Chapter 8
Eight
Bailey
M y thighs clench together, the pulsing sensation between them making me quiver. It’s not until my brain registers the incessant ringing as my alarm that I open my eyes. My room is softly aglow with the morning light, and how my leg muscles gently ache indicates how much I was squeezing them throughout the night.
This time, more of the dream stays with me even as I grow more awake.
The man on the beach … Knox … we were watching the sunset and making out, and god, was it hot. It felt so real; I can almost still taste his mouth on mine. My body doesn’t seem to realize it was only a dream either, as I feel the subtle dampness of arousal between my thighs and moan.
Gosh.
I never wanted that dream to end. Damn alarm. I wonder if Knox and I would have taken things any farther. It’s been a couple of months since I’ve been with anyone since Zach and I broke up. I haven’t been on a single date or so much as kissed anyone, never mind having gotten laid. Maybe that’s why my brain is manifesting this dream man. Perhaps it’s trying to tell me I need to focus more on self-care .
I pee and then head to the central part of my place, opening my front door to my new favorite view every morning.
“Hey, Wolfie,” I say, and he whines at me happily. I leave the door open, and he sits in the doorway as I fix myself some eggs and toast.
“Guys are the worst, you know? I mean, human guys. Like my ex, Zach. You know what he did? He cheated on me. And not, like, once. Several times. Every single time he went out of town for a work trip during the last year of our relationship, if not before that. At least, that’s what one of the girls he slept with told me. I guess he told her he was single, and then she saw a picture of us together online. Can you believe that?”
He cocks his head, his gray eyes seeming a bit sad compared to usual. I dip my toast into one of my eggs, coating it in yolk before popping it in my mouth. “And you know … you know what else?” I say between chewing, “he tried to blame it on me! Can you … Can you believe that? How rude is that? As if I was the problem when he’s the one who never wanted sex. It’s not like I didn’t try to proposition him. I like sex. It’s just … Maybe it’s because I put on a few pounds in our last year together? I don’t know.”
He whines loudly, both his front paws clawing at the air. “You think I look good, right? I think so, too. Ugh, I’m sorry, Wolfie. I don’t even know why I’m telling you all this.” I scarf down the rest of my food. “I need to shower and get ready for work.”
When I get home that night, Wolfie is sitting on my deck exactly where he was when I left. I crouch down beside him and rub his head a few times before I open my door. I go inside and throw my purse and keys down, grab myself a beer from the fridge, and sit out in a chair on the deck for a bit.
Wolfie comes and lays at my bare feet, the warmth of his body radiating into my toes and making me smile.
“It’s nice out here,” I say, his ears perking slightly. “I love it out here. I was fortunate when I rented this place. There were several other applicants, you know. I rented it with my ex, but he … Well, he didn’t care to live out here. I believe ‘ bullshit middle of nowhere ’ were the words he used. God, I should have left him then. Anyone who hates nature that much is a walking red flag in my books.
“But I guess I thought it was alright since he was away for work so much. He didn’t live with me out here full-time. And now … Now no one lives with me out here. Minus you, I guess, since you seem to be staying around.”
He cranes his head up at me, those big gray eyes as warm and soothing as the rest of him. He lays his head in my lap, my fingers instinctively scratching the spot behind his ears he’s so fond of.
“You like living out here with me, don’t you, boy?”
Wolfie whines and nuzzles his nose against the crook of my elbow.
I scoff. “You’re probably a thousand times more loyal than what my shitty ex ever was. I’m glad I’m single. I’m glad it’s just you and me out here, and I don’t have to worry about having a man around who will break my heart anyway.”
Wolfie headbutts my knee, then raises a giant paw and scrapes it across my lap. “See? You love me, don’t you? That’s why you come here and cuddle me at the end of the day. And that’s why you’re always here in the morning. It’s nice.” I sigh. “Animals are better than people, Wolfie.”
Wolfie howls loudly, sending birds in nearby trees scattering across the dimming sky. I check my watch and realize it’s getting late. “Well, I better get inside and get ready for bed.” As if by command, Wolfie backs off and gives me room to get up. He watches me as I head back inside, turning to him as I hold the door half-open.
“Goodnight, Wolfie,” I say, and he howls in response, locking those smoky gray eyes on mine until the door is shut.