She watched him get out of the car, and he locked the doors again and shut her in. He raised his nose into the air, almost as if he were sniffing, and slowly he walked around the front yard. He came back to let her out, and once she unlocked the front door, he repeated his paranoid sniffing inside the house, while Effie waited at the door.
"I think it's clear," Abel said, "but if you get the slightest hint of anything weird, scream."
Weird, like a man sniffing as he walks around the yard?
"Okay," Effie said. "There's no way that guy could have followed us back here though."
Effie unlocked the front door and lead Abel inside.
"Don't assume you're safe," he said, "You're not safe until that pan—that man—is rotting in a jail cell." His expression softened, and he said, "Sorry, Effie. This is a terrible thing to come back to, but I will stop him."
Effie smiled. This was terrifying, but it wasn't all bad. Seeing Abel's fierce drive to protect her, seemingly at all costs, was a huge turn on. She wasn't sure if it was worth having a serial killer's glowing yellow eyes on her, but she didn't really feel like her life was in danger, not with Abel by her side.
"First you need to sleep," Effie said. "You can't stop anyone if you're up all night."
He grumbled, but she found some extra, unopened toothbrushes in the bathroom closet. She handed the package to him and said, "Here. There's soap and floss in the bathroom. I'll make your bed."
He took the toothbrush from her, but he just held it and looked at her. He seemed unwilling to leave her alone.
She squeezed his arm—God, it felt so good—and said, "If you're going to catch this guy, you'll have to leave me alone at some point. You'll be just a few feet away from me tonight, right in the next room, and I know how good your hearing is. I'll be safe."
He ripped the toothbrush from the packaging, nodded, and went into the bathroom, but he didn't shut the door.
Effie went into the guestroom and made the bed, and then she made Abel’s bed. All the guest beds were still unmade, and she had to grab fresh sheets and pillowcases from the closet. She did want to take things slow with him, but it seemed like such a waste to make up both beds when she’d really just rather sleep together with him.
She showed Abel to his room, and she lingered at the doorway, not really wanting to leave him. '
"Leave your door open," Abel said, "I need to be sure I can hear you if anything happens."
Effie nodded, but still she didn't want to leave him.
"Good night," he said.
Effie smiled. "Good night."
He raised his hand to her face, and he ran his fingers through her hair, then grazed the nape of her neck. She started to lean in toward him, but he squeezed her shoulder and held her firmly back.
"I have to focus," he said. "Keeping you safe is the priority."
She stared longingly at him. Could he not kiss her and keep her safe? Wouldn't that be way more fun?
"Good night, Effie," he said.
She went to her own room, stripped down to her underwear, and fell onto the bed. She knew she couldn't sleep at all, but the moment her head hit the pillow, she was out.
But when she woke up again, it was still dark outside. Her body was working in overdrive: not only had she found what could possibly be the perfect man for her, but her life was now in real danger...from something she could barely understand. Having slept on it, she wondered if the man's eyes had really glowed like that. Maybe it had just been some trick of light? She sat up in bed, no longer tired at all. She checked her phone and saw that it was 4:30 in the morning.
She didn't want to wake up Abel, but maybe she'd go check and see if his light was on. Maybe he couldn't sleep either?
Effie didn't bother to get dressed, because she was just going to check if Abel was awake. If he was, she'd go back and put some clothes on. She tiptoed barefoot across her own room, remembering how keen Abel's sense of hearing was, and once she neared her doorway, she tried to walk even more quietly. Abel's door was only a few steps down the hallway from her, and she would be able to see if his light was on with one quick glance out the door.
She stepped outside her room and saw no hint that Abel's light was on. She felt tempted to peek in and see if he was okay. Maybe it was the family business in her, but she wanted to make sure her guest was comfortable and enjoying his stay. She took a quiet step into the hallway, and it was so dark she walked simply from muscle memory. On her second step, she felt warm skin under her toes, and she screamed even as she tripped and fell.
Two powerful hands grabbed hold of her and broke her fall. The massive figure rose into the air as it wrapped its hands around her legs and supported her back.
"It's me," Abel's voice said, his voice so near to her ear, his warmth wrapped around her nearly naked body.
Even knowing she was safe; that it was just Abel, she still felt residual terror and was too shocked to speak. For a few brief moments, she thought it might have been the killer. Waiting outside her door to grab her, whisk her away, and do God-knows-what to her.
"What the hell were you doing?" Effie finally said.
He still held her in his arms, as if she were weightless to him. She was wearing only her bra and panties. Were it not so dark, he could look straight down and see her ample cleavage and generous curves. One of his hands grasped her bare legs, and his other was warm against her naked back.
He lowered her to the ground, and she clasped her hands over her breasts, as if it would do anything more than the darkness would. Her eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness, and she could just barely make out the lines of Abel's jaw, and the wet gleam of the whites of his eyes.
"Guarding the hallway," he said. "I was sitting down, and you walked right over me."
"You can smell a waiter from across a packed bar, but you can't hear me coming from a few feet away?"
"Well," Abel said, "I'd dozed off a bit, and I did hear you, but I didn't realize you were going to come into the hallway. I was ready though, and caught you."
She saw a flash of his white teeth through the darkness, and her fear finally subsided. He had given up a good night's sleep in a comfortable bed just to protect her. He'd spent the night on a hard floor, leaning against a cold wall, all for her. She smiled back at him.
Her eyes adjusted even more, and she could see his full smiling features. More importantly, she could hear his heavy breathing, smell his masculine scent. She sensed him moving closer toward her, and like a magnetic force, she leaned into him.
Just as she felt his hand on her bare arm, she realized she too was reaching out toward his body. She grabbed hold of his massive forearm, and titled her head back, preparing for his lips to descend onto hers.
She closed her eyes, and she felt Abel’s lips crush into hers. Their burning warmth and soft wetness spread across her mouth, and her own lips spread open in response. Their tongues found each other, and as if electrified, a pulse shot down Effie's body, setting her heart and blood afire. The warm pleasure flowed through every part of her: she felt her nipples harden against her bra, wetness dripped onto her panties, and goosebumps raised on her arms despite how warm she felt. Abel's hands running up and down her arm was an overwhelming concentration of unbearable pleasure, and she cursed herself for only having two hands: she wanted to touch him everywhere all at once.
She pressed her body into his, and felt her breasts squeezing into his six-pack abs. He wore a shirt, but she'd get it off soon enough. As his tongue massaged hers, and his lips sucked on her with hunger, his arms moved from her arms to her back. They sunk down lower and lower, and when he squeezed her butt, she broke the kiss and moaned. She dug her nails into Abel's muscular back, as if begging him for more.
Effie reached a hand down and tugged at Abel's belt, and for some reason he squeezed her hand and stopped her. She wondered if he was teasing her, but soon he gently moved her body away from his, holding her back at arm's length.
"You should get dr
essed, Effie," he said.
"I don't want to."
She was pissed. How could he lead her on, and then push her away like this?
"Don't be angry," he said. "It's just...I need to protect you."
"Too late," Effie said, "I'm angry."
"I need to keep my head on straight," Abel said. "I can't do that if we...do that."
"Are you sure that's it? You're not having second thoughts about me? Realizing you could do better?"
"God, no," Abel said, and he pulled her close again, wrapping his arms around her. "You're what I want. Do you know how hard it was for me to stop that? I want nothing more, but I need to catch this guy first. And, uh, this is going to sound kind of lame, so promise you won't laugh at me."
She was still mad, but the anger was subsiding. "Okay, I promise."
"I don't usually do it on the first date."
Effie laughed.
"You promised!" Abel said, pushing her away again.
"I'm not laughing at you," Effie said, "It's just...a hot guy like you being so old-fashioned like that, it's just too good to be true."
"Well," he said, "saying 'too good to be true' implies there's no drawback. In this case, the drawback is that you're standing here in your underwear, looking hotter than anything I've ever seen, and I have to fight all my instincts to not take you all night long."
Effie blushed, licked her lips, and said teasingly, "It's already 4:30, so it's too late for us to do it all night."
Abel laughed, then said, voice suddenly serious, "Effie, this thing between us. This thing I want...it's all the more reason for me to catch this guy. I'm a good cop, and I'll get him, for you."
"For us," she said.
"For us," he repeated. "Now, you need to go back to sleep, before I change my mind and take you all morning long."
Effie sighed, tempted to reach her hand right down his pants and see if he would fight her still then. But no, she knew she should respect his values, and if them having sex would make it harder for him to do his job, she really shouldn't push him. She kissed him on the cheek and forced herself to go back into her bedroom. She turned on the lights and grabbed an extra pillow and small blanket. She handed them to Abel and said, "If you insist on sleeping out there, at least use these."
"Thanks," he said. "And Effie..."
"Yeah?"
"There's another reason. Something I haven't told you yet, but I will. I don't want to overwhelm you right now, but I will tell you as soon as I can...understand?"
"Not really," she said, "but I trust you. Good night."
She went back to bed, her panties wet, and the taste and scent of Abel surrounding her. How the hell could she fall asleep now? She thought of touching herself, but realized that Abel would surely hear it.
Dammit.
CHAPTER SIX
Abel
The sun rose, and Abel went down into the kitchen to make breakfast. He cracked some eggs onto the frying pan, scrambled them, and toasted some bread. He would have done something fancy, like putting some lox onto the bread, and sprinkling the eggs with fresh chives, but judging from Effie’s bare pantry, she had just moved in. He put the scrambled eggs onto the toast, and as if the smell had woken her up, Effie walked into the kitchen, yawning.
She wore jeans and a t-shirt, and her hair was wet. He remembered how she had looked last night, nearly naked, and he clenched his jaw so that it wouldn’t drop open. Looking at her felt like a gift he didn't really deserve, and his bear groaned and whined at him. To his bear, It was inconceivable—pun not intended—that he hadn't 'filled her fertile honeypot up with his strong and powerful seed' last night. Effie was ovulating and wanted him bad, his bear had told him, and yet he'd pushed her away.
He was a shifter, not a bear. He had to live most of his time like a human, and Effie was a human. He couldn't sleep with her until he told her what he was, and he couldn’t tell her what he was just yet. He’d tell her soon, after she was out of immediate danger. Sometimes being a shifter felt like the worst of both worlds: he had heightened animal urges, but giving into them was almost always out of the question. Still, Abel grinned wide thinking of Effie, his mate, his human mate. He liked that she wasn’t a shifter, and he liked that he had to wait to be with her. It would be more special when they could finally be together.
Effie smiled when she saw he'd made breakfast, and his body flushed with pride and pleasure, providing for her felt great...even if it was all food she'd bought herself.
Effie grabbed the toast and took a big bite. "Wow," she said, after she finished chewing, "who knew that eggs and toast could taste so good?"
"Yeah," Abel said, "I don't know why more people don't put the eggs directly onto the toast. It tastes best this way. You'll have to stay over at my place sometime...I'll give you the full gourmet treatment."
Damn. Was he coming on too strong? He knew she wanted to have sex with him last night, but she had felt like her life was in danger, and that might have made her more willing than usual. Just because she had wanted to do it with him in a moment of weakness didn't necessarily mean she wanted to be his mate. Abel would not exploit a moment of weakness.
She didn't even know what 'be his mate' meant. He'd have to explain that to her. Explain that bears mated for life. Man, that was going to probably creep her out, but he'd tell her soon.
When? After he caught the panther? He hoped it wouldn't be more than a few days, but he had to be realistic. Panthers didn’t like to work together too much, but if other panthers were in on this and helping him abduct these women, he could evade Abel for weeks, or months. He needed to tell Effie before that. There was no way he could let this kind of lie sit and fester between them for more than a few days. He'd tell her the next time something like last night happened. The next time they had…a moment together. He hoped something like that would happen again soon, even if they couldn't act on it yet.
He wondered if it would really distract him so much, to act on his passion, to give into his inner bear. Maybe they could do it just once. Or twice.
He shook these thoughts away as he tore into his toast. No. He needed to be resolute. He needed to focus and stop this killer as fast as possible.
"I can't tell you how glad I was to have you here last night," Effie said.
Abel's mouth was stuffed full with toast and egg, so he chewed fast and swallowed, but Effie spoke again before he could get a word in.
"God, I mean…I don't mean just because of that. Well, I am quite happy about that too...even if we didn't, uh, do it.” She bit her lip and cringed. “Ah, that didn't come out quite right," she stammered, blushing. “The kiss was just…wow.”
They looked at each other, in tense silence, and adrenaline started to flood through Abel’s veins. He thought of leaning in to kiss her again, but she must have sensed his indecision, so she spoke again, breaking the spell.
“Look, Abel, I'm so glad you were here to protect me. It’s like…it’s just like it was growing up. Except now…it’s even more special.” She used her fork to pile the leftover egg onto the remaining scrap of her toast, then asked, “Do you know why I was at the bar last night in the first place?"
"No," Abel said, "why?" He wanted to talk about the kiss, and all the other things he wanted to do to her, but he knew it was best to leave it. For now.
"I was afraid. I'd heard about the killer, and I knew I was his...type. If I hadn't run into you, I don't know what I would have done. I would have been too afraid to go home and sleep alone in this house by myself. But you were there, and without me even asking, you protected me.”
"It's what I do, Effie." Abel reached down to take another bite, but his plate was empty.
She said in a mocking tone, "So you'd have slept in front of just anyone's door like that?"
"No," he said. It's what I do for my mate, he thought, but left it unsaid. "Are you ready to go?"
"Go where?" Effie asked.
"To work with me," Abel said, smiling. "You think I'm goi
ng to leave you alone?"
Abel had to go into the station and update Pierce. He'd decided that he wouldn't let Effie out of his sight. The only exception being if she were in the station. He'd try to justify this to Pierce, and if Pierce didn't like it, he'd turn in his badge and protect Effie on his own terms. He hoped it didn't go that far, because being a cop gave him full access to the details of each disappearance, and having the badge made it much easier to follow leads without resorting to intimidation. Last night with the wolves being an exception.
They stepped into the station, passed the glass doors and front desk. Abel led them deeper in, to the dingy cubicles with piled papers and folders.
Abel sniffed, and there was a profoundly strange scent lingering in the doorway. It was an earthy smell like cinnamon and turmeric, but there was an almost alien quality to it. He sniffed a few times, but the smell subsided, and the inviting smell of donuts filled his nose.
Unbearable Curves (The Grizzly Next Door 1) Page 5
