Bosun (6 page)

Bosun’s hands are on my hips, and he says, “We don’t get STDs. Are you on birth control?”

I reach down and direct him toward my entrance as I nod. I slide onto him and lower myself slowly. I’m not sure if it’s the heat of Bosun or the lack of latex, but I’ve never felt anything this amazing. I ride him as his fingers dig into my butt and guide my movements.

When my core starts to flex around him, and my motions become frantic, Bosun flips me over and lifts my thighs to drive in deeper. “Let me take you over the edge, sweetheart. Come for me.”

My orgasm crashes into me, and my cries have to be loud, but I barely notice. As I come down, Bosun is close, and I whisper to him, “Give it to me, baby. Harder. That’s it.”

He shatters with a groan before he collapses on me. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. I was going to take it slow and let our undeniable attraction convince you.”

His cheek is on my chest, and I thread my fingers through his hair. “It did. I’m a quick learner.” I chuckle, and he slips out of me as my core pushes him out with my laughter. “Before I decide if I can handle you being a werewolf, I had to make sure the sex didn’t suck.”

He rolls off of me to lie on his back. “Wait. That was a test?”

I kiss his shoulder. “Um-hmm.” I’m not sure I really grasp the fact he’s not human, considering what we did was as biologically human as we could get.

But the concept of true mates is unanswered for me, so I lean up to gaze down at Bosun. “That growl I asked for? Sexy as hell. Tell me how the true mate thing between a werewolf and human works.”

He reaches up and twirls a strand of hair around his finger. “In order to create the next generation of werewolves we need human women. While I can mate with any human woman, I never have.” He drops his hand. “I guess I’m a romantic, because we only get one mate, and I wasn’t willing to settle for anyone but my true mate.”

I trace his lower lip with my index finger. “And that’s me?”

“Yes.” He nips at me. “Trust me. The way I feel about you leaves no doubt. I love you, Devon. And if you were changed, you wouldn’t question it either.”

I lean down to kiss him. Before I do, I whisper, “I believe you, because I love you too.”

***

S
ometime late in the evening, we manage to eat dinner, but it is only to provide fuel for more bedroom exercise. I’m on my way home to shower and get ready for work, and I flip my visor down as the sun peeks up from the horizon in vivid shades of orange to burn through dawn. I’m deliriously happy and sing loudly to the radio.

Pillow talk last night was Bosun answering my questions about life as a werewolf. He even offered to shift for me so I could see how it works. A piece of me was afraid that might shatter my perception of reality, so I declined with a request to see it another time. While I’m sure there will be things about my relationship with a werewolf that’ll be tricky, I’m too in love to care.

My phone buzzes with a text, and I smile, imagining it’s something sweet from Bosun. I don’t check until I pull into my driveway, and I discover it’s from Katie.

“
What happened last night?
”

Not quite sure about the protocol for discussing these things in the human world, I text back. “
Keeping the ringtone. See you soon.
”

“
Awesome. I have so much to tell you.
”

I imagine if I didn’t have a girlfriend to share this with, I’d be bursting with things to share too. Poor Katie. It must have been hard not to be able to tell your best friend you’re in love with a werewolf. She’s right. We have so much to talk about.

W
hen I get to work, Katie is already there, and the aroma of dark-roast coffee wafts toward me as I walk in the door. I call out, “You’re the best friend ever!”

“And now you are.” After I slip out of my jacket and hang it up, Katie hands me a steaming mug of caffeine, and it’s hot in my hands. She says, “I’m so excited to finally be able to talk to you about my real life.”

“I can’t believe you’ve kept it a secret all this time. It must have been so hard.” We wander out into the main room of the salon.

“It was, but you can understand why I didn’t, right?”

I plop down in a chair. “Of course. The fear on Bosun’s face when he told me spoke volumes. He thought I’d run, screaming.”

“Well, you are taking it rather well.” The computer dings as she boots up the receptionist’s laptop. “But I thought you might. You’ve always been open to adventure. So tell me what happened, and don’t leave anything out.”

Heat rushes to my face. “Um, I’m going to leave some of it out.”

“Oh my God! You slept with him too?” She plops down in the chair next to me, and we both swing to face each other. “This is going to be good.”

“Okay, so you know I’d gone to his house the night before. He took me down to the water, and we heard howling. Bosun told me it was a male wolf calling his female. I jokingly howled at him, not having any idea what he really was.”

“Ah, that explains the ringtone.”

“Yeah. So last night, he mentioned the howling and how I noticed he transmits so much heat, and then he said he was a werewolf. At first I thought he was joking. But then I saw his face, and he was so afraid, and I... God, Katie, I’m so in love with this guy that all I could think was that I needed to show him I didn’t care.” I lift my cup to my mouth and grin. “So I did.” I take a sip.

“Hussy. So what do you think today?”

“I’m not sure. I asked a hundred questions last night, and I bet I’ll have a hundred more. So far, I haven’t heard anything I can’t live with.” Katie gets up and takes my mug from me to get us more coffee. As she walks toward the back room I say, “Besides, you’re happily married to one, so I figure I can be too. If it comes to that.”

Katie’s face is serious as she approaches me and hands me my cup. “Dev, I’m a werewolf too.”

My jaw drops. “What?” I scan her body quickly with my eyes, as if I’d be able to see it. “Wait. Why?”

“Because I wanted to be. At first. And then I didn’t. Which is why I ran off to college.”

“Right.” Katie came home after her freshman year and got back together with Brindle. “Oh, wow. And you couldn’t tell me.” I reach out for her hand.

“It’s okay, you were an awesome friend anyway.” She smirks at me. “For a human.”

“So why did you want to be a werewolf? Are there cool things you can do that I’m not aware of?”

“I did it because I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Brindle. Now that I know we’re true mates, I realize I had no choice.”

True mates. I recall Bosun saying we are too. “How does the true mate thing work?”

“Brindle bit me to make me a werewolf, and then once I was changed, we had to have sex to bond ourselves together for life.”

I remember how Bosun said he was obligated to mate with a human female to provide more werewolves for the pack. And that he needed to change her to make that happen. “So if you hadn’t come back, then would Brindle have eventually ended up with someone else?”

“Maybe. But when you find your true mate, nobody can compare, and he’d have been miserable.”

I wonder what will happen to Bosun and me if I never change. “So how long can you go not actually fulfilling the true-mate bond?” I try to imagine what it would be like if eventually Bosun left me to create new werewolves with someone else. But he shouldn’t have to. It’s not like he’s the only one who can have babies. Lots of people don’t have children.
People.
Bosun isn’t a person.

Katie tilts her head at me. “Are you...”

“Yes. We’re true mates.” I take a sip of my coffee, and the bitter flavor makes my stomach lurch.

Her face breaks out into a grin. “Devon, do you know what this means? Oh my gosh, we’re going to get to do the werewolf mommy thing together.” I offer her a smile as she goes on. “You have no idea how awesome it will be to have you at the pack meetings. All the women compete with each other over the best potluck meal, and”—she stops abruptly—“Dev, what’s wrong?”

“Does this mean I need to change if I want to spend my life with Bosun?”

“Yes.”

“What if I don’t want to be a werewolf?”

Katie reaches out to touch me, and I flinch away. She frowns as if I’ve insulted her, and I guess I probably did. “It’s not that bad. Most of the time it’s pretty fun,” Katie says.

I nod and force a small smile. “I think I need time to get used to all this.” I glance over at the clock on the wall. While it’s another fifteen minutes until my first appointment, I get up and say, “I should get ready for Andrea. You know how prompt she is.”

Katie stands too and says, “Sure. I’ll go deal with emails.”

Katie’s voice doesn’t hide her pain, and shame makes my ears burn. I grab her arm as she starts to walk away. “Hey. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. You’re still my best friend, and nothing has changed between us. Okay?”

She hugs me. “Of course. You’ve got a lot to process. It’s fine.”

As she walks over to the reception area, I wonder if that’s true. Because it seems to me I have to choose between staying human and losing Bosun, or keeping him and becoming a werewolf. That’s so not fine at all.

I wander to the back room to get the perm cart set up for my client. I pull my phone out of my purse and find a text from Bosun.

“
Can’t stop thinking about you. My place again tonight?
”

My heart skips a beat when I think about another night in his arms. I flip my phone over and gaze at the Eiffel tower image. The plastic is slippery under my finger as I trace the design.
Oh, Devon, you’ve managed to get yourself into quite the mess.

My logic kicks in. I have no intention of becoming a werewolf, and continuing a doomed relationship is a bad idea. Bosun told me that it’s his duty to provide children to ensure the future of the pack. Our relationship will only keep him from his obligation.

I text him back. “
I’m exhausted and need time to think. Rain check?
”

Because now it is time for me to do the right thing. Even if it means breaking my heart. A single tear falls on my phone and makes Bosun’s reply blurry. “
I understand. Call me tonight? I love you.
”

A
fter two days of avoiding Bosun, I know I have to face him. Katie’s been great and says she’ll support whatever I decide, but I know she hopes I’ll become a werewolf too. The thing is, no matter how hard I try to convince myself it would be wonderful, I can’t.

All my life, I couldn’t wait to get out of Winter Valley. I used to laugh at the girls who said the same thing and then ended up married and pregnant before they could go. I want adventure in Paris or London—anywhere else but here.

I enter Lindholm Auto Repair and wave at the camera. Bosun comes from the back, wiping his hands on a rag, and I stare at the fingers my body craves. The oily odor of gasoline comes with him, and he gazes at me as if he doesn’t dare to touch me.

I say, “Hey.”

“Hi.” The moment his voice rumbles through me, tears fill my eyes.
How am I supposed to live without this man?

I blink them back but don’t do a very good job, because Bosun lifts my chin and says, “Sweetheart, whatever it is, let me fix it.”

I shake my head slowly and let the sobs come. He pulls me against his chest, and the anguish I’ve felt for the last forty-eight hours pours out of me. I inhale the scent of my true mate and let it soothe me, even though this will be the last time.

When I manage to get past the bawling stage and start to hiccup, Bosun leads me to the back room and out of the way of any customers who might come in. He directs me to an office chair and drops to his knees to place himself between my legs. The warmth of his palms sears through the fabric of my skirt. “Talk to me.”

I lift a strand of hair from his eyes and move it out of the way. “I love you so much more than I knew was possible.”

“I know what you mean—I feel the same way.”

I place my index finger on his lips to quiet him, and my tongue longs to taste them. “But I can’t be what you need.”

Bosun shakes he head. “No. I’m not asking you to change for me.”

“I know. But Katie explained that you have a duty to the pack to produce children.”

“Devon, we don’t have to think about that. I’ve got plenty of time to fill that obligation.”

“I also know how true mates work, Bosun. The longer we stay together, the harder it will be when you have to leave me.” My throat gets thick, and fresh tears roll down my cheeks. “I can hardly bear doing it after a couple of days.” I sniff and clear my throat. “How will I let you go months or years from now?”

Bosun’s eyes are glassy as he stands. “So this is it? You’re just going to go back to the way life was before we met?”

“No. I’m going to move to Paris.” A muscle along his jaw jumps, and he takes a slow breath as I continue. “That way I won’t be around to bump into you and cause you any more pain than necessary.”

Bosun avoids my gaze and feigns a sudden interest in the wrenches on the counter. “Paris. Right.” I imagine he’s recalling my phone case that says “Fall in love with me in Paris” and teasing me about it. “When are you leaving?”

“I’m not sure. In a couple weeks, when I get everything settled with my shop. I called a friend from school who works in a salon there. She’s going to get me a job and let me crash with her until I can find a place to live.”

We never did settle my bill, so I stand as I say, “About my car—”

I stop talking when I notice anger flash in Bosun’s eyes. He clenches his fists.

“Okay, sorry.” I bite my lip. “Thank you. I’m going to go.”

My heels click on the concrete like a time bomb as I make my way to the lobby. When I pull the front door open, I jump at the crash of something behind me, and a string of profanity follows. I run to my car to slam my door, and I fall apart.

Surprisingly, I manage to make it home without an accident, even if driving while I cry is a bit like being in the rain without wipers. Fortunately, when I climb into bed, the exhaustion of little sleep for three days and my emotional state let me rest.