5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Jayce

The kitchen in Aydan's house was absolutely to die for. It was large and spacious, with not just a double oven, but three ovens. I knew that many of the den members used it to bake for the pack, since there wasn't a community kitchen besides the diner, and I could definitely see why. This place was the bomb. I could see myself spending countless hours in here.

Not that I was staying here. Even if I stayed in the den, this wasn't my forever home. It was a guest bedroom until I got on my feet. Nothing more. I still loved the kitchen.

Out of all the skills that I had acquired over the years, baking was definitely my favorite. Plus, it was a fantastic way to soften people up and get on their good side. My stench wasn't going to help me, so perhaps baking would. Unless the cupcakes and cookies would stink too. Once again, I was kicking myself for my stupid pool bet.

It would be fine, though. Heat kills everything. Probably. Maybe. Fuck if I knew.

Aydan planned to give me a tour. I should've taken the way out. People weren't going to be happy about the new guy who stank. But I didn't and tour time was quickly approaching. The least I could do was come prepared. So, while he was working, I set out to work as well.

His pantry was well stocked, and I got out pretty much every ingredient I could ever need for any sort of baking. I could make cookies, cupcakes, scones, tarts—any sort of thing. I started first with my dough for cinnamon bread, which was one of my favorites. It would not only fill the kitchen with a much better scent than it currently had, but it was well loved by everyone who'd tried it.

Two hours into my work, Aydan's door opened. So much for 27 minutes of paperwork. His list was intense. He probably didn't need a floater as much as he needed an assistant. Not that he wanted my opinion on that or pretty much anything else.

"I smell something other than you."

I lifted my gaze. His hair was disheveled, like he had been running his hands through it, and he wore a pair of glasses. I wasn't sure that I had ever seen a shifter in glasses before. He took them off his face and tossed them onto the table.

"There're for reading," he said. "What are you doing out here? I have people who cook for me."

That grated on my nerves.

"Well, who said any of this was for you?" I pulled the tray of cookies he was reaching for away from him. "I've got six tins ready to deliver to the places we plan on visiting and taking me to, and I have a whole assortment of treats for Rissa because they are going to deserve a gold medal after they figure out this stench thing. If they figure out the stench thing." Please let them figure out this stench thing.

"Right."

I bit my nails. Super classy, I know. But I was nervous. Aydan made me nervous and not in a borderline-scared kind of way. More in an if-I-look-at-him-too-long-I'll-get-a-boner way, and honestly, being scared sounded better right about now.

Aydan reached across the counter and put a hand over mine, pulling my fingernails away from my teeth. "Are you nervous?" he asked.

Why did he have to see me? Like really see me? Argh.

His eyes held such kindness that I found myself stumbling back. I had not expected that from him. This was Aydan, the hard-ass, the jerk who was the boss of everything.

I licked my lips. "I wasn't nervous until I got sprayed by a skunk. Now I'm afraid that no one's going to want to talk to me and I'll make a terrible first impression on the den. Plus, I can't see my friend." And I keep getting turned on by you when I know it will only lead to badness.

"I'm sure you can go over and see Corey. In fact, I just heard their back door slam. It's very likely that he's taking Willow out to play for the afternoon. If you wanted to see her, you could go."

"Really?"

He nodded.

I tore my apron off and tossed it onto the counter. Aydan sucked in a breath, his eyes looking me up and down.

"Why aren't you wearing clothes?"

Oops.

I looked down at myself. I was wearing only a pair of shorts. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Well, you're not wearing a shirt, for one."

"I had the apron on." It wasn't like anyone else was in here with me while I baked, but I bit back my desire to tell him so. We didn't need to be bickering.

He buried his head in his hands. "Just go."

"Thanks," I said, and I leapt toward the back door. I wasn't going to wait for him to tell me again. Looked like the tour was going to wait. I was fine with that.

Aydan had been right. Corey was outside with Willow. I'd only seen pictures of the little cub, but I'd recognize her anywhere. And Corey? He was absolutely glowing. I didn't need to hear one word from him to know that he was blissfully happy with his life here. Good. He deserved that and more. He deserved the entire happy-ever-after package.

"Jayce, is that you?" Corey called. He jumped up from where he was sitting on the ground. The two of us ran to one another. He hugged me tight, then pushed me away just as quickly. I didn't blame him.

"Holy crap, you stink." He wrinkled his nose.

"I do?"

He squinted at me, and I couldn't tell if he was perturbed or amused.

"Yes! You got sprayed by a skunk, didn't you?"

"Yes," I said. "I was sprayed by a skunk. A very, very angry shifter skunk."

"Oh my goodness." He shook his head. "Do I even want to know?"

"You know you don't."

That had him laughing.

"Can I still see Willow? Can I hold her?" I hadn't meant to ask. It put him in a pretty crappy position, but his warm smile when I did told me he wasn't irked. That was something.

"Yes," Corey said, "but oh my goodness, how did you get sprayed by a skunk? I didn't even know that was possible."

"It is, trust me." Gods, how I wished it wasn't. "And I 0/10 do not recommend discovering it firsthand." Or second, for that matter.

"Oh my... How are things going? Are you settling in okay?" He sat on the ground again, patting the space beside him. I joined him.

"I've only been here for a little bit. I'm doing all right. Your brother's not half as bad as I thought he was." He was a little gruff at first, but I'd have been too considering how bad I stank. And when he let his guard down, he could be sweet-ish. He was smoking hot, also, but that shouldn't play into any of this because I wasn't supposed to think those things about my bestie's brother slash my new den's Alpha.

Corey snorted. "See? I've been telling you for years, you don't even know him."

"Well, trust me, I didn't make the best first impression." Or second or third. If it could be botched up, I managed to do so.

"I'm so glad you're here, but I really don't want to hug you again."

I laughed. "I don't blame you. If I could avoid being near me, trust me, I'd be long gone."

"Tell me how you were sprayed by a skunk and why the stench is not going away?" He wasn't really asking. Corey could be just as bossy as his brother, only when he was like that, I didn't mind.

"Okay, I'll tell you the whole story, but you have to promise not to tell your brother."

He gave me a questioning look.

"I told him with the least detail possible."

He waved his fingers toward himself to indicate I needed to get on with it already.

"Nope. Not until you promise."

"I promise. Scout's honor," Corey said. To my knowledge he'd never been a scout, but I was really wanting to share the story with someone, so I let that little detail go. "But first, how about I introduce you?" That was so much better.

Corey lifted up his baby. The four-month-old babbled incoherently and smiled her toothy little grin. She had two teeth popped out already—one on the top and one on the bottom. Drool ran from her mouth. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

Instead of telling Corey all about that night, I directed it to the adorable cub who'd already won my heart using my best talking-to-babies voice. Corey would chuckle, gasp, or shake his head as he listened to my bad decisions one after another, and the cub? She looked up at me as if I was telling her the most amazing things.

And if amazing things included how her Uncle Jayce got so stinky, I was nailing my delivery.