Page 58 of A Nest of Maple & Mist

Most of all…

Wanted.

“Can you blame me? Have you seen the way you look? Did you bring those slutty little glasses out of storage just to tease me?”

“Not this time.”

Carefully, he plucked the lenses off, laying them on the desk.

“Who were you talking to?”

Jason’s entire demeanor shifted. Creases appeared around his eyes and mouth.

“Northeast Property Management.”

The name came out in a dangerous whisper. I paused, my brows pinched. It sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. After another second, I remembered, and my head snapped up.

“The company that scammed Mia?”

“Yes.”

His teeth ground together as he slammed his laptop shut. A palm slid along my thigh. Jason anchored me in place, and I cuddled into him.

“I’m surprised they agreed to meet with you after completely ghosting Mia.”

Something dark and calculating appeared on the chiseled lines framing his face.

“That’s why they don’t know this meeting is about Mia’s home. I scheduled an appointment to see if they could assist the largest maple producer in the country.”

Most people knew Jason Hawthorne as kind, resilient, and hardworking. Few had seen the business side of Jason. The ruthless, calculating alpha who fought relentlessly for his farm and his pack.

And now his omega.

It was hot as hell.

“Brooding, ‘burn the world for her alpha’ looks good on you.”

Those strong hands pinched my chin, angling my mouth only a breath away from his.

“Not just her, Ty. I’d do anything for our pack. Anything for you, my sweet beta. Don’t forget that.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

He pressed a chaste, dizzying kiss to my lips, leaving me spinning.

“Mi has spent too long doing it on her own. And the fact that these bottom feeders almost stole everything from her.” A snarl hissed through his teeth. “I’ll fix this. I have to.”

Mia wasn’t the only one who struggled to ask for help.

“We’ll fix it.”

Scruff scratched my fingers as I ran them through Jason’s beard, holding his face close. Being an Apex wasn’t easy, but it was a role Jason thrived in. Still, I hated how his shoulders always looked like they carried the weight of the world on them.

“Let me help you. Help Mia.”

TWENTY-TWO

MIA