Chapter 13
Nessa was dying.
Her head ached, and a fierce pounding echoed in her ears as she slowly peeled her eyes open. Her dark bedroom swayed precariously back and forth, reminding her that she was still drunk off that bottle of wine from earlier tonight.
What time was it? Clearly, only a few hours had passed since she’d stumbled in here. Why was she even awake before the sun was?
Her head throbbed, and she whined, rolling onto her stomach. The world rolled with her, and she squeezed her eyes shut, groaning pitifully as nausea churned in her gut.
Once she didn’t feel like she was going to vomit everywhere, Nessa swallowed thickly, grimacing at how dry her mouth felt.
Normally, if she drank alcohol, she paired it with water to avoid feeling like a zombie the next day, but she’d been too mopey to take proper care of herself. Now she was paying the price.
She reached toward her nightstand, missing the piece of furniture completely on the first try.
God, how much did she drink last night? Did she polish off that whole bottle? Go for another after that? She couldn’t remember, and that definitely meant she’d had way more than she should have.
Her palm smacked heavily against her nightstand when she reached for it again, and, blearily, she lifted her head, willing her damned limb to move properly. It felt like forever, but finally, she grabbed her phone, wincing as the incessant pounding continued.
Squinting at the bright lock screen, she read the time. “Why am I up at five o’clock?”
The pounding in her head suddenly stopped, right as her phone began ringing.
An unknown number flashed across the screen, and Nessa stilled, some of her drunkenness fading momentarily as she went on high alert.
As the phone continued ringing, her anxiety sprang to life.
Her heart beat heavily in her chest, and her breathing grew shallow.
She’d only given out her cell phone number to Hunny, and Hunny’s number was programmed into her phone. It wouldn’t show up as unknown.
Who the hell was calling her then? Tony? Angelo? Had they found her?
The thought alone nearly made her drop her phone in panic as her hands began trembling. She had to get out of here. Now!
The call ended abruptly. Staring down at the screen in growing terror, Nessa gasped as a text message popped up on the lock screen.
‘Nes, open the door. It’s cold outside.’
Oh god, they were out—
Wait.
Nes …?
“Murphy?” Nessa exclaimed, her heart racing for an entirely different reason. What on earth was he doing outside at this time of night? She didn’t have to be at work for hours. Had he come back to talk to her about her offer? No, surely not …
Another text appeared. ‘Yes. It’s me. Open up.’
“You can hear me from here?!” she all but shouted into her room, the words slurring together as her brain tried to keep up with her mouth. What the hell? What if she’d farted in her sleep? He would have heard that too!
Her face heated with embarrassment as she scrambled out of bed, the sheets tangling around her legs as she stood. She swayed precariously, nearly toppling backward before she righted herself.
I’m never drinking this much again, she vowed, knowing she was likely full of shit. Wine was an unfortunate coping mechanism when she desperately needed to unwind, although usually it didn’t hit her quite this hard.
Maybe her age was finally catching up to her, though she didn’t think twenty-seven was that big of a deal.
Hustling from her room and into the hall, she beelined for the front door, ignoring how hazy and off-kilter everything looked.
Taking a quick peek through the peephole just to be sure, she unlocked the door, ripping it open to gape at the handsome, burly bear shifter standing on her porch.
The cold night air swept over her, and she shivered.
Wearing a different long-sleeved sweater and jeans from the day before, Murphy’s eyes widened as they settled on Nessa. They flashed gold for a brief second and then darkened, returning to normal as they traveled leisurely down her body. “Nessa …”
Nessa shivered, though it wasn’t from the cold air. No, it was from the heat of Murphy’s attention as his eyes swept over every inch of her.
He swallowed thickly, his voice taking on a husky note as he asked, “Nes, what are you wearing?”
“What?” Confused, she looked down, expecting to see the normal pajama pants and T-shirt she always wore to sleep. While her shirt was still on, her pajama pants were gone. Instead, the only thing covering her lower half was a cherry-red thong.
She gasped in horror, her sluggish, drunk mind telling her to run away before he saw anything else.
Her vision swam as she turned to flee back down the hall, only to realize she’d given him an unobstructed view of her bare ass.
She spun back around, and her feet slipped out from under her as the world tilted right off its axis.
With a yelp, she fell backward, expecting to crash into the ground. She kind of hoped for it, actually. Maybe she’d smack her head and fall unconscious, just to give herself a break from the mortification coursing through her.
Murphy moved fast, though, grabbing her before she could fall.
His arms banded around her waist as he tugged pulled her to him, lifting her up until her feet dangled several inches from the floor.
She grabbed at his shoulders to steady herself, her breaths ragged and her breasts pushed against the hard planes of his chest.
Murphy’s hand slid up her back, cupping her nape, and his delicious scent filled her senses as his nose brushed against hers. He was so close he could kiss her, and her heart kicked into overdrive, her pulse beating in her ears like a drum.
“Are you alright?” he asked huskily.
Alright? No! Yes. She didn’t know, actually, but the longer he kept her smashed against him, the more she wanted to bury her face in his neck and breathe him in. The more she wanted to soak up his warmth, to slide her hands under his sweater and feel him. All over.
Nessa’s face felt like it was burning up as she nodded dumbly, her fingers flexing around his muscular, firm shoulders. “Yeah, I-I think so.”
His nostrils flared slightly. “Are you drunk?”
“No. Yes. Maybe? No, definitely yes,” she blurted out, her slurred words almost unintelligible.
Even if she wasn’t drunk, she didn’t think she’d be able to think straight anyway, not with Murphy’s fingertips pressed against her lower back, resting just over the top of her thong. Part of her wanted to wiggle her hips just to see if his grip would slip and fall to her ass.
What would he do? Grab a handful? She might have smallish breasts but she had a nice, round butt. More than enough to fill his hands.
Stop thinking like that, you drunk bitch! she scolded herself. Too bad it did nothing to censor her thoughts.
Her eyes landed on his lips, fascinated by how soft they appeared. Would he kiss her softly, too? Or would he dominate her mouth with his, forcing her to take what he gave her? Mmmm, which would she prefer?
“Come on, let’s get you to bed,” Murphy murmured, interrupting the fantasy she’d begun constructing in her head. “Legs around my waist, Nes.”
“Wha—” Nessa drew in a sharp breath as Murphy adjusted his hold on her, planting one hand firmly on her bare ass and hoisting her up while his other one tangled in her hair.
Instinctively, she did as he’d instructed, wrapping her legs around him as he pushed the front door closed behind him with his foot.
She wanted to squeal in delight at his touch, to arch her back just to show him what she was working with.
Luckily, she didn’t. Otherwise, she’d never forgive herself when she sobered up.
The poor man was trying to be chivalrous, and if she rewarded that by traumatizing him by shaking her ass, he’d never want to see her again, mating sickness be damned!
Hyperaware of the warm fingers squeezing her ass, it was a struggle for Nessa to think. Or breathe. Or do anything, afraid that he’d stop touching her if she drew attention to herself.
“Nessa,” Murphy murmured, fingers tightening in her hair. She lifted her gaze from his lips, staring up at him in equal parts bewilderment and confusion. “Were you listening?”
He’d said something? “No.”
His lips twitched. “Where’s your bedroom?”
“Oh. Um, down the hall. Second door on the right.”
“Alright. Let’s get you back to bed to sleep this off.” Murphy moved quickly, keeping his hold on her firm as he walked through her house. Soon enough, he reached her bedroom, stepping inside like he belonged there. Moving over to her bed, he bent down, gently depositing her onto the mattress.
She was reluctant to let go of him, and did so begrudgingly, immediately missing the warmth of his body. He grabbed the sheets next, sliding them over her before tucking her in.
It was only as he stood to his full height that she even thought to ask, “What are you doing here, Murphy? Are you alright?”
Murphy let out a small, gruff laugh. “Me? You can barely walk, Nessa. I should be asking you that. Do you normally drink yourself into a stupor?”
She glared at him. “I’m not in a stupor.”
He arched a cocky brow. “No?”
“No. I’m trying to forget that I made a fool of myself earlier tonight,” she reminded him for some damned reason.
His brows furrowed, a frown appearing on his face. “What do you mean? When did you make a fool of yourself?”
Pfft, like he didn’t know? He’d been right there at ground zero!
“When I said I wanted to take care of you, and then you stared at me like I was the Loch Ness monster, creeping out of the water to attack you.”
Murphy snorted, a small smile playing on his lips before his expression sobered. “You caught me off-guard. No one’s ever offered to take care of me before.”
Awkwardly, Nessa pulled the sheets further up her body until they covered the lower half of her face. It was a bit ridiculous, but she felt more confident hidden behind the thin fabric.
“Really?” she whispered. “You weren’t offended or grossed out?”
Crouching down beside her bed, Murphy ran a hand over the top of her hair. It felt nice, the small gesture so comforting as the world slid lazily in and out of focus. “No, Nessa. Why would that gross me out?”
She shrugged, looking away from him for a second before she got the courage to meet his gaze again. “Because I’m just a human. You’re a shifter, and an Alpha at that. You don’t need someone like me taking care of you. I didn’t know if it was insulting to even suggest it.”
Murphy’s eyes softened just a fraction, and Nessa’s heart skipped a beat, a small voice in her mind wondering what it would be like to have him look at her like that all the time. Like she mattered to him more than anything else.
His fingers tangled in her hair, his expression thoughtful. “You’re not ‘just’ anything, little mate.”
Nessa’s fingers curled into the sheets as a warmth filled her chest, her insides turning into absolute mush at the endearment.
Unaware of the effect his words had on her, Murphy continued, his tone full of reassurance. “I might be an Alpha, Nessa, but that doesn’t mean I’m better than anyone else, especially you. You bring immense value to this world.”
She yawned, turning onto her side to face him, though she still kept the lower half of her face concealed. “Some people might disagree with you,” she mumbled.
Murphy’s expression turned thunderous for a split second, his eyes flashing a brilliant gold. “I dare them to try.” He shook his head, and the gold faded back to that deep brown hue she found so enticing. “Did you mean it earlier?” he asked slowly. “About taking care of me?”
She stared at him for a long moment, taking in his chiseled jaw, the stubble on his face, and his long lashes. “Yeah,” she whispered, dropping the sheet back down to her chin. “I meant it.”
“Good.” He leaned forward, brushing his lips against her forehead. Her breath caught and she froze, terrified of doing something to mess the moment up. “Go to sleep, Nessa. We’ll talk in a few hours.”
She pulled the sheet back down to her chest. “You’re not leaving, are you?”
Murphy shook his head. “I hadn’t planned on it.”
“Good.” She was struggling to keep her eyes open. “Wait, you didn’t tell me why you came here so early. Is everything okay?”
Murphy began massaging her scalp. “Everything’s fine. We’ll talk about it in the morning, Nes,” he reiterated. His fingers moved expertly over her head, and soon enough, she went lax, her eyes drifting shut.
When she slept, she dreamed of him.