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“This is her love language,” Wreck said. He’d gone still beside Timber, attention shifting between her and his mother.
“I like cooking, too,” Timber said as she filled her plate. “I completely understand that.”
After they had filled their plates, Beth sat down and chattered easily as the sun rose behind her, painting the sky in gorgeous pinks, yellows, and oranges.
The picnic table had been here for some time, and was weathered and worn. She wondered how many sunrises Wreck had watched here since he’d moved to these mountains.
It was special.
Beth was so easy to talk to, and was great at conversation. She moved easily from one topic to the next, and asked many questions of Timber to get to know her. She was open when Timber asked her questions too, and Timber’s nervousness faded away naturally.
They sat there eating and chatting for a couple of hours in the light of the sunrise, and Timber was stunned by how easily Wreck spoke to her.
With others—especially shifters—he was tense, had little patience, and didn’t seek connection. But with Timber and with his mother, he was softer.
She loved experiencing this side of him.
Watching him be the monster was hot, and mysterious—equal parts terrifying and intriguing.
Watching him grow protective of her made her appreciate him as a man.
Watching him be a son? Watching the bond with his mother, and how he cared for her? How he served her food, and was gentle with his words, and how much he clearly adored her?
Well, it made her appreciate his soul.
The Fastlander Phoenix was intimidating to others. He was power. He was a loose cannon.
Dangerous. Troubled. Secretive, and mysterious.
But to Timber, and—as she realized this morning—to Beth?
He was just himself.
He was just Josiah.
In this moment, his fire didn’t exist.
Chapter Thirteen
Kendra was late.
Timber checked the time on the wall clock again. Kendra was a newer client and this was only her second session, but she’d talked in the last one about how she was obsessive about being on time, while her husband was perpetually late, and it drove her bonkers.
She didn’t mind tardiness for good reasons, but she did hate that it would cut into Kendra’s allotted hour of counseling.
Her phone lit up on the desk, and she scooted her rolling chair closer to see who had texted. Her face broke out in a smile as she saw Wreck’s name on the ID.
I’m doing a bid out in Saratoga, and it’ll be awhile longer. I am still planning to take you out to dinner tonight, but it’ll be later. Is that okay?
Sure, that works for me! I’ll grab a snack after this client, and then we can go to that place you were talking about. Moosey’s?Send.
“Who has you smiling like that?” Kendra asked from the open doorway.
Timber startled slightly, and put her phone face down on the desk. She didn’t talk about her personal life in general, and especially to newer clients, so she shifted direction and asked, “Is everything okay?”
“Oh, yes.” Kendra bustled in and flopped her oversized purse on the ground next to the couch she sank back into. “I’m so sorry I was late. I got all caught up with some stuff and lost track of time.”
“I was worried after you saying last time that you didn’t like tardiness.”
