by Black, C. E.
His lips moved toward mine almost in slow motion. I parted my lips in invitation, but he stopped. Even his hand stilled on my breast and I felt him tense. My mind was still in a lust filled fog, but I knew something was wrong. I tried to listen. All I could hear was the pounding of my heart and my erratic breathing. I held my breath, but still couldn’t hear anything.
Paul’s eyes weren’t focused on me anymore. He was darting quick glances around the alley. I turned my head to look around too, but Paul kept me still, squeezing me tighter. He sniffed the air trying to track a scent. I followed suit. The smell of our mixed arousal was heavy in the air. It was an enticing scent that threatened to weaken my knees again, but I pushed the feeling down.
“Let’s get out of here,” Paul suddenly said. He pulled away from me, grabbing my hand. He headed for the other side of the alley dragging me along with him. When we reached the end there was another street lined with empty cars. Looking in every direction, Paul led me to one of the parked cars. The Corvette was a thing of beauty; sleek and black, but I didn’t get a chance to properly drool over the finest car I’d ever seen. Paul opened the passenger side door and gently nudged me into the seat, closing the door once I was seated.
“Buckle up,” He said as soon as he got in. We sped off, turning back on the main road. He handled the car smoothly, weaving through rush hour traffic without a hitch. We were headed in opposite way from my apartment and it made me a little uncomfortable. I lusted for the big guy, but I didn’t really know him. “Where are we going?” I finally asked.
He kept his eyes on the rear view mirror as he answered, “the pack’s house.”
That made me feel a little better, but it didn’t tell me what was going on. “So what happened back there?" I asked, then blushed remembering what happened between us. I saw him cut his eyes to me and the corner of his mouth turned up, so I added, “were you looking for someone?”
His expression became serious. “Yes, you were being followed. I had to get you off the street quickly. Sorry if I scared you back there.”
I swallowed around the lump that was clogging up my throat. I was being followed. I had assumed it was the guard Nathaniel had sent and now I wondered how long it had been going on. Was it Gray’s men? If they had found me I needed to leave. The sooner the better.
“Why were you there?” I asked.
His gaze met mine for just a moment before turning back to the road. “I was told to guard you. Pack Master Dane has had guards watching you since you arrived in town. He said you knew.” He glanced at me and I nodded. Turning his attention back to the road he said, “Dane got a call from one of the west coast Pack Masters. They raided Gray’s house, but he got away. One of the guards they captured admitted that Gray had been looking for you, so Dane had me added to your security.”
That explained all those feelings of being watched, but what about today? I wondered. A feeling of dread overcame me. I had to get away from here. No amount of guards was going to keep Gray from getting me. I had to leave.
“Take me home.” I demanded. My pulse was pounding in my ears and my fingers twitched to take action. I had to pack. I wouldn’t be able to take much, but I’d get the essentials. I still had to gas up my car. Oh no! “My car!” I practically shouted. “Take me to my car.”
“No, Dane told me to bring you to the mansion and that’s what I’m going to do.”
“What? No, no, no. I’ve got to get out of town, like yesterday. Take me to my car and I’ll be out of your pack’s hair in no time.” I was on the verge of begging and I hated to beg.
“Calm down, Susan. You’ll be safe with the pack. We can protect you.”
“Like hell you can!” I screamed. “No one can protect me, but me. Guards didn’t help my parents or my friends and they won’t help me.” My eyes stung, but I refused to cry. I hated crying; it showed too much weakness and now was the time to be strong. I had to fight to survive and I wasn’t giving up.
Paul didn’t say anything, he just kept driving. He was angry though. I could tell. His grip on the steering wheel was so tight, his knuckles were turning white and I could see his jaw ticking as he ground his teeth together. I didn't care.
“Did you hear me? Take me to my car. Now!”
“Susan, I’m not going to argue with you,” Paul growled. “I have to follow my Pack Master’s orders. That’s not going to change. Now, calm down. You will be safe, Susan.” Before I could protest he cut me off taking my hand in his. He looked at me with an emotion I didn’t understand and said, “I will protect you Susan; with my life. Don’t ever doubt that.”
Paul looked away, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. What he said didn’t make since to me. He shouldn’t have to protect me with his life. I was nobody important to him and I said as much. He ignored me.
We arrived at the mansion and I was escorted to the same room as before. Paul came in with me this time though.
“Have a seat,” Nathaniel said.
We both sat and waited patiently for him to continue. Well, Paul sat patiently. I was a nervous wreck and my patients were thin.
Finally he spoke. “I assume Paul filled you in on some of what’s going on?”
“Yes, some,” I said. I wanted to question him further, but I knew that would be disrespectful. I had manners drilled into me from the time I was born. I knew how I was supposed to behave in front of a Pack Master. but that didn’t make the wait any easier.
“Paul, tell me what happened out there.”
“Sir, I was watching Susan like you asked. She left work at her usual time, but she went the opposite way.” Paul looked at me like this was my fault. That raised my hackles.
“I was going shoe shopping. I had no idea someone was following me that wasn’t supposed to be.” I harrumphed at the end for good measure.
“Anyway, I smelled werewolf right away. They were not of our pack sir. I got her out of there as quickly as possible.”
I almost snorted. Quickly as possible my ass, he was feeling me up for probably ten minutes before we booked it.
Paul must have known where my thoughts had gone because he glanced my way. He turned back quickly, but I could have sworn I saw a red flush creep up his neck.
”Alright, Susan, I hate to tell you this, but you‘re going to have to stay here for awhile. It‘s the only way to keep you completely safe,” Nathaniel said.
”What?” I was too angry to keep up formal appearances. ”You can‘t....”
”I can and I will,” Nathaniel growled. ”You came into my territory. You told me what was going on, and we’re all grateful. But I can’t let you leave just so you can try and hide again. They will find you, Susan.” His tone softened a bit when he said, “You’re under my protection now and I will keep you safe. It’s the least I could do for your father.”
That took the wind out of my sails, momentarily. I was still angry at being told what to do, but I understood where he was coming from. He was my parent’s friend and he felt he was doing the right thing. I just hoped he was right. This was the safest place for me to be in the city; I knew that, but I’d prefer more miles between Gray and me.
After dismissing me, he asked Paul to stay and I left. It had turned out to be a pretty confusing day. I didn’t know what I was going to do about my situation. I knew Nathaniel wanted me to wait and let them handle Gray. And as much as I hated it, I knew it was for the best. But what was really bothering me was the situation with Paul. I didn’t want to get involved with the big guy, but my body wasn’t listening to my head. Every time he was around it was like my brain shut down. The only thing I knew to do was to stay away and that was going to be almost impossible with us under the same roof. I would try, I had to. I did not want to get into any kind of relationship right now. Things were too complicated in my life and werewolves like Paul, were too demanding.
If he were to be my mate, then everything would be different, but...no, I thought. Things couldn’t be different. I wasn’t ready to settle
down. I wanted to explore the world, to be free and having a mate meant being strapped down with a husband and babies and I just wasn’t ready. I would definitely be staying away from the big guy. He didn’t seem like the mating type, but I didn't’ want to take that chance.
Chapter 4
Weeks went by without drama. Gray could have given up, but I seriously doubted it. He was probably lying low waiting for the right moment. It was a good time for me to leave town, but Nathaniel wouldn’t hear of it. He insisted I stay there until Gray was taken out completely. I was starting to get cabin fever. I hadn’t been to work in three weeks. Nathaniel called my boss and explained the situation. Mr. Boughtwright, my boss, was a werewolf, which of course was how I got the job, but it also meant he had to obey his Pack Master. So I was stuck trying to find ways to keep busy.
I spent most of my days walking around the mansion. There was so much of the house to see. The staff was great letting me hang out with them and I even helped out with some of the chores. I found a game room, which was awesome. It had pool and foosball tables as well as table tennis. There was a poker area and a movie theater as well as a bar and many comfy couches. I hung out there most evenings with the guys and a few girls as well.
I also spent my time avoiding Paul. If I even caught a glimpse of the big guy I ran the other way. There were a few close calls and once I even heard him call my name, but I just pretended not to hear. I knew that was immature, especially since he knew I could hear him just fine. I was a werewolf after all and my hearing was better than a human's. He never sought me out though, so I knew whatever he was going to talk to me about, must not have been important. I'd been pretty successful at keeping my distance, but I wasn't sure how much longer that success would last.
I hadn't dreamed of him since I came here either, which was strange. For three months I had that dream, almost every night. I wondered why it stopped. I was glad it had, but at the same time, I was confused.
I went for runs a lot. The woods around the mansion were perfect for us werewolves. They were dense and filled with streams. The abundance of wildlife was also excellent.
I did meet a really nice young woman named Rebecca. She was sweet and shy, so totally opposite of me, but we hit it off and became fast friends. She knew all the gossip in the pack. Because she was so quiet, no one seemed to notice her when things went down. I showed her how to play poker and soon we were teaming up to kick werewolf ass.
One night I grabbed Becky and tugged her up to my room. Sitting her down on the bed, I went to my closet and pulled out a shoe box. “What are we doing?” She asked in her sweet voice that should have had men running after her, but she didn’t speak enough for them to hear it.
“I am so bored, Becky. I’m not used to sitting around all day, so I was thinking we should liven things up around here,” I said with a grin.
“Uh oh. That doesn’t sound good, Suzy.”
I smiled brightly. “Hey who said you could call me that?”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “If you can call me Becky, then I can call you Suzy.”
“Fair enough.”
“So what are you planning and how much trouble are we going to get into?”
“Who says we’re going to get into any trouble?” Becky snorted, but I ignored her. “I just want to have some fun. Look what I found.” I pulled the top of the shoe box off and grabbed the smaller box that was inside. When I lifted it up Becky gasped. It was only a box of condoms, but I still giggled like a school girl. This was already fun, but Becky was starting to look worried.
"Don't look at me like that. We're not going use them the way your thinking. You have a dirty mind, Becky." Her face turned bright red and she gave me a sheepish smile.
"So what are we going to do with them?" She asked.
"Well, we're going to give some of the guys a big surprise." I grinned wickedly. "We're going to fill them with water like water balloons."
"Oh, no," Becky moaned but I kept going.
"Then, we're going to go up to the balcony and drop them on the guards."
Becky burst out laughing, which was my intention. "Suzy...," she started, but couldn't stop laughing to finish. I waited until she calmed down and pleaded, "Come on, Becky. It's going to be so fun. They won't know what hit'em. Are you in?" After a long pause she finally agreed.
I emptied my laundry basket and headed to the bathroom with Becky on my heels. We filled all the condoms up with water until almost bursting, giggling the whole time. The box was the economy size and was mostly full, so there were a lot of condoms.
"Why do you have all these condoms, Suzy? Do you really go through all these?" Becky asked trying to sound nonchalant, but failing when she turned her head away covering her face with her long blonde hair. I knew she was blushing.
I nudge her in the arm with my shoulder playfully. "No! I don't go through all these. In fact I didn't have any. I stole these."
"What? From who?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. I found them when I was helping the maids clean the bedrooms. They belong to one of the guards."
Becky snickered. "You're crazy. Whoever they belong to is going to find out what happen to his condoms once he hears about this."
I shrugged again. I didn't really care. I'd pay the guy for them if he got that upset. "I would like to know who they belong to though." I mused.
"Why?"
I held up the box. The front said Magnum size. "Whoever bought these has an ego the size of this house or is hiding something very impressive in those black cargo pants," I said batting my eyelashes.
Becky giggled and we left with our basket filled with goodies. We had covered the top with a towel so no one would notice the condoms. We got to the balcony that overlooked the back yard. I looked over the rail and a saw four guys standing around talking with their backs to us. They were probably off duty which was for the best. No matter what Becky thought I really didn't want to get into any trouble.
I looked back at my friend. She was waiting with the basket by the opened door. I put my finger to my mouth to remind her to keep silent. I nodded my head and pointed toward the guys below. Becky quietly came over with the basket and set it down between us. After lifting the towel off, we both grabbed a couple of condoms. We were trying not to laugh and were finding it difficult to hold on to them.
We both leaned over and dropped all four condoms. They hit their marks. All four guys let out curses and looked up. Becky and I didn't waste time. We grabbed more and started hurling them over the rail laughing the whole time.
"What the fuck?" One guy yelled.
"Who's doing that? Said another.
"Are those my condoms? They're the ones who stole my damn condoms." At that one Becky and I bent over laughing so hard, tears were streaming down our faces.
"I know who they are." I stopped laughing immediately. My eyes widened at the sound of his voice. It was the big guy and I was going to be in so much trouble. I turned quickly and grabbed the basket just as I heard a door slam. Becky and I rushed back inside and headed for my room.
"We should spit up," I said. Becky nodded and ran the other way. I didn't know where she was going, but I was sure she'd be fine. No one would ever believe she had anything to do with a prank. I continued down the hall toward my room. I tried not to run. I didn't want to look suspicious but I also knew I needed to hurry. If Paul caught me he would, well, I didn't know what he'd do, but I knew it wouldn't be good. He was the serious sort and probably couldn't appreciate a good prank. That thought proved he wasn't the one for me. I could never be with someone who couldn't have fun.
I almost made it to my door when a voice stopped me in my tracks. "Going somewhere?" Paul said as he stepped out of the shadows in front of me. He had been leaning right by my door and I didn't even see him.
I gasped and put my hand over my chest trying to calm my pounding heart. "Paul! I didn't see you there." The big guy just stood in the middle of the hallway with arms crossed, staring at me. I kn
ew what would happen if I made eye contact, so I kept my gaze on his damp chin instead.
I started to feel a bit ridiculous just standing there so when he didn't say anything I said, "Well, I was just going to my room. I've got laundry to do." I lifted the empty basket for him to see. When he kept silent I started walking to my door. "Excuse me," I said when he didn't move out of my way. He didn't budge.
There were a couple of feet between our bodies, but it didn't feel like it. I could feel the heat of him and closed my eyes as awareness tingled down my spine. It would only get worse if I looked into his eyes, so I kept my gaze fixed on his arms that crossed his chest. I could see the tendons bunching as he flexed his hands. He must have been angry, but I was too preoccupied by watching water droplets run across his muscles to really care. Even the dark hair on his arms was sexy. And just the sight of the wet t-shirt molding his chest gave me goose bumps.
"You want to tell me what that was all about?" He suddenly asked. I lifted my eyes from his chest, but caught myself in time and focused on his chin again.
"What are you talking about?"
"You know damn well what I'm talking about Susan. Look at me."
I looked up and burst out laughing. His hair was plastered to his head. Water dripped off the ends and his shirt was soaked. It was hilarious to see him so disheveled.
"I'm glad you find this amusing," He said stiffly and I covered my mouth with my hand trying to stop another round of giggles. When he continued to glare at me, I had had enough.
"Oh lighten up big guy. Can't you take a joke?" I glared right back at him and put my hand on my hips giving him my best 'don't mess with me' attitude. As I stared into his amber eyes I realized the heat he was radiating wasn't caused by anger. I knew that look. I tried to step back, but he was suddenly right in front of me. He grabbed my hips and spun me around until my back was against the wall.