong. My current predicament is testament to the fact that I'm not always a great reader of people's true intentions.I already have two mugs in my hand as I hear his heavy boots hit the porch steps and my heart skips a beat. He turns straight for the porch swing to
Cooper POVIt hasn't been easy, but I have been taking things slowly with Hayley. After that first day where I lost control for a second and kissed her, I knew I needed to pull back and show her it's not just about sex for me. My restraint has been severely tested every morning as she greets me in her tiny shorts and tank tops, and light dressing gowns that do nothing to hide the amazing figure underneath from my hungry gaze.Something was different this morning though, and I could sense her desire and frustration as she watched me closely on the porch swing. Knowing those idiots were going to be arriving any minute was the only thing that stopped me from taking her in a deep kiss that would linger in her mind all day. I didn't leave any room for argument when I suggested dinner this evening. I let all the crew finish work early so I could tidy up her place, go home to shower and change, and head to the shops to get the food I needed and a nice bottle of wine.I
Hayley POV It feels like the words have barely left my mouth before Cooper lifts me, wrapping my legs around his waist as his mouth ravishes mine. His hands, lips, and tongue are everywhere as the passion that has been building between us just explodes and we can't seem to get close enough to each other. I cling to him as he moves us backward and props me up against the porch railing. One hand grips my breasts roughly, giving me the firm touch I so desperately need, squeezing and kneading as his other seeks the hem of my dress, lifting it and gaining access to my drenched panties. He runs a finger along my slit outside the material and my legs quiver, finally so close to getting his touch where I have wanted it for the last two weeks. "Damn, you're so wet for me Hayley." He growls his delight at finding my underwear soaked. "Does that pretty pussy of yours need to be taken care of?" Cooper whispers in my ear as he licks and bites my neck, still just lightly s
Hayley POV "I'm meeting Leila tonight for some drinks. She's bringing me to Taaffe's, is it any good?" I ask him as I gaze out the window at the woods passing by, soaking in the beautiful scenery. He doesn't answer for a few seconds, so I turn to look at him. His jaw is tense, and his hands are gripping the wheel tightly. Interesting, it doesn't seem like he is a fan. "It's ok," he answers slowly, "there isn’t much choice around here I suppose, but I don't think it's the kind of place you might be used to. It's not exactly classy, rustic might be a polite way of describing it. What's the occasion?" "Leila said that the party next weekend isn't really for her or Rex, it's just an excuse for your Mum to invite everyone she knows. She wants to let loose a little on her own I guess, and she was looking for a partner in crime," I admit. He laughs lightly, and the tension leaves his hands. "Well, that's true. Leila's birthday is just an excuse for my Mum to