(Mis)fortune (26 page)

I watched him swallow and take a drink from his soda, wondering at his reaction.

“No,” he said.  Then, he took another bite still watching me.  His look, so intense and focused, made me a little uneasy and very confused.

“Okay.  I didn’t know you had a preference.”  I got up and moved to the other bed.  This time I didn’t look at him but reached for the remote and turned on the television.

He moodily dropped his burger on his plate.  “I don’t want to sleep apart from you.”

I almost laughed aloud.  So that’s what this was about?  Remembering his mother’s words, I primly set down my own burger and walked over to him.  Leaning in, I pressed a quick kiss to the tip of his nose as he’d once done to me.

“Too bad.”

Before he had time to react, I walked back to my plate.  “Eat your burger, Emmitt.”

It was hard, but I finished my burger while watching television.  He remained quiet, eating his own meal.  I could feel his steady scrutiny the entire time.

When he finished the burger, he ate both of our fries and the side order of onion rings.  I didn’t know how he had the room.  He hesitated when he finished, looking slightly frustrated, but then walked over by me and politely asked if I had finished, too.  I handed him my plate, and he stacked it on the tray before placing everything outside the door.

I felt like I’d started a fight when he quietly closed himself in the bathroom.

I brushed my teeth then crawled into my acquired bed.  The room was a comfortable temperature and the pillow soft.  I didn’t think I’d stay awake long enough to hear back from Grey and Carlos.

Mentally exhausted, I fell asleep before Emmitt came out of the bathroom.

*    *    *    *

The next morning, I knew I wasn’t in bed alone.  His breath tickled the top of my head, and his arm lay casually draped over my waist.  Slowly, I opened my eyes.  Curled on my side, I lay facing him.  He slept, his eyes closed and face relaxed.  He’d made a gesture toward compromise and laid on top the covers.  Since I’d said no to sharing a bed, I wasn’t sure it was much of a compromise.

Shifting slightly to get comfortable, I paused when I felt the edge of the mattress under me.  How was that possible?  I lifted my head to look..  He’d moved the other bed, pushing it up against mine.  Technically, he wasn’t sleeping in the same bed as me.

I studied him again, amazed.  His dark lashes fanned his cheeks, making him completely irresistible.  Irresistible and mine, I thought with a smile.  Mine.  His clarification of how he felt about me rang in my head.  He’d known I was the one for him when he first saw me well over a month ago.  His complete certainty awed me.  As did his patience.  I frowned suddenly.  He’d waited a month for a first date, a date with no first kiss.  Why hadn’t he kissed me yet?  A kiss to the tip of my nose didn’t count.

Looking at his peaceful face, I wondered what it’d be like to really kiss Emmitt.  My stomach did a quick flip, and a flush consumed my face.  I decided it was time to get out of bed before I woke him up.

I snuck to the bathroom and quietly closed the door.  I couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d done after I’d fallen asleep.  He’d moved not only the bed but also the small end table, which had been between the beds, and a lamp.  He’d relocated everything, neatly arranging it all on the side of the room near the window.  So much effort just to be next to me.

What was wrong with me?  I feared starting the relationship I really wanted with Emmitt because of the looming danger of Blake.  With Emmitt, I was happy and peaceful.  Why was I letting Blake stand between us?

I crept from the bathroom and quickly brushed my teeth, trying not to wake him.  In the mirror, I saw the covers on the opposite bed lay in disarray with the sheet trailing onto the floor.  The pillows lay in a pile near the head of the bed.  A few had signs of being squashed.  He’d tried to do as I’d asked.

Though I tried to deny it, I wanted to be near him, too.  Always.

I quietly rinsed then crawled back into bed, easing onto my side to face him.  I lightly ran my fingers over his hair.  It already needed a trim.  He looked a bit like a porcupine.  I focused my attention on the stubble on his face.  He shaved each morning, but by evening, it grew out again.

While I was tracing his jaw with my fingers, he opened his eyes.

“Good morning,” I whispered, removing my hand.

He caught it and brought it to his mouth, placing a kiss on my palm.  A surge of heat spread through me.  His pupils dilated and his irises grew slightly, a sign of a partial shift.

With thoughts of kissing still drifting in my mind, my gaze shifted to his lips.  Why did Emmitt need to be the one to kiss me?

He kissed my palm again then released my hand, running his fingers through my hair.

I hesitantly touched his chest.  Could I lead?  His heart thumped under my fingertips.  I leaned in slowly.

The fingers in my hair twitched when I stopped just inches from his face.  He didn’t move, but his eyes begged me to close the gap.  Gathering my courage, I lightly brushed my lips against his.

Tiny explosions started in my stomach, sending out waves of warmth through the rest of me.  He groaned.  I pressed closer, absorbing the feel of his firm lips.  My insides began melting with the heat the kiss created.  It distracted me so much that I, at first, didn’t notice the bed shaking.  This time, it wasn’t due to laughter on his part.

Reluctantly, I pulled back and looked into his eyes.  What I found there humbled me.  The dark blue irises were almost lost to his pupils.  Very little white remained.

“Thank you for trying last night,” I said softly.

He reached up, gently touching my jaw.  My skin tingled.  I really wanted to kiss him again, but I could see his effort to control the slight tremors running through him.  I didn’t think kissing would help.  He disagreed.

He skimmed his hand around to the back of my neck and pulled me close for another kiss.  Our lips brushed lightly, and I couldn’t help my smile.  I nudged him so he lay on his back and moved closer to him.  Not fast enough to suit him, however.  He lifted me, moving me so I half-lay on his chest, an arm on each side of him.  My heart stuttered and another explosion of heat went off inside me.

A low rumble echoed in his chest.  Not a growl really, it was more a satisfied purr.  I studied him for a moment to make sure he was okay with the situation before slowly leaning forward again.  He lifted his head slightly, his smooth lips meeting mine.  Possessed, I lightly nipped his bottom lip.

The tremors grew worse.  The bed was going to shake apart.  I reluctantly pulled back.  His teeth had elongated, reshaping his lips.  Any hint of white in his eyes had disappeared beyond his expanded irises.

“Maybe, I had better stop,” I said more to myself than him.  I really didn’t want to, but...

In a flash, I lay on my back while he leaned over me, his arms caging me in.

“No.”

At least, I thought the growl had a hint of no in it.  He tried clearing his throat and speaking again, but it was still more growl than human.  Giving up on communication, he lowered his head, his intent clear.

“If you change into your fur, we’re done,” I said a moment before he claimed my lips.

His kiss was hot and thorough, sweeping me from the hotel room to a magical place in my mind where only the two of us existed.  I had no concept of time, but when he pulled away, I was gasping for air, stunned by the intensity of emotions running through me.

He held still, watching me as he shook violently.  I wanted to pull him back down despite his obvious struggle for control.  It took several long moments before my breathing slowed from ragged gasps.

I could now comprehend how I’d be able to bite him.  From that single kiss, I already had a slight urge to nip at his neck.  A good make-out session and it’d be done.  I needed to be careful when I kissed him.  And there was no doubt; I would be kissing him again.  Soon.

His pupils dilated further as he leaned in to nuzzle my neck.  I shivered as he inhaled deeply.  I wished we were staying in this hotel for fun instead of Blake.  It’d be easy to let go then.  When he inhaled again, lapping my neck, my insides started to liquefy, and I forced myself to push lightly against his chest.

“We need to stop.”  It came out sounding breathless.  When he didn’t stop, I took a deep, calming breath and tried again.  “Emmitt, please stop.”

Grudgingly, he pulled away; and, instead of facing me, he rolled to sit on the edge of the bed, quickly averting his face.  Wondering if he was angry, I reached for his arm, catching him before he left the bed.  He stilled when I touched him, but he didn’t face me.  Tremors continued to wrack his body.

“Are you mad?”

He shook his head in response but remained silent.

“This thing between you and me, it’s definitely right.  I don’t doubt it.  I just don’t want to get so involved that we forget why we’re here.  Once I deal with my past, I can focus on our future.”

He turned to me, a wild light burning in his eyes.  “As long as it takes, I’ll wait.  I’m not going anywhere.”

His voice was guttural, devolved due to the partial change.  A light fur covered his arms, and the tips of his ears were no longer rounded.  Even with fur, he made my stomach churn in a good way.

I hugged him hard.  I was lucky to have him.  He didn’t show fear.  He showed me how to be strong, how to have fun.  He was exactly who I needed.  As soon as I thought that, I slipped into my vision world.  Not the white master room, but the single feature version.

I stood near the bar in a dimly lit, crowded club.  Had I really been there, the press of bodies would have crushed me.  Music dominated the air, thumping out a loud, aggressive beat.  Colored lights shifted back and forth over the writhing mass on the dance floor, making it hard to see any one person for more than a second.

The flashing exit sign above the entrance caught my eye just in time to see a woman walk in.  She was tall and trim with curly, bright red hair, pale skin, and a smattering of dark freckles.  Her green eyes shimmered in the multi-colored light.  She was stunning, and she was pissed.

She stalked into the club, roughly pushing her way through the bodies to get to the bar.  As she passed the other patrons, they stopped moving and turned to stare at her.  I initially thought she was going to get her ass kicked for pushing her way through the crowd.  Instead of looking angry, the people she’d shoved out of the way looked serene.  Their serenity seemed to make the woman even angrier.

“Another vision?” Emmitt asked pulling away from me and stopping the scene. He looked and sounded calmer.

“Yeah.  There’s an angry redhead out there somewhere who I wouldn’t want to run into.  I just wish I knew what I was supposed to do with this information.”

“We’ll figure it out.”  His stomach grumbled loudly.

“Go shower,” I said, “and then let’s get something to eat.”

I smiled at his disgruntled expression and knew he’d rather stay in bed.  But kissing Emmitt was intense, and I wasn’t ready for another round.  I had been serious about losing focus.  We couldn’t afford that.

He reluctantly agreed, and I enjoyed the solitude as I dressed and thought about my visions.

So far, the visions were all about women.  The first one had a werewolf in it and a girl Elder Sam identified as Gabby.  The second girl had to be related to werewolves as well since the man on the phone had been talking to someone named Gabby.  I didn’t think it a coincidence.  And, though this last vision didn’t have any sign of werewolves, without a doubt, the girl had powers.  The people she’d passed seemed as if she’d put them in a trance.

Three visions of different women.  In each vision, I’d felt a sense of recognition as if I should somehow know the woman.  Charlene had a gift like me.  And the third girl appeared gifted.  Could the recognition be because we all shared that tie?  If so, how many of us were out there?

Based on the vast majority of images in the white room, I wasn’t done having premonitions.  I just wished I knew how to control them so I could get some better answers.

Emmitt strolled out of the bathroom damp and looking good in his jeans.  My stomach summersaulted it’s version of a happy clap.  His bare chest glistened in the vanity light.  Muscles rippled as he walked.  The need for food had me averting my eyes.  I didn’t want him to catch me enjoying the view and start something again.

“Did you hear from Grey?” I asked as he pulled a shirt on.

“They got back late with the things you wanted.  Everything’s in their room.  They left early again to watch the house.  We’ll hear from them later.”

We walked to the restaurant from the night before and had an enjoyable breakfast.  We took our time, talking about ourselves and our plans for the future.

I pointed out both of us were jobless and asked if we wanted to stay that way.

“My father sent Jim and me to Montana to establish another branch of the pack,” he explained.

I watched in amusement as he forked in a large bite of syrup covered-pancakes and waited for him to continue.

“When the apartments are all finished, I’ll need to find something to do.  But something from home.”  He met my eyes.  “I don’t want to go far.”