Chapter 14
Christine
My skin was clammy, deliciously so. Maybe from the heat.
My heart couldn’t stop racing. Maybe from being out of time.
My hands were shaking. Maybe too much coffee.
Or maybe my body was reacting to the four incredible rounds of sex.
Either way, I was chasing my tail because of letting go.
Feeling free as I’d wanted. An adventure.
Oh, I’d had one alright.
My pussy continued to throb every time I thought about all the filthy things Danny had done to me. My bottom was sore because who knew men enjoyed spanking a woman every time he fucked her from behind?
Even my nipples ached, a wash of pain flashing through them every so often when I moved.
Or took a deep breath.
That’s how deliciously abusive he’d been to both hard points.
Plucking.
Twisting.
Sucking.
Biting.
Oh, my God. I was wet all over again.
Get a grip. It wasn’t like I would ever see him again. He’d even left before I’d awakened. No note. No business card with his name and phone number. No wildflower ripped from the middle of the weeds and placed on my pillow.
It was fine. Definitely fine. I hadn’t wanted to see him again anyway.
Then why did my heart ache in the same magnitude as the rest of my body?
I hated being late.
There was nothing worse than jerking awake only to realize my alarm clock hadn’t gone off.
Maybe that’s because in act four of the insanely passionate and savage night of sex I’d experienced, either my arm or Danny’s had knocked not only my clock off the nightstand but also my lamp, my book, my half-consumed bottle of water, and the last jewelry I’d worn.
I still hadn’t been able to find one of my earrings. And they were my favorite pair too.
The moment I’d glanced at the clock, I think my neighbors heard my scream. I’d had two minutes for a shower and to jump into some clothes.
Forget styling my hair. With the humidity being sky high, I’d be forced to walk around with the freshly fucked look all day long.
Even my skirt was wrinkled.
This wasn’t like me in the least.
Thank God half the day had passed and fortunately, if anyone had noticed, they weren’t dumb enough to bring it to my attention.
“Wow. You look rode hard and put away wet.”
Correction. I could always count on my new bestie to put and keep me in my place.
Before turning to face her, I ran my fingers through my curls, which were as wild as I’d seen them. In truth, even with the worst humidity in the middle of a long, wet summer, I’d never had the volume look as if I’d driven my wet finger into an electrical socket in the middle of a rainstorm.
A rush of embarrassment caught me off guard.
I wasn’t usually this self-conscious. I’d never considered myself a gorgeous girl by anyone’s standards and honestly had never worried about emulating a beauty queen.
My father had made certain to tell me at least several times a year that I didn’t hold a candle to my sister’s beauty.
I was the intellectual sibling, which was true except I’d also had dreams.
Had being the operative word.
“Wow. You know how to make a girl feel so beautiful.” I yanked my salad and diet drink from the refrigerator in the teacher’s lounge. At least I’d thought ahead and prepared something or I’d be gnawing on a hard granola bar.
She chuckled and grabbed her sandwich, moving toward one of the tables. As soon as we sat down to eat, an amused look crossed her face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Don’t look now,” she whispered.
When hairs stood up on the back of my neck, every thought in my brain shifted to using the sturdy plastic knife in my hand to dig out Mark’s eyeballs and feed them to the birds hanging around outside.
I felt my body stiffen even before he rolled his arm over my shoulder, slapping something down on the table.
Maybe he thought he was being cute hiding whatever was under his hand. Meanwhile, I was wishing I had a steak knife in my hand so I could drive the sharp tip into the middle of his.
“Guess what I have,” Mark said in a tone of voice no man should ever use. Ever.
“What’s that?” Tawny asked the question when I refused to encourage him.
“Oh, hi, Tawny. I didn’t see you there. Just something special for my girl here.”
Tawny bit her lower lip at the same time she kicked me under the table.
Hard. She knew me well enough to know my curled fingers weren’t from some medical condition.
I’d decided to choke the life out of the man.
My bestie was doing the right thing in reminding me that the school administrators would frown upon a murder at lunch.
So I chose terse words instead. “The last time I checked, I’m not nor will I ever be your girl.”
“Ah, come on. Just one date. Guess what I have. Just guess.”
He was so excited I found myself pulling back on my murderous desires. “What do you have, Mark?”
“Tickets for the Tampa Bay Gators.”
I shifted my gaze toward Tawny who was doing her best to keep from laughing.
He grew frustrated when it was obvious I had no clue who he was talking about.
“You know, the hot hockey team they brought into town a little over a year ago.” His exasperation continued and when he jumped a little, it reminded me of a kid needing to use the bathroom.
“Oh, wow,” I answered.
“Come on. I scored big with these. Lower-level center ice and row fifteen. It’s perfect.”
“Good for you.”
“Do you know how much these set me back?” He slid into the seat next to me and I swear I did my best not to recoil, but I could tell by his eyes I hadn’t succeeded.
“Well, hopefully you can find someone who will enjoy the show with you.”
He eyed me in the same way Tawny had the day before. “It’s not a show. It’s a game. Haven’t you ever watched a hockey game before?”
“Not if I could help it.”
“Oh, wow.” He sat back as if he had no idea what to say about my admission.
“I was hoping you’d go with me. It’s on Saturday night.
I’ll teach you everything you need to know.
We could meet on Friday and I could begin to teach you a few things.
” He’d gone from having a look of surprise to one of explicit leering that left almost nothing to the imagination.
Why did I have a feeling that what he wanted to teach me, while a contact sport, had nothing to do with hockey.
Tawny kicked me again, hard enough I winced. Maybe because my clawed hand was poised to strike.
“I’m really sorry. I have plans for both nights.” I even batted my eyelashes.
I almost felt sorry when I noticed the dejection on his face. Was he about to cry?
“Oh. I was really hoping.” Maybe he figured out I was eager for him to leave. He snatched the tickets and jerked up from the table, disappearing from the lounge less than five seconds later.
“Maybe he finally got the hint,” Tawny said and finally took a bite of her sandwich.
Meanwhile, I yanked the plastic top from my salad, glaring at the limp lettuce with the same look of disdain Mark had just experienced. “I hope so.”
“Why didn’t you just tell him you were working?”
“You know why. He’d never allow me to live it down. Plus, you heard him. He’s a hockey freak. He’d use coming there as an excuse.”
“You don’t need to be embarrassed. We all need a little extra help from time to time. I know for a fact Mark pulls a few shifts at the local Burger King.”
After eyeing her suspiciously, she threw up her hands as if then I’d believe her. “Working for the arena allows me my private time.”
“I get it.” She munched on her sandwich and I could swear she was picking me apart. She was damn good at doing that. When her eyes twinkled, I figured she was up to something. “How was your practice yesterday? Did you meet anyone special while skating around and around on the ice?”
Sweet Jesus. She didn’t need to mention Danny’s name and I was hot and wet all over. I’d tried to blame the heat of the day for my ridiculous condition, but it was getting more difficult while spending hours inside an air-conditioned building. “No. I just skated.”
“Oh. Really. Why do you have bags under your eyes? More important, why is your skin glowing?”
I’d already taken a bite of salad, so I had time to glare at her, while figuring out an answer. Unable to stop my reaction to the question, I touched my cheek. “Bad dreams and a new moisturizer.”
“One I buy, the other I don’t in the least. What are these nightmares about?”
“Stuff. Monsters.”
“Werewolves? Sexy, alpha werewolves with two big cocks?”
“Very funny. No, not werewolves. They don’t exist. And even if they did, they certainly wouldn’t have two cocks.”
“According to the morning paper they exist. You’ll have to tell me later about their private parts.”
“You’re incorrigible. What does that mean according to the paper?” The woman was obsessed with wolves. There were also other shifters who’d come out of the closet. Why didn’t she care about lions, tigers, and bears? I bit back a laugh from the half-assed joke.
“It means some guy was ranting about being accosted by a werewolf frothing at the mouth inside some bar last night. And it wasn’t even a wolf bar.”
“Wait. There’s such a thing as a wolf bar?”
She nodded while chewing. “Of course there is. Granted, it’s new in the city. According to the latest statistics, we don’t have a huge shifter population in Florida. Maybe they don’t like heat. Or sun. Or maybe the surf.”
Very slowly, I dropped my fork. “You do realize that if what they’re saying is true and shifters do exist, they spend about ninety percent of their time in human form. Right?”
“Ninety-four-point-two percent to be exact and I thought you didn’t believe.”
“In werewolves. That’s a creation of Hollywood and talented authors. Wow, you’re beginning to worry me. You’re so into the idea of shifters.”
She chuckled. “You have to admit the realization regarding their existence is fascinating.”
“Not according to my father. To him they are cockroaches that need to be extinguished.”
“I forgot how much your father hated them.”