Hope Awakened by Charlene Hartnady

Chapter 17

What the hell was wrong with him?

The female had offered. Hope had all but put herself on a golden platter for him, and he’d turned her down. Perhaps if he mounted her once…just once. No! Not once. It had been an age since he had taken a female to his furs. He would need to mount her twice. The first time would be fast and over too quickly. The second time would be all for her.

Wait!

He needed to stop. He was thinking like he was going to go through with this craziness, and he wasn’t. He couldn’t. Reece needed to maintain focus. He wouldn’t be able to do that if he mounted Hope…Dr. Bristol. If he tasted her snatch. If he felt her tighten around him. If he heard her cries of pleasure.

Blast!

By feather, but he was hard again. He was sick of being hard. Sick of taking cold showers. All he needed to do was make it through the day. One lousy day, and Locke would be back. They could go back to seeing very little of one another. There would be no opportunities after that.

His stomach growled loudly. It was mid-morning, and he hadn’t eaten yet. He’d heard Dr. Bristol get up earlier. He’d listened to her shower. Not long after that, he heard her in the kitchen, dishes rattling.

Aside from showering twice, Reece hadn’t left his room. He was a coward. Reece would think nothing of heading into battle, talons at the ready. Hell, he’d head up the charge. Yet, here he sat, in his room, hiding from a tiny female.

His stomach grumbled again. He put a hand to his abs. Blast it all to hell! He was done hiding and done being a yellowbelly.

Reece pulled on a pair of jeans. He hated how tight they were, but at least they would hold him together if need be. He couldn’t understand it. It was like he was a damned juvenile again, with no control over his own body. The previous night was one of the most embarrassing ordeals of his life. He was mad at himself for what happened.

The way the doctor looked in her sleepwear would be burned into his mind for a long time. The plump swell of her breasts. The tight buds of her nipples. Her lush thighs. The full globes of her ass through the tight cotton. His balls tightened, causing him to groan.

Perhaps he needed to go on one of those weekends away. Perhaps once the chicks came, he could do it. Humans were delectable. He hadn’t expected to be this attracted to one.

Reece took a couple of deep breaths before walking to the living room and kitchen area. Dr. Bristol was outside on one of the loungers next to the pool.

Blast!She wore those tiny covers again. He’d get something to eat and head back to his room. If that made him a yellow-bellied coward, then so be it.

Dr. Bristol spotted him. She sat up and waved like a mad person. He’d rather get feather rot than talk to her, especially in such a state of undress. What if she tried to seduce him again? How was he supposed to turn her down? A male only had so much willpower. They had a job to do. He had given his orders, and he needed to obey them himself. Also, she’d been through an ordeal yesterday. She’d had bad news, he’d be taking advantage if he mounted her.

Reece opened the refrigerator and grabbed two of those easy meals. He placed them inside the heating box and pressed a couple of buttons. They made beeping noises, but nothing happened. The box didn’t start up. What was wrong? He tried again, pushing different buttons…still nothing.

Reece was getting ready to put the meals back and to go with bread instead when he heard soft footfalls behind him. He squeezed his eyes shut. No! Why couldn’t she leave him alone?

“Everything okay?”

His heart rate picked up immediately. What a fool he was to be acting this way. “Um…yes…all good.” He prayed to all the gods and pushed the buttons again.

Nothing.

Blast!It couldn’t be that difficult to operate this thing. “There must be something wrong with the heating box,” he muttered, steeling himself to turn around. To face her.

He was not a coward. He could face one measly human. Reece turned, practically holding his breath.

Dr. Bristol was smiling brightly. Thank all that was both furry and feathered, she was wearing a dress over her small coverings. She still looked amazing. The dress showcased her deep cleavage. It was flowery and pretty. “Morning, sleepyhead. I take it you decided to sleep in after your bout of insomnia.”

“I haven’t slept at all.”

Her face darkened with concern. “Oh! I’m sorry to hear that. I just assumed since you…stayed in your room so late, that…” She chewed on her plump lower lip.

He shrugged. “It is what it is. I hope you managed better than I did.” They were talking such nonsense. Next, it would be a discussion on the weather patterns. Things had gone from stilted to downright…uncomfortable between them. In a few hours Locke would be back, and they could go back to how things were.

“You don’t have to heat those meals. I made a ton of pancakes and bacon. I used mashed bananas instead of eggs, so you can eat them. If you were hiding out to avoid me…I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable. The food is a peace offering.” She gestured to the table, where plates were stacked high, full of delicious-looking things.

“More flat food.” He frowned. “Are you partial to thin foodstuffs?”

Hope laughed, her eyes twinkling in the sunlight. “No…it’s coincidental. They’re pancakes. They’re really delicious, I promise. I would suggest plenty of maple syrup drizzled over the top. I eat mine with bacon and syrup, but you need to see how you like them.” She gestured to a jug filled with golden liquid. “These are the strawberries everyone was talking about the other night.” She touched a bowl with red fruits inside.

“The flat food from last night was very good, so I will take your word for it. Thank you for the kind offering.”

She handed him a plate. “Pizza is definitely one of my favorites.” She pulled in a breath. “Again, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come on so strong and in the light of day it was probably better that we didn’t…you know…” She widened her eyes, licking her lips.

Reece wondered if all humans were this open and forthcoming. He liked it. He liked it very much. There was so much more to this female than he ever realized. “I’m glad you feel that way. I thought that you might be upset or that you…” He didn’t finish his sentence.

“You thought I might try to change your mind?” She narrowed her eyes for a few moments, scrutinizing him.

“I thought you might try.”

She shook her head. “No. I wouldn’t do that. I guess you could say that I had a moment of weakness last night. For the record, I haven’t changed my mind. I think it’s better that we didn’t, but if I could turn back the clock, I would proposition you all over again.” She giggled, her face turning pink.

That didn’t make sense. This female was confused. Her emotions were all over the place.

“Don’t worry. I won’t try to force myself on you, or try to get you to change your mind. Just know that if you do, I’m not going anywhere. It might be good for both of us if…” She closed her eyes and gave her head a shake. “There I go again. I’ll leave it at that. Enjoy the food. I’ll be out on the deck reading.” She pointed to the door.

“Thank you. Your honesty is refreshing. I had heard that humans didn’t like talking about sex…or their emotions.”

“I guess some people are shy about it, but most of us are open. We’re in the twenty-first century. Women can express their opinions on the subject.”

“Absolutely.” He nodded. “It’s the Feral female who is in the driver’s seat. They would be the ones to decide everything when it comes to mounting and choosing a mate.”

“It should be equal. Both parties should have a say. Honesty is everything. It’s something I’ve had to learn the hard way. I saw signs that there were problems in my marriage, and I didn’t face up to them. I didn’t talk to Emmet about the problems we were having. He lied and cheated. I can’t help but think that if I had spoken up, that maybe…”

“That you might still be together?” he offered, when she stopped talking.

“Maybe.” She shrugged, looking deep in thought. “Or perhaps we could have called it quits before he slept with Lizzie behind my back. So now, I’ve decided to be more forthcoming about the way I feel and the things I want.”

Namely, sex with him.

Fuck!He was so damned tempted. This female was technically still mated. Dr. Bristol was off-limits for so many reasons. “Have they calmed down about your di-vor-ce not going through?” Another one of those human words he had to wrap his tongue around.

“No.” She shook her head, her eyes clouding. “Lizzie won’t speak to me. I even tried calling her earlier, and she ignored me. I see that she’s read my messages, but she won’t answer me. She thinks I won’t go back home on purpose. She thinks I still want Emmet. That I’m trying to hurt her on purpose. I would never do that.” She licked her lips. “Surely if I wanted Emmet so badly, I would be there contesting the divorce, not hundreds of miles away? It doesn’t make any sense. She isn’t being rational.” He noted that her eyes glinted with unshed tears.

“Your sister needs time to process everything. She will come around. It might also be that she is over-emotional because of the child she carries.”

Her eyes brightened, and Hope smiled. It floored him how beautiful she was. Blast and damn, but he was feeling things he shouldn’t.

“You’re right. I will keep trying. Hopefully she’ll realize that I mean it. That I want a divorce just as much as they do. I’m going to go now. I’m sure you want your space on your off day.”

He was enjoying speaking with her, but he nodded anyway. Putting some distance between them was a good thing. Reece watched her walk outside. He watched as she pulled her dress over her head, laying back down on the lounger. He swallowed, forcing himself to look away. Reece piled up his plate with everything. He tasted the syrup, making a noise of enjoyment. The pancake was good, too. Reece decided to take the food back to his bedroom.

Hope still wanted him. No, that wasn’t true. She didn’t really know what she wanted. That was the thing about coming out of a bad relationship. It left a person raw for a good long time. He would know. What happened to him all those years ago still left a bitter taste in his mouth. Walking away was the right thing for him to do. It was! He pushed his bedroom door closed behind him, hearing it click. He put the food down and then opened the door slightly. Reece didn’t think that the human was in any danger, but he couldn’t be too careful. He needed to stay vigilant.