He kissed her back, but at the same time it felt like he was holding back, keeping himself withdrawn from her. She pulled away and looked at her lap. “I’m sorry. I thought …”
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure you want me to kiss you. I thought maybe you did, but maybe… I mean we do work together and …”
“Kaylee, I’m not used to this, I’m sorry. I don’t trust easily, but I like you. I think I could trust you.”
“You can, Jules, with anything.” She was staring at him, her brown eyes wide and honest.
He smiled softly and touched her cheek. “Kaylee.” His voice was a husky whisper.
They leaned together and their lips met in a gentle kiss. Soon his fingers slid over her neck and cupped the back of her head. Her hair was smooth and soft and thick around his fingers. He held her close, kissing her with more passion now. She scooted closer to him, her hand resting on his leg creating a warm spot.
She scooted closer still, her one leg propped up against his, her hand caressing his cheek and trailing over his neck and shoulder. She moved closer again until she was half sitting on his lap. He wrapped his hands around her and pulled her all the way onto his lap, still kissing her.
Their hearts were pounding hard and they were breathing heavy. Their hands began to wander as they kissed each other’s lips and faces and necks.
Her body was warm under his hands. Even through her clothes he could feel the heat of her.
Her cellphone rang, some light tinkling jingle. There was a pause and then the same tinkling music again. She pulled away from him, reluctant and blushing, the rosy color faint against her dark skin. “That’s my mom’s ringtone. I have to answer that.” She slid from the couch and moved across the room with quick, light steps.
Jules put his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. He rubbed his face, letting a deep breath out in a whoosh. He adjusted his erection and focused on calming himself down. It was the day after the new moon, so the bear was at its most relaxed right now, and he didn’t have to worry too much about turning furry. But he did have to worry about taking the evening a lot further than he’d ever intended.
Kaylee scooped the phone out of her purse and answered the call one ring before the voice mail kicked in. She stepped around the corner toward the bathroom so she couldn’t see Jules. Her heart was still pounding and she sounded breathless as she said, “Hey Mom.”
“Kaylee, oh thank god, where are you?”
“I just had dinner with a friend. Is everything okay?”
“Fine, everything’s fine, I was just worried about you. It’s getting late.”
“Is it? We put a movie on and I lost track of the time, I’m sorry. I should have called right after work, but there was some stuff about my course work and it just slipped my mind.”
She’d caught her breath now, but her heart was still pounding and she felt too warm.
“I’m just glad you’re safe.”
“Yeah. The movie’s over, so I shouldn’t be out too much later.”
“You’re in college, Kaylee. You haven’t had a curfew for years. I just can’t help but worry. Don’t let me drag you away from your social life. Have a good time.”
“Yeah, Mom. Thanks.” She hung up and took a deep breath. When she looked over, she saw Jules was in the kitchen setting empty wine glasses on the counter. She wanted to go to him, to say something about what had happened—and about what had almost happened—but the idea of being in that little kitchen with him made it hard to breathe. There was no guarantee they wouldn’t end up back in each other’s arms.
He was coming toward her now, smiling. “Did you need to get home?”
“Jules, I’m sorry …”
He leaned down and kissed her, just one short, sweet kiss. He smiled at her.
“Don’t tell Freddie.”
“How is this any of his business?”
“I thought you two were friends.”
“Only sort of. If you don’t want him to know, that’s fine, but can I ask why?”
“He might tell my professor and they might choose to move me to a different graphic design firm for the remainder of my internship.”
“I would still have dinner with you if you had to work somewhere else.”
“I know. But I enjoy working with you. I’m learning a lot. I don’t want this to ruin that. And I don’t want that to get in the way of this.”
“Okay.” He kissed her one more time and then turned to grab their jackets.
When Jules returned home later, he was still smiling. Two weeks earlier, when Freddie had dumped a college kid on his office doorstep, he was sure it would spell disaster and headache. Instead, he felt better than he had in a long time. He turned on his computer. It was too late in the evening to start on the video editing, but he could check his emails before turning in. While the machine turned on he tossed his tie on the bed and hung his shirt in the closet.
He had a few unread emails. One was from Brock, who was trying to get a baby shower organized for his wife, Gia. She had about six weeks before her due date yet, but Brock wanted the shower out of the way in case the baby came early. It was a serious risk that the baby could be premature. It was just something that happened with shifter babies, something about the animal inside them needing less time before being born. Jules typed out a quick reply agreeing to attend and promising that he would help set up for the party.
The next few emails were spam and he deleted them unread.
There was one with the subject “This is you—don’t ignore.” It sounded strange but not exactly like the usual spam subject lines, so he clicked on it, curious.
The message itself was fairly brief, not at all like Brock’s rambling letter.
“Julius, you’re very fortunate that the entirety of this video was never released to the media. I have found the complete video very interesting, and I think many people would share my interest in it. I am wondering what it is worth to you to have this video stay hidden. Watch the video. Transfer one hundred dollars to the listed account. There is nothing in the account for you to steal, and if the money is not deposited by the time the banks close on Friday evening I will make the video public.”
Jules’ hands were shaking as he moved the cursor over the attachment icon. He didn’t want to see the video. He didn’t need to see the video to know exactly what it was. But he wasn’t paying anyone anything for a hoax. He had to be sure.
The video was in color, a zoomed out look at the security gates at the airport. He spotted the tall, broad shouldered man waiting in the lineup right away. The camera was positioned so the faces of everyone coming through the gate were completely visible. He reached the gate and started arguing with the guards over the pills he was carrying.
He watched the guards pour in from all corners of the screen with their pepper spray and their Tasers. His heart was thundering as he watched and remembered.
He’d seen the others in his clan shift many times, but he’d never seen himself shift. Shifting in front of a mirror was useless. The pain generally curled you inward, and you couldn’t stay still enough, focused on the mirror long enough, to see the transformation. You were more likely to smash the mirror. For the first time, he got to see his own change.
His face distorted, his head enlarged, his shoulders widened, his arms thickened, and his hands grew and changed into paws. The fur sprouted, following the changes in his body. His clothes were no match for the rapid expansion of his body and they ripped. His belt withstood a little more pressure and he bellowed in pain as the buckle dug into his stomach before it finally tore. He dropped to all fours as his front end became too heavy. The fur rippled down his body as his knees popped into place and his legs thickened into tree trunks.
He turned the video off. He didn’t need to see anymore. Didn’t he still dream of that day?
Tell Brock, tell Remy. They can help. Forward them this email, and let them work on the problem for a f
ew days. If they haven’t figured it out by Friday morning, you can send the money then.
He had the cursor over the forward button and then hesitated. You can’t always run to someone else for help, Jules. You have to be able to stand on your own or you’ll never be a man. Strange that this thought sounded more like his father than his usual inner voice.
Being a clan means having backup. This is serious. This could affect us all.
Then step up and protect the clan. A hundred dollars isn’t much. Step up, Jules. Defend the clan as they have defended you. If you can’t do this on your own, how could you possibly be man enough for Kaylee.
Kaylee. He could trust her with stories about his father and mother, stories about the bullying and the struggle to make something of himself when everyone looked at him and saw poor and useless. She would understand those things. She would respect him for those things. But telling her about this? That he was a werebear—and not just any werebear but the wild werebear who had gotten loose in the airport? He wasn’t ready to tell her that yet, and he didn’t want her to see this video.
And the video would go viral without any help. Everyone was still busy guessing who the werebear in the video was. His name had never come into any of those conversations, partly due to luck and partly due to Brock’s diligence. Why Remy was clan leader and Brock wasn’t, Jules never really knew, but he was thankful the two of them had been there to keep him out of trouble.
And if you’re too much trouble they’ll send you away. They’ll cut you loose.
No. Not Brock. Not Remy. Especially not Remy. Remy had been the one to defend him, to protect him—all those years of being a scrawny kid, he wouldn’t turn on me now.
You can’t take that chance. Just pay the money.
“I’ll pay,” Jules thought. “That’ll buy Brock and Remy more time to sort this out. I’ll tell them, just not right away.”
He accessed his bank account and with a few clicks he had the money transferred. He sat for a long time just staring at the computer. He felt chilled. His palms were damp with sweat. His chest felt tight and it was hard to breathe.
All the peace that Kaylee had brought to his life the last two weeks was gone. It was the day after the new moon and his bear was stirring. He tried to take slow, deep breaths, but his lungs wouldn’t cooperate.
“Sleep,” he muttered. “Sleep and deal with it in the morning.”
He got his belt off and then dropped into bed. He thought he’d be lying awake all night, tossing and turning while worry drove sleep far away, but sleep overtook him almost as soon as he closed his eyes.
Kaylee woke with her alarm and was humming when she came out of the bathroom, toweling her hair dry. Her mom had coffee on the table. The younger two were getting ready for school.
“Did you have a nice evening?” her mom asked.
“Yes, I definitely did,” Kaylee said.
“You have a faraway look in your eyes,” her mom said, smiling. “Just who was this friend?”
“Just a friend,” she said.
“Mm-hmm. Well, don’t miss your bus.”
“Okay, Mom.”
When Jules woke, he felt disoriented. He was sprawled on his stomach on the bed, only half covered with blankets. He was still wearing yesterday’s pants. The buckle of his belt was cold against his ankle. He pushed himself up and rubbed his face. His mind was foggy.
A glance at the clock jolted him awake. He was late for work. There was no time for a shower, so he stuck his head under the sink and quickly rinsed the product from his hair. He threw on clean clothes, grabbed his jacket, and headed out.
Traffic didn’t want to cooperate, and Jules couldn’t gain any ground or make up any of the time he’d lost to the deep and dreamless sleep that had claimed him. Being trapped in that tiny car with other cars pressing in around him didn’t help at all.
“I’ll call Remy when I get to work,” he muttered.
Kaylee breezed into work with a wave for Mark as she passed through the lobby. She was feeling ten feet tall today, and she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. It was clichéd, but she felt like she was walking on air. Things were looking way, way up.
She had gotten good grades in this course, and her reports from Freddie had been glowing. Her mentor respected her and her opinion and gave her creative freedom but also balanced that with constructive criticism and instructional conversation. That her mentor had become her friend made work more enjoyable. And after last night, well, the possibilities were endless.
It wasn’t every day a young black woman from the slums succeeded in clawing her way out of poverty, but Kaylee’s gut instinct was screaming at her that she was finally on the right road.
The office she was sharing with Jules was empty. No Jules, no sweater—the computers weren’t even turned on. Her smile widened. Looks like I’m not fetching the coffee this morning.
She hung up her things and turned on the computers, taking a look at the big desk calendar while she waited.
There was a knock on the doorframe and she looked up. Not even Freddie could ruin her mood today. “Morning, boss,” she said.
“So, can Jules cook?”
“He sure can. It looks like he’s not here yet.”
“I haven’t seen him. He said you chose the color palette on that last project. You have a good eye for color. I’m betting that comes naturally to you. It can be taught, but after a while you can tell which designers learned it and which designers go with instinct.”
She shrugged. “I guess so. Some parts of the job come easy to me, others not so much.” Like dealing with pushy bosses in a polite yet assertive manner. I don’t want to get fired, but I don’t want to be alone in a room with him.
“Did you have time to look over that report?”
“I should check the emails before Jules gets here. We’re waiting on some feedback from a client. I’ll see the report when I check in with my professor in a few weeks. If I have any questions, I’ll let you know then.”
“You’re a real hard worker. I like that. Don’t let Jules work you too hard though, okay?”
“Sure thing.”
He tapped the doorframe once and left.
Jules muttered a string of choice four-letter words at the red light in front of him. It was too tight in this car. The bear didn’t like being caged like this. Being on the bus wouldn’t have been any better, not with the bodies pressing against him. At least here in this tiny car he could slam his hands on the steering wheel and swear without attracting attention.
He got through the last intersection, turned into the parking lot at the shop, and turned off the car. He pulled out his cellphone and called Remy. His voicemail kicked in and Jules said, “Remy, it was a rough night. I’m going to the warehouse after work.”
He dialed Jane next and got her voicemail as well. “Jane, I need to go to the warehouse tonight and I can’t get in touch with Remy. If I can’t reach him can you be there?”
He put the phone away and took a few deep breaths before getting out of the car. At that moment, the overcast sky decided it was not only going to start raining, it was going to skip drizzle and move straight to steady downpour.
He closed his eyes, his head dropping in defeat. “I should just call in sick, get back in the car, drive home, and go back to bed.”
The idea of getting back in the car and facing the wall of traffic a second time that morning drew a growl from between his lips.
Kenny (Shifter Football League Book 2) Page 41