“I can’t. Not until I know who gave you this.”
Damn him!
He peered into her, continuing to keep his left arm extended outside the truck. It was silly, but she could tell he was taking this seriously. “Would it help if you heard the name then?”
“Maybe—I don’t know. It’s not like I thought I’d have to remember any of your names. My plan was to be far from here by now. But, you can give it a try.” She considered climbing over him to forcibly take it back.
Look at him. There’s no way I’d be able to overpower him. I’d get distracted and start undressing him before I made it anywhere near that money… Snap out of it and focus. Stop mentally molesting him and pay attention. The sooner I let him think he’s helping the sooner I can get out of here.
He closed his eyes, and as if saying a little prayer before he spoke said, “Was her name Mandy Campos?”
A sting of an invisible bite, zinged into Celia’s arm at that same moment. “Ow! What the hell, Owain?” In spite of the little nip, she was starting to enjoy calling him by his name. It felt good rolling off her tongue.
“What was what? I didn’t do anything to you.”
That you know of. But aloud, she said, “That bite?”
“Celia, we really don’t have time for that. I’ll apply some cream to whatever bite you may have sustained when we get inside. Just please, answer me. Was that the name of the woman who gave you a ride?”
“Promise?” she asked blowing on an angry, swelling bite that burned.
“Yes, I promise.” There was no way she could ignore the double meaning of his statement.
Her sex clenched and begged for him to come to her.
Focus! Right.
“And, what was the name again?”
“Try to use your short term memory Celia… please, I’d rather not say her name more than absolutely necessary.”
“Okay then. Don’t have to be so testy about it. She was a very nice person.”
“I’m sure she was. Now think woman!”
Celia took a moment to remember and sure enough, that was the name the woman had given.
“Yes, that’s her.”
“I know I’m acting strange but I have to make sure. Could you describe her—without saying her name, please.”
“Dang it man. What did she do to you? Shave your kitten and kick your puppy?”
“That’s cruel and I’d rather not think about cats or kittens, if you please.”
“Oops, forgot about the whole wolf thing.”
“Focus Celia. What did she look like?”
“Okay OWAIN. I thought she was pretty. Couldn’t tell much about her body, since we were only in the car, but she looked to be Hispanic or Mediterranean. Oh and she had eyes that looked like the color of golden honey.” He raised an eyebrow in question. “Don’t judge me. I notice people’s eyes first, followed by their teeth. Dental hygiene is extremely important to me.”
“Yes, thank you for that insight. Would you say she was short, tall or average height? What else did you notice about her?”
Celia felt her side eye game strong now.
“I know I’m being an ass, but this is important. From what you’ve said, she could be any number of Latinas we have in the area. But this one is dangerous and I want to make sure you haven’t come across her path.”
Something about the woman’s body niggled at Celia’s memory. She took a moment to think on it, trying to mentally retrace their interaction earlier.
“Gotcha!” she said, seizing the bit of information, she’d forgotten about the woman. “She had a tattoo—an unusual one on her wrist.”
“It wasn’t a semicolon made to look like a butterfly, was it?” The dread that had crept up into Owain’s voice, saying this last part, was off putting.
“Yes, it was.”
“Damn.”
“Why, what is it? What did she ever do to you? She was so nice to me, even gave me money and refused to take it back when I offered.”
“I bet she did. Where did she pick you up?”
“Right down the street from here.”
“Fuck!” he said, snatching off that baseball cap he wore. Looking over at her, he threw the note and money on the ground outside the truck and said, “I’m so sorry, but I have to burn that note and money. I’ll explain more once we get inside and replace the money, but that woman is violating a restraining order if she was less than a thousand feet from here.”
“What? But she seemed so nice and sane.”
“Yes, she has a way of doing that, but she can’t keep it up for long.”
“Is she stalking you?”
“She was. Maybe she is again, but I hope not.”
“Is it safe for you to be here then? She might be stalking you right now.”
“The sad part is that you’d be more in danger than me, if she suspected you were anything to me. You being here, spending the night would certainly put you on the list, if she found out.”
“You’re serious.”
“I wish I wasn’t.”
Celia laughed in spite of herself and the seriousness of the conversation.
“What’s this, why are you laughing like that?” He gave her a wary glance.
“Don’t worry, I’m not crazy—I don’t think. At least I hope not. I was just thinking how everyone has something in their life that isn’t going to go right. Here I was thinking your life was calm and boring, when you’ve got your own personal stalker.”
“Celia, that’s not as funny as you make it out to be. For a while there, she made my life a living hell.”
“I’m sure she did. But, you look no worse for wear from what I can tell. And why do you feel the need to burn perfectly good money—my money.”
“Because something isn’t right about her. She loves to give gifts and once you accept them, weird things seem to happen. At least for me and another guy she tried to latch onto before me.”
“You can’t believe that, right? She’s this little cute school teacher.”
“Who might be a spawn of evil.”
She gave him a playful punch in the shoulder. “Don’t say that. It’s not nice. I’m sure she’s just misunderstood. Most of those things that happened had nothing to do with her.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. You had an encounter with her and now your car is about to go to car heaven.”
Celia stopped laughing at that. Her predicament was even more dire than he could imagine. Holly had been her lifeline to freedom and safety. Without her own transportation, Celia couldn’t keep moving. The wheels started churning in her mind. She had to get another mode of transportation as soon as possible.
Chapter 8
As far as sleep was concerned, tonight was the exact opposite from the previous one. How could the same bed offer such different experiences? Celia tossed and turned in the huge bed. Her sleep was fretful. Deep sleep was elusive. She couldn’t get passed the looping dream of being chased and made to dance like a puppet by some invisible dark force.
After a surprisingly good home cooked meal by Owain, they’d talked and made plans to find out if her car was a goner the next day. After spending a little more time talking about the town, paying attention to stay in the generalities of light conversation, she’d offered to take the couch.
“No, not having it; I have an inflatable mattress I’ll set up in the other bedroom. It serves me right for turning my guest bedroom into an office.”
She’d argued with him, knowing that the man deserved his own bed, but he’d have nothing of it, saying, “You seem to forget I’m part wolf. The ground is just as comfortable as a bed, given the right circumstances.” Then he winked.
Sly wolf.
Choosing to ignore his little flirtations throughout the evening, Celia opted to play the nice girl, just passing through town. She’d managed to get through another encounter with him, without divulging any more information than he already knew—her first name. She hated being so evasive with inform
ation, but when it came down to it, this was for his own good. The less he knew, the better it was. She’d call it plausible deniability, like they did with the President.
She tossed again, determined to break the cycle of the tormenting dream. After what felt like forever, she gave up, getting out of bed to get some water. Throwing on a light jacket that would have to serve as a robe, she made her way through the dark unfamiliar house to the equally dark kitchen. She didn’t want to wake Owain. Opting to keep the lights off, she fumbled her way over to the refrigerator.
Finding cold bottled water, she took one and pulled a long drag, enjoying how refreshing it was. Her body must be a little dehydrated, based on how fast she downed the water and started on another one. The water seemed to help with her jitteriness.
Fighting for all her attention was what to do about transportation. Holly no longer working had shaken her and her plans more than she had initially thought. She was still trying to absorb the implications of what that meant. Her car situation definitely had her on edge. She didn’t have the money to get another car and she wouldn’t chance it, trying to make contact with her parents for help. She knew anything she did digitally could be traced. No, she was a grown ass woman who’d gotten herself into this predicament. She’d get herself out of it too—somehow.
The lights from the open refrigerator cast long, eerie shadows across the room. Something in her periphery played with her imagination. A quick glance to the spot, revealed a branch waving in the light of the moon through the kitchen windows.
“Stop jumping at every little thing,” she chastised herself.
Looking down at the open jacket that revealed her soft belly and thick thighs, a little laugh escaped her. “No use trying to get a job stripping either. They wouldn’t be ready for this jelly.” She laughed a little louder, as she grabbed the lower half of her stomach to jiggle it.
The crisp, cold water acted like a reset to help her get ready to go back and try it again. She stood there, staring into the refrigerator, thinking. Thoughts swirled about, possibilities, mental inventories of her skills and what she could do to make some quick money in this little town. Maybe someone had use for a temporary accounting clerk around here.
Something rough, warm and wet licked her fingertips, bringing her back to the room.
“Shit!” she yelled, jumping into the open door of the refrigerator and away from the huge black wolf.
It was him. Owain was in his wolf form and he was a sight to behold. He’d been silent as the dead, coming into the room. Celia never heard him approach and here he stood, sharing this intimate space with her. The inferior lighting from the open refrigerator did little to diminish is awesome presence and beauty.
Was it proper to call a male wolf beautiful? No matter; that’s what he was.
His sleek body filled the space between her and the island countertop. Stronger scents of outdoors, sandalwood and what might be cinnamon mixed with something else spicy and delicious filled the room.
Oh hell, it had been him throwing off that sexy scent all along. She knew he smelled good in the truck earlier, and in wolf form, everything was intensified. She felt herself stabilize from the shock of seeing his wolf, unexpectedly. Celia concentrated on unclenching her muscles and the crushed water bottle she held for dear life to her chest. Continuing to move in slow actions, she placed the bottle on the counter behind her and continued to try to relax in front of him.
Brilliant gray-blue eyes watched her every twitch and hint at movement. Celia knew he gave her his complete attention. Nothing would or could escape those searching eyes. As if sensing her acceptance of his presence, he came closer, nuzzling her hand again.
The gentle gesture instantly melted her heart. Noticing a large dog door opening in the door from the mud room, she imagined she’d caught him coming in from an evening run or dare she even think it—hunt. Turning her hand to expose her palm, she watched as he nuzzled and licked at her lifeline in her hand. The more he licked and nuzzled her, the more she relaxed. Then he stopped and looked up into her eyes.
She didn’t know how she knew, but he wanted to know if it was okay to shift back. This man—no wolf—no shifter—wanted to give her the choice of what he did in his own home. She was floored by his consideration of her feelings. No guy she’d ever dated had been a tenth as thoughtful about anything where she was concerned.
If this were another time and situation, she’d let him know any and everything about her. He deserved to have someone who could be completely open and honest with him. Maybe in a different lifetime, this was supposed to be. For now, she wouldn’t get him tangled up in her mess of a life.
His movement demanded her attention. Heat moved to her cheeks and other areas of her body, as the large beast continued to nuzzle and press his muscular body closer to hers. She felt his heat and warmth. She wanted whatever he had in mind. The air was electric with the promise of what could be phenomenal chemistry between them.
“Yes, change for me,” she whispered, refusing to release his intense gaze.
He tilted his head in a quizzical manner, as if he didn’t understand what she asked of him. For a fraction of a second, doubt crept in, attempting to capture her thoughts and freeze her out of this intimate moment with him. This wasn’t some random wolf; this was Owain. She knew him on a level that defied understanding. They had a connection and it got stronger with each passing moment. Trusting herself beyond logic or thought, she inhaled him and the moment, embracing whatever wisdom would come. Confidence steamrolled the remnants of doubt away, bolstering her to figure out what he wanted. Celia studied him, much like he’d done with her. She pondered on why he wouldn’t shift.
Kneeling down to become eye level with him, she said, “Shift for me—please and thank you.”
The moment she said it, air sizzled and popped with the change of its composition to accommodate his transformation. Rapt fascination held her breath as she drank in every detail of his shift before her. If magic was real, this was it—not fear and conjecture about hexes and curses. This was stunning, beautiful and natural. It agreed with her soul. She didn’t have to fight disbelief or any other obstacle to accept what he was and what he was capable of doing. Dare she even think it? Think it or not, it must be true somewhere, in some reality of time and space that he was always hers and she was always his. He felt like hers—her wolf, her man.
“Look up at me, love,” he said, pulling her back up to stand before him. He still towered over her, but the close proximity of him made her heady with need. Using that deep voice to bring her farther into his sphere of sexual excitement and promise he said, “I want you, right here, right now. Is that something you want?”
Dumbfounded.
“Uh-huh,” was all she managed to squeak out.
“Good, because I don’t think I could stand to remain in this house one more minute without being with you. That’s why I had to run tonight. And it still wasn’t enough to drive the thought of you out.” He bent to kiss her again, savoring her lips.
“Mmm.”
“I’m going to make you come so hard, you beg for more.” Her eyes widened at that. This was the encouragement he needed to continue. “I want to watch you as you fall into your orgasm at my touch.” He paused to suck in her bottom lip, visibly enjoying her sharp intake of breath at the sensual gesture. “Do you want me to tell you more?”
She managed a deceitfully calm, “Yes… please and thank you.” Celia blanched at the huskiness of her voice, as he hoisted her up onto the counter top.
She wasn’t ready for the megawatt smile he unleashed on her. Still he continued his verbal seduction.
“First, I’m going to taste you, taking my time to make you come for me—hard. Then once I’ve made you come to my satisfaction, I won’t be rushed. I’m going over every inch of your body to treasure and commit it to memory. With each kiss I place on your soft skin, know that it will be my mark of adoration, branding your skin in an invisible tie to me.” He nibb
led along her jawline, as she fought hard not to beg him to fuck her right then.
“Open your legs wider. I have to get closer. I crave you—your warmth and touch,” he said, moving to stand between her ample thighs as she sat on the counter.
She obeyed, enjoying how he wrapped strong arms around her and tugged her into him. This side of Owain was what she’d been needing. He made her feel safe; not some bed or house. It was him. Celia wanted to tell him everything. In that moment, she wanted him to understand everything she faced and know who she was.
He pushed the jacket she wore off and onto the kitchen floor. She didn’t care, as long as it gave her more access to him. His skin was smooth and warm—hot even.
“I want to tell you something before we go any farther,” she said, not believing what she was about to say.
“Please do. Anything you have to say is important to me.”
The smile that wore her face hurt, it was so big.
“Okay here goes… my last name is Thomas. My name is Celia Thomas.”
He smiled another paralyzingly awesome smile that appeared custom-made for her. “Thank you for that. I know it must be hard sharing parts of yourself when you don’t know who to trust.” He gathered her hands into his rather large ones and said, “I’ll do everything in my power to protect you and whatever secrets you believe you need to keep to survive. Even if I don’t know everything about you, I know what I need to in here.” He motioned to his heart, continuing to hold her hands in his. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Sassy Ever After: A Witchingly Sassy Seduction (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 5
