Rogue Wolf by Paige Tyler

Chapter 13

Eyes closed and body completely relaxed, Samantha let the shower gently sluice the foamy body wash off her skin. She knew she should hurry up so she’d be ready before Trey arrived with the takeout he’d said he was picking up, but she was more tired than usual after the day she’d had. Besides, the water felt so damn good.

After hours spent examining amputated body parts and a second run-in with Hugh and Nadia, Sam had been pulled into yet another task force meeting. The lead detective had once again insisted on slogging through every piece of evidence they’d collected in the Butcher case. But other than the fact that there were now two suspects and a pretty good idea of what kind of vehicle they were using, they’d discussed very little of interest. Nobody on the task force had a clue how to deal with Samantha’s theory that the killer was attempting to reattach the parts he’d cut off, so they all ignored it. The only worthwhile outcome of the meeting was a task force decision to put surveillance teams on every landfill in the county and a good number of the parks in the hopes of catching the killers if they tried to dump another body. The city was going to freak out over the cost, but there was very little else they could do.

Just when Samantha thought she might get out of the institute at a half-decent time, Louis had pulled her into an office staff call, where the assistant MEs were expected to lay out the cases they’d been working on over the past few weeks. This was something they did once a month, under the theory that the MEs could learn from each other’s efforts, but mostly it was simply a chance for Hugh and Nadia to try to one up each other when it came to clearing cases. After the day Samantha’d had, looking at endless photos of suicides, overdoses, and murder victims was hard to deal with.

To pound the final nail in the coffin of exhaustion, the staff meeting had been followed by a private one with Louis, where he’d asked her to rehash everything the task force had talked about earlier. Samantha appreciated her boss’s willingness to help her find things she might have missed, but by that point she’d been done for the day.

When falling asleep standing up under the spray of water started to become a real concern, Samantha finally forced herself to step out of the shower, toweling her hair dry and finger combing it to save time. Fortunately, her hair was straight enough that she could get away with that because she definitely didn’t feel like getting out the iron and spending the next fifteen minutes in front of the mirror.

Padding over to the walk-in closet off her bedroom, Samantha slipped into one of her fancier bras and panties before turning her attention to what she was going to wear for her date with Trey. She gave the issue about five seconds of thought before grabbing a pair of sleep shorts and an Alaskan tourism T-shirt she’d picked up the last time she was in Homer. Tonight was about being relaxed and hanging out. A pair of shorts and a soft tee were the definition of relaxed and casual as far as she was concerned.

Still barefoot, Samantha moved around the apartment, cleaning up a little and forcing herself to think about anything other than body parts, task force politics, and coworkers. Of course, the first thing that popped into her head was Trey and what the hell she was going to do about everything her sister had told her. She’d had no choice but to push those issues aside while at the office because there was no way she could do her job and think about the impossibilities the DNA had revealed at the same time. But now that Trey was on his way over, it was hard to think about anything else.

The man she was falling for like a ton of bricks had wolf DNA blended in with his human genetic material. And not just any wolf—an extinct, prehistoric wolf. Because if you’re gonna go wolf, go hard.

How the hell was she supposed to handle this? Seriously, there was no way to act like this wasn’t a big deal. Even if she could somehow overlook the whole wolf-DNA thing and convince herself it was as inconsequential as being born with a cleft chin or dimples, there was still the fact that Trey’s DNA had been found in the wounds of two men who’d had their throats ripped out.

It wasn’t like those traces of DNA could be explained away with a hangnail or a paper cut. No, his DNA had ended up on those men because he was the one who’d done the damage with something sharp and savage enough to cause those kinds of wounds. And when you put wolf, sharp, and savage together in a single sentence, it was surprisingly easy to come up with a very disturbing visual of Trey with really big fangs.

That entire train of thought should have had her laughing her butt off, but she wasn’t laughing at all. She’d known for a while that the SWAT team was hiding some kind of enormously big secret. Could this be it?

If Samantha had two functioning brain cells in her head, she would have dumped all of this on Louis’s desk right this very minute and let someone above her pay grade deal with it. But the mere thought of doing something like that twisted her stomach so violently, she thought she might pass out. Betraying Trey like that felt beyond wrong. But what else was she supposed to do?

Maybe she should simply talk to him.

As logical as that idea sounded, Samantha wasn’t sure if she could do it. There were so many different ways that conversation could go wrong.

Samantha was still lost in thought when the doorbell rang fifteen minutes later. Putting on her game face, she headed that way, her heart starting to beat faster. It was funny how merely thinking about Trey being close to her could do that. Nothing compared to what it was like when he kissed her, of course. Today at the institute, she’d been damn close to jumping him right there in her office.

“Hope you like Indian food,” Trey said, holding up two oversized takeout bags in his hand. “There was a place on the way I’ve been wanting to try out, but if you aren’t a fan, we can call for something else.”

Samantha held the door open wider, noting the way his gaze caressed her legs as he walked in. She had no doubt it was a trick of the lights, but damn, it seemed like his eyes lit up from within when he saw all that skin. Yup, definitely a leg man.

“I love Indian food,” she said, taking in the jeans that showed off those muscular thighs and the T-shirt stretched tight across his broad chest. She patted herself on the back for her decision to go casual. It had been the right call. “I haven’t had any in forever, but I definitely love it.”

“Good.” He motioned toward the kitchen with the bags. “Want me to set everything out on the table?”

“Let’s hang out on the couch instead.” She smiled. “Just between you and me, that’s where I eat most of the time anyway.”

Trey chucked, admitting he did the same thing, and Samantha felt something loosen in her chest. Yes, there was a truckload of baggage to deal with when it came to being with him, but when he smiled at her like that, none of it seemed that important. What was a little wolf DNA if it came with dimples like that?

While Trey unpacked the bags of takeout, Samantha grabbed a bottle of beer for him and poured herself a glass of wine. By the time she walked back into the living room, her big, hunky cop had all the cardboard boxes out of the bags and spread around the coffee table. As she’d expected, there was way more food than necessary. That made her smile.

“I wasn’t sure what you liked to eat, so I got a little bit of everything,” he said.

Trey’s idea of a little bit of everything included four different entrées—chicken tikka masala, pork vindaloo, lamb rogan josh, and a vegetarian saag paneer—plus a family-size box of naan bread.

“I’m pretty sure your definition of a little bit is somewhat different than mine,” she said with a laugh. “There’s enough food here for five or six people with leftovers.”

She thought it possible that Trey actually blushed a little at that, and Samantha wondered if he could hear the thud when her heart hit the floor all over again. A guy as big and tough as Trey getting embarrassed over buying too much takeout? Could there be a better man on the planet? That prehistoric wolf DNA was looking less and less important by the minute.

They sat there together on the couch, her bare feet tucked under her as they passed the takeout containers back and forth, oohing and aahing over the food as they talked about their respective days. Samantha definitely liked the masala, but the vindaloo, while delicious, was way too spicy for her taste. The soul-warming rogan josh was so tender it fell apart on her fork, so she used the naan flatbread to scoop it up. Since she didn’t want to eat too much, she only ate the cheese out of the saag paneer, figuring she’d be nice and leave the spinach for Trey. That was her story and she was sticking to it.

He didn’t complain, letting her have first pick of everything. But even with ridiculous amount of food Trey inhaled, Samantha knew she was going to have leftovers for days. Then again, maybe she’d invite him over tomorrow night to eat the rest. The idea of that made her damn near giddy. And she definitely wasn’t normally the giddy type.

In addition to talking about work, they also talked about family, friends, and things they enjoyed doing. When Trey asked her about the property her grandparents had left her up in Homer, Samantha ended up spending the next hour describing everything about the place.

“Being up there must make you feel close to your grandparents,” he said softly.

With those few words, she realized Trey got her better than the entire rest of her family. Most of them assumed the property was nothing more than a long-term investment. Samantha almost started tearing up when she told him about the old chair in the living room she would spend hours sitting in every time she went up there. It was a silly thing to talk about, but with Trey, it didn’t seem to matter. It was easy to talk about anything with him.

Then why was it so difficult to bring up the topic of his wolf DNA?

They ate in comfortable silence for a little while before Trey got a pensive look on his face. Suddenly worried she’d gotten too mushy too fast, Samantha quickly stood and began to collect the scattered food containers.

“Sit and finish your beer,” she said when Trey started to stand to help. “It’ll only take me a second to get this stuff put away in the fridge.”

He ignored her of course, grabbing the rest of the takeout boxes and following her into the kitchen, chuckling as Sam stood on her tiptoes to try to reach into the back of one of her upper cabinets for the plastic containers.

“Good thing I came in here to help,” Trey said, moving closer to reach over her head, his warm, firm body pressing against hers in the most delicious way. “How would you have ever gotten these out?”

“I’m sure I would have figured it out,” Samantha murmured, nudging her butt back playfully against his crotch, smiling to herself when she felt the bulge in his jeans. “How hard could it be?”

Trey snorted as he took down a few of the plastic containers and spread them out on the counter. “Seems pretty hard from where I’m standing. But I’m sure you already knew that.”

Samantha bit her lip to keep from laughing, enjoying how easy it was for them to flirt with each other. As they stood side by side putting away the leftovers, their arms and hips touching occasionally, she could almost forget all the secrets they were keeping from each other.

“You up for dessert?” She turned to face him after finding a place in her crowded fridge for the containers. “I always keep some cookies around in case of emergency.”

Grinning, Trey reached out to snag the waist of her shorts and tug her closer. “If we’re talking about dessert, I can think of something I’d like even more than cookies.”

Samantha opened her mouth to tell him that had to be the cheesiest line she’d ever heard, but then Trey was pulling her into his arms and kissing her, and suddenly she had a difficult time thinking about anything other than his lips on hers.

One moment, Trey’s big hands were resting casually on her hips, his fingers sliding under her T-shirt to tease the sensitive skin above the top of her shorts; the next second, he was picking her up and setting her butt down on the counter. She automatically spread her knees to make room for him to slip between them, then wrapped her legs around his waist like it was the most natural thing in the world.

He slid one hand into her hair, tugging just the way she liked, while his other slipped down to her bare thigh, fingers tracing up and down her skin, electric tingles chasing his touch.

“Maybe we should do this somewhere else?” he murmured against her mouth. “The last time we tried to make out in here, you attacked me with a coffee mug.”

Samantha laughed, refusing to think about the fact that she couldn’t even see the scar on his hand now. “I promise to stay away from coffee mugs from now on, but if you want to take this somewhere else, like my bedroom, let’s say, I’m not going to complain.”

Trey pulled back and stared down into her eyes, his gaze intense. “I wasn’t implying we have to rush anything if you aren’t ready for that.”

Samantha caught her breath, pretty sure her heart had never beaten this hard in her life. “And if I am ready?”

Gaze never leaving hers, Trey slipped his hands under her butt, picking her up easily. She instinctively locked her ankles together behind his back, wrapping her arms tightly around his broad shoulders and holding on like a koala bear even though she knew in her heart that he’d never let her fall.

Samantha expected Trey to make a beeline straight down the hallway to her bedroom, but it turned out he was in no hurry, slowing when he was halfway across the living room to gently set her butt on the back of the couch. She kept her legs wrapped around him as he kissed her again, his tongue teasing hers, the taste of him enough to nearly drive her crazy. When she felt his jean-covered hard-on pressing against the sensitive area between her thighs, her hips started rolling as if they had a mind of their own.

She slid her hands under Trey’s T-shirt, letting her fingers trace their way up his muscular abs as she pushed the soft material up his chest. She did her very best not to gasp out loud, but as he moved back so she could get the garment over his head, she found herself hypnotized by the tattoo of a wolf head on the left side of his chest.

She’d seen it before, when he flashed it briefly at the restaurant on their first date, but now it took on a whole new meaning. She was surprised he’d so blatantly put his wolf secret out there for the whole world to see. Then again, maybe it was his way of dealing with something so overwhelming—tattooing the truth of it right on his chest was the only possible way for him to deal with it.

Reaching out, she glided her fingertips across his heavily muscled chest, up from the deep divide between his pecs, slowly tracing the outline of the wolf. The work was exquisite, the exposed fangs making the creature appear both savage and protective at the same time. She could easily spend hours staring at the tattoo, memorizing every single line and curve of it.

“Do you like tattoos?” he asked softly, the deep rumble of his voice seeming to vibrate up from deep in his chest. The lights from the lamp beside the couch reflected off his eyes in that crazy way it seemed to do with him, making his irises almost glow with a yellow-gold glimmer. It had to be the most amazing, arousing thing she’d ever seen.

“I like this tattoo.”

She scraped her nails down the figure like she was running her fingers through the creature’s fur. The wolf gazed at her, the intensity in those eyes making it seem like the animal could see into her soul, and she caught her breath. She couldn’t wait any longer. She had to tell Trey the truth. Right now.

She lifted her head to look at him. “I have to tell you something.”

“Later,” he said, the words almost sounding like a growl as he said them. “Much later.”

Trey moved so fast Samantha barely had time to do more than yelp before he was slipping one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, scooping her off the couch and heading for the bedroom. She’d never realized she was the type of woman interested in being swept off her feet, but she had to admit, when Trey was the one doing it, she could get used to it.

She hit the light switch on the wall as they stepped through the door and into her bedroom, laughing as he tossed her casually on the bed, kicking off his shoes before reaching forward to grab the hem of her T-shirt, pulling it slowly over her head, leaving her lying there in her shorts and bra. The way Trey’s eyes roamed over her partially nude body at that moment felt like a caress.

“Well?” she prompted softly as he continued to gaze down at her like she was something he desperately wanted to devour. “Were you planning on joining me?”

A smile tugged up the corners of his sensuous lips as he took a slow step forward. “Maybe I want to stand here and worship you with my eyes until I memorize every line and curve of that perfect body of yours.”

She couldn’t help returning his smile, if for no other reason than because it helped hide the blush she felt rushing to her cheeks. “Wow. I need to keep you around all the time. You’re seriously great for my ego.”

“I agree,” he murmured in that rumbling growl that went right through her as he reached down to unbuckle his belt and pop the buttons of his jeans. “You should keep me around all the time. But I think I can help with more than your ego.”

She opened her mouth to say something witty in response, but as Trey shoved down his jeans and briefs at the same time, revealing the rest of his positively stunning body, she found herself suddenly unable to speak. Because now that she was able to see everything, it was impossible to dismiss the reality that he was beyond perfection.

She’d been mesmerized by his muscular upper body, and the arms, chest, and shoulders that made her wonder precisely how many hours a day he worked out. But now she realized that his legs were equally as powerful as the rest of him. And the hard erection nestled between them was long, thick, and already pulsing with need.

Taken altogether, it was nearly enough to make a grown woman weep. And perhaps question what the hell she’d done to attract the attention of such a man. Hell, at this moment, all her worries about Trey’s wolf DNA and the weird crap he’d been involved in seemed kind of irrelevant. The only thing that was important was right here in front of her.

Completely naked.

Samantha was off the bed and on her knees before she even thought about what she going to do. Then again, what she had in mind didn’t required much thought. All it took was reaching out a hand to wrap around that hard shaft and a quick dip of her head, and she had her mouth right where she wanted it to be.

Trey tasted exactly the way she imagined he would—musky and masculine—and the flavor drew a moan from deep inside her as her tongue flicked around the head of his cock. Based on the groan of pleasure he let out, he obviously liked what she was doing.

It was so easy to fall into a rhythm as she knelt there in front of him, one hand caressing up and down while her mouth moved in counterpoint, swirling and licking, then swallowing deeply every once in a while just to keep him guessing. Feeling him throb in her hand, hearing those growly sounds he made every time she took him to the back of her throat, the way his essence became more and more intoxicating with every swipe of her tongue, Samantha decided she might have found heaven.

There hadn’t been a plan when she’d dropped to her knees in front of him, but the general idea had been that she would get him excited, then hop on top for the next part of this evening’s entertainment. But now that she was in the moment, the thought of stopping seemed like the most insane idea in the world. She wanted to finish him—needed to do it—simply so she could hear him growl her name and taste him when he exploded in her mouth.

With that sexy image motivating her, Samantha began to work her hand and mouth faster, eager now that she’d made her decision. But just when she felt his cock start to pulse in a clear sign of an impending orgasm, Trey reached down and pulled her to her feet, his mouth coming down to kiss the breath out of her when she started to complain.

“I’m not saying I wasn’t enjoying that,” he murmured as he broke the kiss and nudged her back toward the bed. “But in the interest of making sure this evening lasts, I think it’s time for me to return the favor.”

Samantha supposed she could have put up a fuss, tried to convince him that she wanted to get back to pleasing him. But seriously, Trey had just volunteered to go down on her. What woman on the planet would complain about that? And the part about making sure this evening lasts? That was definitely a yes vote on her part as well.

Trey stopped her as the back of her legs hit the edge of the mattress, slipping a hand around her back to hold her up while undoing her bra at the same time. She let the lacy material slide from her shoulders, shivering as it fell away and his big, warm hands came up to cup her breasts. Her shivers turned to gasps when he started gently squeezing her nipples between his fingertips, the pressure sending little sparks of pleasure straight to her core. Trey leaned down to trail hot kisses along her jawline and down her neck, drawing little moans of pleasure from her throat. But when those warm kisses turned to bites and sharp teeth sliding across hypersensitive skin, she thought her knees might give out.

She was shoving her shorts and panties over her hips and to the floor even as she scrambled back onto the bed, Trey chasing after her to run his warm lips and tongue slowly down her naked body. He took his time, licking and nibbling his way around the curve of her breasts and her nipples before heading lower, settling between her legs.

“I never knew I liked the nibbling thing,” she breathed as he gently worked his way down her stomach and around her belly button, alternating between little kisses and gentle bites that had her body writhing all over the place. “But I think I’m addicted.”

He stopped his teasing, glancing up at her with a heat in his gaze that absolutely consumed her. Like she was the only thing in the world that existed for him. Having him look at her that way was intoxicating.

“There are worse things in the world to be addicted to,” he murmured, his lips pulling back in a sexy smile before he dipped his head back down, heading farther south. And right before that brilliant grin was fully hidden from view, Samantha was sure she caught site of something that shouldn’t have been there.

Fangs.

She instinctively tensed, but before she could even question what she might have seen, Trey’s talented tongue was on her clit and all rational thought became impossible. It didn’t matter what she might have seen. All that mattered was the way he made her feel.

Samantha had been aroused since Trey walked in the door. When they’d moved from the living room to the kitchen to clean up—and make out—the low embers of heat that had been kindled low in her belly had roared to blazing life. By the time they’d made it to the bedroom, she’d been burning up. So when she felt those familiar tingles building up within seconds of his mouth on her, she wasn’t surprised. The truth was, this moment was the culmination of about two years of foreplay, and she was ready to explode.

Her first orgasm hit her when Trey closed his mouth over her clit and began to lightly suck. Her back arched and her thighs clamped down tightly on his strong shoulders, pleasure rolling through her in waves that made her eyes blur. It was as she was coming down from that plateau, tremors still rippling through her body, that he slipped two big fingers inside her and began to firmly caress that secret spot that turned her insides to mush. Then she came unglued.

Samantha cried out as she climaxed that time, her body convulsing as it tore through her with a savage intensity she felt all the way down to her toes. Where the first orgasm had been a vision of white static behind her eyelids, this one was all darkness as she teetered on the edge of passing out.

By the time the last wave and tremor faded away, Samantha was so wrung out that all she could do was lay there on the bed gasping for air. That had been beyond amazing.

She came back to herself when she felt a familiar nibbling, this time to the inside of her right thigh. It was difficult to believe, but the feel of those sharp teeth on her flesh had her warming up all over again. After two big orgasms, she’d thought she might be done for the night.

Apparently not.

Trey was still between her legs when Samantha finally opened her eyes. She lifted her head to look at him. That smoldering smile was back on his lips, revealing enough of his teeth to confirm there were no fangs to be seen, leaving her to wonder if it had merely been some kind of hallucination.

“You okay?” he whispered, looking half-amused, half-concerned. “Thought I lost you for a little bit there.”

“I think maybe you did.” Laughing, she rolled over to the edge of the bed and the nightstand on that side. A few seconds of digging around in the top drawer and she came out with a handful of foil-wrapped condoms. “That doesn’t mean we’re done yet, though. In fact, I tend to remember you saying something about making this evening last.”

Eyes glinting, Trey took one of the foil packets from her and quickly tore it open. She pushed herself up and moved across the bed until she was in front of him. Reaching out, she helped roll the condom down his shaft, which was as rock hard as it had been while she was licking him. She couldn’t stop herself from giving it a few light caresses, loving the way his stomach muscles flexed and jumped at her touch.

“Do you want me like this?” she whispered playfully as she rolled over on her hands and knees, looking over her shoulder at him. “Or on my back?”

The question earned her another one of those sexy growls and firm hands on her hips dragging her closer to the edge of the bed. She laughed. Something told her Trey would be into doing it doggy style, though she refused to allow herself to think about why that might be.

The anticipation as she knelt in front of him, waiting for him to touch her, was unworldly. Fortunately, Trey didn’t make her wait for long, one hand coming down to hold her hips steady as the other one positioned the head of his cock at her very wet opening.

She was more than ready for him—man, was she ready—but the feel as he slid in all the way was enough to drag a moan from deep in her throat. Trey ran the fingertips of his free hand down her back before settling on her other hip. She took a deep breath as his grip tightened, spreading her arms a little wider to steady herself for that first thrust.

They were slow and shallow at first, but within seconds, he was moving faster, her entire body bouncing from the force of his thrusts. The sound of his hips smacking her butt was deliciously delightful and she cried out a little louder each time. It was so exquisite, she actually started to see stars. Resting her face on the bed, she reached one hand between her legs to softly rub her clit.

When Trey slid out a half second later, Samantha rolled over without any prompting, scooting back a little on the bed and spreading her legs for him, then wrapping them around him, pulling him in even deeper. She didn’t know how it was possible, but he felt even better in this position. Draping her hands around his neck, she gazed into his eyes to see them glowing with that inner light she’d seen so many times. She tried to make sense of it but couldn’t understand where the reflected glow was coming from. Then Trey was burying his face in her neck, chanting her name as he kissed and nibble the skin there, pounding into her hard once again.

The angle was perfect, the head of his cock nudging that spot that no other man had ever been this successful at finding. She clawed her nails up and down his back, squeezing her legs around his waist so tightly it was a wonder he could move, but neither seemed to bother him in the least. He had stamina she’d never experienced before, and all she could think about was whether the thing that made him so different was to thank for that.

“Don’t stop,” she demanded when the tingling sensation grew into a lightning storm inside her body. “Please don’t ever stop!”

He growled, his teeth lightly clamping onto the skin at the junction of her neck and shoulder, and she swore those teeth were sharper than any teeth had the right to be. But then the pleasure/pain pushed her over the edge, and she was coming so hard she didn’t care if he bit her.

Samantha screamed his name so loudly she had no doubt Crystal could hear it across the hall and would be bringing up the subject tomorrow. But right then, she didn’t care. And yeah, this time, she might have passed out…just a little.

Trey slipped into the master bathroom to clean up and was back in bed with her by the time she pulled herself back. Dragging the blue paisley comforter over them, he lay on his side, head propped up on the palm of his hand while his other hand casually traced circles through the moisture still glossing the skin of her stomach.

Samantha gazed at his mouth, then his eyes, looking for a glimpse of fangs or glowing eyes, but there was nothing unusual to see now. She absently lifted her hand to run her fingers over the skin where her neck and shoulder met. The area was a little tender and slightly raised up…like a welt. She glanced at Trey out the corner of her eye to see that, while he didn’t exactly appear to be panicking, there was definitely something in his eyes. Guilt, maybe?

If anyone should feel guilty here, it was her. She took a deep breath. It was time to come out and put her cards on the table, then give him a chance to do the same.

Samantha opened her mouth to start, but Trey started talking first. He stopped when he realized he was interrupting, and they ended up stopping and starting twice before he held up his hand.

“You first,” he murmured with a soft chuckle.

She laughed nervously as she gathered her courage, trying desperately to think of what she could say that wouldn’t make her sound like the worse stalker on the planet.

Then Trey’s phone rang.

Samantha seriously didn’t think he would answer it, especially since she was about to say something so important, but before she knew it, his perfect, naked ass was leaping out of bed and digging through the jeans on the floor to come out with his cell phone.

“Conner, this had better be important,” he muttered the moment he thumbed the green button on the screen. “I was in the middle of something.”

Whatever Connor said must have been serious because Trey’s whole body stiffened.

“That’s not even five minutes from here,” he said, reaching for boxer briefs. “I’ll meet you there.”

Trey dropped his phone on the bed, then hurriedly pulled on his underwear and jeans before snatching up his shirt. “Someone thinks they saw the Butcher carrying a body through the woods not far from here. Connor and the other guys are on the way, but I’m closer and can get there first. I have to go. I’m sorry.”

Before Samantha could say anything one way or the other, Trey kissed her hard on the lips, then turned and ran for the door, leaving her to figure out what the hell she was supposed to do now.