Chapter 20
I was running through the woods again; the scene becoming painfully familiar. Avoiding roots and rocks, I sprinted as fast as I could, weaving in and out of the thick tree trunks.
The creature’s hot breath puffed against my skin, and I knew it would only be moments before it overtook me. With a determined growl, I pushed myself harder, feeling the space between me and my pursuer grow. But, it was short lived.
Huge paws landed on my shoulder blades, and I fell face first onto the damp earth. As soon as I hit the ground, the animal’s weight left my back. I rolled over to face my attacker, and found that same small, light gray, brown-eyed wolf.
I call this wolf “small”, but only compared to the other werewolves I’d seen in these woods. This one was still bigger than me, and I bet it’d be fair to assume it was stronger too.
“What do you want?” I asked.
The wolf’s eyes blazed bright for a moment before returning to its normal brown color. It cocked its head to the side and continued to stare at me.
“What do you want from me?” I tried again.
I wasn’t really expecting the wolf to answer, but it was clearly sentient.
“Just leave me alone!” I screamed. My palms and knees stung from the fall I’d taken. I didn’t know where I was, and I was becoming increasingly cold, wet, and sick of running.
I rose to my feet and straightened my sore back. With a steely determination, and arms akimbo, I stared the wolf down as best I could in the nearly pitch-black forest.
“I’ve just about had enough. I don’t know what you want, but if it’s a midnight snack, you’re gonna’ have a fight on your hands.”
We stood there, both assessing the other for an immeasurable amount of time. Finally, the wolf dipped its head, give a little yip, and trotted off into the darkness. I was almost shocked speechless.
Almost.
“Hey! Where the hell are you going?” I followed it for a few moments, but the darkness grew with each step, and soon I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face. “What were you chasing me for? What do you want?”
A loud knocking, and the sound of my voice coming from far away stopped me in my tracks. “Hello?” I called.
“Elizabeth!”
“Abraham?”
All at once, I opened my eyes, and sat up in my bed, confused and still breathing hard from my race through the woods.
If it was just a dream why am I out of breath?
“El?” Abraham’s voice called once more, and I shook my head to clear it.
“Yes! Come in!” I called without thinking.
The door creaked open, and in walked Abraham, naked from the waist up, hair disheveled, wearing a pair of plaid pajama bottoms that hung off his hips.
My mouth went dry, and I might even have gasped a little.
“Are you okay?” he asked, real concern lacing his words.
“Huh?” I asked, wrenching my gaze from his bare chest.
Even in the dark, I could see his bright smile flash across his shadowed face. “I heard you yelling. Did you have another nightmare?”
I nodded sullenly, but didn’t trust myself to speak yet.
Abraham took a seat at the foot of my bed. “You wanna’ talk about it?”
I shrugged and finally had to close my eyes to get myself to stop staring at him. “I don’t know. This one wasn’t as scary as the last one.”
“Tell me about it.”
So I did. I recounted all I could remember about the dream, but it was fading fast.
“And you said you didn’t recognize the wolf?”
“No. Evey has different coloring, and you’re way bigger.”
His smile gleamed. “I am pretty big, aren’t I?”
A reluctant laugh shot out of my mouth.
His smile widened. “Got you to smile.”
“You always do,” I answered automatically. Immediate regret swamped me, and I winced.
Too much.
Too soon.
Abraham cleared his throat and mercifully changed the subject. “Do you think you can get back to sleep? There’s still a few hours left before you need to be up for work.”
I shrugged. “I dunno’. It’s hard for me to sleep after a nightmare.”
He rose from the bed. “Here, lay down.” He pulled the covers back far enough for me to scoot beneath them. “If you lay on your side, I’ll rub your back until you fall asleep?”
I tensed. “Rub my back?”
Could I survive that?
He pulled the covers up to my chin and took a seat next to me on the bed. “It’s what my mom always did for us when we had bad dreams. Now, roll over.”
I did as he asked, and turned on my side, facing away from him. Maybe not having to look at him would help me get through having his hands on me.
Cold air rushed against my back as Abraham pulled down a corner of the blanket. Next I felt his large, warm hand land between my shoulder blades. He paused there for so long I almost turned over to ask him what was wrong. Then, his hand was moving, rubbing small circles along my spine.
My heart raced with the contact, and it felt like every part of my body was hard-wired to where he touched. Even through my thin t-shirt, I could feel the small jolts of electricity jumping from his skin to mine.
I needed to take my mind off this situation, or I would lose it and do something I’d regret. Like pulling him into this bed next to me and forgetting about all my no-men rules.
But, would I regret it?
I ignored that doubtful voice in my head. “Did I wake you up?” I asked instead, hoping that if I could get my mind out of the gutter, I’d be able to relax and fall back asleep like he’d suggested.
“I’m a light sleeper.”
I winced. “Sorry.”
His hand gave me a little shake. “Don’t be. I’m glad I could be here for you.”
But why?
Why was he always there for me?
How was he able to anticipate what I’d need, or how I’d feel about things?
How did he know me so well after having met me less than a week ago?
Was he looking for a relationship? Or simply fulfilling his alpha responsibilities?
All those questions and more swirled inside my head, but I kept them to myself. I was afraid if I said them aloud, I’d have to face the answers to them. I’d have to admit what that churning feeling I get in my stomach whenever Abraham’s around is. Admit that I get giddy anytime I receive a text from him, and that when I saw him standing outside my work yesterday, it had easily been the best part of my week.
“Hey, try to relax,” Abraham chided. “You’re all tense. You’re not gettin’ back to sleep like that.”
He was right.
I needed to chill the hell out. This late at night/early in the morning was no time for heartfelt revelations or deep questions.
I closed my eyes and sighed. This back rub really was relaxing. My shoulders relaxed, and my muscles slowly unclenched.
“There ya’ go. Just focus on taking deep breaths, and you’ll be asleep in no time.” His deep voice was quiet and soothing as his large hand ran from my neck to lower back and shoulder to shoulder.
Just as he’d predicted, minutes later I was falling into the blissful darkness of sleep feeling safe and content. Two things I’d never really thought about, but now I wondered how I’d gone so long without.
I felt the weight next to me leave, and the blankets loosen around my prone body. In that gray space between wakefulness and sleep, gentle fingers tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. Moments later warm lips pressed against my temple, and a soft sigh blew across my face.
“Goodnight, my sweet Elizabeth.”
An odd flutter deep in my belly was the last thing I knew before I lost the fight to stay awake and drifted off into blissful darkness.
I woke up late the next morning and had to scramble to get ready. I’d hoped I could sneak into the kitchen for a quick bite and avoid an awkward confrontation with Abraham, but I wasn’t that lucky. And, my apartment wasn’t that big.
When I exited my bedroom, he was leaving the guest room, already dressed and showered.
“Morning,” I muttered.
“How did you sleep?” he asked softly, stepping closer, bringing with him that clean, manly scent that drove me crazy.
I retreated, back pressed against my bedroom door. “Like a baby,” I squeaked. He stopped a few inches away, and I looked down at our feet. Taking a deep breath, I said, “Thanks for coming in last night.” I squeezed my eyes closed. “And, for helping me get back to sleep.”
Why couldn’t he be a late sleeper?
He leaned closer and tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear. I fought off a shiver as his calloused finger skimmed along the edge of my jaw. “Anytime.” His deep voice reverberated through my chest, making my heart pound faster.
I took a deep breath and braved a peek up at him. He was so close, dark blue eyes so deep, they were bottomless. My breath caught in my lungs as his face drifted closer.
“Elizabeth! If you’re not up you’re gonna’ be late,” Evey called from the kitchen.
We broke apart, and I took a deep breath of the suddenly plentiful air.
Thank god for Evey.
“She’s right,” I said to my feet. “I need to get going, I’m running late.”
I didn’t give him a chance to respond, maneuvering past him and into the kitchen. I don’t know where he went after that, but I scarfed down a couple waffles, and left for work.
Despite my best efforts, thoughts of Abraham occupied most of my morning. I blamed it on lack of sleep. But, what straight, red-blooded woman could forget something like Abraham McCoy shirtless in their room in the middle of the night? Not this one that’s for sure.
I was busy all morning, and after lunch, had a meeting with a potential client. Now that I was a senior associate, I was able to have more choice about who I represented. Not that it mattered lately, anyway. The job I’d bled, sweat, and cried over was less important by the day. I still loved law, but I was feeling unfulfilled. Restless.
The walls of my office felt more like a cell, and I found myself counting down the minutes until I could leave. A week ago, I wouldn’t have even looked at a clock until the sun went down. Only knowing it was time to leave when the cleaning crew showed up after hours.
“Ms. Montgomery?”
The voice snapped me out of my musings, and I looked up to find the client, a middle-aged man with too much gel in his light-colored hair looking at me.
Damn, I must have missed something.
I cleared my throat, straightened my spine, and slapped the fake smile on my face. “Sorry, could you repeat that?”
“I asked if YOU’D GONE OVER THE DOCUMENTS I SENT YOU YESTERDAY.”
Why was he screaming?
I fell backward in my chair.
“MS. MONTGOMERY? IS EVERYTHING ALL RIGHT?”
His voice sounded amplified, like he had a microphone on stage, and I was standing next to the subwoofer.
“Why are you yelling?” I whispered, hands over my ears.
His thick brows drew together over confused eyes. “I’M NOT YELLING, ARE YOU FEELING ALL RIGHT?”
He was still screaming. Or at least that’s how it sounded. With my hands still plastered to my ears, I clumsily climbed to my feet.
“MS. MONTGOMERY, WHERE ARE YOU GOING?”
I was halfway to the door already. “Sorry, I’m not feeling well. I’ll have to catch up with you later.” With that, I yanked the door open, and sprinted down the hall to the elevators.
Thankfully, the hallway was vacant, and I felt safe enough to expose my ears again.
What the hell is happening to me?
I frantically pressed the elevator call button and sighed in relief when the doors opened. The reprieve was short lived, however.
“RYAN, I TOLD YOU, LOGAN’S LITTLE LEAGUE TEAM IS IN THE PLAYOFFS, AND THE FINAL GAME IS THIS FRIDAY. YOU PROMISED YOU’D BE THERE AND YOU BETTER MAKE IT.”
I clapped my hands over my ears again, eliciting a nasty look from the woman on the phone. Ignoring her, I pressed the button for my floor, and tried to stand as far away from her as possible.
“I DON’T CARE ABOUT WHAT YOUR LITTLE GIRLFRIEND HAS PLANNED FOR THIS WEEKEND. HE’S YOUR SON, AND YOU NEED TO BE AT THAT GAME. I HAVE CLIENTS I NEED TO SEE ALL DAY ON FRIDAY, AND CAN’T BE THERE.”
I found that stuffing my fingers in my ears drowned out the sound better than just covering them, and that’s how I rode to my floor. When the elevator doors finally opened, I got out as fast as I’d gotten in.
Unfortunately, this floor wasn’t as quiet as the last.
“AFTERNOON MONTGOMERY,” John Walsh called from across the hall.
I gave him a weak smile and hurried away. Luckily I didn’t run into any other chatty colleagues before I made it to my office. Once there, I shut and locked the door, sagging against it in relief.
What the hell is happening? Was this some sort of werewolf-y thing?
Slowly, the quiet of my office slipped away, and in its place, multiple voices and conversations filled the air. One on top of the other until it sounded like I was in a room full of people.
I ran to my desk and grabbed my cell phone. Without thinking, I called the first person that came to mind.
“Hello?” His voice blared through the speaker, and I winced, pulling the phone away from my face and setting it on the desk.
“Abraham?” I whispered.
“Elizabeth? What’s the matter?”
“It’s so loud.”
Banging and slamming doors could be heard clearly through the line.
“I’m putting my shoes on now, and I’ll be right there.” His voice was softer, and I silently thanked him for that. “Where are you?”
“My office. Fourth floor, number twelve.”
“I’ll be there in ten.”
“But it’s more than fifteen minutes away,” I argued.
“I’ll be there in ten,” he promised. “Do you want me to stay on the phone with you?”
“No, you’re too loud.”
His laugh barked through the phone, and I glared at it.
“Sorry, sorry,” he responded quietly although I could still hear the smile in his voice. “I’ll be there soon. Just stay put.”