CHAPTER SIX
I didn't know what the hell I was doing.
All I did know was I couldn’t let her leave. I couldn’t hand her over to Abernathy either, not when she was staring up at me with huge, dark eyes that begged me not to. Not when she said my name like that, honey practically dripping from her voice.
The thought of it was reprehensible, even to a hardened man like me.
It had been difficult enough leaving her by herself outside The Tavern. As ridiculous as the notion was, I could no longer deny that I felt responsible for her – Wisp, or whatever her name was. I don't know if it was because I’d found her on my property or because she seemed so untouched by the cruelty of the world, but I felt much better when she was in my sight rather than out of it.
Still, a part of me – the part that preferred my own company over anyone else’s – was reluctant. You can’t just take her in like a damn stray, it pointed out snidely, like you took in Thane. She’s a human girl, not a dog. It’s a little more complicated than making sure she’s watered and fed every day.
And I hadn’t even managed to do that.
I winced at the reminder. “Here,” I muttered, reaching onto the dash and grabbing one of the Styrofoam boxes there. “I’m sure you’re hungry.”
She carefully took it from my hands, and I started up the truck.
“Oh my God,” she said a moment later when she opened the Styrofoam container. “I could kiss you right now.”
An involuntary smile pulled threateningly at my mouth when a blush exploded across her face, splotches of pink bursting over the apples of her cheeks. “I mean, of course I would never invade your personal space like that!” she rushed to add. “I’m sorry! It’s just, you know… thank you so much, Derek,” she finished weakly.
And Christ, that was going to take some getting used to. The way my name rolled off her tongue so damn sweetly. Like I was her savior or something equally as asinine.
If only she knew what she was getting herself into…
She would run screaming in the opposite direction if she ever found out who… what… I was. A painful twinge shot through my chest at the thought of it.
Which was ridiculous.
I didn’t even know the girl, for Christ’s sake. She didn’t even know herself if her story of amnesia was to be believed.
And, damn it, I did believe her.
How could I not when she stared up at me with those wide, innocent eyes, equal parts fear and confusion swimming in them? She was dangerously easy to read.
It was enough to convince me that she really did believe someone was after her, too, whether it was true or not. And I sure as hell hoped the answer was “not” because the thought of someone hurting her made me want to rip that someone’s throat out.
Regardless of how she wound up in the river running through my land, she was my problem now – I’d made her my problem – and I was going to have to develop some sort of resistance to the absurd way she said my name.
And the way she ate.
She let out a moan when she bit into her cheeseburger that had my fingers clenching impossibly tighter around the steering wheel. When she pulled the burger away from her mouth, her lips were shining with grease, and a little dribble of it was making its way down her chin. She groaned again after she swallowed and reached up to swipe the bit of grease away with her thumb.
It shouldn’t have been erotic, but undeniably was.
How did she expect me to focus on the road when she carried on like that?
She took another bite of her burger before reaching into the Styrofoam container and popping a fry in her mouth. When she was finished with it, she took the time to lick the salt off her fingers, sucking the tips of them into her mouth one at a time.
A heady sort of satisfaction overtook me as I watched her fill her belly.
It didn’t take long for her to spot me staring like some sort of deviant out of the corner of her eye, and she ducked her head, the blush still present on her cheeks deepening and creeping down her neck, disappearing under the collar of her shirt – my shirt.
Fuck.
She’s a kid, a cynical voice in the back of my head promptly reprimanded me. Eighteen, maybe. Stop fucking staring like you want to devour her the way she is doing her food.
I managed to jerk my head away at the reminder.
The rest of the ride back to the cabin was spent in silence. The girl – Wisp – was so hungry that she had finished the entire cheeseburger and all the fries by the time we arrived a few minutes later.
Ignoring the nagging sense of guilt that caused, I cut off the truck’s engine, grabbed my own burger slowly cooling in its Styrofoam container, and got out. I stood on the gravel, holding myself back from helping her as I silently waited for her to do the same. I tensed when her feet hit the ground and she stumbled.
“Sorry,” she offered sheepishly. “I guess I’m still kind of tired.” She rubbed at her eyes in a way that reminded me of a sleepy kitten.
“Come on,” I muttered, jerking my head towards the door.
She followed me into the cabin.
As I put the Styrofoam container away in the fridge – my appetite had evaporated – she quietly took off her shoes. “Hey, boy,” she greeted Thane affectionately when he immediately rushed to meet her. “Guess who’s staying the night?”
He yipped happily, like he actually understood what she was saying before rubbing himself against her leg, demanding she pet him.
Traitor.
Yet I couldn’t find it in myself to blame him.
I shifted uncomfortably as I watched her oblige him, kneeling and scratching behind his ears as she cooed at him. I hated how she made me feel like a stranger in my own home, and not for the first time, I wondered what the hell I was doing.
“You can have my bed,” I informed her bluntly.
Her startled eyes darted up to me at the offer, and she quickly stood. “No!” she denied with more fervor than the situation called for, then winced. “I mean, thank you, that’s very kind, but I promised to stay out of your way. How can I possibly do that if I take your bed from you?”
The gentleman in me that I thought had died off years ago rebelled and wanted to argue. But the bigger part of me – the part that wasn’t sure I could stop myself from doing something inappropriate if she continued to stare at me like that – just wanted to get away from her as fast as possible.
“Fine,” I managed to bite out. “Have it your way.” I grabbed a spare pillow from my bedroom and a knit afghan buried in the closet near the washer and dryer before returning to the living room and dropping them into Wisp’s arms. “You can sleep on the couch.”
I turned to retreat into my bedroom after that, but her soft, questioning voice stopped me.
“Uh… Derek?”
I tensed. “What?” I demanded, grimacing at the snappish tone, but refusing to turn around and face her.
“Can I… can I have some water?” she asked timidly.
I took a deep breath in through my nose, but only ended up inhaling a hint of her natural scent already permeating the air. It made the incessant buzzing under my skin that demanded I do something – something stupid, like squeezing her to me and burying my nose in her hair to get a better whiff – that much harder to ignore. “The glasses are in the kitchen,” I managed to reply curtly.
There was a pause, and I wondered if she was frowning. “Thanks,” she said quietly after a moment, and I took that as my cue to leave.
After I closed the bedroom door behind me, I took a moment to lean against the wood, pinching the bridge of my nose and attempting to compose myself.
What the hell was wrong with me?
Sure, Wisp was beautiful, but so were a lot of girls. I had never reacted like this to any of them.
“Good night, Derek.” My supernatural hearing ensured that her soft voice reached my ears through the heavy, wooden door, and guilt assaulted me.
Like I didn’t already feel like enough of an asshole.
Furious with myself for reasons I couldn’t put into words, I angrily pulled my shirt off over my head and threw it to the floor. My pants and shoes soon followed. Then, trying not to think about the fact that she had been sleeping in it the night before, I stiffly lay down on my bed.
Unfortunately, trying not to think of her lasted all of five seconds. The pillow smelled like her – like fucking liquefied sugar or something equally as sweet.
As I lay there, I listened to her tinkering around in my kitchen – the creaking noise of cabinets being opened, glasses clinking together, and finally, the sound of the sink running. Then, after the pitter patter of feet on the hardwood floor, silence reigned.
Sleep, however, remained firmly out of reach. I couldn't help but blame her – Wisp.
The only consolation I had was that she seemed to be having trouble falling asleep, too. I knew because every once in a while, the oppressive quiet was broken by the sound of her sighing or tossing and turning on the couch. Eventually, though, even those noises stopped, and I knew she must have settled.
I couldn’t say the same for me.
Telling myself I was only getting up to get a drink of water, I pulled back on my jeans before shuffling to the door. Upon opening it, my eyes immediately sought out the couch, and a jolt of fear shot down my spine when the pillow and afghan I’d given her were still there, but Wisp was nowhere to be seen.
Before panic could set in, however, I spotted a lump on the rug near the fireplace. A decidedly human lump.
The little fool had fallen asleep on the floor.
Something warm and unfamiliar curled in my chest at the sight of her sprawled out there, her mouth open just the slightest in sleep and my shirt twisted up her stomach, revealing a strip of bare skin. Thane was resting next to her, his back to hers as he watched me.
Despite the dying embers of the fire and the dog huddled next to her, I couldn't help but worry she’d get cold.
Sighing, I grabbed the afghan from the couch before kneeling and carefully laying it over her. Thane watched me with an amused glint in his eye.
“What?” I demanded defensively.
He continued to stare at me, his head resting on his paws.
I snorted. “She’s already got you assigning motives to the damn dog,” I muttered to myself before directing my attention back to the girl sleeping on my living room floor. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t stop myself from tucking a piece of dark hair behind her ear.
“Good night, Wisp,” I murmured quietly, finally returning her earlier sentiment.
After that, I stood and returned to my room, closing the door with the quietest of clicks to ensure I didn’t wake her. Then, ignoring the fact I hadn’t gotten myself a glass of water, after all, I crawled back into bed. I discovered if I strained my ears, I could hear the faint beating of Wisp’s heart. I found the rhythmic sound soothing, and listening to it, I finally managed to drift off to sleep.