Abraxas Chapter 3
“Have I been drinking? Yes. No, I’m not drunk. To answer your question about what has gotten into me, it’s simple. You have,” I told her.
She blinked at me. “What in the world does that even mean?”
“Let’s not stand here where everyone and their brother can hear us. Come sit with me in my truck so we can talk.”
She hesitated. I thought she was about to turn me down when she shrugged and nodded, “Okay, show me the way.”
I hustled her across the parking lot to my truck, which was parked along the edge of the lot. I unlocked it and then opened the passenger door. I held her hand and fought not to pick her up and lift her in myself, but I figured it would piss her off if I did, so I hung back. When she was seated, I closed her door and rounded my Chevrolet Colorado. Hopping in the driver’s side, I shut my door and turned it on to get the air conditioning going. It was still hot and sitting at around ninety degrees. Needles was well over a hundred degrees during the day in the summer. The one good thing was it had relatively low humidity due to being part of the Mojave Desert. Thankfully, we were situated on the western banks of the Colorado River. The river gave us ways to cool off.
“We’re in your truck. Now, explain what you meant by saying I’ve gotten into you?”
I knew I was taking a massive leap by confessing my interest in her. But I didn’t see any other choice. I’d fought this long enough. Royal and Nico were right. The chances of me ever meeting an unmated wolf compatible with me were slim. The chances of finding my one true mate were even slimmer, if not nonexistent. Spending the rest of my life searching for such an elusive possibility was stupid. If given the uncertainty of finding a wolf mate or having something with Cerys, I had to choose the latter.
“I mean, I’ve been fighting this unbelievable attraction to you since we met six months ago. I’ve tried to stay away, but it keeps growing. I believe you’re not uninterested in me.”
She sat there, not saying anything for a few moments, as she stared at me in what I thought was disbelief. Finally, she spoke.
“I, uhm, you…” then she stopped.
“If I’m wrong, just tell me, and I’ll never bother you again.”
“Are you sure you’re interested in me?” she asked.
I chuckled. “Yeah, I’m sure. Why?” I found her almost shyness cute.
“Because you’re you, and I’m me,” she squeaked.
“What does that mean?”
“Look at you. Don’t tell me you have trouble finding women, Deputy Christou. I’d bet money you could have any woman you wanted. Besides, I don’t want what you want.”
First, I had to get her to stop the Deputy Christou shit. Then, I’d address what she said and get more details about what I wanted that she didn’t.
“Cerys, I think we’ve known each other long enough. You can drop the Deputy Christou bit. My name is Abraxas. My friends call me Brax. I’d like it if you did too. First, I never said I had trouble getting women. Second, what is it you want that I don’t?”
“You know,” she prompted as she squirmed. I hiked up my eyebrow and waited. She sighed. “Fine, make me say it, why don’t you? You’re after sex. I’m not. Or at least that’s not all I want. Women are different from men. I know that. And even if I were only interested in it, something tells me we’re vastly miles apart in experiences.”
She panicked as I gazed at her, trying to organize my words. The next thing I knew, she grabbed the door handle and hastily muttered, “I’ve got to go.”
I reached across the seat, snagged her, and tugged her to me. Without a word, I gripped the back of her head and brought her mouth to mine. I let her feel the heat. I swear, when our lips met, something inside me clicked into place. I’d never experienced it before. I hungrily consumed her mouth. She hesitated for a few seconds, then kissed me back.
As her lips parted, I went after her tongue. I curled mine around hers and drew it into my mouth so I could suck on it. My cock throbbed in my jeans. My wolf was going wild inside me.
Take her. Make her ours. Breed her.
I can’t. She’s skittish. We’ve got to be smart. And there’ll be no breeding her. She’s not one of our kind, I reminded him. The thought of filling her with my seed and planting a pup in her belly rather than turning me off or scaring me made me more ravenous for her.
Needing her closer, I hauled her as gently as possible onto my lap. She was straddling me. She was making the sweetest little whimpering and moaning sounds. I let go of her tongue to nibble on her bottom lip, then suck on it. As I did, I pressed her down on my aching cock. I groaned at the feel of her rubbing over me. Her hips jerked, then jerked again.
Christ, I had to stop before I either jizzed in my jeans or tore off her shorts and buried myself inside her hot snatch. Something told me she’d be beyond tight and fucking unbelievably wet and hot. Reluctantly, I tore my mouth away. We needed to talk more. I placed my forehead to hers and peered into her eyes as we panted.
“I do want to have sex with you, but that’s not all I want, Cerys. I’ve never desired a woman like I do you, which is saying a helluva lot. I want to pursue this and see where it takes us. I know it won’t just be sex. I won’t fuck you a few times and then walk.”
Her eyes widened at me saying the word fuck. She’d have to get used to my bluntness and foul language. I’d been speaking this way too long to change it now. I kept going.
“I can guarantee we have differences in our experiences, but they don’t matter to me. There’s nothing I’d love more than to show you what you don’t know.”
I tried to keep the growl out of my voice. It was caused by the thought of anyone else ever having been inside of her. I wanted to find whoever had been and tear out their throats. I forced my thoughts away from that urge. My wolf, however, was all for the idea.
She blinked, then softly asked, “Are you positive that’s what you want, Brax? Please, don’t say it is if you have a single doubt. It would be one thing for us to try dating and fail. But to say you want to and not totally mean it would be worse. Plus, I’m new here. I can’t risk getting a reputation as someone men can sleep with. I know what people call women who sleep with cops. I’m not a badge bunny,” she warned.
I laughed, which made her glare at me. I hurried to explain. “I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing at the thought anyone could ever think you’re one of those. How many men, especially first responders, have you met in the ER since you moved here?”
“A lot, why?”
“And how many have you dated, let alone slept with?” I wished I hadn’t asked as soon as it left my mouth.
“None.”
Relief filled me. I’d hate to kill someone I knew and liked. “Then there’s no way anyone would believe you’re a badge bunny. So, have I dispelled your anxiety? If not, keep going. I want you to be utterly comfortable with this.”
She bit her lip, and then a slow smile spread. “I think I might need another kiss to be sure,” she whispered.
By the time we parted a second time, I knew if she didn’t say yes, I’d do the primitive thing and carry her off. “Is that a yes?” I asked hoarsely.
She nodded. As much as I wanted to continue, I knew I needed to get her home. I eased her into her seat, then reached across to grab and latch her seatbelt. She gave me a puzzled look. I put my vehicle in gear and backed out of my parking spot.
“Don’t look at me that way. I’m only so strong. I need to get you home before I forget to be a gentleman. However, I know I won’t be able to wait long to see you again. Tell me when we can go out on our first official date. This doesn’t count.”
After dropping Cerys off Friday night and getting one more kiss for the road, I went home for a long run. Since then, I’ve been counting the hours until our date. I got her to agree to go out with me on Sunday. As I pulled up to her place, I hoped I hadn’t made a mistake with what I had planned and our mode of transportation. I hadn’t asked her if she’d be willing to or not. All I told her was to wear jeans and boots. She’d given me a weird look but didn’t say anything. She probably thought I was crazy in the dead of summer to tell her that.
When I came rolling up, her neighborhood was relatively quiet. I killed the peacefulness of it. At least it wasn’t six in the morning, and I was waking everyone up on a Sunday. I killed my motor and got off my bike. Nothing was as freeing as running in my animal form, but riding a motorcycle came in a close second. The feel of the wind against my skin and in my hair, the scents in the air, and the rumble made me feel alive.
I removed my helmet. I hated to wear one, but as the law, I had to set an example. I wore the one with the least amount of material allowed. I went yesterday and picked her up one. I was pretty sure it would fit. As I walked up to her door, it swung open. Only it wasn’t Cerys standing there. It was her grandmother.
Everyone in Needles knew Twyla Morgan. She was a local welcome wagon. I’d known her since I first got stationed here. It wasn’t long after that I moved here, and so did my friends. We had no idea the secrets Needles contained until then. When we discovered them, we were all for the move. I’d been a raw deputy with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s office, and as such, they thought it was hazing to post me out here. Newbies always get undesirable assignments. The joke was on them. This was the perfect place for me.
I smiled back. “Morning, Twyla, you’re looking good.”
She’d long ago admonished me and anyone else she liked about calling her Mrs. Morgan. She said it made her sound old with a stick up her ass. She was a riot. Twyla spread her arms. “Of course I am. Boy, get your ass over here and give me a hug.”
I wanted to laugh. Whenever she called me a boy, I wondered what she’d say if I told her my actual age. I encircled her, making sure not to squeeze too hard, then placed a kiss on her cheek. She gave me one in return. As we parted, she gave me a stern look.
“I have a bone to pick with you, Abraxas Christou.”
“What did I do?” I asked, holding up my hands. Was she about to chew me out for daring to think I was taking her granddaughter on my bike?
“What took your fine ass so long to make a move on my granddaughter? You’ve liked her for a while, haven’t you? I know she’s been into you for ages. I tried to tell her to chase you down, but she’s shy. I blame it on my son and his stuck-up wife. They tried to kill the spontaneity in her. I want you to promise me two things.”
“I will if I can.”
“One, you’ll help her let loose and have fun. Two, you won’t hurt her. If you do, I’ll find a way to make you regret it, no matter how difficult it may be.” Her smile morphed into a look that promised retribution.
“Twyla, I can swear to you that I’ll do my best to make her feel free and experience joy. As for not hurting her, I’ll do my damndest not to do that either. It wouldn’t be done internationally.”
She studied me for several tense moments before nodding. “Okay, I’ll take it. Now, get yourself in here. She’s just finishing getting ready. The hospital called, trying to guilt her into coming to work, so she was on the phone for a while.”
Twyla moved back and waved me inside. As I stepped into the house, I took the door from her, closed it, and flipped the lock. Not wanting to track with my boots, yet also not wanting to take them off, I remained in the entryway.
“Don’t mind your boots. The floor is easy to mop if you track anything in. Come to the kitchen.” As I followed her, she asked over her shoulder, “Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, I’m good, but if you want something, go ahead.”
I took in the decor. It reminded me of her. Colorful and not conforming to rules. It was warm and soothing in an odd way. She pointed to a stool at the short island. I sat while she got into the fridge. She came out with a beer. I reached over, took it, and twisted off the cap. It wasn’t a twist-top one. She gave me a wink as she took it. “You do come in handy,” she said before taking a long swallow.
I winked back at her. She was chuckling when I heard the sound of footsteps coming toward us. I turned in the direction they were coming from. Twyla glanced that way, too. I knew she wasn’t able to hear what I could. I could hear at least a few miles away in my human form. In wolf form, six miles in the forest and up to ten in the open. I’d heard Cerys moving around in her room and muttering to herself. I had to keep from snorting when I heard her tell herself to calm the hell down. I was just a man.
She had a shy smile on her face when she entered the kitchen. I ate up the vision she made. She was dressed in jeans, boots, and a short-sleeved T-shirt. The shirt was a V-neck that barely hinted at the separation between her tits, but it was enough. Both her top and jeans molded to her body, showing it off perfectly. Without a thought, I got up, walked over to her, then took her into my arms. Her surprise turned to shock when I kissed her.
My arms wrapped around her to rest just above her ass. She was hesitant for a few seconds, then returned my kiss. I made sure to thoroughly kiss her before I let go. She was flushed pink and breathing a tad fast when I did. My pants were tight across my cock.
Twyla hooted, then clapped. “That’s what I call a kiss! Damn, you’ve got me sweating. You need to get out of here so I can call one of my men to help put out this fire,” she said.
Cerys groaned and cast her a censoring glance. “Twyla! Will you behave?”
“Why? Life’s too short for that. Besides, Brax knows me and my mouth. I’m not going to shock him. I’ve been trying for years, but it hasn’t happened yet. It’s about time you two got your asses in gear. Now, don’t take this wrong, but you need to get. Go have fun. I don’t want to see you for hours,” she warned us.
I grinned. “We can do that. I’ll have her home sometime tonight. You ready?” I asked Cerys.
“Yeah, all I need is to grab my purse. Twyla, behave yourself.”
“As if,” her grandma muttered.
“I’ll take care of her,” I promised Twyla.
I gently pushed Cerys toward the front entry. She went. Before we got to the door, she snagged a small purse off a nearby table. It would fit in the bags on my bike easily. Unlocking the door, we called out a goodbye, and then I led her out to the driveway. When she saw my bike, she didn’t seem fazed.
As we got to it, I opened one of the side bags, took out her helmet, and took her purse to stow it inside. I was about to see if she needed help to secure the helmet, but I noticed she had it on and was cinching it like a pro. That raised the question: Who had she been on a bike with? Thoughts of it being some random guy versus a family member made me tense. I quickly grabbed the other item I had for her. Despite the insane temperature, I didn’t want her to burn. I was confident my wolf would prevent us from having a terrible accident, so there was no need for it to protect her from that. He made my reflexes lightning-fast. I could jump free and take her with me if I couldn’t avoid one.
“Here, put this on. I should’ve told you to put on sunscreen,” I said.
“I did. I never leave home without it. If I did, I’d be the color of a lobster and in the ER as a patient, not a nurse. It’s a pain to have to do it. I wish I had skin like yours.” She ran a hand over my arm.
“Don’t ever wish this exquisite skin away. It’s like the sheen of a pearl,” I told her as I ran my hand up and down her bare arm. She shivered. My keen sense of smell scented her arousal. Jesus, we had to get out of here before I took her back inside, told Twyla to leave, and then took Cerys to bed and slaked my hunger.
Dropping my hand, I held open the light windbreaker. She slipped her arms into it, and then I zipped it up. Turning, I put on my helmet and then straddled my bike. I held out my hand for her to hold. She swung on without any awkwardness. I knew I shouldn’t ask, but I did anyway.
“You’ve ridden before, I see. Who with?” I forced myself to sound casual. With her pressed against me, I felt her stiffen.
“Just someone a long time ago. Let’s go. It’s been ages since I’ve been on a bike. Where are we going?” Her voice was tight, so I let it go.
“You’ll see. Hold on to me,” I said, firing up my engine. I walked the bike backward out of her driveway. As we took off, I saw a couple of her neighbors out in their yards staring at us.
I didn’t have a specific destination in mind. Instead, I planned to take a leisurely ride around the area and then stop to grab lunch. Afterward, we’d see if we rode longer or did something else. As long as I got to spend time with her, it didn’t matter.
We rode Needles Highway, Route 66, rather than Needles Interstate, I-40. It was way more scenic and enjoyable. We worked our way along the Colorado River, too. In town, I had to stick to the speed limits, but outside of them, I could let go. We were in a prime location. It took no time to be in California, Arizona, or Nevada. We rode for two hours before I took us to a favorite diner of mine. I was open to suggestions if she didn’t want to eat there. I didn’t know how much she’d gotten to explore since moving here.
When I stopped in the parking lot, she squeezed me. We were west of Needles. “I haven’t eaten here in years. I hope it’s still like I remember it,” she excitedly said as she got off.
That’s when I recalled someone saying Twyla had lived in Needles forever. “Did you often visit Twyla with your parents when you were a kid?”
She rolled her eyes. “With my parents, no. However, my dad, Twyla’s son, begrudgingly sent me to stay with her every summer. I think it was more to give him and Mom a break than he cared whether she or I wanted it. My dad is nothing like Twyla. Both my parents think she’s a flighty hippie. They wanted me to be nothing like her.”
Walking into the busy diner, I held off saying something or asking questions until after we were seated. “So they must hate that you live here.”
“Hate isn’t a strong enough word. Utter disgust and resentment mixed with loathing is a better description.”
As I questioned her about where she grew up, her life before coming here, and more, we put in our orders. I wasn’t the only one to ask. She did as well. I shared most of my past, just not my secret.
I felt guilty for not doing it. Generally, I didn’t care if I had to hide it from almost everyone. It was too dangerous for regular people to know that what they thought were fairy tales and myths were real. However, in Cerys’ case, it felt wrong. If we went the distance, she’d have to know at some point. I prayed it wouldn’t be something that she ended up unable to handle.
After eating, we rode for a while longer, and then I unwillingly returned her home. It was hard to part. We stood at the door. I got another drugging kiss before I had to go. “I’ll text you later. We’ll figure out something this week.”
“We will. I’m working Monday through Wednesday. That’s my regular schedule, although they call me to pick up shifts. They’re twelve hours, so I don’t have time unless it’s one of my days off.”
“No worries. Take care. See you soon,” I said softly before I tore myself away. It already ate at me to leave her and not be able to see her whenever I wanted, which, the way I was feeling, would be every day. God, I was in deep already.
As I rolled up to my house, I examined it. I lived outside of town, where there were no neighbors in sight. While I would love for more trees, there were lots of rolling hills, cacti, and a few agave plants. In the distance were granite mountains and red rock desert. With the distance a wolf could travel, I had plenty of places to run wild.
All of my friends and other families like ours were scattered around me. We tended to gravitate toward the less populated areas. I’d barely been home for ten minutes and was relaxing with a beer when I heard them coming. I put down my beer and waited. I sighed when their bikes stopped and shut off, knowing I was in for an interrogation.
A minute later, the door opened, and in strolled my friends. I saw it was all of them. Damn, had they been waiting for me? They gave me a chin lift as they went to the fridge and helped themselves to my beer. I didn’t say anything. It was the norm for us to do it to each other. I let them take the lead once they were seated in my living room. They were all staring intently at me. When I didn’t say anything, Nico broke the silence.
“Well, how did your first date go?” he asked.
“Is she dumping your ass yet?” was Banner’s question.
“Don’t make us rip it out of ya,” Royal barked.
“Are you seeing her again?” Keir asked.
“When?” was Fennick.
“Where did you go?” was Gunnar.
I sat there, silent as stone. They were about to burst when I answered them. “It went great. No, she’s not dumping me. And I’d like to see you try to rip it out of me. Hell yeah, I’m seeing her again. This week, after she’s off her three twelve-hour shifts. We rode Route 66 mainly.”
“See, was that so hard? Why couldn’t you just tell us without making us ask?” Nico groused.
“Because I like torturing you bastards,” I told them with a smirk. That earned me a bunch of middle fingers and cursing. We all laughed. I settled in to tell them some of the details but not all. They didn’t need to know how she affected me. That was between me and my wolf, for now.