by Kim Fox
That got his attention. Sloth lifted his fat head off of the pool chair and opened one eye, watching as Elodie stormed away.
“Ha!” she laughed as the obese cat begrudgingly got up to his feet and followed her to Mack’s cabin. Elodie had discovered where the cat’s food supply was located and now she finally had an upper hand on the feline. He was going to have to pay attention to her now.
“I think you’re looking a little chubby, Sloth,” Elodie said to him as she watched him waddling after her. “It is bathing suit season after all.”
The orange cat did not look amused as he followed her to Mack’s balcony.
“I found your stash,” Elodie said in a sing-song voice as she walked up the steps. There was a mountain of dried cat food poured into the corner of the balcony. Mack must have dumped at least ten bags before he had left. Enough for six months for any normal cat, but for Sloth… six days maybe?
“So, I was thinking,” Elodie said with an evil grin on her face, “that I’ll clean this up and you can go on a diet.”
Sloth just stared back, looking like he was plotting to kill her.
“I’ll give you a cup of dried food a day. How does that sound?”
Elodie was lucky that Sloth didn’t have a gun because it would have been pointed at her forehead.
“Great! I’m glad we got that settled. Now, where can I find a shovel to clean this up?”
She looked around the balcony, but then got distracted when she heard some soft music wafting toward her on the evening breeze.
Her pulse started racing as she left the fat cat and his obnoxiously large pile of food behind to check out the sound.
This day had been going great. Logan looked thrilled that his band was back together and they sounded even better with Logan at the lead vocals and with Jordy providing backup along with some rapping. It was more of a modern sound that would fit great on the top forty.
Elodie could tell they were destined for a bright future and she couldn’t help but take a little pride in knowing that she was the one who orchestrated it all.
She walked barefoot on the crunchy grass in the direction of the music. It was a quiet kind of summer night with no wind, in the peaceful moments before the frogs and crickets took over from the singing birds. Elodie had her new jean shorts on with a loose tank top that flowed around her thick waist.
Her breath caught in her throat when she walked around Mack’s cabin and saw Logan sitting with his feet in the pool. He had a notepad on his thigh and was scribbling onto it as he sang the same few words over and over again.
“The sun kisses the mountains for all eternity. That’s how I want us to be.”
Elodie could suddenly feel her heart beating in her chest as she watched him. He looked stunning in a low cut white shirt that showed off the top of his hard chest. He had a black leather bracelet on his wrist that matched his dark shorts, and his hair was messy in a way that looked perfectly disordered.
Elodie held her breath as she watched him. He was completely focused and she didn’t want to break his concentration. She also didn’t want to get caught staring like a Peeping Tom.
He’s gorgeous. Elodie was convinced she had never seen a man so striking. So utterly captivating.
The pool lights were on, lighting his focused face up with a glowing turquoise color. The sun was slowly setting behind the mountains and as she stared, fireflies began flashing flecks of gold all around her.
“I see you in the distance like the mountain of my life…”
Elodie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she listened, wondering who he was thinking about while he was singing those beautiful words. She hoped it was her, but she doubted that it was.
He stopped to write something down on the paper, and when he was done, he looked up and spotted her.
Busted. She smiled as she walked over, watching as the fireflies lit up the way.
“It sounds beautiful,” she said as she sat down beside him, letting her feet sink into the warm water. “Can I hear some of it?”
“It’s not finished,” he said, looking down at his scribbles. “But I can sing a bit.”
Elodie turned and faced him as he sung low and soft about a love that was as strong and long-lasting as mountains. She stroked her arm as she listened, watching his lips and wondering what it would be like to kiss him.
“That’s all I have,” he said as he stopped with a nervous laugh.
“It’s incredible. You’re incredible.”
“You’re incredible,” he said, looking at her with those dark sexy eyes. “I’m sorry I got mad at you before. I was just embarrassed.”
“I get it,” Elodie said with a nod. “And I’m sorry I put the video up without asking you. It was just… too beautiful. I couldn’t keep it to myself. It didn’t feel right.”
He smiled as he turned his foot in a circle, making ripples in the glowing water. “All is forgiven.”
They sat side by side for a while, enjoying the comfortable silence. Elodie looked up at the mountains in the distance, watching as the last slivers of the sun disappeared behind them.
“I feel like I’ve been trapped in my own head for a while, and haven’t realized that there are others hurting around me,” Logan said softly. “I know you’ve been through a lot. How are you handling everything?”
“I’m doing okay,” she answered, believing it this time. “I’m just trying to find my place in the world. Sometimes I worry that I won’t find it. Like there’s no place for me.”
He looked at her with a sad, knowing look. “Like this horrible event has changed you to your core and you’re now this different person while everyone else gets to stay the same.”
“Exactly. Like the new you doesn’t fit into the mold that your old personality left behind.”
Logan turned back to the water and nodded. He knew all too well that feeling as well.
Elodie dropped her hands in her lap as she looked up to the stars that were fighting through the waining light of the sun. “How can I go back to my old life and try to relate to friends and co-workers who couldn’t possibly understand what I’ve been through? They wouldn’t even recognize the person I am now.”
“You can’t,” Logan whispered. “They’ll never understand what it’s like to be so vulnerable. To have your core identity ripped away from you.”
They slowly turned toward one another and held each other’s gaze for what felt like an eternity. Elodie looked away first, staring down at the water as heat flushed through her.
“I can’t stop having nightmares,” she whispered after a long moment.
Logan didn’t press her. He didn’t ask questions. He just sat and listened, letting her go as slowly as she needed to.
“Every night they come. I wake up gasping for breath. I’m always drenched in sweat and I wake up feeling like there’s no place I can hide.”
She looked down at her hands as tears burned her eyes. “I hate them. I’m not the type of person who’s ever been afraid of anything. I don’t want to be afraid anymore.”
Her hands were trembling in her lap until Logan reached over and placed a comforting hand on them. His hand was strong and warm and made her feel safe.
It was a sweet, intimate gesture and it made her nerve endings come alive, stirring like the ripples in the pool.
“I don’t think you’ll be scared for long,” he said in a raspy voice. “It’s not in you.”
Their eyes locked. Elodie couldn’t get over how piercing his brown eyes were. She had never seen eyes like that before.
“I can feel your strength. It emanates from within.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“I do. You single-handedly pulled me out of my funk. Got my band back together. Got me smiling for the first time since all of this happened. It was all because of you.”
Elodie smiled shyly. “I’m glad I could be of service.”
“I’m glad too.”
They both dropped their heads
back and looked up at the stars. Elodie was thankful that the whole crew wasn’t here. She was enjoying some time alone with Logan.
She only had Sloth and her mother to worry about, and neither of them would be interrupting anytime soon. Her mother was completely absorbed in a mystery novel that she had found in Grant’s room, and Sloth was probably still pissed and sulking about his diet that was starting tomorrow morning.
“I still haven’t let my lion out. Not since the accident.”
The words took Elodie by surprise and she jerked her head to the side, staring at his side profile as he gazed up at the stars that seemed to be getting brighter by the second.
“How come?”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m afraid.”
This time it was Elodie’s turn to comfort and be there for him. She placed a hand on his, and he hooked his finger around hers.
“I’m afraid of how he’s going to react if I pull him out and he…” He shook his head, unable to finish the thought. “If he’s missing an arm like me.”
“I think he’s probably stronger than you think,” Elodie whispered. “Just like I think you’re stronger than you think.”
“I hope you’re right,” he said as his finger clung onto hers. “Because I’m going to have to let him out eventually.”
“I’d like to be there with you when you do.”
He turned, gazing deep into her eyes. “I’d like that too.”
Elodie leaned forward and Logan followed, and then, suddenly, they were kissing.
His hand brushed through her hair as she placed a palm on his hard chest. His heart was beating as hard as hers was.
It was a nice, long, soft kiss with only the gentle smacking of their lips filling the silence of the warm evening.
They both smiled shyly as they pulled away.
“I’ve been wanting to do that all day,” he admitted.
Elodie grinned. “Do you tell all of your groupie chicks that?”
“Yeah, because you’re the only one.”
Their chuckles faded to a stare, which led to another round of kissing.
This time when they finally pulled away, Elodie thought she might need to cool off in the pool.
“How about some drinks?” he asked as he ran his hand through his scruffy hair, taking deep breaths to recover.
“I’d love a drink,” Elodie said, excited that the evening wasn’t about to be over. She was having too good of a time for it to end now.
The water splashed as Logan popped his legs out of the pool and jumped to his feet, dripping onto the concrete. “What do you want?”
Elodie swallowed hard as she looked up at him. A tall drink of lion shifter.
“Anything.”
“We have some mint leaves growing beside Grant’s cabin. How about a mojito?”
“Sounds perfect.”
She licked her lips as she watched him jog over to Grant’s cabin and bend over to gather some of the mint leaves. Nice butt too!
“What are you smiling at?” he asked as he made his way behind the bar to mix the drinks.
“Oh, nothing,” she lied as she watched.
Maybe she couldn’t fit in with her friends back at home, but she seemed to fit in nicely here. The thought gave her comfort and hope.
She looked around, remembering what he had told her about the money Grant owed on the property and how that scary looking Governor was determined to seize every last inch of the ranch.
She was sad that they were going to lose this place. Sad for them, and sad for her. It felt like she had finally found a slice of heaven after a year and a half in hell, and it was all going to be ripped away.
Logan returned with the drinks a few minutes later and she pushed the depressing thoughts out of her mind so she could enjoy the rest of the night.
“One mojito for the beautiful lady,” he said in a sexy voice as he handed her the cool drink.
She took a sip as he sat back down on the other side of her where the concrete wasn’t wet.
“Now,” he said as he dunked his feet back into the pool. “Where were we?”
“Right here.” Elodie put down the drink and kissed him again.
Chapter Eight
Elodie
Elodie woke up the next morning, alert and refreshed. She only had one nightmare, but when she woke up, she immediately started thinking of Logan and those warm soft kisses, and soon, she was sleeping soundly again.
“Where are you off to?” her mother asked as Elodie practically choked down her breakfast. She lowered her mystery novel, narrowed her eyes, and gave Elodie a closer inspection, the kind that only a mother could give. “You look nice.”
“Thanks,” Elodie said with a shrug. “I’m just going to go check on Sloth. His diet starts today.”
“Sloth, eh?” her mother said as she raised her chin and gave her a knowing smile.
“Yup!” Elodie answered with a voice that was higher pitched than normal. “Sloth.”
“Have fun with… Sloth,” her mother said, shaking her head with a laugh as she turned back to her book.
“I will!”
Elodie bounded out the door and took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air as the sun warmed her face. She knew that she could live on this ranch for a hundred years and she would never take this feeling for granted. The feeling of the warm sun in the morning, the feeling of air so clean it tickled your nostrils, and the feeling of freedom. There was none of this when she was locked up in a cell. She could count the number of times the guards let them out on the roof for some fresh air with one hand.
The sound of a vacuum cleaner was coming from Logan’s cabin. She hurried over, excited that he was up.
Something was different. All of his windows were wide open as well as the door, and four full garbage bags were sitting at the bottom of his stairs.
She smiled as she walked up the steps and knocked on the open door.
“Good morning,” she called out as she stepped inside.
“Hi!” Logan said as he popped his head out of the bedroom. “Come on in, there’s coffee in the pot. Help yourself.”
“Wow,” Elodie said as she looked around on her way to the kitchen. Everything was spotless and it smelled great. “You’ve been busy.”
“I was up early,” he shouted from the bedroom, “and I don’t know, I just, started cleaning.”
Elodie was impressed as she ran her fingertip over the squeaky clean kitchen counters. The dishes were done and piled in the rack, and the floor was still damp from being washed.
“I broke about a third of my plates and glasses trying to clean them with only one arm,” he said with a laugh, “but it’s all good. Those fuckers are slippery when they’re wet. I never noticed before.”
Elodie pulled her hair back into a ponytail and tied it up with the elastic around her wrist. “What can I do to help?”
“You can help me with the sheets.”
Her breath quickened as she walked into his bedroom. It looked nice after a dusting and with all of his clothes hanging in the closet where they belonged and not piled up on the floor.
A pile of fresh sheets was laying on the bare mattress. “Grab a corner,” he said as he shook the bottom sheet open.
“I never know which corner goes where,” Elodie said with a laugh as she tried her luck. “They should make all mattresses into squares so no one will have this problem ever again. It should be a new law.”
They laughed when they realized they had got it wrong with the long side of the sheets on the short side of the mattress.
“It looks great,” she said when they were done. They both looked down at the freshly made bed and Elodie couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever be between those sheets one day. “What else can I help you with?”
“There is one thing,” he said, looking a little nervous.
Elodie raised her eyebrow. Was he going to ask her to help mess up the sheets now?
Logan took a deep breath a
nd nodded. “I think I’m ready. To let out my lion.”
“Oh,” Elodie said with her eyes widening. “Now?”
“Yeah. Now.”
“Great,” she said, smiling. “Then let’s go.”
Now she was the nervous one as she followed him outside. She was about to be standing next to a full grown lion—one that might be a little unpredictable.
I don’t know if I’m ready for this.
But she was determined to be strong for Logan. He needed her support and her strength and she wasn’t about to let him down.
They picked a nice spot in a field below the mountains. She made sure it was away from the eyes of her mother who would definitely freak out if she saw her daughter out here with a lion.
“I’m sorry, I have to…” Logan grabbed the bottom of his shirt with his hand and pulled it over his head.
You don’t have to be sorry about that.
His body was gorgeous. He had a chiseled chest and abs that looked as hard as the mountains behind him. His right arm was perfectly sculpted with a killer shoulder, a big round bicep, and a nice thick forearm. He was missing his left arm, but that didn’t bother Elodie at all. His right arm was nice enough to make up for the missing one.
“Am I going to be…” she stammered as he reached for his belt. “Is he gonna…”
“He’s not going to hurt you.” Logan answered in such a reassuring voice as he stared at her with those dark steamy eyes that the nerves seemed to just flutter away from her.
“Okay. I believe you.”
He turned his back to her and unbuckled his shorts. Elodie’s heart started beating faster and she got a little lightheaded as his shorts and underwear came down. His ass was pure perfection above his thick muscular legs.
“All right,” he whispered after taking a few deep breaths. “Here he comes.”
Elodie barely blinked as she watched with astonishment. His muscular body began to tremble as long golden hairs began to grow out of his shoulders. His dark hair turned golden as his back arched and he fell to his hand and knees, only they weren’t a hand and knees anymore, they were molding into big powerful paws with long black claws. Time seemed to slow and warp as she watched, but it was all over in the blink of an eye as the lion suddenly exploded out of him.