“Alaska, eh?” Wyatt said. “Is your family still there?”
“Yeah,” Juno said. “At least I hope they are. It’s been difficult to keep in contact with my parents lately. But they had a pretty good hiding place in some underground caverns up there, so I’m hoping they’re doing okay.”
Wyatt took a bite of his spaghetti. He hadn’t tried it yet, because he’d been so enthralled by watching Juno and listening to her talk. He was pleased to find that the sauce did not disappoint. The flavor burst in his mouth, and he smiled.
“This stuff is pretty good,” he said.
“Yeah,” Juno said. “It’s the best pasta I’ve had in a long time. Thanks for making it for me, and for inviting me up here. And for getting me into the lab…and, well, for a lot of things. I haven’t even known you that long, but you’ve already done a bunch to help me out.
Wyatt shrugged like it was nothing, but on the inside he was pleased by Juno’s praise.
“It’s no big deal,” he said. “Truth be told it’s nice to have the company. As much as I enjoy solitude, sometimes the quiet gets to be a little too much. Especially after living in such a busy city for years.”
“It’s weird, isn’t it?” Juno said. “And frightening. I feel like the whole world is hanging on by a thread, and Chicago is just a tiny microcosm of that.”
Juno looked over at him with frightened, concerned eyes, and Wyatt felt his heart melting at her vulnerable expression.
“What if I can’t do this, Wyatt?” she asked. “What if I can’t figure out a cure for bear flu? What if humanity really does disappear?”
Wyatt shrugged. “Then I guess the shifters have free reign.”
Juno frowned. “I guess. But it would be pretty sad to lose all of humanity, even though they’ve done some awful things. Some of them have been amazing, and some of them are my family members. Like my mom. She’s full human. I…I’m not too worried about her because I know the whole clan is in hiding. I don’t think they’ve come into contact with the flu. But, still. What if they did? I couldn’t bear to lose my mom, and I know it would kill her on the inside to see the rest of humanity destroyed.”
Wyatt leaned back in his chair and stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I don’t know what to tell you, Juno,” he said. “We’re in a hard place right now. Nothing is guaranteed, and things are a little bit scary. I guess the only thing I can say is that you can’t put too much pressure on yourself to save the world. Just the fact that you’re trying is amazing, but there’s no way to know what the future holds. All we can do is face the challenges as they come, and hope that things somehow turn out okay.”
Juno looked down at her hands and didn’t say anything. Wyatt knew that his words were not much comfort to her, but he didn’t know what else to say. No one knew what the future might hold, and he didn’t want to make false promises. Still, he wanted to comfort her. She looked so small and vulnerable sitting across the table from him. Her beautiful face wore an expression of sadness, and it crossed Wyatt’s mind that it was the most beautiful sadness he had ever seen. He couldn’t help but stare at her, wishing that he could take her into his arms. Finally, she looked up at him and caught him staring.
“What?” she asked. “Is there something on my face?”
“No,” he said, lowering his voice. “I was just thinking about how goddamn beautiful you are.” Wyatt held his breath as he waited for the words to register in Juno’s mind. It was a risky thing to say—he was making it absolutely clear what his feelings toward her were. If she didn’t reciprocate, things could get awkward. But he couldn’t hold back. If recent months had taught him anything, it was that you never know how much time you have left. You have to take the opportunities you’re given while you can. Juno blushed deeply in response.
“You’re not so bad looking yourself,” she said. Wyatt could’ve sworn that his heart skipped a beat as he looked over at Juno. He realized that he had never wanted anything more in his entire life, and he didn’t want to dance around the truth or hold back. Especially not when it was unclear whether the city would even be there tomorrow. Wyatt pushed aside his plate and rushed to Juno’s side of the table. He knelt beside her and took her hands in his hands.
“Juno, listen,” he said, his voice husky. “I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I don’t know what the future holds. I don’t need to explain to you how things are crazy right now. You already know. But what I do know is that ever since the first moment I met you, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. All I can think about is how beautiful you are, and how my heart aches for you. It’s funny that you said all of those things about lifemates, because, well, I never really believed in them before. But something about you feels different, and I can’t help but wonder whether maybe we’re meant to be together. I know I probably sound crazy right now, but I just can’t let another second go by without telling you how much I want to be with you.”
“Wyatt,” Juno said, letting his name trail off on her tongue. She didn’t say anything else. She just looked at him with pleading eyes, as though she was trying to explain something just by her expression. In the soft light of the room, her skin was glowing and her deep green eyes looked dark and mysterious. Slowly, Wyatt leaned over and tilted his face up toward Juno’s. He was so tall that he was almost at eye level with her, even though he was kneeling and she was sitting. He moved slowly, giving her plenty of time to back away if she wanted to. But she didn’t back away. Instead, she kept looking at him with those intense eyes of hers.
“Wyatt,” she said again, her voice full of emotion.
“Juno,” he answered, his voice deep and husky. And then he covered her mouth with his. As soon as their lips touched, he felt a shock of heat go through him unlike anything he’d felt before. His whole body warmed even more than it did when he was breathing fire. Juno moaned slightly, and melted into his kiss. He slipped his tongue past her lips and let it dance with her tongue, then moved his hands so that his palms were on her cheeks. Her skin was impossibly soft, and he felt a thrill go through him. This right here was heaven. He’d never felt anything like this before, and he didn’t ever want the feeling to end. But moments later, Juno pulled away. Wyatt tried not to appear disappointed, but he looked up at her with questioning eyes.
“Juno?” he asked.
“Wyatt, I…I can’t.”
“Can’t what?” he asked.
“I can’t get involved with you. There’s too much going on right now. I need to focus on getting a cure for the bear flu. I can’t be distracted by a relationship.”
“It doesn’t have to be a distraction,” he said. “I’ll help you find a cure however I can. I’m here for you. You don’t have to do this alone.”
But Juno shook her head no. “It’s just…I don’t know. I have feelings for you, obviously. I’m attracted to you, and I can tell that there’s some sort of connection between us. But I just can’t focus on romance right now. It’s not the right time. Maybe when things settle down.”
Wyatt bit his lip and tried to hide his disappointment. He wanted to take Juno by the shoulders and shake her, telling her that things weren’t going to settle down anytime soon. The devastation sweeping across the world was too great, even if they came up with a cure for the bear flu tomorrow, it would be a long, long time before things got back to anything that resembled “normal.” But Wyatt could see the determination in Juno’s eyes, and, if he had learned one thing about her over the last several hours, it was that she was the kind of person who was extremely unlikely to change her mind once she got an idea in her head. So he just smiled and nodded.
“Okay,” he said, pulling back and going to sit in his chair again. “I understand. But just know how much I care for you. I want to get to know you better, and I mean it when I say I want to help you with finding a cure for the bear flu. I’m here for you, whatever you need. And when the time is right, I hope we can revisit these feelings.”
Juno nodded and looked relieved.
“Okay,” she said. “I really appreciate that. Thanks for understanding. It’s not that I don’t like you. It’s just that…” she trailed off again.
“It’s just that the world is crazy right now,” Wyatt said, finishing her sentence for her. “I know. It’s okay. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself, alright?”
Juno nodded and started swirling pasta on her fork again. They ate in silence for a few minutes, and then Juno started talking about how much she missed her favorite Chicago restaurants. Wyatt smiled and listened, but on the inside his dragon was clawing at his heart.
“Claim her,” it said.
Wyatt ignored his inner beast. The timing wasn’t right. He had to have patience, and patience had never been his strong point. But for Juno, he would do his best. He could only hope that, when the dust settled on everything, she would let his dragon fly her off into the sunset.
Chapter Eight
Juno swore under her breath as she looked over the calculations and formulas on the screen in front of her. She was getting so close to a cure she could feel it, but she couldn’t concentrate this morning. She kept thinking about Wyatt, and how good his lips had felt on her lips. Last night, she had almost wished she hadn’t pulled away. But she had made the right decision. Look at how distracted she was from one kiss. If they had made out the whole night, she would be positively unable to get any work done today. Of course, Wyatt wasn’t the only worry weighing on her mind. As time inched forward, Juno was acutely aware that every minute that passed was one less minute she had until Grant and Jack figured out how to get to Chicago. Juno felt like she was failing miserably at getting a cure done quickly. They would probably find a way to get to the city before she could finish her work. What an idiot she had been, thinking she could sneak in here and take care of everything before they had a chance to stop her. Maybe Wyatt was right. Maybe she should have let them decide for themselves what risks they were willing to take.
Juno swore again as she dropped a test tube full of liquid. If she was honest with herself, part of the problem was also that she wanted to do something to prove that she was worthy. She had spent her whole life feeling like she lived in everyone else’s shadow. She hadn’t come from a big clan, since nearly all of the panda shifters had died before she was born. And even when she was a star student during her quest for a PhD, she always felt like she was too quiet. Like she was overshadowed by the louder, more talkative ones. Maybe trying to do this cure on her own was her way of proving to the world that she had something to bring to the table.
“No,” Juno said out loud. “It’s not about that at all. It’s just about keeping Grant and Jack safe.”
Moments later, Wyatt stuck his head into the lab. “Did you say something?” he asked.
Startled, Juno jumped, and hoped that he hadn’t overheard her.
“No, I was just talking to myself,” she said, smiling in what she hoped was a convincing way. “You know, mad scientist and all that jazz.”
Wyatt laughed. “How is the project coming along?”
“I think I’m getting really close,” Juno said. “I’ve got one more thing to figure out, and then I think I’ll have the medicine ready. The only problem is that I need to test it, and I can’t test it on animal subjects since animals don’t catch the bear flu. I have to test it on humans, but that’s obviously a problem.”
Juno rubbed her forehead. This whole thing felt out of control and so much bigger than her. She desperately wanted to make a difference and save the world, but she was beginning to realize that she had bit off more than she could chew.
“Why is it a problem?” Wyatt asked. Juno wanted to roll her eyes. Wyatt was so matter-of-fact.
“It’s a problem because you can’t just use medicine on humans without their permission. How are we going to get someone to let us inject them with an unproven medicine?” Juno asked. She watched as Wyatt crossed his arms and sat down across from her.
“Juno, I know that under normal circumstances you don’t want to do something without having someone’s permission. But, look, humanity is on the brink of extinction. Something has to change, and right now it seems like you’re the best hope for that.”
Juno frowned. “I don’t know. It’s still not right. And what are you going to do? Hold someone down while I stick a needle in them?”
Wyatt chuckled. “No, I don’t think that will be necessary. There are a lot of sick people around. I’ll find someone in the later stages of the flu to bring in, so that they’re pretty much weak and delirious, anyway. They won’t even know what you’re doing, so it’s not like you’re causing them mental anguish.”
“But still, that’s not right,” Juno said. Her stomach was tied up in knots. She had spent so much time learning about the ethics of research in school, and injecting someone with medicine without their knowledge or permission set off red flags in her head. But Wyatt was insistent.
“Look, Juno. I know you don’t like the idea. But look at it this way: if the medicine doesn’t work they’re going to die. If they have a reaction from it, they’re going to die. But what’s the alternative?
“They’re gonna die,” Juno mumbled reluctantly.
“Exactly,” Wyatt said. Either way, they’re going to die. Unless the medicine you give them works, in which case they’ll live. And then I don’t think they’ll be too mad at you for trying it out on them.”
“I guess you’re right,” Juno said, her shoulders slumping. It still feels wrong, though.”
“Sometimes you have to push the envelope a little to bring change,” Wyatt said,standing and walking over to put his hand on Juno’s shoulder. “If it makes you feel better, then tell me what to do and I’ll be the one to actually stick the needle in them.”
Juno sighed and then looked up at Wyatt with tears threatening her eyelids. “No, I’ll do it. It should be me. I don’t want to put that on you. It’s just that this is a lot harder than I thought it would be.”
Juno stared down at her feet, unwilling to meet Wyatt’s eyes. His hand on her shoulder felt so warm and comforting. She wished that she could just collapse into his arms. But, of course, she had already told him that she didn’t want a relationship,so why would he put his arms around her? Juno let out a small, bitter laugh. Here she was trying to save the world, and she was denying herself the one source of comfort that was right in front of her.
“Why we do these things to ourselves?” she asked out loud, finally looking up at Wyatt.
“Do what things?” Wyatt asked.
“You know. Play by all these rules that society gives us. I mean, sometimes rules are helpful, but it’s like we can’t let rules go, even when we’d be better off if we did.”
Wyatt’s face was filled with compassion as he spoke. “I know it’s hard to break the rules sometimes. Especially when they’re deeply ingrained in us. But this is for a much greater good,” he said. “If you find a cure, you’ll save so many lives. And, like I said, this guy’s gonna die anyway. We might as well take a chance at saving him.”
“You’re right,” Juno said. “But I wasn’t just talking about the medicine.”
“What were you talking about?” Wyatt asked, furrowing his brow.
Juno took a deep breath. Her body felt warm and tense, and she felt like she was about to jump over a big cliff into the unknown. Her mind screamed at her to stop, but her heart was running away with her.
“I was talking about you,” Juno said. “About us. I know it’s a bad time for relationship. I’ve been sitting here trying to convince myself of that all morning. And yet, something within me is drawn to you.”
“Juno,” Wyatt said, softly stepping toward her. “I don’t want to pressure you, but…”
He trailed off, and then took her hand in his. A fresh jolt of heat shot through Juno’s being. She looked up at him, unsure of what to say. Should they really do this? Juno had always imagined she would end up with a shifter instead of a human, but she’d never imagined it would be a dra
gon. Of course, how could she have, when she hadn’t even known until yesterday that dragons existed. Still, something about this felt so right. He was a distraction from her work, yes. But not all distractions were bad, right?
“Juno,” he said again. Then he leaned down and kissed her. This time, Juno kissed him back fervently. She didn’t push him away after a minute, and she didn’t try to resist the strength of his body pressing against hers. She forgot where she was. She forgot about the fact that half the world was dying. She forgot that her favorite city was in ruins. She forgot that her clan was probably pissed off at her. She forgot about the weight of worry pressing down on her every time she wondered what would happen if she couldn’t come up with a cure.
For the first time in months, Juno was genuinely in the moment. All she could think about was how strong and warm Wyatt’s body felt against hers. His strong hands ran down her back and landed on her ass, squeezing tightly as his tongue danced with her tongue. They were together. Connected. She could feel his erection pushing against her through his sweatpants, and that’s when she fell completely over the edge. Her heart catapulted her to the point of no return. She needed him. She wanted him. She was going to have him.
He pushed her backwards across the lab until they reached one of the walls. He pinned her there, holding her hands above her head with his hands. He continued to kiss her for several long, heavenly minutes. Then he reached down and started unbuttoning the lab coat she was wearing.
“Let’s get this off of you,” he said in a husky voice. She didn’t fight him, and she shrugged out of the coat as soon as he was done unbuttoning it. She reached to pull off his shirt, struggling to get it over his head. She saw the same sculpted abdomen she had seen yesterday in the front lobby of the Hook Labs building. That felt like a lifetime ago already. But Juno wasn’t complaining. Right now, she couldn’t think of anything she’d want more in a lifetime than to spend it with a dragon like Wyatt.
Danger in a Fur Coat (The Fur Coat Society Book 4) Page 6
