Striking the Heart of the Wolf Pt. 03

"I don't know Zoey, it's a bit more, or less I suppose, than my usual style." Mia stared at the dress in the small boutique, as if she could burn it off the mannequin with her eyes. It was truly stunning but being provocative is not what she was used to.

"It's perfect! Tell her Marie. The sage green will make your eyes pop, and with your curves, you would look, killer!" Zoey appeared as if she could jump out of her skin, clapping and smiling with enthusiasm. She reminded her so much of Lilly, Mia couldn't help but feel the same adoration for Zoe.

"I think I'm with Zoey on this one. Darlin' if I was 20-something again, with that body, you better believe I'd rock the hell out of that dress." Mia couldn't help but laugh a little at Marie's admission. Getting the feeling she wasn't going to win this battle, Mia gave in a bit easier than she should have.

"Ok you guys win, I'll get the dress."

"You're going to look so hot dancing in this, Jax won't know what to do with himself!" Zoey exclaimed, a little overjoyed at Mia's dismay.

Mia had spent a lot of time with Zoey and Marie over the last few days, to her dismay, Jax had been occupied with work. Nonetheless, it was nice to spend time with other people, she'd come to adore them, they both felt so comforting for her to be around.

"I'm sure he'll have a few ideas." Marie smiled at Mia, causing her cheeks to turn a crimson red.

After picking out a new pair of shoes and some earrings to go with Mia's new dress, the girls headed to get some food. The small sandwich shop was busy with customers for its lunchtime rush, but they were able to snag a seat by the window.

"So, what's it like back in south Florida? Russ never takes me on any of his business trips." Zoe rolled her eyes at her brother's expense. "Says he can't look after me and do business, as if I'm some petulant child."

"It's really beautiful, a bit crowded, but the people there can be so amazing. The culture is phenomenal, and the scenery is breathtaking." Mia gushed about her home. "Compared to here it's a whole other world."

"The food there must be incredible. And the shopping? I can't even imagine!" Zoey said.

"Do you think about anything other than shopping girl?" Marie chimed, giving her friend a playful wink.

"Of course I do! Like the beaches, I would wear all my new bikinis too!" Zoe shot back.

"I could spend forever on the beach, just lost in the sand and the waves. I get the same feeling sitting out behind the cabin looking at the mountains though. It truly is a stunning sight."

"I think all forms of nature call to the soul. And if you look close enough you can see the secrets it holds." Marie winked at Mia, as if hinting at some unspoken knowledge.

"Wait until you get to explore the woods. It's like something out of a fairytale." Zoey's eyes blazed and glowed with adoration, the experience of witnessing it for herself was thrilling for Mia.

"I love being in those natural, untouched places of the world. Sometimes, when I'm alone on the shore watching the waves, I feel like something is calling to me." Mia stated.

"Mother nature is a mysterious wonder, she has many gifts to offer those who treat her well." The serious undertone in Marie's voice made it seem as if she had experienced it firsthand.

"That is a wonderful thought Marie, one I wouldn't be surprised were it true." Mia felt like she was trying to tell her something, but she didn't put much thought into it. To her, Marie seemed to be wiser beyond her years.

Whilst in the middle of their conversation, Mia noticed Russ walk past the front of the shop and enter, making his way over to their booth.

"Well don't you three make quite the trio." Russ said with a smile, he then grabbed an empty chair from a nearby table to join the young women.

"Shouldn't you be at the compound? You don't usually leave work until the sun's already gone down." Zoe rolled her eyes with a slight smirk on her face, while teasing her brother.

Russ shrugged his shoulders in mock resignation. "A man does need to eat. Thought a sandwich was in order. Plus, it's inventory day, figured Danny could take the lead on that one."

"How thoughtful," Zoe quipped, laughing at her brother.

"So Mia, how are things up at the cabin?" Russ inquired. Mia glanced at her hands, feeling the strain of the nerves. Even though she could feel Russ was a good guy, she felt relatively comfortable with him, still her anxiety was rearing its ugly head.

"It's great, it's a beautiful home, and the location is amazing." She managed a slight smile.

"Vic built that place for Clara, never seen a woman make such a hard man go soft the way she did him." Russ said.

"You know big brother, if you would stop wasting your time on those drooling airheads, you might be able to find yourself a woman like that with actual substance." Zoe chirped in, giving a playful shove on his shoulder.

"Thanks for the words of wisdom, sis," he said. "I'll take that into consideration." He gave her a shove in return.

"Well, probably time for me to grab my lunch and head back to watch over Danny and them while I enjoy my sandwich." Russ stood from his seat and placed the chair back at the table.

"You're such a jerk." Zoey said.

"Love you too sis! Nice seeing you Mia. Ms. Marie." Russ gave a nod and made his way to the line that had dwindled down to only a handful of people.

Mia turned her attention back to her friends, Zoey was shaking her head at her brother as he walked away.

"I love my brother," she stated, "but I swear he's such an idiot."

"Sometimes we have to love people for who they are hunny." Marie added with a giggle.

"He seems like a good guy." Mia said.

"I said he was an idiot, not an asshole. Though sometimes his choice in women makes me wonder." Zoey was able to pull a laugh from her and Mia.

Mia's phone rang with Lilly's custom ringtone, one that Lilly of course chose herself. Answering the phone trying to stifle her laughter, it came to a stop when she heard Lilly's voice. She was almost certain what this call was going to entail.

"Mia, Marco stopped by again." Lilly's tone was solemn, filled with apologies that weren't hers to make.

The first month was hell after she moved out. Marco was relentless, but at first careful. After he realized Mia wasn't going to answer his calls he started sending texts from different numbers, shifting between begging, and bribing.

He only showed up when Lilly wasn't around, letting her know he was there without causing a scene. Except for the one time Mia foolishly opened the door to try to reason with him to leave her alone. He grabbed her almost instantly and would have pushed her inside had Lilly's neighbor, Derek, not subtly intervened. After the incident, Derek suggested she involve the cops, but Mia insisted it wasn't necessary. Not only did she still harbor a great deal of fear of Marco, but she couldn't fathom putting her aunt through any kind of pain, or taking away what she believed was a perfect life. Marco might have been a monster to her, but he treated Mia's aunt very well. She was such a happy and loving woman, it would completely destroy her. Mia couldn't bear the thought.

"Did you stick to the plan?" Mia tried to say impassive, not wanting to alert Marie and Zoey. She already had a cover story at the ready if they asked any questions.

"I did, I think he's starting to call our bluff. Mia, I know you're not ready to tell me what happened when you finally got out of there, and I'm ok with that, but I do know whatever he did this time, it was bad. I know he's always hurting you, and I know you don't want to hurt your aunt, but what about you? I really think you should get a restraining order." Lilly pleaded.

"That sounds good Lilly, but I'm not sure it will work. Can we discuss the details later? I'm at lunch right now." Mia was desperately trying not to sound distressed, hoping Lilly would understand.

"Fine, sounds like you're caught up right now, but we are going to talk about this later. I love you super much." The phone conversation allowed Mia to hear Lilly's concerns.

"Great, love you super much too!" Mia tried hiding her fear, hoping her voice mimicked the smile she had plastered on her face. Placing her phone down, she began to devise her exit plan. She needed to get away before her false show of happiness began to break away.

"I think it's time I should get back," she said. "I need to prepare for tonight. I'm still not sure about letting Jax talk me into dancing." Trying not to leave room for questions regarding her call. Mia shoved the phone in her purse and quickly rose from her chair.

"You'll do great dear, just try not to think too hard." Marie assured her.

"Yeah, just try not to trip!"

"Zoey!" Marie scolded.

"I'm just joking! You'll be amazing, girl." Zoey said genuinely.

"Thanks, guys, I'll catch up with you tomorrow."

"We want all the details." Marie insisted as Mia stood from her seat.

"Of course. See yah'." Mia turned and walked out of the restaurant leaving Zoey and Marie to themselves.

"Marie, what do we do?" Zoey said giving Marie a worrisome glance.

"We continue to be her friends, and then be there for her when she is ready to tell us," Marie advised.

"And what about what she is? You need to tell Jax. He can help her when she figures it out."

"No, we don't tell anyone, it is not ours to tell. It's going to be hard enough for her when she finds out. She doesn't need to feel lied to by everyone around her too."

"They already know something is up."

"And that's all they need to know for now Zoey," Marie declared," we need to be her friends. She's going to need us when things get messy."

"OK, but when Jax and Russ find out I was hiding this, I'm blaming you!" Zoey exclaimed, there was a trace of laughter in her voice.

"That's fine dear, I can handle those two." Marie laughed, giving Zoey a motherly kiss on the head.

- - -

The knock on the door diverted Jax's attention, he was so focused on his work, he didn't even sense them coming.

"Come on in Russ."

"Hey boss, I brought you some lunch. Figured you haven't eaten yet."

"Thanks man, I don't think I've moved from this desk yet today. And I'm still waiting on the statements from New York." Jax rubbed his forehead, trying to relieve the stress of going through all the day's paperwork.

Russ shook his head with a scoff. "Leave it to Matt to be the last in line."

"How did the meeting with the staff go? Are they still doing inventory?" Jax asked, with mild hesitation.

"The usual, besides having to keep Kat and Sophie on separate shifts. They are just about finished up, looks like everything is in order."

Jax released an audible sigh. "Is Kat still making a fuss about Sophie and Liam becoming mates? It's been over 6 months now."

Russ shrugged. "Yeah, I know man. But you know how Kat can be. But aside from Zoey, she's one of our best bartenders. Drama just follows that girl like a shadow though."

"Let's just try to keep them from killing each other. I'm thinking of calling another pack run this month, there's been so much shit lately."

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea, everyone always seems to get along better after a good run."

"Set it up. I have to head out, I'm taking Mia dancing tonight. First, I have to take care of some things."

"Yeah I saw her, Zoe, and Marie at Jason's eating lunch. How is that going? She seems like a sweet girl, albeit a little nervous."

"I don't know man, one second I feel like we're getting somewhere. The next she's closed off." Jax leaned back, raking his fingers through his hair before tying it back up.

"You realize she's not a wolf right? Things don't usually move as quickly for humans the way it does us. Give her some more time." Russ said, his tone had a degree of warmth and concern.

"I know, but you don't get it, you haven't matched with anyone yet. It's maddening. I know she's mine, my wolf knows, but she has no idea. I can tell she senses it, even if she doesn't quite know what it is." Jax could hear the sound of defeat in his voice.

Russ peered at Jax with a raised brow. "You know, I was just telling the girls how Clara was able to bring a man as powerful as Vic to his knees. Seems Mia is having a similar effect."

Jax gave a scoff at his statement.

"Look brother, don't give up. It's like you said, there's some kind of trauma there, I can feel it too even though she's not my mate. Give her patience, she'll realize things soon enough." Russ offered.

"When did you become the expert on love?" Jax asked in an odd yet gentle tone.

"Observation. Also, I'm smarter than I look." He answered with staid calmness.

Jax gave a chuckle. "If you say so, man."

- - -

"Wow." Jax stood there taking in every inch of Mia, so many thoughts rushed at the sight of her he couldn't pick one to articulate. Her skin was as smooth as the satin material of the very small dress Mia had on, her legs went on forever, thighs exposed above the straps from her heels that tied just below the knee. The blush that Mia dawned as Jax gazed at her was the perfect modest beauty behind the sex goddess in front of him. Both appealed to Jax and he knew both of them to be true, even if she hadn't yet.

"Uhm... I kind of was running a little behind, I got stuck on the phone with Lilly for a while. But I just need to put my earnings on and grab a jacket. You can come in if you'd like, it's a little cold out there."

"Mia, I am anything but cold right now." Mia bit her bottom lip as her cheeks changed colors once again. Jax reached out, lightly pulling her lip free from her teeth, then gently dragging his finger across it.

Feeling her own heat build inside of her, Mia grabbed his hand and then pulled him inside behind her, shifting her attention in a new direction. It didn't go unnoticed to Jax that she was diverting. As frustrating as it was, ripping off the little bit of fabric she wore, to take her right then and there, wasn't his idea of how he would claim her the first time.

"I'll only be a minute." As she slipped away to gather her things, Jax glanced around the small cabin. It had been a long time since he had stepped foot in Victor's home. Seems Emily had taken good care of it, even adding a few of her own touches.

A few moments later Mia was back at the front door. Her oversized white knit cardigan engulfed her, the bottom sitting just on top of her derriere leaving the back of her thighs exposed.

"You know I'm going to have to fight off every man in town with you dressed like this. I'm half tempted to make you change, but you look so damn sexy it's like that dress was made just for you."

"Well, first of all, you can't make me do anything. Second, I don't think the most foolish of men would try to challenge you." The challenging look she gave Jax faded into a smile at her sentiment toward Jax's physical capabilities.

"I would have to agree on the last part. The first is up for debate." The cockiness never wavered, even as he kissed her tenderly.

"So are you going to take me dancing or what?"

"Is that what we were going to do?" Jax asked playfully. Mia couldn't help but notice the hunger in his eyes, she felt him devouring her with his stare.

"I'm certain that was the plan." She gave a quick pert nod, folding her arms trying to imitate some form of seriousness.

"I guess we should get going then."

The bar was styled like a saloon, the DJ played music that was a mix of genre both modern and older. Below the DJ booth was a large dance floor filled with dancers, some novice, while others danced like professionals. Jax said it was all a simple two-step, trying to follow his steps, it now seemed a bit of an oversimplification. It didn't help that Mia considered herself to have two left feet.

By the time Jax returned to the table with their drinks, Mia was beginning to doubt herself.

"Your vodka cranberry." Jax declared as he set the cocktail down in front of Mia. When he sat next to her, Mia leaned into him as he wrapped his arm around her.

She tried to hide the rising panic in her voice. "I don't know about this, they are all really good Jax. I'll probably trip over my own feet and fall on my face."

Jax gave a chuckle then planted a kiss her forehead. "I can't believe no one ever taught you to dance. And I would never let you fall on your face. I'll be there every step of the way, don't worry about everyone else. It's just you and me, ok?" Jax reassured her.

Mia couldn't help but want to trust him, so she smiled at him in agreement.

"OK, but you can't laugh at me when I suck at it."

"Promise." Jax agreed, but Mia wasn't finished.

"Pinky promise?" Mia proudly held her pinky out, to Jax's amusement, when he laughed she ignored him and continued, "You have to pinky promise, and then you kiss your hand when you lock your pinky with mine to seal it. And you can't break a pinky promise."

"Or what?" Jax teased with amusement written all over him.

"Well I don't know, but it's not good!" Mia pursed her lips, not backing down.

"You are the most extraordinary woman, Mia," Jax said as his eyes changed to awe inspired.

"OK for you, I pinky promise." Jax held out his pinky, a look of delight as their fingers locked and he leaned in to kiss her balled fist.

"Are you ready now?" Jax feigned impatience.

"Sure." Mia chirped as if nothing happened. Jax smiled and shook his head as he rose from the table to lead her to the dance floor.

Noticing her struggling to pay attention, Jax could sense her nervousness.

"Mia, it's ok, I got you. I'll go over it again." Jax tried to maintain a cool demeanor, hoping to keep her as relaxed as possible. As he helped move them into the right stance.

"I'm going to lead with my left foot forward and you're going to start by putting your right foot back. Then just follow. I want you to count to four in your head in the beginning, till you get the steps memorized. One quick, two quick, three slow, four slow. Just count and follow." Mia glanced at him wide-eyed as he repeated the steps.

"How is it a two-step, but there are four steps! That seems a bit deceiving if you ask me." Mia exclaimed, her panic starting to surface. Trying to keep the mood light he just laughed, then planted a kiss on her nose, to which she responded by wrinkling it.

"We can discuss the technicalities later. For now, just try not to think too hard about it, just let me lead you." He attempted to give her the most assuring smile he could manage.

"Okay." Mia sighed, obviously exasperated.

"You ready?"

"As I'll ever be." She let out.

Though she stumbled a few times during the first few songs, she was starting to move more naturally, and finding humor in her missteps. In not much time Mia went from anxious to joyful as they continued to move together. Jax enjoying every moment of being close to her.

The way Mia shifted all her different angles in such a short period made Jax adore her all the more. She was not a simple woman by any means, she was challenging but humble. Scared but silly. Beautiful, adorable, and sexy all at the same time. Pushing through her fears and reservations was worth the light her happiness brought.

When she noticed the way Jax was staring at her, Mia's cheeks began to warm, but this time she didn't look away. Seemingly on-cue, a slow love song started playing through the speakers. Everything around them no longer existed, Mia was caught in his gaze and would be content to stay there forever.

Their bodies so close together but not fully touching was almost maddening, Mia could feel her body entangled in his. The heat growing inside at their proximity couldn't be ignored. The things he was doing to her body and mind made her dizzy.