Mixed Feelings (Empathy in the PPNW Book 1) (18 page)

“
You
’
re up,
” he
said
, unbothered by what should have been a very awkward situation.

“So are
you
,
” I mumbled, unable to keep my gaze in respectable
places. Then, as he pulled the necklace off, I collapsed.

***

Mel was naked, crouched like
a marble statue of an Olympian over me. One knee was on the floor, the other
pulled to his chest, blocking my view of most of his lower half. His face was
smooth, dark bangs falling in a curtain to the end of his nose. The line of his
shoulder was perfect, the muscles in his arms incredible as he moved to place his
palm on my cheek.

“
O
verwhelmed by my hotness, I see.”

I frowned, or tried to. My
face didn’t work and I couldn’t feel the rest of my body. I had no memories
,
but my emotions were like bouncy house full of
sugar-rushed children. Aggression, lust, frustration, affection, glee, lust
(again and again) all slammed into the walls of my psyche as I stared up at
Mel, trying to figure
out
what was happening.

I saw my hand come up, my
fingers press against his shoulder. When
Mel
raised his
eye
brows and asked again if I
was all right, I clenched my fingers, scratching my nails across his skin. He
glanced at my hand before looking back at my face with an eager smile
.

The sugar rush wore off, the
children tired, and the bouncy house deflated. My mind started to clear of the
emotions that Mel had flooded out over me. I still didn’t have any real idea of
what was happening
,
but I could at least feel my
own body and not just what had poured out of Mel like Gatorade when the
necklace had come off.

“Did we have sex?” I asked.
He blinked, pulled his hand in
,
and rested his elbow on his
knee. He cocked his head and
smirked at me
.

“Do you feel satisfied in
every
possible
way?”

“
I feel sick,
”
I said.

Mel shrugged and shifted,
grabbing my shoulders with both hands.
“I have a feeling that, for
you, that doesn’t rule anything out.”

Then I was airborne in a
drunken, spinning world. Mel placed me firmly on my feet but the spinning
didn’t stop. My head swiveled one way, my eyeballs the other, while the earth
chose a completely different axis and took a nosedive.

“
Ah,
”
he
murmured, before blurring
away from me in one of the few displays of his werewolf speed that I’d seen. A
metal bin was pressed against my chest as a hand slipped gently into my hair,
tucking it out of the way and guiding my head down.

My body heaved and everything
except the kitchen sink flew like a wrecking ball upward through my chest. When
I finally stopped throwing up, I could barely stand. The
bucket
vanished and
Mel
wrapped an arm around my waist. Somehow, he managed to
move me into the steamy bathroom and lean me over the sink. I coughed, spat,
and pressed my hands to the warm counter.

Once he was sure I was stable
enough to stand, Mel slipped out of the bathroom. I breathed in the steam,
willing my mind to clear. The shower was running and I lifted my head to look
at my reflection in the mirror. The steam made me a ghost and I glanced over at
the shower stall. Without thinking about it, I pulled my shirt over my head,
unhooked my bra, stripped down, and stepped in.

I lost track of how long I
stood in the shower with my head bowed under the scalding water
,
but I jumped when I heard Mel’s voice from outside
the bathroom.

“I would join you, but you
probably taste like vomit.”

My mind had cleared enough
for me to be mortified at being naked in Mel’s home. I peered through the
opening in the walls of the rounded stall and caught him leaning against the
doorframe, still nude. Even in the steamy bathroom, I could feel my cheeks go
hot with a mix of embarrassment and appreciation at the sight of him.

“Go away,” I ordered.

He
sighed, but I could tell it was for effect.
“Oh sure, use all my hot water and don’t even thank me.”

“
I
’ll thank you with a knee to the balls.”

“How about something else to
the balls?”

“
Go!
” I insisted, fighting off a smile and hoping it couldn’t be heard in my
voice.

***

By the time I got out to the
kitchen
,
Mel had managed to start
cooking what smelled to be the most delicious breakfast on the planet. His
shirtless body was half-obscured by the island and I wondered if he was still
naked. As I moved closer, I tried my best to peer over and check, while also
doing my best to avoid seeing anything indecent should he be nude.

Relieved when I saw jogging
pants resting halfway down his hips, I sighed and eased the rest of the way up
to the island. Mel bobbed his head to the quiet music and then turned to face
me, a seriously heavy-duty cast
-
iron skillet in his hand. He
flipped
an
omelet impressively into the
air, caught it on the other side
,
and then turned back to set
the pan on the stove.

“
You need filling up,
” he
said,
turning to catch my eye and let me know he meant it
however I wanted to take it. When I just stood there, at a loss for a response,
he continued. “
So, I
’m making breakfast.”

“That doesn’t look like much,”
I said, trying to play it cool. I was still reeling from the night, confused at
how things had changed so much in such a short time. Twenty-four hours ago, I
would have been horrified at the idea of having to see Mel naked. Now I was
fighting off the desire to do it again. “Do I have to split it with you?”

He shook his head, wiggling
his hips as a particularly energetic drum solo filled the air.

“
I
already
ate
; this is all for you
.
”

“
Thanks,
”
I said
when he set down an egg version of what Chloe had
made me the day before. He’d filled the carb and protein mix with fewer
vegetables and added cheese, which eased my discomfort slightly.

“My turn in the shower,” he
announced as he hit the hallway. I glanced back briefly but the siren song of
food pulled my attention and kept me from admiring his ass as he walked away.

I mean,
I
’m not saying I would have done that or anything
.

***

“
I
’m not wearing this necklace forever,” Mel announced
as we
pulled into my neighborhood.

“Why?” I tensed, panicked at
the idea that he might rip it off right then and knock me out again
.
To my relief, he kept his hands on the wheel,
braking
to let an orange tabby
streak across the road
.

“It doesn’t really go with
any of my most successful ensembles.”

“
You
only mention this because you’
re never
planning to stop by the office again, right
?
”

“I didn’t say that
,
” he said with a grin, pulling into my driveway.

“
Jackass,
” I called after him as he
climbed out of the car.

We found
Chloe
inside on my couch, Sonny
perched on her shoulder as she fiddled with her phone and ignored the fluffy
morning news show on the TV. Instantly
,
I felt
guilt rush in when I realized I’d forgotten completely about Sonny the night
before.

“I took care of your son,”
Chloe said
without
looking up.

“
I
’m home now, baby
,
” I said, tucking my finger
against Sonny’s feet to entice him to come sit on my shoulder
.
He was happy to see me, even though I’d forgotten
about him in a drunken haze the night before
.
Guilt over that sloshed around in my gut and I decided I wanted to run
away.
“I need to change.”

“You two get dirty last
night?”
Chloe
called after me
as I hit the hallway. I walked faster so I wouldn’t have to hear Mel’s
response. Whether he told the truth or made up a grand story about an
eight-hour sexual marathon, I knew I’d be equally ashamed.

When I came back ten minutes
later, changed and cleaned up, Mel had
gone
back
outside.

“What’s he doing?”

“He got a call, went out to
take it. Dammit, Gwen, you didn’
t even get lucky?
”
Chloe demanded.

“How much did he tell you?”

“From the look you’re giving
me, I think not all of it. He said you just got really drunk and then busted in
to catch him naked the next morning. Anything happen after that?”

“
No. I
didn’
t
—I wouldn’
t sleep
with Mel. He made some good
pizza, we had some excellent wine, but I slept on the couch and woke up with a
crick in my neck. Stop looking at me like that.”

“
You
’
re hopeless,
” Chloe said with a shake of
her head. Before I could retort, the door opened and we both looked over. Saved
by the Mel.

“That was Mrs. Kraus, the
mother of the first child taken. She’
s
decided
the police aren’t doing enough and wants my help. I told her we’d meet her in
an hour. That gives us a few hours before we have to get to Everett by three.”

“Three-thirteen,” Chloe
corrected. “Merrin said three-thirteen.”

“Well, then
,
we
’
ll
want to be there by two
forty-five
to make sure we have plenty of time to stake
the place out.”

“
In Bellevue
,
Blondie didn
’t show up until five-til
l
. We probably don’t need to be there quite that early.” Mel leveled a
look my way and I nodded. “
Yeah,
okay,
right.
Earlier is probably better.”

“Where are you two meeting
the parents?”

“Their house. It’
s up
kind of by Northgate.”

“
I
’ll go with you,”
Chloe said.

Mel shook his head.
“
Can
’t really—”

“
I
’
ll
st
ay in the car.
That way you don’t have to swing by and pick me up after or anything. We can
all
just go straight up to Everett.”

Mel was quiet for a moment,
thinking it through, before he nodded.
“
Makes sense.
” And just like that, we were once again on our way.

***

We parked down the street so
Chloe could hang in the car without being seen and Mel and I headed up the
sidewalk toward the house. The neighborhood was a bit rundown, aged fences and
long grass dominating most yards. It was still mid-morning, though, and people
were milling about.

“This is it,” Mel said,
pausing in front of a small house with steps leading up to a covered porch.
He
pushed open the gate, let me go through first, and we
headed for the door.

“
You gonna
blurt out that you have magical powers again this time
?
” Mel asked.

I shrugged.
“Probably.”

Heaving a sigh, he knocked. A
woman answered immediately, which surprised me, since
I hadn
’t felt anyone on the other side of the door. She was
watching us with a blank sort of sadness on her face, but according to my
empathy
,
no one was home.

Something was definitely
wrong. Mel didn’t seem to notice, holding out his hand and introducing himself.