"I don't see anyone else. But I always assumed you did."
He shook his head and reached out to twirl a strand of her curly hair around his finger.
"I don't."
"Then why don't you ever want to see me outside of this place?"
He considered her for a moment, his blue eyes tracing the curves of her face, landing on the frown that creased the skin between her eyebrows.
"We need to get back to work."
He straightened, downed the rest of the coke, and turned to walk through the bar, to get a sense of who might cause trouble that night. Elise watched him go, glaring at his back. Then she turned abruptly around and began organizing bottles and washing glasses. She was annoyed. Didn't she at least deserve to have her question acknowledged?
"I need three beers, pretty lady." A man who might have been in his forties leaned across the bar.
"Sure thing," she said, attempting to give him a smile.
"Is everything okay?"
His voice was dripping with thick, fake concern, and the look in his eyes was devious, glazed with poorly-acted sympathy.
"Yes, thank you." Elise barely glanced at him as she tilted the glass and pulled the tap.
She slid the glass to him, and his hand caught her wrist. She tried to tug it out of his grasp, but his grip was surprisingly strong.
"Bet I could make you feel better," he said in a low voice.
The more she struggled, the tighter his grip was. He was hurting her. Johnny came running from across the bar and grabbed him in a choke hold, forcing him to release her and pulling him away from her. Then he hauled the man out the front door. Elise watched them go and rubbed her wrist. Manny was at the bar immediately.
"Why don't you take a break?"
She nodded, and he fixed her a grape vodka and sprite martini. She took it into the back room and sat down on a case of beer. She took a deep breath and a long sip. Usually this type of stuff didn't leave her so shaken, but getting grabbed right after the unnerving conversation with Johnny had thrown her for a loop.
Manny was a good guy. He knew she needed something to calm her down, even if he didn't know the exact reasons. She took another sip. A shadow appeared at the doorway, and she stiffened. It was Johnny.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Fine," she answered.
He leaned against the door frame and watched her. She played with the straw in her glass, and his eyes followed her movements.
"I'm sorry for earlier," he said finally.
"Are you?"
He gave her a strange look.
"I am."
"Then give me an answer."
He picked at the peeling paint on the wall as he gathered his thoughts, then he met her gaze.
"I do want to see you."
"Then why don't you ever ask me?"
He sighed.
"I can't. Let's not make this harder than it is."
"You're the one who was worried about me sleeping with someone else. I never asked. I never wanted to know."
"It was a mistake."
"Asking?"
"Yes. I got caught up."
"In what?"
She finished her drink in one swallow and stood, taking a few steps toward him, crowding him. Her high heels brought her almost to his height. He stood his ground, but his muscles tensed.
"In you."
His voice had that husky edge to it again. Her knees weakened. She'd heard what she'd been waiting for. His lips came down on hers, and she enjoyed the sensual encounter until they had to part. They were working, after all.
"I gotta go make sure nobody's hitting on Manny."
He tugged absently on one of her dark curls, and she let a half grin make its way onto her lips at his joke.
"Okay."
?
Chapter Four
Elise got out of work an hour later. There had been no more incidents with customers. She took her keys out as she walked across the gravel parking lot, opened her door, and locked it immediately. After hearing too many carjacking stories when she was at college in the city, the precaution had become second nature. And it was something she definitely needed to keep up with as a single female working in a bar late at night. She tossed her purse into the seat next to her and turned the key in the ignition. She had to back up and pull forward several times to get through the parked cars. There were no painted parking spaces. And then she pulled out onto the highway.
Elise made a u-turn at the next break in the median. A pair of headlights was visible in the darkness behind her, waiting to do the same. She turned into the south bound lane and joined the flow of traffic. After a few miles, she turned onto a side road. Headlights shone in her rearview mirror. It wasn't usually a busy road. She turned onto her street, and the car turned with her. Maybe it had been the same set of headlights from the beginning? Was she being followed? Elise bit her lip and pulled her phone out of her purse, driving past her house, scared to lead the person back to her parents' home if it wasn't just her imagination running away with her. Manny answered.
"Manny's," he greeted.
"Hey, Manny, it's Elise. Um, I know this may sound strange, but did you notice if anyone followed me when I left tonight?"
His tone of voice turned immediately to concern.
"No, El, not that I know of. What's wrong?"
"It could be nothing. I just think someone might be following me. It's making me nervous."
"Well, don't be stupid. You turn right around and get back here to the bar. I'll send Johnny out to meet you. Better to be safe than sorry."
"Thanks."
She turned at the next street and drove until she came out on a back road that would give her a straight shot back to the highway. The headlights stayed on her tail. Her heartbeat quickened, and her hands grew clammy. What was going on? Why was he doing this? Her follower seemed to realize her intention, and he got closer. Elise sped up. So did he. Her hands started to shake. Her vehicle lurched forward, and the seatbelt locked. He'd rammed her.
"Oh, God," she moaned, stepping harder on the gas.
They hadn't seen another car yet. She was going around curves as fast as she could. She was only a mile away from the highway. And there were headlights approaching. He couldn't do anything now. Someone else would see. Relief was just beginning to rise in her chest when he rammed her again. She was going so fast she lost control. She tried to correct, but the car spun and hit a tree.
Elise blacked out before the impact and regained consciousness almost immediately after. Her whole body shook as the adrenaline began to ebb and what had just happened sank in. Her head hurt, it was dark, and the car smelled of gasoline. She felt disoriented, but a voice in the back of her mind tried to remind her of the imminent danger. The car that was following her had stopped. She tried to undo her seatbelt, but it was jammed. The door of the other car opened, and as the interior light came on she caught a glimpse of the man from earlier that night, the one who had grabbed her.
"Oh, no."
But an engine roared behind her, and the man closed his door again immediately and took off. It was Johnny, coming to her rescue yet again. Elise tried to undo her seatbelt again, but she couldn't force it. A pain shot through her arm. Her leg was aching. She could barely focus. Johnny was by her door, forcing it open.
"Holy shit. Elise."
"John…" she managed. She was still trying to regain her breath.
Johnny struggled with her seatbelt. Elise was feeling dizzy again. The smell of gasoline and the shock of the incident were clogging her mind.
"Elise, you hit your head. You have to stay with me."
"I'm trying."
It wasn't working. Johnny was here. She'd be fine. She started to lose focus. Johnny was still trying to work her seatbelt. Then, half way between conscious and unconscious, she witnessed something extraordinary. Johnny began to change. His body contorted, his face elongated, and fur grew from his skin. Then he wasn't Johnny at all. He was a large canine
with fur the exact color of her lover's hair. The animal tore open the seatbelt with its teeth. Elise couldn't muster the energy to be afraid. Maybe she was hallucinating. In any case, it was still Johnny, wasn't it? And he'd never hurt her, not physically. Then the animal changed again, and she caught one glimpse of Johnny's naked form before she saw nothing.
?
Chapter Five
Elise awoke on a strange leather couch in a strange apartment. It was dark outside and the lights were on but dim inside. Johnny sat in a chair near her, watching her. He was only wearing a pair of jeans, and his thick hair was damp. He held a steaming mug between his hands and a lit cigarette between his fingers. His blue eyes were worried, and as the events of the previous night came back to her, Elise knew it wasn't just for her. He had a secret. A very strange, very deep secret. She sat up slowly and put a hand to her aching head. He didn't speak. She assessed the damage to her body. There was a bandage on her forehead and another on her arm. Her leg was bruised. It wasn't bad, but any normal person would have taken her to a hospital. She raised her brown eyes to Johnny's blue ones again.
"Is this your place?" she asked.
He nodded. She glanced around. It was the typical bachelor pad-neutral colors, sparse decorations. Then she asked the question that needed to be asked. Well, two questions.
"Am I crazy?"
Johnny shook his head.
"Are you a werewolf?"
His mouth lifted in a wry, half grin.
"I'm whatever I want to be."
Elise wasn't sure what to say. She'd seen it with her own eyes, hadn't she? There was no room for disbelief.
"I never knew that kind of thing existed. At least not outside of fantasy novels."
"All fiction gets its start somewhere."
She nodded, accepting his point.
"Does this mean Bigfoot's real?"
She smiled, and it coaxed one out of the burdened man before her. He shook his head.
"Leave it to you."
"I'll take that to mean you find my sense of humor endearing," she answered. "So why are we here, exactly?"
"I had to be sure you wouldn't tell. I couldn't let you wake up screaming about shape shifters and the boogeyman. It wouldn't look good for either of us."
She paused, scrutinizing him. He was still on edge. She wanted to reassure him.
"Well, I didn't."
"No. You didn't."
He looked back at her, his expression unreadable. Elise had a feeling he wasn't going to let her go-at least not yet. She didn't want to ask. She was caught somewhere between fear and acceptance. No one could save her from her savior.
"So what now?" she asked instead.
He handed her a few tablets of some kind of painkiller and a glass of water.
"I don't want you to be afraid."
"I'm not. Not really. Not yet."
She took the pills and watched him carefully.
"I just need to figure out where to go next."
Elise hadn't noticed the map on the floor before, but now she glanced down, following the numerous highlighter marks with her brown eyes. He'd been everywhere. She felt a strange, sudden loss at the idea of him leaving.
"You don't have to leave. I won't say anything. It's not like anyone would believe a story like this, anyway."
He gave a short, mocking laugh and took a sip of coffee.
"Oh, some people would believe it."
"What do you mean?"
His blue eyes drifted to the map, and he answered her absently.
"It's no secret that we exist."
"There are more of you?"
He nodded.
"And every government wants us."
Elise tried to make sense of the puzzle pieces he was offering her.
"Why?"
"We can change form and disappear in an instant. Any assassination, any infiltration …. They want us for that. To do their dirty work. It's practically enslavement. And I won't have it."
"And this is practically kidnapping."
Her voice was calm, only trying to get him to see her point rather than to chastise him. He stared at her for a moment, then took another sip of coffee and looked back at the map.
"It's only for a little while. Besides, I thought you wanted to see me outside of the bar. Stay over at my place."
Her cheeks flushed.
"Under different circumstances."
He sighed and stood, resting his mug on an end table and finishing off his cigarette. Elise watched him crush it into the bottom of the ashtray before coming to sit beside her on the couch. He brushed her curly hair aside and kissed her shoulder, sending a tremor through her body.
"I just can't risk it."
His voice was low and rough. Even after all Elise had seen and been through, her desire for this man was overtaking everything else.
"This whole thing is impossible," she murmured.
"I wish," he replied. "Take it easy. I need to pack."
He stood, and Elise caught his hand in hers. He turned back to see what she wanted. She almost couldn't believe the desperate words that were coming out of her mouth.
"I don't want you to go."
He studied her for a moment, and ran his thumb absently over the smooth skin of her hand. That simple, heated touch was all it took for her battered body to awaken.
"Why aren't you running for the door yet?" he asked softly.
"Because nothing's changed." She couldn't tear her eyes away from his. Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"A lot has changed."
"But not who you are. Inside. And not the way you look at me. Not how good you make me feel."
Johnny paused then leaned over her on the couch, supporting his weight with his hands and powerful arms. His bare torso was so close she could feel his body heat mixing with hers. Their lips met. He caressed her tender flesh sweetly, holding back the hunger that she could feel boiling just beneath the surface. Elise knew it was a goodbye kiss, but she was determined not to let it end there. She tangled her hand in his hair and pulled him down to her level. He complied, settling on his knees in front of her.
She didn't care how banged up she was. She wanted him one last time. Although they'd been strictly casual, her mind had wandered, and now, with the fear of losing him looming before her, she had to admit that he'd become so much more than her lover-he'd become a love. And she was heartbroken over losing the opportunity to see just how much he could have come to mean to her.
He groaned and pried her lips open gently with his tongue. She wrapped her legs around him as the kiss continued, trapping him. He didn't seem to mind, but after a moment, he pulled away. His face was flushed beneath his razor stubble, and his hair was a mess, all thanks to her. She saw it in his blue eyes, the way she always did when they were intimate-the almost pained expression that told her keeping it casual wasn't easy for him, either. But for the first time, he voiced it.
"You know I don't want to leave you, either."
She nodded and pulled him back in for another kiss. His hands traveled up the back of her shirt, his palms flat against the hot flesh of her back, supporting her, feeling her. Then he broke them apart once again, this time to pull her shirt over her head and unbutton her jeans. She lifted her butt so he could slide them off, and he took her panties with them. She saved him the trouble of undoing her bra.
Elise could see Johnny's excitement through his jeans, protruding like an arrow that knew just where it needed to go. He couldn't be wearing underwear. The thought excited her further. There was even less than she thought separating her from bliss. But he held back. Tonight, he seemed to want to prolong their time together.
Johnny parted her knees, watching her nervous, excited expression before turning his gaze to her moist heat. She trembled, and his eyes flitted to hers again, letting her know he'd noticed. He lowered his head, and she lost sight of his mouth in her coarse curls. Then she was gone, ecstasy taking over as his tongue raked over the sensitive flesh and
then settled on her clit, flicking it with his tongue and nipping it with his teeth. She bucked and moaned, unable to contain her excitement or the emotion that rose up, surfing easily on the waves of pleasure he was evoking within her.
It was almost too much for Elise to take. She grinded herself against his mouth, begging for more, and he delivered. He slipped two fingers inside of her, and hooked them, making it feel like there was more, hitting her g-spot easily, proving he knew how to press her buttons better than anyone so far. And that included herself. She squirmed and gasped. She could feel the ecstasy rising, building, until she couldn't take it anymore. But she didn't want to go over the edge without him.
"Johnny, stop," she commanded breathlessly.
He did, his eyes watching her heated face as he licked his fingers clean. She wanted him badly.
"Please," she whispered.
He unzipped his pants, releasing his engorged, neglected length. Elise slid off of the couch and pushed him onto the floor, straddling his hips with her knees. She reached for his wallet, where he always kept protection, and held the condom in her left hand while her right gripped him, pumped him, explored every silky centimeter of his thick shaft. His eyes were closed, his perfect lips parted, and his hips moved in time with her hand. A single drop of moisture appeared at the tip. She brushed it off with her index finger, and his blue eyes opened in time to watch her lick the transfer from her fingertip.
"Elise," he groaned.
She had the condom out and on him in a second. Then she raised herself, damp with wanting and his saliva, over his throbbing member. She eased herself onto him, letting each rigid inch caress her from the inside. She could feel the blissful pressure begin to build immediately. She let him take control, set the pace. He gripped her hips in his hands and moved her, slowly at first, then faster. Elise didn't care. She was so far gone he could do whatever he wanted with her and all she would feel was perfect, sensual pleasure. One hand continued to guide her movements, and the other reached up to cup her breast. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation. It moved through her muscles, making her already full body feel as if it would burst.
Strangers Page 2
