Authors: Mandy Rosko,Woodland Creek

Tags: #Romance, #Paranormal, #Werewolves & Shifters

Bite Me (Woodland Creek) (11 page)

BOOK: Bite Me (Woodland Creek)

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Or it could have been because Jake was beside her again after so many years.

They didn’t do anything, but laying there with him, and falling asleep while Jake’s fingers brushed up and down her shoulders, was a wonderful feeling.

It was a strange feeling to be able to walk through the streets freely knowing that no one would be looking for her, hunting her down.

Alice still glanced over her shoulder every once in a while, usually a couple of times an hour. It was an old habit, and she wasn’t going to break it so easily, not even when she held onto Jake’s hand.

He squeezed her fingers, just enough to get her attention. Alice looked up at him. His lips pulled up in a rugged smile. Even though he’d woken up only ten days ago, his looks were bouncing back better than anything, and he was healing nicely.

“What do you think about getting something to eat? Rickman invited us out for a free lunch before we go.”

There was nothing better than free food. Alice smiled back up at Jake. “That sounds awesome. We should really rack up his bill, too.”

Jake chuckled, but he shook his head.

Rickman, as serious as he could be in his office, was still feeling guilty about what happened. Alice and Jake were enjoying twisting the knife just a tiny bit, but it was only in good fun. They didn’t actually hold anything against him, and Alice was fairly sure Rickman knew it.

Free food, however, was going to be impossible to turn down, so why not accept it?

“You sure you don’t want to stick around for a bit? Rickman tells me that their Halloween festival is supposed to be insanely amazing.”

Alice looked around the street, noting the fall colors coming out. She tried to imagine the street covered in decorations and people walking down the sidewalks in costumes—or in their animal forms pretending to be in costumes. She didn’t have all the details, and was pretty sure Jake didn’t either, but it sounded kind of cool.

“You think maybe we can come back?” Alice said. “To be honest, I’m looking forward to getting out of here with you.”

She wouldn’t mind visiting, but after spending so much time here, getting Jake back, watching him get shot, and waiting impatiently beside his bed for him to wake, she needed some time away from this place.

She and Jake had agreed to take things slow—though they hadn’t been remotely slow last night—but when Alice wasn’t feeling paranoid and looking over her shoulder, she was bubbly and happy, more so than she’d ever felt in years. She wanted to have her honeymoon phase with Jake.

And because he was just that amazing, Jake nodded. “Of course. We can leave here and never come back, if that’s what you want. I don’t actually care about this place, but I was just making sure.”

Alice pushed herself up onto her toes, kissing him. The way Jake couldn’t stop smiling, and the way she couldn’t either, made it slightly hard to carry out, but it was still fun.

Jake had told her all about his apartment and his business, and she had an invite to live there until she could find her own place.

Unless she wanted to stay permanently, and he hinted that was an option as well.

Alice got the feeling Jake was trying to not scare her off by constantly offering so many outs. Hinting at living apart before living together, of helping her find an apartment while she stayed with him, or of just flat out staying, taking it easy on rent while she went to school.

Alice didn’t know what to do. Now that she had options, it seemed like she wasn’t sure what to do with them all. One thing was for sure: she wanted to pull her weight. If Jake really wanted her to stay with him and help her go to school, then getting a job seemed like a good idea, helping out with rent and groceries and whatnot if she was going to be in his space.

Alice wasn’t going to lie to herself. Despite their agreement to go slow—though, again, last night had been super hot and awesome on all kinds of sweaty, naked levels—Alice did want to live with him. She figured that, to keep him from regretting making the offer, she’d have to prove she was ready to have that kind of life with him.

Normal people didn’t just assume it was true love after ten years apart, though Alice sure as hell wanted to give it a shot.

She was still smiling when their mouths pulled apart from each other. Jake had a big grin on his face, too. With the stubble around his mouth and on his jaw, it made him look that much better.

And Alice was overcome with a desire that had been simmering since she’d woken up that morning.

“You sure you want a free lunch?” she asked, playing with the buttons of his coat. “I was thinking I might be hungry for a repeat of last night.”

Jake groaned. “Did you really just say that?”

“No making fun of me,” Alice said, shyness she wasn’t used to warming her face and neck. “Unless you’re too tired?”

The fact that he was still recovering, and that she had to be careful not to touch his chest area, was still a concern.

“I’d like to say something romantic, like I’m never too tired for you, but lately that doesn’t feel like the case.”

“That’s all right,” Alice said. “I can wait. I really can.”

She didn’t want him to feel like he had to perform, or feel guilty if he couldn’t.

One of his big eyebrows lifted up. “I didn’t say I was too tired now. I still have one left in me for today.”

Alice blinked up at him, and then exhaled a deep sigh. “Oh, thank God,” she said.

Jake laughed, and they turned to walk back to the inn to enjoy more of their free time there. The Do Not Disturb sign was going to get some more use today.

END

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my novella from
Woodland Creek
!

All reviews are appreciated
.

If you would like to read more from the
Woodland Creek
series, please click on the link below:

Woodland Creek Website

About The Author

Mandy Rosko
lives as a hermit with her scared of everything dog, and she works in Ottawa, Ontario. Every once in a while she peels herself away from writing and Internet surfing to socialize with real people. She loves videogames, Sailor Moon, and her dog.

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Thank you for reading. ~Mandy

Other Paranormal Romances by

Mandy Rosko

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The Vampire's Curse
Book 1

The Legend of the Werewolf
Book 2

The Dragon and the Wolf
M/M Novella

The Shepard's Agony
Book 3

Dangerous Creatures Series:

Burns Like Fire
Book 1

A Shock To Your System
Book 2 M/M

As Cold As Ice
Book 3 Coming Soon!