Chapter 8 #2
I was still frozen in place when Chervin somehow managed to run over to retrieve the ball and return to his side in what seemed like milliseconds. “It’s all good, Bowen. Shake it off and loosen your stance. Okay, ready?”
Was I moving slower than usual? Were we in some kind of time warp? There was no way he moved as fast as my eyes seemed to have processed. I tried to do what he said as my brain fought to catch up.
Another serve and another clatter behind me before I could even blink. I know I hadn’t imagined that. Suddenly, Chervin appeared before me with the same ball in hand. He wore a disappointed smile. “Too much?”
“Sorry, it’s my first time.” As if that were answer enough for why I couldn’t even track the ball’s movement.
“I’ll slow it down a little. I’ve just been dying to try it without restraint, like the whole Twilight lightning ball thing.”
Lightning ball? The scene from the movie popped into my head where the vampire family played baseball in the storm to cover the sound of them playing at full strength.
Full strength? Chervin had said that. Did that mean…
was he something not human? My pulse quickened.
Could this be him? Could it be that easy?
“Hey, uh, question? Did you happen to be on the walking path last night?” I assessed the man whose build was lean and muscular.
He had blond hair held back by the sweatband, and it looked as if he wore black eyeliner under his eyes.
Nothing about the man matched up with the werewolf I’d seen, but did they carry any of their human features when they turned?
Chervin had superhuman strength and speed, which had to mean something.
My heart lodged itself in my throat as I waited for his answer. “The walking path? No, I don’t think so. I joined the Unity Pack Run last night. It was so liberating, and, gods, so fucking cool to run with such a diverse group.”
Pack run? What did that mean? Even as I questioned it, I thought of the mixed animal sounds and voices I’d heard from the woods the night before—multiple species running together.
And this man before me, who had super speed, said he ran with a pack last night.
Mixed emotions filled me with the realization that he was probably not human, but also probably not who I was looking for.
“You’re not a wolf, then?” I asked carefully, feeling foolish for even saying the words.
Chervin scoffed a laugh. “Gods no. I’m a cheetah, as I said earlier.”
“Cheetah, right.” He’d said cheetah, not cheater.
Like an actual cheetah? Somehow, there was a werewolf and a cheetah man on the same island.
What were the odds? My mind was a swirling tidal wave as I tried to process the information, and yet, now that I really looked at him, I could almost see some feline features.
A familiar growl sounded behind me, but before I could turn around, a strong arm wrapped around my stomach, and I was pulled against a hard chest.
“Mine.” The possessive snarl did something weird to me, even as I should protest being grabbed and held in a firm grip, but for some reason, I didn’t even try to fight him off.
The cheetah man on the court lifted both hands. “Sorry, man. We were just shooting the shit, no harm intended.”
I felt the chest behind me rise and fall as he huffed a loud breath. His nose was buried in my hair, making me want to melt into him. His low, rumbly voice sounded next to my ear. “Go!”
Somehow, I knew it wasn’t directed at me. Chervin clearly understood it, too. He gave a nod, but met my gaze with a questioning expression. “You okay with that, Bowen?”
Was I okay with being left alone with a strong brute who wouldn’t even let me speak to another man?
Aside from the fact that he was saving me from having to pretend to play pickleball or carry on a conversation, I couldn’t ignore the way he made me feel.
Heat rushed beneath my skin, and my heart raced as the unknown man—but known werewolf—held me.
Yeah, I was more than okay, which was probably a little fucked up, but here we were.
“Yeah, I’m good. Thanks, Chervin. Maybe I’ll see you around.”
“Sure. Maybe I’ll hit you up for a rematch.” The comment was met with a growl from over my shoulder, and the man’s face fell. “Maybe not.”
He gathered his things and left me standing there, locked in the embrace of a fierce mythological creature. A human nose—not a wolfish snout—buried against the side of my neck and inhaled deeply, making the heat in my body rush south.
I waited for him to say or do something… anything… but he didn’t. I coughed to clear my throat and forced myself to speak. “As nice as this is, maybe a proper introduction is in order.”
The man behind me stiffened and muttered, “Fuck.” His hold loosened, and I felt him pull away. Not just pull away but put distance between us, leaving my back feeling cold at the loss of his hard body against mine.
When I turned around, he was already walking away from me. No. Fuck that. He didn’t get to turn me into a puddle of goo with his possessiveness and then leave me. “Hey, wait!”
He waved his hand over his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I got carried away, I gotta go.”
I hurried after and grabbed his arm. “Hold on, I’ve been looking for you.”
That stopped him in his tracks. His head fell, and he breathed in a deep breath. “You have?”
The doubt and hope I heard in those two words damn near broke me. “Yes. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. Now, can you please turn around so I can actually see your face?”
I’d never worked this hard to talk to someone before because avoidance was my preferred method, but damn, I needed to know who this man was. It was the only thing that was keeping me from getting lost in nightmares.
Another deep exhale, and I could see his hands clench into fists. He turned around slowly, and I drew in a sharp breath as his face came into view. “It’s you!”
I recognized the shaggy black hair, short beard, and wide eyes. It was the man who’d been standing behind me in the lobby the first time I’d heard the growl. Only, I didn’t know it was coming from him; I’d been looking for an animal that was trying to get my attention.
The man towered over me, and he wore baggy clothes that hid the hard chest I’d felt at my back. He gave me a hesitant smile. “Are you… disappointed?”
The worry in those big eyes of his had me reaching out to squeeze his arm, which wasn’t a typical action for me.
I wasn’t really the touchy-feely type, at least not with people.
But there was something about him that made me want to reassure him.
Plus… he was a freaking werewolf, and I wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass me by.
“No! I’m not disappointed, just surprised, is all. You work here, right?”
He straightened, and I could see some of the worry fade. “Um, yeah. I’m the handyman.”
“Really?” A handyman who happened to be a werewolf on an island where there happened to be a cheetah guy. Weird fucking place.
“Yes. Well, I mean, I’m one of the founders of Creature Comforts, actually.” His cheeks blushed behind the black scruff as if he wasn’t used to boasting about himself. It was surprisingly endearing.
He was a founder? I had so many questions about that, but given how he seemed so uncomfortable already—which I understood to my core—I decided to let it go for now. “I’m Bowen.”
His eyes glowed for a moment, and I heard a rumble roll out of him. When he spoke, his voice was thick and deep. “I remember.”
It was almost as if the werewolf side was peeking through, and damn, if that didn’t make my dick take notice. He blinked hard, and when his eyes opened, they looked normal again. “Sorry. I’m having a hard time… controlling myself around you.”
I stared at him and bit my lip to stop myself from doing something completely irrational, like throwing myself at this man. There was something about hearing he couldn’t control himself that made me want to lose control, too. Which was very much not me.
“Okay. So you know my name, do I get to know yours?”
He ran a hand through his hair and nodded slowly. “Yeah, sorry. I’m, um, Rudolph.”
My heart did a little skip, and I felt my lips tug up at the corners. “Rudolph? Like the reindeer?”
His cheeks flushed again, and his hands went to his pockets while he scuffed the ground with his shoe. “It means wolf, actually.”
Damn, if that wasn’t the cutest thing I’d ever seen, especially knowing that this big man could literally change into a beast, and here he was all bashful. “It’s cute, I like it. It’s nice to officially meet you, Rudolph.”
He tilted his head, studying me. Seeing the action allowed me to connect the man before me with the wolf-man I’d seen the night before. It really was him. It was somehow impossible to believe and clear as day at the same time.
“Rudy. You can call me Rudy. But yeah, you too. I’m sorry about… earlier. I should, um, probably go before I do something else I might regret.”
“What? Like lick me again?” I smirked.
His eyes went wide. “I licked you?”
His shock surprised me. “You don’t remember?”
He shook his head quickly as his cheeks reddened. “Gods, I’m so sorry.”
I laughed it off to try to cover how much I’d been thinking about that moment. “It's fine. It’s not the first time I’ve been licked by a canine.” A growl sounded from the back of his throat, making me bite back a smile at the jealousy in it. “Don’t worry, you’re my first werewolf, though.”
A kaleidoscope of emotions seemed to churn in his eyes, and I wanted to break it all down and learn what each fragment meant.
Ultimately, he seemed overwhelmed, and I knew that overwhelmed animals had a tendency to either hide or attack.
I wasn’t sure how much animal there was to him, especially when he looked like any other human.
Big, but undetectable that he was anything else.
At least in his other form, I knew how to handle it.
I sucked on my teeth and decided to take a gamble.
Stroking my hand gently over his arm, I used the same gentle, reassuring tone I’d used on the walking path.
“It’s okay, Rudy. Everything is okay. You’re safe with me, and I know I'm safe with you, so you don’t have to worry about that. You’re a good… you’re okay.”
My heart jumped into my throat as I realized what I’d almost called him.
In his other form was one thing, but I couldn’t call a man who stood a head taller than me a good boy.
Rudy’s eyes closed, and I could see the tension leave as he moved his arm to encourage me to continue.
Seeing the reaction emboldened me to go one step further.
I slid my hand up his arm, over his shoulder, to where his medium-length hair just brushed against his shoulder.
I’d never been this forward before, but this unique person stirred something in me.
When my fingers slid into his hair, he leaned his head fully into my hand, the same way he had when I petted his much-larger wolfish head.
Maybe it was unusual that the characteristics I seemed to be drawn to were the ones that weren’t typically human, but damn…
watching him melt beneath my touch was captivating.
“There you go. See? We’re all good.” I reluctantly pulled my hand away from him, and he released a heavy sigh.
Slowly, Rudy opened his eyes, which were now clear, and he gave me a half-smile. “That was… nice. Thank you.”
I returned his smile, happy to see the change in him. “You’re welcome.” This had been the longest, most intimate interaction I’d had with another person in a while, and for the first time ever, I wasn’t ready for it to end. “So… what do we do now?”