Chapter 17
Seventeen
Knox
I hang around the hotel for several more hours, waiting until I see Bailey passing through the lobby. I don’t let her know I’m there, but I wanted to make sure she left here and got home alright. She piles into an Uber with a couple of other people, and I take off on foot, determined to beat her to her place.
I run on two feet and beat the car, albeit only by a few minutes. Bailey seems to have been the last one dropped off, seeing as she lives in the middle of nowhere. She says something to the driver before climbing out of the car, and the driver hops out to give her the purse she forgot.
“Thanks,” she groans, hardly able to stand as she fights to get the purse strap to stay on her wobbling shoulder. She waves to the driver as they turn and head down the long gravel road, then turns and stumbles as she makes her way up onto the deck.
I stay off in the shadows of the trees, watching her but keeping a safe distance. She’s never seen me as a man out here, but I’m not much use to her in my wolf form. If she were to trip and hit her head, for example, I’d be much more practical like this. Still, I’ve no clue how she’d react to seeing me. She might think I’m some stalker.
She digs around in her purse for several minutes before finding her keys, then fights a while longer to get them into the lock and the door open. She flicks on a light and heads inside, not even bothering to close the door behind her.
“What the … This girl,” I mutter, laughing as I shake my head.
I creep to the door and listen, the house eerily silent. I push the door open slightly with my breath held, and I see her across the open living space. She’s passed out on the couch, shoes still on, purse and keys thrown careless on the floor beside her. Her head is tipped back and half hanging off the couch. She’s sure to have a lot of neck pain if she spends the entire night lying like that.
I take my shoes off and take slow, silent steps inside. Despite the smell of alcohol that wafts from her, I can still pick up her scent. She smells so good it’s dizzying, but right now, I need to focus on taking care of her and getting her safely to bed.
I take her shoes off and put them by the door. I pick up her purse and keys and place them on the island counter where she usually leaves them. Then I scoop her into my arms, cradling her against my chest. She moans something soft and incoherent into the fabric of my dress shirt, my suit jacket now unbuttoned and hanging open.
“Knox was … Cassie got it … She … She got it,” she groans, and I can’t help but smile at the nonsensical banter.
“Come on, sweetheart,” I whisper, carrying her carefully to her bedroom. I set her down on top of the bed. She immediately sprawls out, making it a bit trickier to pull the duvet down from under her so I can properly tuck her in. Once I wrestle it from beneath her, I bring it up over her. I watch her snatch the edge of it and yank it up over her shoulders, snuggling the blanket tightly around her neck.
“Knox, you … Don’t go,” she moans, the words generating a bit more sting than I’d have imagined them to.
I sit on the edge of the bed and stroke her hair, laughing when her soft breathing turns into gentle snores. She looks so peaceful as she sleeps, eyelashes fluttering occasionally. I can see her drifting farther away, her breathing slowing as she lands a little deeper in the dreamscape with each passing minute.
And usually, I’d be looking forward to meeting her there.
But now, having had her in person, meeting up in the dreamscape doesn’t have the same appeal. I’d still rather spend the time with her there than not, and it’s nice that in our dreams, we can go anywhere we like, but nothing compares to the actual feel of her skin on mine, the actual taste of her lips, and the actual warmth of her body pressed against my own.
My thoughts cycle back to how her body was so receptive to me in the closet earlier today. The way she got so wet so quickly at my touch makes me hungry for more. I could feel how badly she wanted me. I wanted her too, but not there, not like that.
I want her here, in a proper bed. I want to make love to her as the sun goes down and wake up and make love to her again as it rises. I want to feel her legs wrap around my hips as I press down into her, her heels digging into me as she pulls me in deeper. I want to leave a trail of kisses from her ankles up to her temples and back down again, stopping at every sensitive spot.
I want her in all the ways; I know I must be patient.
I stroke her hair a few more times before gently kissing her forehead. “Sleep tight, sweetheart,” I whisper. She smiles, pulling the blanket in a little tighter. I head out and shut off the lights, closing the front door behind me. The cool night air hits me with the smell of the forest, and I inhale deeply.
I head into the trees and shift, all of my fancy clothes landing in a shredded mess.
Then I go to my usual spot on the deck and curl up, ready for sleep to take me to the dreamscape.
And ready to meet the love of my life there.