"Stay away from Liam." I didn't know why I was defending a complete stranger but the words slipped out of my mouth. "He is just passing through town. He does not know anything about anyone and the last thing you will do is threaten him."
"Or what?" he asked his lips brushing mine with every word. "Let's imagine I wanted to leave him alone. What do I get in return?"
"The happiness of knowing that you did a decent thing," I offered and he chuckled humorlessly. "He did nothing to you. He will be out of town by tomorrow. Leave him alone, I mean it."
"I don't know whether to be impressed or annoyed that you're standing up for a complete stranger to my face."
He placed his hands on either side of me effectively trapping me between his body and the car. He stepped closer so his lower body was pressing into me and I felt it- I felt him, He was thick and hard and pressed against my lower body, The smart thing to do would have been to push him away but it was like I had lost all function of my hands.
He leaned down and buried his head in my neck to take a long inhale. My hands shot up to his shoulders and I didn't know if it was to pull him closer or push him away. I did not understand what I was doing or why but all I knew at that moment was that Darius smelled good and just the brush of his lips against my neck had my knees buckling and my core weeping.
"Just like I said earlier, you might be good at faking it but you're not that good." His teasing note had me pushing him away but he had already gotten what he wanted because his lips were pulled in a victorious smirk. "Go home, Leindra, it's late. Have a good night."
He tipped his head in my direction and then disappeared into the bar. I stood out there in front of my car for the next minute wondering what had just happened and how I could have allowed it. I rushed into the car and could barely remember the drive home because I was completely soaked and the ache between my thighs would not leave. I got into the house and Grandma tried to speak to me but I could not be bothered to listen to her. I made an excuse about being tired and locked myself in the room.
I stripped off my clothes and made my way under the shower in an attempt to take a cold shower and get rid of the ache between my thighs but it didn't matter how cold the water was, just the mere thought of Darius pressed into me had my core aching again. I left the shower feeling very frustrated and I climbed into bed trying and failing to fall asleep.
It took almost twenty minutes of turning around aimlessly on the bed before I finally relented and had my hands sneaking down between my legs. I tried to picture someone else- anyone else but Darius but it didn't matter who I thought of, their faces would always morph back into the very man I did not want to see.
I slipped one finger into my aching core and let out a small whimpering sound. I imagined it was Darius' fingers. I knew they would be thicker, and fuller, I would probably need a second to adjust after because Darius did not seem like someone who took things slow. He would finger fuck me until I was a whimpering mess on the bed and I was pleading for more.
One finger was no longer enough and I slipped in two. I could imagine Darius whispering absolutely filthy words in my ears as he pumped his fingers in and out. He would probably try to drag out the orgasm for as long as he could just to hear me beg or just to get a specific reaction out of me and because I am stubborn, I would refuse to give him that reaction until I physically could not take any more of it.
I imagined his rough hands running over my body eliciting small and strangled moans out of me. I would try my best not to say his name and he would do everything possible to make sure I did including making me cum so hard that I saw stars in my vision. I came harder than I ever had from my own fingers and by the time I was done, I was panting and struggling to catch my breath. I hated the fact that I came to the thought of Darius and I made a mental note never to do it again.
Even though I was still aching for more, I forced myself to curl up into my side and lay there until I fell asleep.
I woke up the next morning with a gasp. I had a nightmare that seemed more like a memory from my childhood. I did not understand what it was about and I did not want to believe it was an actual memory.
In the nightmare, I was walking in the woods alone when I encountered a large wolf. As a child, I would go into the woods with my friends and we would hunt smaller animals and pretend to be mythical creatures- we referred to it as shifting. That night, I had gone alone and I was trying to catch little birds when I came across the wolf. It was large and imposing but the fur was a sandy brown color. It made no move to hurt me, if anything, it seemed to regard me curiously.
There was a sound like a twig snapping and someone called out my name. The sound seemed to startle the wolf and it leaped for me. I wasn't sure if it was protecting or attacking me but I screamed. My father rushed into the clearing and before I could think, he shot the wolf directly in the heart. The blood poured out on my skin and splattered on my face. When I looked up, the wolf was no longer a wolf, it was Darius and he was bleeding all over me. I looked back at my father and instead of him, it was Liam and my grandmother standing there.
I woke up right after that and I could not even believe what I had dreamt about. I had never met Liam before in my life and Darius was not in town when I was a child, neither was his wolf a sandy brown color. I looked at the clock on my bedside table and it read five a.m. I dragged myself out of bed and went into the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee.
I had finished my first cup when my grandmother walked into the kitchen. She cast one look at me and it was like she knew something was wrong because she tapped the bar stool that was right next to her. I hesitated before taking it but I found myself walking over to her.
"We have a few hours before Chris wakes up," she said as a way of greeting. âIs there a particular reason why you have been up so early in the past few days? Is it work?"
"No," I answered honestly but I stayed silent because I was not sure of how to approach the next question. "Grandma, were there wolves in the town before I left?" "Why do you ask?"
"Please, Grandma, I need to know what you know. Did I ever encounter one of them?" She sighed and made her way over to the coffee maker and poured herself a cup. "I'II need this for the conversation."
She mixed her coffee to her desired taste and sat next to me. "When you were younger, you used to go into the woods and your father absolutely hated it because he thought there were wild animals there. He made you promise not to go again and you agreed but one night, you went missing from your room."
"You went into the woods and he called a search party to find you. When they saw you, there was a wolf. It wasn't an adult because it was barely up to your size but it had attacked you and you got a scar on your upper arm, I'm sure you still have it."
I did have the scar. I pulled up my sleeve and sure enough there it was. It had faded over the years and I was never sure how I had gotten it but I had assumed it was me being rough as a child. I could not remember what Grandma was saying and if not for the dream I had, I would never have asked in the first place.
"Did the wolf die?" I asked and she shook her head.
"Someone shot in the air and it got scared and ran off. You were terrified and you were rushed to the hospital. You were around seven at the time and your therapist said you would most likely forget it."
"I did," I told her. "I can't remember most of my childhood if I am being honest but I had a nightmare. It was similar to your story but the wolf was huge and Dad killed it, but then Dad changed into you and-"
"I think you are just stressed, Leindra," she said, but there was something in her eyes, something like fear and worry that led me to believe that there was more to the story. "You should try to get some more sleep before you go to work today."
"I'm not going," I told her and her eyes widened. "I get the day off because I want to attend the founder's festival in town later. Serena invited me, she told me it was fun."
Grandma stared at me as if I had told her that I wanted to pack up and start life on the moon. I started to second-guess myself and wonder if I had done something wrong.
"I don't think you'll like the founder's festival. It is just some boring event about town history and practically worshipping the Lunar family. Instead of going, you can spend the day at home with Chris and me. We never go and we haven't had a family day since you came back."
The fact that she was trying to discourage me from going was what made me want to go even more. I wanted to know why she wanted to keep me at home and what she was hiding from me.
"We can spend the day together until nine when I have to leave," I offered. "I need to make friends, Grandma. Serena is the first friend I have made here and I don't want to stand her up."
I could tell she was not happy with my choice but she nodded. "If that is what you
have decided just try not to stay out too late. I hope you have fun."
"I will."