Page 26 of Her Werewolf Lover

“That was quick! I only left for a short walk,” she said, eyes wide.

Michael’s gaze dropped, and she squirmed, rubbing her thighs together in her tight leggings. She’d paired them with a long-sleeved crop top that had a zippered pocket for her phone in case of emergencies. Luckily, there weren’t any.

“You enjoy the walk, Sunshine?” Michael asked, and something about his eyes in the morning light reminded her of an animal’s.

They were more gold than she recalled, and she gasped as he blinked. Holy cow. Back to brown.

“Um, yeah. Thanks,” she squeaked as he moved closer.

“Leaf,” he muttered, plucking a tiny red leaf from her ponytail.

Samantha was mortified. She thought for a second, maybe he was going to do something.

Like kiss her.

But that was crazy.

“Um, I didn’t know you were starting early today. Let me get some water and I’ll help,” she said.

“Okay,” he replied, and she faltered a step before moving on.

That was all he said. Just okay. But still. Michael was not like other men. They usually wanted to humor her or pet her on the head and tell her to go sit and be pretty.

But not him. He took her seriously when she said she was going to do some of the work. He did not seem to mind her efforts to help with the remodeling at all.

And when she did not know how to do something. He showed her how. It was like he knew what she needed.

Ten minutes later, and wearing a t-shirt similar to his, Samantha rejoined him.

“Hey, we’re just about to take down this last wall.Want to make the first hole?” he asked, a grin on his wickedly handsome face.

“Yeah, I do.”

He handed her a heavy sledgehammer, and she almost dropped it. He moved in, closing his hands around hers.

Then, standing right behind her, Michael took her hands in both of his, wrapped them securely around the hammer, and together, they raised it.

“Ready,” he growled near her ear, and shivers danced down her spine. “Hold on tight, Sunshine. The first time it connects you’re really gonna feel it.”

Samantha nodded. The sledgehammer felt heavy and solid in her hands as he moved with her, showing her how to swing the tool.

Samantha licked her lips and stared at the wall. Michael’s arms around her were wreaking havoc with her hormones. Hell. Her ovaries were likely to explode from just the feel of his arms around her.

But she forced herself to ignore that pesky one-sided attraction she felt. A squeak eeked out of her mouth as they made contact with the ugly burgundy painted wall.

“Again,” Michael growled, and she allowed him to guide her one more time.

Two more swings and the wall finally cracked. Samantha felt tears roll down her face.

This was it. The last impediment to her dream house. Pieces of sheet rock had tumbled to the floor. The final wall was no longer intact.

“Hey, come here,” Michael said, dropping the tool and turning her around in his arms.

He moved them quickly past the debris, away from the crew and into the kitchen where they were alone. Sobs wracked her body as more emotion than she allowed herself to feel in years flowed through her.

“It’s down. It’s finally down.” She whispered and hugged him tight to her.

Michael didn’t understand. He couldn’t know that destroying that wall was like knocking down everything that ever stood in the way of her truly living her life.