Hope Awakened by Charlene Hartnady

Chapter 9

Three days later…

Hope wasboth nervous and excited. She gave herself a final once-over in the mirror, wondering for the tenth time if she shouldn’t rather put her hair up in a ponytail. No! She was leaving it down. It looked good, loose around her shoulders. Her dress was a little shorter than she would have it for work. It had a high neckline which actually accentuated her breasts. The sleeves were long, since the evenings could be chilly. She touched the fabric of her dress, which she’d bought in hopes of an evening such as this. It was a deep royal blue.

Royal.

Fitting since she was having dinner with the royal family. With Claire and her two husbands. She really liked the other woman. Claire was sweet and bubbly and warm. Even though the queen was her patient, she could tell that they were going to be firm friends.

There was a solid knock on her bedroom door.

“I’m coming,” she yelled, quickly reapplying lip-gloss over her stay-fast lipstick. She looked good. She felt pretty and feminine; better than she had in a long time. Too good perhaps?

Screw that asshole!Reece was making her second-guess herself. His comments from the other day had stuck in her head. She had been standoffish with the two other Ferals who oversaw the safety of the royal family. Zaire and Andy didn’t deserve it. She wasn’t rude to them, but she wasn’t her normal, jovial, chatty self, either. It wasn’t right. Reece had gotten inside her head, and she hated that fact. So much so that she was evicting him right now.

Hope grabbed her jacket off the bed and slung it over her arm. She touched her hand to her purse, which was already on her shoulder. Then she headed out.

Locke was waiting in the hallway. “Are you sure I can’t take you to the royal chamber myself?” He looked nervous.

“Let me guess, Reece is here.”

Locke winced. “Yes. I can tell him you’re running late or something. I can see he’s in a mood. He might end up being rude to you. You look amazing, by the way.” He gave her the once-over.

“Thank you! Thank you for the kind offer, but your shift ended an hour ago. It’s been a long day. Reece can suck eggs.”

Locke’s eyes widened. “I haven’t heard that saying before.”

She smiled. “I think it’s an older saying. Something my grandmother used to say every now and then. It means that he can get over himself.”

“I figured as much.” Locke grinned. “I agree with you. If Reece is…a stuck in the…in the muddy water… Did I say that right?”

“Almost. A stick-in-the-mud. You can leave the water part out.” She giggled.

“If Reece is a stick-in-the-mud, please ignore him,” he tried again, still grinning.

“I will.” She widened her eyes. “I’d better get out there before he thinks that we’re having sex or something.” She rolled her eyes.

Locke laughed, “He wouldn’t think… Actually, you’re probably right.” He chuckled. “I have to say, my girlfriend is jealous. She doesn’t like that I’m living with another woman.”

They started walking towards the front door.

“Girlfriend?” She looked at him pointedly. “Since when is your text buddy your girlfriend? I’m assuming it’s the same lady you told me about the other day.”

“Yes.” Locke’s eyes glinted. “Her name is Tracey. She’s a ba…barista,” he pronounced the word carefully, “at a coffee shop. I spent a couple of days with her when I was last on human soil. We’ve been texting back and forth for two months. I called her yesterday, and we had a long chat.” He grinned broadly, looking thrilled. “I asked her not to see anyone else because I was serious about her, and she agreed. I’m pretty sure that would make her my girlfriend, since we’re serious about each other?”

“It would absolutely make her your girlfriend; how exciting. When are you going to see her again? Long-distance relationships can be tricky.”

He looked downtrodden. “I don’t know. I had hoped to get back there around now. I’m due some time off, but then this assignment came along. I put in for leave anyway, but I don’t think that Reece will let me go.”

“That’s not fair.” They walked outside. Reece was standing a little way away from them. Her stomach gave a lurch. She tried not to look at him, looking at Locke instead.

“It’s understandable, since this is an important assignment,” he said, rubbing his chin. “Sometimes we have to wait for the things we really want.”

Hope nodded. “And sometimes waiting is the worst possible thing you can do.” She’d had a niggling feeling that something was up in her marriage. That something was up with Emmet. It was a niggle she’d ignored. Letting Emmet insist that they wait before trying for a baby was a mistake too. Perhaps a child would have been the glue to keep them together. Now she was in her thirties and newly single. She’d more than likely never have a baby. “Anyway, I’m sure she’ll wait for you. She’s one lucky girl.” She touched his arm as they walked towards Reece.

Oh, boy!From the frown and hard eyes, she’d say that Reece was angry. Of course he was. She took a deep breath. She had told Locke that she would try to be nice. That she would make an effort. “Hello.” She waved. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Good evening, Dr. Bristol. It’s not me who you are keeping waiting.” He shook his head. “The Royals are expecting you at seven-thirty sharp. That means that we have five minutes to get there if we want to be on time. You’re not squeamish, are you?”

She shook her head. “No…” She sounded skeptical.

“Do you get motion sickness?”

She shook her head again. “No. Why are you asking?”

“That’s good to know. We’re going to have to move fast once we’re in the air. You might want to put that on.” He gestured to her jacket. “I’m not sure that such a short dress was the right clothing choice.” He scrutinized her legs with the same disapproving look as before. Locke was so wrong when he said that Reece was attracted to her. This wasn’t attraction…not even close. “I see you have those stabbing shoes on again.”

“Stabbing shoes?” She giggled. She couldn’t help it. “I like that.”

His mouth twitched. She wasn’t sure whether he found it funny or was annoyed. “I have to fly you there at speed, Doctor.”

“Put on the jacket,” Locke said. “Make sure your purse strap is around your shoulder and torso. You can hold your heels.” He winked at her.

She smiled back, even though she knew it would probably piss Reece off. Let the asshole think what he wanted. When she turned back to him, he was naked. The linen pants he had been wearing were nowhere to be seen. He was holding a bag that looked to be made of animal fur. She assumed the pants were in there. “Can you hold this for me? You may put your shoes and purse inside.” His golden eyes locked with hers.

“Um…sure…of course. I wish you’d warn me before stripping like that.” Holy freaking moly. Her face felt hot in an instant.

“I thought you’d be used to it by now.” Those frown lines were back.

That was the thing; she should be used to it. Dammit, she was used to it. When it came to Locke it was…it was different. She just looked away. It wasn’t a big deal if she saw a hint of something. Heck, it didn’t matter if she saw all of it. Hope felt nothing. She’d seen Zaire and Andy shift once or twice…also, nothing. They were gorgeous…all of them and yet…nothing. Right now, her heart was pounding right out of her chest and her hands felt sweaty. “I am. It’s just… A heads up would be good.” She widened her eyes, trying to look normal. Her cheeks felt like they were a bright shade of red.

“Heads up.” Locke laughed. “Heads up would not be good at all.” He laughed harder.

Heads up as in…as in… She also started laughing. “You’re terrible.” She pointed at Locke.

“Heads up? I don’t get it,” Reece said. “My head is up.” He touched his head. The one on his shoulders.

That made Locke laugh harder, which made Hope laugh harder. Reece got this murderous look. Shit! This was bad. It was a terrible way to start the evening. Especially since she was supposed to be making an effort to get him to like her. Not like her, as in like her. Accept. Yes, accept was a better word. She needed to get him to accept her. It was never going to happen if she was laughing at him like this.

“I’m sorry.” She put her hand up. “Locke’s being an idiot.”

Reece gave Locke a scathing look and for a moment she felt guilty for dropping him in the shit. Not! He should know better where Reece was concerned.

“Humans call the top of a prick a head,” Locke said.

“A heads up, is giving someone notice or informing them before you do something.” she added.

“The doc told you to give her a heads up. I said that wouldn’t be appropriate.” Locke chuckled.

“You’re such a juvenile,” Reece said, his voice a deep rasp which had goosebumps rising on her arms.

“You said that your head was up.” Locke choked out a laugh.

“This isn’t appropriate,” Reece said, completely deadpan. How did he do that? “I think we should go, Dr. Bristol.”

“I hope you have a lovely evening, Doc,” Locke said, his eyes still glinting with mischief.

“Dr. Bristol,” Reece admonished Locke, his eyes were narrowed on him.

“Dr. Bristol.” Locke winked at her as soon as Reece looked away. Why was he so hard on himself? Because make no mistake, although he was hard on those around him, he was even harder on himself.

Hope knew that she should look away, but she couldn’t. She watched as Reece took a few steps back. She watched as his muscles moved beneath his skin. Mesmerized as his body changed, quickly morphing into that of a griffin. He was formidable. She could see why he was the highest-ranking shifter here. Aside from his discipline, he was huge. So strong. Just like before, his tail thrashed from side to side and he gave a terrifying screech that had all her hair standing on end. She swallowed thickly, unable to take her eyes off of him.

“Um, Doc…?”

Reece screeched again, this time rearing up on powerful back legs.

“I mean,” Locke gave a shake of his head, “Dr. Bristol…the bag.” He pointed at her feet. To the fur bag lying there. “Reece is impatient to leave but I’m sure you understood that, even if you don’t speak griffin.”

Reece made a rumbly noise from deep in his chest.

“Oh, shoot.” She slipped out of her heels, which she placed into the bag, together with her purse. Then she put on her jacket and secured the bag around her body.

“See you later,” Locke said.

“Thank you,” she said, turning and waving.

“Have fun!” he yelled, as Reece picked her up. “Don’t stay out too late,” he added.

She heard the start of a laugh, but Reece shot up into the air. All she got was a rush of wind in her ears. Her stomach gave a lurch. She had to close her eyes because they stung from the rush of air. Her hair whipped around her face. She clung to his scaly claws. Usually, she enjoyed her flights. This was something different. She made a mental note never to be late if Reece was taking her. Thing was, this was a social engagement. A few minutes here or there didn’t matter, did it? Anyway, she was going to be ready early from here on out. Thankfully, the flight didn’t last very long. Within two minutes they were swooping down to the ground. Her stomach lurched again, and she gave a yell. This time there was no excitement involved. No wonder he had asked her if she was squeamish.

She breathed the biggest sigh of relief when he slowed and carefully touched down. He put her down slowly, until her feet touched the earth, which was cool between her toes. With a rumble, he let her go, but she kept her hold on his talons. She was breathing hard, trying to catch her breath and her faculties. When she finally let him go, Hope staggered a step or two in order to keep her footing. Reece shifted. He turned towards her, his golden eyes blazing in the moonlight.

They narrowed on her, almost making her want to take a step back. “Are you okay, Doctor?”

“Yes.” Her voice was stronger than she thought it would be.

“Good. I’ll take the bag.”

She nodded once and pulled the strap over her shoulder, keeping her eyes on his.

“Thank you,” he said as he opened the bag, taking out his pants.

She watched as he pulled on the linen pants. Then he took out a thin-knit sweater. He pulled that over his head, running a hand through his hair. “You might want to pull your dress down, Dr. Bristol.” He rummaged in the bag and handed her something.

She looked at her hands. Her heels. Then what he had said registered. She looked down and true as nuts, her dress had ridden up…all the way up. Her jacket was gaping open and the hem of her dress was sitting around her hips. She groaned, giving the hem a yank. She was wearing black lace panties. Quite see-through lace panties. “My brain is a little fuzzy from that flight,” she stammered, giving her head a shake. “Maybe this wasn’t the best outfit,” she mumbled to herself, probably sounding a little like a madwoman.

Hope staggered a few steps when she lifted her foot to put the heels on. “I’m off balance and a little light-headed,” she said, holding onto her knees and bending over at the waist. Who could blame her after that? The flight had been something she was sure trainee astronauts went through at NASA. Possibly worse.

“Apologies,” Reece said. He had the good grace to look sheepish. “Perhaps I pushed a little too hard trying to make up time. We’re already seven minutes late,” he said as he removed a watch from the fur bag, strapping it to his wrist. “Here,” he held out an arm, “lean on me.”

She took a step towards him and clasped his forearm. Holy shit but it seemed to be made of steel. The other thing she noticed was how good he smelled. It was tough, but she refrained from sniffing in his direction. Only just! That would look weird. She quickly pulled on her heels, letting him go as soon as she was done. Then she took a deep breath, praying she didn’t break her neck on the things. Hope had already made a fool of herself that night. At least he was being nice…well, nice for Reece.

“Ready.” She smoothed her dress.

He was looking at her strangely…no, make that, he was looking at her hair. She ran a hand through, and holy moly, what a rat’s nest.

“Oh, no!” she moaned. “I didn’t bring a hairbrush.” She tried to smooth her wild tresses. “I should have worn it up.” Then again, she hadn’t been expecting that mad flight.

“It looks nice down,” Reece said, not looking at her. Then he cleared his throat like he regretted the compliment. “Turn around.” His voice was gruff.

She did so tentatively. Was he still being nice, or was this where it ended?

“I’m going to use my fingers to comb your hair. Is that okay?”

“Yes…sure.” As it turned out, he was being nice…super nice.

Using his fingertips, Reece carefully combed her hair, starting at the tips and working his way up to her scalp. She was mortified when she groaned as his fingertips raked against her scalp.

“Shit…um…sorry. It’s been a while since… Well, since I got a massage.” What she was going to say is that it had been a while since she had been touched in any kind of an intimate way. When she really thought about it, she and Emmet hadn’t had sex in the last few months that they were together. He hadn’t so much as held her hand. Even their kisses had turned into quick pecks on the cheek. It had been ages since anyone had touched her like this. The thought unnerved her. The fact that she enjoyed it unnerved her even more.

“Are you feeling okay, Dr. Bristol?” Reece asked as he pulled away. “Your hair is fine now. I’m sorry if that was uncomfortable for you. I know that it was inappropriate. I was trying to help you.”

“Thanks, and yes, I’m fine. It wasn’t inappropriate. It was sweet, and I’m grateful. I was just thinking about something. It’s not important. Thanks for your help and for getting me here safely.”

Reece sighed, looking at his watch again. “It turns out that my plan backfired. Flying so fast has resulted in us being later than we would have been had we traveled at a normal speed. I will keep that in mind for the future.”

His seriousness was pretty cute at times.

No!

Wait!

She needed to stop this. A rebound thing was a bad idea. A rebound thing with Reece was a terrible idea. Not to mention that he wouldn’t be interested, anyway. There was that particular fact to consider as well, and it happened to be a biggie.

“Shall we go to dinner?” he asked.

She frowned. We. What did he mean by ‘we’?

Reece frowned. “You didn’t know I was invited?”

“No. That’s great, though.” She smiled. “We can get to know each other better.”

His head whipped her way. “There wouldn’t be much purpose in that, since we can’t be friends, Dr. Bristol.”

Stick-in-the-mud was an apt description of this man. An apt description indeed. As he walked just ahead of her, scanning the area for threat – at least, she assumed that was what he was doing – she couldn’t help but take him in…again. It was crazy, but the guy was just as gorgeous fully clothed as he was naked. The way the pants clung to his meaty ass. The way they rode low on his hips. How the knit of the sweater accentuated his shoulders. She groaned internally. She was attracted to an anal-retentive…she wanted to call him an asshole because he had acted like one a couple of times. Yet, she knew that lurking somewhere inside all of that brooding seriousness was a nice guy. Deep, deep down inside.