Shifters of Grrr 1 (83 page)

Before I knew it, my inner bear was alive, awake and very aroused. I could already feel that need to mate, the instinct to get intimate coming alive in me. But I had to resist. Must resist. This was not the time.
 

Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice, and as she continued to dance the night away, she got a bit more risqué and bolder with me. All the while, she was taking a shot here and a shot there.
 

At some point, when I knew that she would probably pass out sooner than later, her music mix came screaming to a stop from the groovy, body-bouncing tunes it had been shuffling through and turned into something quite a bit slower, more romantic and soft.

She didn’t miss a beat, and swooped me into her body, ever-so-close, for a slow dance. She rested her head on my shoulder and just like we were at prom, we swayed together, gently and calmly. Remaining like that, the man in me finally rose up and I took lead. Pulling her into me, closer and tighter, I didn’t resist taking pleasure in the handfuls of her ample body.
 

When the song was nearly over, she pulled her head off my shoulder where it had been resting, and looked at me with a sincere earnest gaze of desire and longing. Then, she leaned forward, standing on her tippy-toes and kissed me. Part of me was being the gentleman, truly not wanting to feel as if I was taking advantage of her.

Just a kiss!
I promised myself. Just a kiss…

And what a kiss it was. She was just as sweet as I imagined her tasting. Her full, pink lips were completely edible. Her breath smelled like the liquor, but not in a bad way. In a tasty way.
 

Everything in me wanted to lay claim to her right then and there. But I wouldn’t. I didn’t. Instead, it was determined for me. After one of the sexiest, most languorous, passionate kisses of my adult life, she passed out, right in my arms.

At first I just held her, chuckling in amused awe. Then, I picked her up, strode to her bedroom and got her into her bed. As any man who has had to put a woman to bed can attest to, you struggle with silly, basic questions.
 

Do I leave her fully clothed? Take of her clothes so she’s comfortable?

Nope. Not if you want to ever see her again.
 

Just tuck her in bed, lie her on her side and be a gentleman. Nothing more, nothing less.
 

I turned off her bedroom light, shut the door and made my way back to her sofa. I set the alarm on my cell and laid down. Staring at her apartment’s ceiling, I thought about how I hadn’t ever felt a connection this strong with a woman, ever.
 

All the more reason to do right by her. With a smile on my face, I soon fell to sleep.

Chapter Five

(( 5 ))

CASSIDY

I woke up the next day, somehow having made my way to the comfort of my bed. Lying there, I was rewinding the events of the previous evening in my mind. I sat up in my bed too suddenly and the world started to spin.
 

Whoops!

I rubbed at my head, swimming with the aftermath of a night of heavy drinking. Details came pouring in and at some point, what had started out as one of the more embarrassing days of my life, being arrested for having decked a man, while swimming, in the pool at my gym, started to come back to me.
 

This had really happened!? I hadn’t been writing about it… I’d lived it!

Smacking my forehead which was a bad move, I winced as the pain of a hangover blossomed inside my head.
 

Ouch!!

Had I really danced?! And him too?!
 

At some point, my recollection of the events go blurry. I wasn’t sure if I’d imagined Abe bringing me home from the police station, much less if he had an evening of drinking with me. I immediately turned to look at my clock. It was eleven a.m.
 

Goodness! I’d slept in…

Being this late in the morning, I wondered if he was an early riser and whether he would have left already, that was, if he’d stayed over. I went quiet, waiting and listening. Listening intently. Could I hear him? Had he gone home? Was he still asleep?
 

I crept out of bed and went to my bedroom door, which was shut. I never closed my bedroom door while sleeping. There was no point, really. I was the only person who lived there, so there wasn’t ever a need for privacy or quiet. That was my first clue that he might still be around.

Not wanting to chance it, I decided I’d get a shower in first, and at least I’d feel a bit more refreshed. Although I wanted coffee like water and some water too, I ignored my current need for both and stripped out of my clothes. I’d apparently fallen to sleep in my yoga pants and t-shirt.
 

I stepped into the shower and allowed the heat and steam to overtake me. Wake me up gently. I took my time, soaping myself up and cleaning off the previous day. Once done, I was feeling better and gloriously ready for coffee and water. Something to eat to start undoing the effects of too much liquor and beer.
 

Peering into my steamy bathroom mirror, some of the events deeper in the evening, before I’d passed out on my bed, started to percolate up. I was moisturizing my face and stopped mid-circle on my cheek, remembering him saying something about the asshole I’d decked at the gym needing to be put in his place.
 

Had he really said that?!

And would he remember it today?! I sure hoped so…

As I rewound and fast-forwarded events from the night prior, I realized and remembered that he’d only had a couple of stouts. Whereas I had drunk myself into oblivion. Oh dear…
 

So, that meant, that whatever he’d said and done, had been considerably more sober than anything I might have said and done.
 

I weighed my options. I could go out there and find him passed out on my sofa. Or, he could be gone, with no sign of him anywhere, him clearly having not stayed the night. Or, he could be somewhere in between, doing god only knows what.

I put on my game-face, my need for coffee giving me courage to open my bedroom door. When I did so, I was hit with the enticing scent of brewed coffee and someone cooking breakfast. I tippy-toed my way down the hallway and sure enough, Abe was in my kitchen. He was humming softly to himself and clearly was in chef mode.
 

My place smelled amazing!

On my dining table, I spied his
MacBook
and as I passed by on my way to the kitchen, I glanced at what he was using it for. My book!
 

Wow… that was amazing. Even after all the crazy of yesterday, he’d gone straight back to work. I’d found that admirable.
 

With the stove fan, going – I’d managed to sneak up on him unawares. So, he jumped a little when I said, “Good Morning.”

“Cassidy!” He said, leaping around to face me.

I giggled my apology, “Sorry, I’m not in my best form. A wee bit hung-over, methinks.”
 

I made my way to the coffee pot, which was blessedly full and poured myself a large cup. He hadn’t responded verbally yet, waiting I think until I’d had my first sip. Coffee is a form of sanity for those of us who are not natural morning people. Being a writer, I was definitely part of that camp. I was a complete night-owl.
 

Instead, he was observing me, somewhat intensely, assessing me. If I didn’t know better, his nose wiggled a bit, as if he were sniffing me.
 

“I hope you don’t mind that I stayed over. After a day like yesterday…” He said, a bit apprehensively.

I waved it off, “Totally fine. I’m just hoping that I didn’t manage to embarrass myself any more than I already have. I can’t believe I was, like, in jail!?” I said, shaking my head back and forth.

I made my way to the dining table and pulled out a chair to sit down at. He watched me, a funny look on his face. “How much do you remember? About yesterday and last night?”

For some reason, that made me wince, as if I knew he was getting at something important, but so much had happened, and the later part of the night was a blur. It was coming back to me, slowly. I could feel it, but couldn’t quite grasp my mind around it.
 

“It’s starting to come back…” I eeked out, unsure still of the entirety of the events.

He grinned, his gaze brushing my face with a sweet look… of
longing
? Then he turned back to the kitchen stove, taking a sip of his coffee, and finished turning the bacon he was frying up, along with eggs and pancakes.

Was that desire I’d just witnessed on his face?!

While he earnestly worked on the most amazing breakfast I’d ever had anyone prepare for me, I sipped at my coffee and let it do its magic, waking me up. At some point, I remembered, quite vividly, that I owed Abe for my bail money. I reached for my purse, which was conveniently lying on one of the dining chairs and pulled out my checkbook. I wrote out the check and then placed it on his
MacBook
’s keyboard. Soon, I’d be writing him another check, for editing my revised book.

He stepped out of the kitchen, and brought out settings for us both. I suddenly felt lazy and rude, allowing my night-guest to do all the work.

“I’m so sorry. Just sitting here drinking coffee. I can help.” I blurted out sheepishly.

He glanced at me with a curious look of bemusement, “No, it’s okay. I don’t mind. Enjoy your coffee and nurse your hangover. I’m sure it’s still a bit unpleasant?”

I nodded, relieved actually. I was often clumsy as is, let alone the day after a beer-fest and drinking binge. “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

He laid down the plates and utensils, arranging them just so. I admired his strong forearms, the beautiful tension in his muscles, the defining lines that made a man’s arms so sexy and appealing. Just like one of the men in my shifter books.

And then wham! It hit me… Like a bolt of lightning! Abe and I had kissed last night, right before I’d passed out.
 

As the memory crept back into my mind, I swallowed hard. Somehow, I got the sense that he was waiting. For the recollection to hit.
 

It wasn’t an unpleasant memory, mind you! But it was a shocking and surprising one. For me.
Holy whoa!!

With stone-cold awe and disbelief, I suddenly blurted it out, “Abe? Did we kiss last night?!”

“I was wondering when you’d remember that, if at all.” He said, pausing to take in the surprised look that was on my face. “Yes, we did. I must admit, it was quite a nice kiss. Then you passed out.”
 

I continued to stare at him in disbelief, although I could feel the red creeping up my neck to my face and ears. Stunned into silence, he winked at me and then returned to the kitchen. He began to bring out our breakfast food and serving it up. Once he was done, he sat down and gave me a mischievous grin.

“Eat up!”

I picked up my fork, as if I was in a trance. Someone, like Abe, one of the sexiest men I’ve ever met, even better than my imaginary, fictional, book boyfriends, had kissed me.
 

And he’d liked it?!

I decided that I needed to get some food in me ASAP. I started to eat and before long, my eyes were rolling back in my head. Jesus, the man knew how to cook too!! Wow….

Silenced by good food, good company, and a semi-embarrassing recollection of the events from the day and eve prior, I just relented. Gave in. It was what it was. And it dawned on me, if I hadn’t gotten arrested, would Abe McKeon be at my dining room table, serving me breakfast after a night of beer-induced shenanigans?!

Screw it! The asshole from the gym could sue me. I would gladly pay him. For the likes of Abe and the turn of events, I was grateful.
 

Chapter Six

(( 6 ))

ABE

I couldn’t help but get a kick out of how cute she was, being so confused and caught off-guard once her memory and recollection had caught up with her.
 

Thankfully, I’d managed to get her into her bed without too much resistance. Once tucked in, I’d decided it would make better sense to stay the night. Her sofa was quite comfortable, and despite the late hour we were going to sleep, I’d decided to rise at my usual time to get working on the edit-revision for her book.
 

So, at eight, my cell’s alarm went off. Luckily, her place was roomy and so I’d slipped into the bathroom to get a quick shower in. While I did, I thought about how carefree, silly and funny she’d been the night before. Intoxicated, certainly – but I’d gotten a whirlwind tour of her personality in less than a day flat.

One that I liked. She was refreshingly real, herself and expressive. I was so used to women pretending to be someone or something they weren’t, all in the hopes of snagging me or at the very least, catching my interest. Being a bear, I could see right through them. It only made them less attractive in the end. Sadly, there were so many who did this nowadays that I just assumed that was their mode.