Chapter 9 #2
I was going to check and see if there was any news on me going missing. At this point, I had no idea how to even get back in touch with Ronnie or the band. It wasn’t like I had their numbers to call or anything. And it didn’t look like I was going to find out any news here.
It was still too soon to tell if walking away from my life was the best or the worst thing I’d ever done. It was definitely the craziest, that was for certain.
And if I hadn’t, would I have ever met Cruz?
He still made me nervous, but I thought that was probably my own insecurities about what I always thought a true mate meant.
So far, he’d been a perfect gentleman. He hadn’t tried to make a move on me or anything. And after our talk about the sleeping arrangements, I really didn’t think he had meant to cuddle me through the night. I guess it just happened.
Was I okay with that?
I wanted to say, “No.” But if I was being honest, it wasn’t so bad.
Since the moment I met Cruz, he made me feel safe.
In truth, that was probably why he made me so nervous. I shouldn’t feel comfortable alone with a man I didn’t know, but I did. That bothered me more than anything.
Cruz was banging around in the kitchen still, so I continued my look around, but that was about all I found in the house.
The living room, the kitchen, I assumed since he was in there cooking, were the only places that were furnished aside from the bedroom we slept in.
The rest of the first floor was as empty as upstairs.
It made me wonder why he had such a big house to begin with. He’d said it was what he’d been given, and it was clear to see he loved the views. But this was too much.
This house needed so much more.
My mind immediately went to all the things I would do if I lived here. It was a nice thought, but I knew it could never be. This may be an impulsive break from my life, but eventually I would have to go back to my real life.
Cruz walked in and came to a halt when he saw me sitting on his couch.
My mouth started to water, and I wasn’t sure if it was from the delicious smell wafting off the plates in his hands or the fact that he was still in nothing but a pair of shorts.
Don’t look. Do not look, I reminded myself.
He smiled, and I started to swoon like the heroine in some romance novel I read once. But when he went to hand me one of the plates, I jerked away. I awkwardly apologized and finally took the plate.
When he sat next to me, I moved away under the guise of needing the arm of the couch to set my plate on. In truth, I was terrified of the feelings circulating within me every time he got close to me.
“Snow’s still falling outside.”
“I saw that. How much do you think we got?”
“Not sure, but we can go measure it after breakfast.”
“How do you do that?”
“Simple. I have a measuring stick.”
I snorted. “Of course you do. So what happens to Clementine and the other animals at the barn in this sort of weather?”
“It’s all handled. There are people staying there to watch over them.”
“Would that normally be your job?”
He shrugged. “If I choose it.”
“Which you usually do?”
He grinned and nodded. “Which I usually do.”
After breakfast, we bundled up in extra clothes and ventured outside.
I could hear the squeal of children playing nearby.
Big snowflakes were still falling, and the air was crisp. I loved it though.
Holding my arms up in the air, I twirled until I fell over, landing in a soft pile of snow.
“So, how deep is it?” I asked.
“Just over two feet and counting.”
“Wow, that’s a lot of snow.”
I’d never seen snow like this before. It was the stuff childhood dreams were made of.
“Cruz, come join us!” a boy yelled.
“Friend of yours?” I asked.
“You could say that. They’re sledding. Want to join them?”
“I would love that,” I admitted.
He pulled a ski mask from his pocket and covered me with it. I knew there was no way for him to know how much it meant to me. No one would recognize me this way, and I could actually enjoy this new adventure, something I’d never been afforded before.
Back home we occasionally got a bit of snow, but I couldn’t remember it being anything like this before.
Cruz grabbed my gloved hand and pulled me to my feet. We sort of ran, kind of walked our way to where the boy was sledding with a bunch of others.
“Whose idea was this?” Cruz asked.
“Mine,” the boy said.
“I should have known, Hunter. Where are your parents?”
The kid pointed down the hill and Cruz laughed. “Sounds right.”
“Who’s this?” the boy asked him.
“This is Daisy.”
“Is she yours?” he surprised me by asking.
Cruz grinned proudly and without hesitation he said, “Yes, she is.”
My whole body warmed all over despite the cold.
“Dad, you didn’t tell me Cruz has a mate,” Hunter called to the man and woman that had waved from the bottom of the hill only a few moments ago.
“What? Cruz has a mate?” the woman said. “What the hell is he talking about?”
My mate groaned. “Sydney, this is Daisy. Honey, this is Sydney and her mate, Luke. Luke is the Pack Beta and previously he was my Alpha, but most importantly they are my very good friends.”
“Friends?” Sydney questioned. “We’re family and don’t you forget it.”
A baby cried from somewhere and I couldn’t help but look around. Who would bring a baby out in this weather?
Luke fished something out of his pocket and passed it to Sydney.
“Looks like Gemma is awake. That’s my call back to mommy duty. We will be talking very soon, Daisy. I promise you that.”
“Uh, okay. Nice to meet you.”
I really wasn’t sure if she was threatening me or just being overly friendly. I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.
“It’s nice to meet you, Daisy. I’m assuming this is the mysterious woman that returned with you from the range? Everyone’s talking about it.”
I groaned.
Cruz chuckled. “You heard about the shit incident, huh?”
“I’m not even sure you’d left the parking lot before my phone blew up.”
I covered my face with my hands, wanting to bury myself in the snow. For a girl who loved being in the spotlight, I was wishing for invisibility now.
“I’m known as the shit girl, aren’t I?”
“It’s not that bad. I think it was just very clear you aren’t from around here,” Luke said, and I could tell he was a fantastic Beta by his carefully crafted response.
“Ya think?” I admitted.
“I think we’re all just very curious how you ended up out there all alone like that.”
“It’s a long story,” I said, trying to diffuse the situation.
Cruz must have noticed my discomfort because he interceded, claiming a sudden need for sledding.
“I don’t know how to sled,” I confessed when we walked away from Luke.
“What? You’ve never been sledding?”
“Nope.”
“Truth be told, until I moved here, I had never been either. It’s fun though. Just follow me.”
He grabbed a sled from a pile of them at the top of the hill.
The kids were snatching them up faster than I could. Cruz didn’t seem to mind it though. He guided me over and set his down. From this angle, the hill looked steep and long.
“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”
“Oh no you don’t. Come on.”
He sat down first and then tugged me down in front of him.
“Trust me?” he asked.
“In theory,” I squeaked.
“Keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times. I heard that on a movie once.”
Using his feet and hands, he got us moving. Then, as we picked up speed, he wrapped himself around me.
I squealed with delight as we flew through the snow. With the wind in my hair and my heart racing, it was as enthralling as running in my fur.
As we reached the bottom, he tried to stop with his feet but we somehow both fell to the side, tipping the sled over as we rolled off and into the snow. Cruz held me to him until I came to a stop, laughing all the way.
When I looked up, he was hovering over me, and for a second I thought I was about to be kissed.
Turned out I had no idea what I was talking about because before things got too weird, he jumped up and pulled me along with him. We hiked up the hill, dragging the sled behind us, and did it again and again. Over and over we continued until my stomach growled in protest.
“How long have we been out here?” I finally asked.
He pulled back his sleeve and checked his watch. “It’s nearly one o’clock in the afternoon. We should probably head in for lunch.”
“Good idea. I’m starving.”
We waved goodbye to a few people and walked back to his house. Once inside, it became very warm very quickly. Without even thinking about it, I started stripping off the layers of clothes he’d packed me in.
“It’s hot in here,” I whined.
It wasn’t until I was in one of his T-shirts and my panties that I finally felt like I could breathe again. That’s when I realized Cruz was staring at me, watching as I stripped.
I was accustomed to people staring at me, but not like that.
I blushed and looked away.
“Um, lunch?” I asked.
His eyes seemed to glow, and he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
“Lunch. Yeah. Okay.”
I was affecting him, and it made me feel oddly powerful.
*****
The snow finally let up the next day.
In the meantime, Cruz began teaching me some basic cooking skills. I was terrible at it. And we spent quite a bit of time out in the snow.
When I started getting antsy, he suggested we shift and go for a run in our fur. I didn’t think I could do it, especially knowing so many people were nearby. He assured me it was all shifters and kept pressing me to do it until I finally caved.
Running through the snow in my fur was the greatest thing I’d ever done in my life. Plus, I got to see his gorgeous gray wolf.
As we ran, his wolf kept knocking into mine. He was also constantly rubbing up against me. It was then that I realized that while the man had shown no true interest in me despite acknowledging me as his mate, his wolf took every advantage to mark me with his scent.
And by the time the day came to an end, I was so exhausted that I climbed into bed and passed out.
But the next morning, things felt like they were starting to change.
I woke up in Cruz’s arms once more, only this time, I was the one using him as my personal body pillow. I wasn’t disoriented or confused when I opened my eyes. Actually, I smelled him before I saw him. That smell instantly made me relax and feel safe.
But when we were in the kitchen preparing breakfast together, and his arm brushed against mine, I instinctively jumped away. I couldn’t help myself.
And still after that, I found myself in unchartered water when I was looking for something clean in his closet and he walked in not knowing I was there. I’d been startled, tripping over a pair of shoes and fell into his arms.
I looked up into his eyes and for a moment we just stared at each other. Wolf shifters didn’t do that. To hold someone’s stare like that was equivalent to issuing them a challenge.
My heart raced. I wasn’t sure how it wasn’t beating out of my chest. Everything around us just sort of faded away until it was just me and him.
His breathing was a little ragged, and I wasn’t even sure I was still breathing as his head dipped closer to mine and our lips touched. It was so light that I wasn’t even sure it could be called a kiss, but it was just enough for me to freak out and my fight or flight instincts kicked in.
My head whipped to the side so his full kiss landed on my cheek, but in the process, I slammed my head into his.
He let go, and I fell to the floor as he stumbled backwards in surprise.
“Shit,” I heard him mutter.
I grabbed the first shirt I saw, clutched it to my chest, jumped up, and ran out.
“I’m going to take a quick shower,” I blurted out.
Like a chicken, I locked myself in the bathroom and hid there until I heard his footsteps descending the stairs.
As I looked into the mirror, I reached up and touched my lips.
I didn’t imagine it. He was trying to kiss me, and I was pretty sure I wanted him too.
The sooner we could get out of this house, the better off I’d be. Because if I stayed here much longer, I wasn’t sure I’d ever want to leave.