His Wolf (Wolf of My Heart) (10 page)

We didn't talk much. In fact, I was the only one who said anything. "Did you have the feeling of being watched while we were eating?"

"We
wer
e being watched. You're the first girl I've ever taken to the Hills, so everyone who works there was staring."

"That's not what I'm talking about." I described my creepy feelings during our meal.

"I didn't see anything out of the ordinary," said Erik. "But if you're right and someone besides my friends has his eye on you, it has to be because of that truck. Nothing else makes sense."

"Actually…" I hesitated and then came clean. "I might've taken some other things, too."

Erik flicked a glance my way. I saw his frown.
"As in?"

"Some money.
Just two-thousand dollars.
It was in petty cash, which no one ever counted."

"You stole money?"

"My boss owed me, okay?"

Erik
huffed
his obvious exasperation. "Damn, Bronte. That's the rationalization every thief in the world uses. I thought you were better than that. What else did you steal?"

I didn't answer. Erik had no right to judge me when he didn't even know my story. I mean, I hadn't judged him when I thought he was gay. Fuming, I said nothing for the rest of the trip.

The moment we started down the path that doubled as his driveway, I began to relax a little in spite of myself. I was pretty sure I could thank the woods for that. The wolf inside me loved the trees, the snow, and the clear blue sky. I was clearly in my element.

It didn't take us long to unload the groceries and put them away, all done in total silence. Erik didn't look angry, exactly, though he did seem distracted. I guessed he was wondering if it was the police watching us and whether or not he would get into trouble, too, now that he was going to eat food I'd bought with stolen loot.

"I'm sorry I involved you in my mess," I blurted, not really meaning to.
My conscience taking over, no doubt.

"I'm pretty sure you're worth a little mess. I just wish you'd been honest with me from the get-go. I can't help but wonder what else I don't know and if the shifting is the real reason you can't go home."

Ouch.

I touched his arm, now mostly bare since he'd shed his jacket once we got everything into the cabin. "If I'm keeping secrets, it's only to protect you. The less you know
,
the better off you are."

Erik's eyes narrowed slightly. He didn't look happy with me.

I tried to explain. "If anything happened to you because of me, I'd never forgive myself. You've been nothing but nice." Getting rid of my coat, too, I walked over to plop down on his couch, arms crossed over my chest. "Maybe I should just shift into a wolf and run far, far away, taking my issues with me."

He followed, stopping when he stood toe to toe with me. "You're not going anywhere unless I go, too."

I knew he didn't really mean that. How could he? "Believe me, you could never keep up."

"Bite me."

I gave him a dirty look. "There's no need to be rude. I'm just stating the facts."

"No, Bronte. Bite. Me."

Huh? He looked so serious standing there with his gaze nailing me to the couch. Slowly his meaning dawned. My eyes flew open wide.
"Oh my God.
Are you insane? I would never, ever do that to anyone, least of all you."

He sat beside me and half turned my way. "But--"

I slapped my hand over his mouth.
"No, no, and another no."

Erik peeled my fingers off his face. "I just-"

"No!"

"Fine then."

What an idea! Just the thought made my stomach feel all fluttery, as if a zillion butterflies had taken flight and were about to zoom out of my mouth. My meal would undoubtedly follow. All those onion tangles and tortilla chips plus that spicy cheese dip….

"
Wanna
make out for a while?"

Stunned by Erik's out-of-nowhere question, I completely forgot my tummy.
"Hell yeah."

He held out his arms; I got up and straddled his thighs, my knees just touching the cushions on either side. We looked into each other's eyes for just a second before I leaned
in and pressed my lips to his. What started as a test kiss quickly became a passionate one that got progressively wetter and therefore better. He tasted so amazing, so very…Erik. And I simply couldn't get enough of him.

I don't know how long we stayed upright. All I could say for sure is that we eventually wound up stretched out on his couch, our bodies pressed together. I had one leg draped over his to keep him where I wanted him. He had one hand under my shirt and traced lazy circles on my back with his fingers. When that hand moved to my front, I didn't stop him. So I was a little surprised when he whispered, "We should probably quit now."

That was so not what I wanted to hear. "Because…?"

"I'm about to lose it."

"So lose it."

"Not happening."

"But I want you to."

"Nope."
He took back his hand and rolled us off the couch, maneuvering his body so that it was him and not me who landed on the braided rug.

That meant we were nose-to-nose with me on top.
"Why not?"

"We don't know each other well enough."

"I don’t care."

He moved me off of him and got to his feet. "I do. You have secrets. Big ones, I'm thinking. I need to know more before I get in too deep."

"What is this, emotional blackmail?"

"Not at all.
I just have standards."

I didn't like the insinuation. "And you think I don't?"

"You're the one stealing trucks, money, and who knows what else."

Of all the nerve.
I jumped up, straightening my sweater. "You have no idea what I've been through the last eighteen months."

"So tell me."

We were back to that. Furious, I snatched my jacket off the back of a kitchen chair and stormed out the front door.

I walked through the woods until it got too dark to get around. That took a little longer than usual. With the full moon just a couple of nights away, my senses were already
quickening, and I saw everything very well. I guess that's also why the forest sounded so noisy. If a bumblebee had hiccupped five miles away, I think I'd have heard it. I know I caught the sound of random music and could only assume it emanated from cars speeding down the highway high in the hills. I also saw stray lights moving through the trees. It was pretty creepy.

What I didn't hear or see was Erik coming after me to apologize. As the darkness closed in, I sat at the foot of a tree and leaned against it. Its root system kept my butt out of the snow, but it still took only seconds for me to get really cold. I thought I should go back, but honestly didn't want to. Probably because I knew Erik had a valid point. Before Yarbrough kidnapped me and changed everything, I'd have been appalled at the idea of dating someone who'd been involved in anything illegal.

Had a year and a half on the fringes of crime changed me so much? Was I now so numb I couldn't tell right from wrong?

Around 8:00, I really started to shiver and made myself head back to the cabin. Erik had the porch light on, but he wasn't outdoors pacing or anything. Then just as I was about to enter the clearing, the front door flew open and Erik stepped out, talking to himself.

"What am I doing?" He stopped, pivoted and went back inside, then burst through the doorway again. "Shit!"

Flicking on a flashlight with no result, he slapped it hard against his hand a couple of times. A light beam shot out, blinding him. With another curse, he started down the steps.

I stepped into view. "Looking for something?"

Erik jumped a foot off the snow. "Damn it, Bronte. Where have you been?"

"Why do you even care? I'm a criminal, remember?"

"I care because I lo--" He as good as screeched to a halt, eyes wide, and drew in a very shaky deep breath. "What I mean is…I care because I'll lose good rent if you die of exposure."

I shoved past him on my way inside. "You are such a liar."

He followed me, shutting the door behind us. "Yeah, I am."

Facing him, I waited.

"I like having you around. It gets lonely here, and you've been good company."

"Thanks. I like being here, and I really am sorry for any trouble I've caused and the doubts you must have about me sticking around. I never meant to make you an accessory to anything. And if the police come to get me, I swear I'll tell them you're innocent."

Erik shrugged out of his jacket and laid the flashlight on the table. "So we're friends again?"

"Yes." If two people who'd made out for a solid hour could still be called that. Personally, I thought we'd crossed a line. "Now I'm starved, believe it or not. I'm going to get myself a Twinkie. Want one?"

"Of course, and don't forget the milk."

****

Thanks to me telling Erik that my parents and then just Dad and I used to read to each other, he dug up the first Harry Potter book from somewhere after our snack. I wound up reading almost half the story to him, changing my voice to keep the characters separate. Erik actually told me I should get work as a narrator of audio books. I figured he was just sucking up after the abuse earlier, but it was a nice compliment.

I showered first, inspecting my naked body in the bathroom. My bruises were almost gone and as for my wrist, the cut on it now looked like an old injury.  Since I doubted my own theory that my shifting was helping I wondered if I could give the impending full moon credit for my miraculous recovery. Nothing else made sense. Considering ramifications, I put on sweat pants and a long-sleeve tee and then crawled beneath my covers. I could hear my roommate in the bathroom and was just dozing off when cool air swept my face and the mattress dipped. It was Erik, who'd apparently just gotten out of the shower. At any rate, he smelled like soap, and a few drops of water from his hair landed on my neck.

"Are you lost?" I asked, looking over my shoulder at him.

"Nope.
Just thought we might snuggle a little."

"No way."

He groaned. "But you wanted to this afternoon."

"While I was in the woods, I thought about what you said. You were right. We don't know each other well enough for sex, and snuggling can sometimes lead to that."

He groaned louder. "I'm an idiot, okay? I didn't know what I was saying."

"That's a lie. You were being smart, and that's what I'm going to be, too."

With a heavy sigh, Erik threw back the covers to get out of the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"Um…back to my side…?"

"I didn't say you had to do that. I just said all we're going to do is sleep."

"Excellent."

I heard the smile in his voice as he scooted close again. With my back to his front, I let him share my pillow. He draped his arm across my body. His warm breath fanned my cheek. I realized I'd never felt that safe in my whole life.

No wonder I slept like the dead.

Chapter Eight

When I woke Tuesday morning, I was alone in bed. It looked pretty light in the room, which meant I might've overslept. Not that I was on any kind of schedule. I just hated to waste a pretty day. Or maybe I simply wanted to see if Erik was for real or just the dream of a girl who'd never met a guy that amazing.

Of course, any male who wasn't cruel, unethical, or a criminal might seem special to me. But it was more than that, I thought. Erik was…decent, I guess. He'd found a wolf and freed her, setting aside his fear and putting himself in danger to do it. I liked that about him. In a way, I also liked that my criminal activities distressed him.  That told me he was a good person.