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Chapter Eleven-Jezebel

Iwoke slowly, a smile stretching across my face as I slowly came to consciousness.

Bright rays from the sun filtered through the curtains, casting soft patterns across the room, and I blinked open my eyes to take in my surroundings.

I grinned at the plain white sheets and gray comforter that had been tucked in around me snugly.Like my very own cocoon of warmth and comfort.

It had been a long time since I had a sleepover.Especially an adult one.I wanted to savor the peace and tranquility of the morning.

I couldn’t recall a time I felt such contentment.Usually, I woke up to chaos, but not today.Today, I felt relaxed and safe.

Loved.

As soon as the word crept into my brain, I pushed it away.It was far too soon for that.I mean, I felt something powerful for Emmet.

But love?I couldn’t be in love.Not after only a week.

Speaking of Emmet, where was he?

We had a lot to talk about.Like what this whole claiming and biting thing meant.Also, about the fact we hadn’t used protection last night.

I was on birth control, one of those implant things that was good for another two years, and I’d been tested for STDs after dumping Patrick’s cheating ass.So, I knew I was safe and healthy.

But still.If I was going to do adult things with adult people, then I needed to have adult conversations.It was the one lesson Pop gave me that I would never ever forget for a million years.

He’d caught me necking with my high school boyfriend junior year at the back of the drive in.And boy, did that fifteen minute lecture suck.

Still, I smiled at the memory.Pop was a trip.

Sitting up in bed, noting the delicious soreness between my legs, and I hummed happily to myself.

Memories from last night flooded back, and I felt a flutter of excitement in my chest.Things Emmet had said and done were just, well, they were perfect.

No man had ever made me feel so good about myself.And I meant that in every way possible.Oh, he played my body like a fiddle, but it was the way he cared for me after with his whispered praise and soft touches, those unspoken words that said so much.

Emmet was dangerous and not just because of Demon, the monster Wolf inside him who also seemed to have claimed me, but because he touched a part of me I thought no one would ever reach.

My heart.

Okay, it was too late to deny it.I bit my lip, wondering how long was customary to wait to tell someone you were like ninety-seven percent in love with them.My chest felt tight, and I rubbed my palm over it, sighing as I tried to get myself under control.

He has my heart.

God, falling for someone was scary.I’d forgotten how scary.But maybe with Emmet it didn’t have to be.

Still, he obviously left for the day for work.I knew he started early on the ranch, and when I checked the bedside table for a clock, I saw it was already a little past nine AM.

I stood up and walked to the adjoining bathroom and grinned when I saw a new toothbrush waiting for me and a stack of fresh towels.

“Dangerous,” I whispered, running my hands over the plush white terrycloth.

For the first time in a very long time, someone was taking care of me.And it felt good.Real good.I only prayed it would last.

After my shower, I dressed in a pair of Emmet’s too long for me sweatpants and a well-worn hoodie.The material was impossibly soft, and it felt so good against my skin.I also stole a pair of thick socks and was just slipping them on my feet when I heard the front door open.

Smiling to myself, I jogged down the stairs, almost falling, when I saw the shape of a woman from the back.She was holding something, humming to herself, but I couldn’t make out what it was.

A lump formed in my throat, but I was too stunned to move.Hand on my chest, I actually whimpered when she turned, a stack of pastry boxes in her hand.