She turned back to look at him, and her face was pulled into a confused frown.
“You have a pet bunny?”
Jett shrugged because he didn’t know how else to react. Yup. He had a pet rabbit.
“But…you’re a wolf. Don’t wolves eat bunnies?”
Jett sighed, and he knew Selene wasn’t going to let this go. It was better for him if he told her all about how Bugsy came into his life.
“When I was fixing this place up, I found a rabbit’s nest near the back porch. Two of the other babies were dead, and this little guy was on the brink of starvation. I took him in, fed him. I had every intention of letting him go back out into the wild. But when he was healthy enough to go, I…”
He sniffed because he knew it wasn’t exactly a macho story. “I couldn’t let him go. He didn’t have a mom or siblings to look out for him. He was all alone, and no one was going to show him the ways of the world.”
He didn’t add that he had felt a kinship with the abandoned bunny.
“How does the bunny not run away from you?”
“What do you mean?” he asked, genuinely confused by her question.
“Well, you’re a predatory animal. I’m sure the rabbit’s senses told him that. But why isn’t he scared of you?”
“I don’t know, maybe because he’s used to me. I fed him from the time he was a dying kit. He knows he has nothing to fear from me.”
Unlike you, he wanted to add but thought better of it.
He would never hurt Selene. His wolf would never let him do that. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t hurt her unintentionally if they ever did get together. Jett wasn’t going to take that chance.
Having no-strings-attached hookups were just better.
“Can I pick him up?” she asked as Bugsy inched forward. He scratched his head against her fingers. Selene giggled and she shuffled closer.
“Yeah, he’s actually quite cuddly.”
He didn’t need to tell her that he sometimes watched movies with Bugsy curled up on his chest. That wasn’t something manly wolves did, and it wasn’t something he was about to admit. It would give Selene the wrong impression. He wasn’t the cuddly kind of guy that she should be hanging out with. Jett was still pretty fucking adamant that his wolf was wrong. This angel couldn’t be his mate.
Selene picked Bugsy up and as soon as she cradled him to her chest, he lay his head against her shoulder, nuzzling her neck. Lucky rabbit. Jett wouldn’t get to do that. Ever. But Bugsy sure seemed to be reveling in the attention Selene was giving him.
“I’m still so stunned you have a pet rabbit. You were so grumpy at the coffee shop. If I would have imagined you with any kind of animal, it would have been a snake or something.”
“A snake?” he shook his head and suppressed a shudder at the idea of having a snake in the house.
“Not a fan of snakes?”
“Is anybody?” he asked.
The next thing he knew, he was standing right in front of Selene and his hand was reaching out to scratch Bugsy’s fur. Jett felt pulled toward her, and his wolf was snickering in victory.
“I’m going to make coffee,” he grumbled as he walked away.
He needed to remember that Selene was way out of his league. Even if she liked to play with his rabbit.
Chapter Eight
Selene
Selene gently placed Bugsy back into his alcove. The bunny seemed reluctant to leave her arms, so she scratched his furry little head, promising him that she'd be back for more cuddles later on. Bugsy hopped off until he disappeared into a little house that was an identical replica of Jett’s house. Selene didn’t even have to ask. She instinctively knew Jett had built the small wooden structure for his little pal.
That was endearing.
From her vantage point in the living room, Selene could see Jett preparing a pot of coffee. If she put aside the way he had treated Lester in the cafe, and the way he had snapped at her outside of his house, Selene could admit he was indeed a fine male specimen. He was tall and wide in the best of ways. His sandy blond hair was cropped short, but that only put his brown eyes on display. His jaw was square, and even from the side, Selene could tell he was heartbreakingly handsome.
“Would you like some coffee instead of staring?”
If he hadn’t turned to give her a smile, she would have thought the grumpy wolf was back. His smile made his eyes sparkle, and that just pulled her in. She made her way to the kitchen where he was taking the milk out of the fridge. Selene took it and noticed her hands were shaking.
The man was so sexy, it was making her nervous.
Nope.
She would have none of that. She was a badass witch, and she wasn’t about to let a silly little crush on this stranger faze her.
Cup of coffee in hand, Selene made her way to the living room and she plopped herself onto the soft beige sofa. She sank right into it, and took a deep gulp of her drink. Her moan was completely accidental, but it earned her a look from Jett was who taking a seat at the farthest corner of the couch.
“I’m guessing, by that reaction, that the coffee is to your liking?”
“It is,” she said before taking another large sip. “By this time, I usually have a couple of cups in my system. It’s been kind of an insane morning.”
“You’re telling me,” Jett agreed.
“So what happened…your alpha got the call from the Salem alpha and you all rode into town to save the day?”
Jett chuckled and shook his head. “Something like that. Though Blaze is a hell of a lot more gallant than me. I wasn’t supposed to stop for coffee. I was meant to go straight to your house.”
“Well, isn’t it lucky you didn’t? I don’t think Lester and I could have taken on three armed witch hunters.”
“Lester did all right.”
“Isn’t it insane that I’m here because I was under attack by witch hunters? Who am I supposed to trust after all this? I mean, I was just out for my breakfast, and boom.” Selene smacked her hand against the sofa. “I’m being rescued. How does all of this even happen? Won’t the pack be mad that your alpha has decided to get involved?”
“No, not in the slightest. If it means protecting the pack and its lands, they trust his judgment.”
“But my family and I aren’t part of the pack.”
“You’re supernatural beings being hunted. Don’t think for a second they won’t come after us now that they know we exist."
Yeah, that definitely was a surprise to her though it shouldn't have been. "Since we haven't been formally introduced," she put her hand out to him. "I'm Selene Bishop, co-owner of Healsome Magic Holistic Center. Nice to meet you."
His brow raised, but he took her hand in his large grip. "Right. I'm Jett Arrowood, pack enforcer. Same."
She rolled his eyes at his "same" remark instead of repeating her friendly greeting.
They finished the rest of their drinks in companionable silence. Selene’s eyes kept sliding over to Jett. She was really surprised by the level of attraction she felt for him. It wasn’t something she had ever experienced. She'd had only one relationship, and though Will had been cute, he had never made her hands shake or her breath catch.