I wiggled under the covers, turning myself so I faced Carlos.

“The things you’re asking for, I’ve never considered.  I don’t understand relationships.  They scare the hell out of me.  And the idea of a relationship with you is even scarier.  I have no clue what you’re thinking because I don’t know what you’re feeling.  We kissed. Then when I asked you to stop, you walked out the door without a word.”

He reached up and gently ran a finger along my jaw.

“I left because if I had stayed, I would have kept kissing you.  The idea of a relationship is new to both of us.  I’ll work on sharing what I’m feeling with words.  And you can work on just letting yourself feel.”

I sighed, letting my tension drift away, then nodded and closed my eyes.

“Isabelle?”

“Yeah?” I said, opening my eyes again.

“I want to kiss you goodnight.”

“Okay.”

He didn’t go for my forehead, as expected, but settled his lips against mine.  My pulse leapt, and I reached for his bicep.  I almost pushed him away but stopped myself.  Relax, I thought.  Let go.  Slowly, I did.

His tongue traced the seam of my lips, and I opened my mouth.  He started to shake as he pressed deeper, playing with my tongue.  Then, just as quick as the kiss started, it ended.  He pulled back, kissed my forehead, and rested his chin on the crown of my head.  I stared at the column of his throat.  Dark whiskers already started to poke through the skin.  I moved closer and rubbed my lips against the rough texture.  Lying as we were, curled around each other, felt right...yet so alien.

Sighing, I closed my eyes.

*    *    *    *

I wore Carlos like a blanket.  Sweat slicked every inch of exposed skin.  Mine and his.  At some point during the night, the whole sleeping on top of the blankets thing had disappeared.  Along with his shirt.  I didn’t mind the missing shirt, though.  I loved his corded chest.  The sweat I could live without.  The air, I couldn’t.

“Too close,” I said against his throat.

He growled at me like a dog defending its chew toy.

“Can’t breathe,” I said.

He gave me an inch.  Cool air caressed my face, and I took a large breath.  His arms, one over my waist and the other tucked under me, held me prisoner.  Somehow, I knew he did not intend to let me go any time soon.  That was bad news.  I had to pee.

His lips brushed my temple.

“Good morning, Isabelle.”

“Good morning.  Uh, can I get up and go to the bathroom?”

His arms loosened around me.  I lifted my head and stared at the ebony orbs that had replaced his human eyes.

“Everything all right?”

He nodded.  When he blinked, some of the white of his eyes returned.

Unsure what it meant, I chose to pretend I hadn’t noticed and slipped from the bed.  I grabbed my bag on the way to the bathroom.  I needed a shower badly.  It wasn’t until I stood under the hot spray that I realized how relaxed I felt.  As if I hadn’t absorbed a thing overnight, which was odd since I’d felt wisps of emotion the night before.

As I shampooed, I tentatively opened myself to what might be around me.  I immediately felt the neighbor’s anxiety and closed myself off again.  The emotions were still there.  Weird.

I conditioned my hair and grabbed the razor I’d set on the ledge of the tub.  By the time I finished with the forest on my legs, the blade was dull.  How long had it been since I’d shaved?  Since before Ethan died.  I lifted my arm.

“I am so gross,” I mumbled, lifting the razor.

Why on earth would anyone be attracted to me?  Most days I wasn’t even attracted to myself.

Yet, since Carlos had laid eyes on me, he’d made his attraction very clear.  What did he see in me?  I shook my head, ran the blade under the water, and set it aside to rinse my hair.  Whatever it was, I hoped I didn’t lose it.  I didn’t like the idea of losing Carlos.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, I smelled breakfast.  I carried the bag with me to the kitchen.  Carlos manned the stove, moving a pan back and forth over the burner.  With a quick jerk and toss, he flipped the omelet in the air.

“Hey, do you think this place has a washer and dryer?”

“They’re in the closet right behind the entry door.”

I glanced around the room and saw the double door closet in the living room.  And sure enough, a washer and dryer waited inside.  On the shelf above them, I saw a bottle of detergent and a box of dryer sheets.  I started tossing the dirty items from my bag into the washer.

“Do you have anything you need washed?” I asked over my shoulder.

“I’ll add my clothes when we’re done eating.”

I closed the lid and set the bag on the shelf before I joined him in the kitchen.  He had two plates out on the counter along with orange juice and silverware.

“Any word from anyone else?”

“Most everyone is awake.  Charlene reached Penny.  According to Grey, it was a tense conversation.  There’s some kind of history between the two, but Charlene isn’t saying much.  Regardless, Penny has agreed to meet with Charlene to hear what she has to say.”

“Just Charlene?” I asked, sitting at the breakfast bar.

“No.  We will all go.”

“What time?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

He turned, and I was surprised to note his bruising had completely faded.  His skin was once again smooth and unblemished.  As I studied him, he eased half the omelet onto my plate and the other half onto his.  When he lifted his gaze to mine, I quickly looked at my plate and sniffed appreciatively.

“What’s all in here?”

“Ham, mushrooms, onions, and cheese.”  He sat beside me.

I cut into the egg, watched the steam rise, and decided to wait a minute.  Carlos took a bite right away.

“So what are the plans for today, then?”

“No plans.”

“Do you still want me to bite you?” I said.

Carlos froze mid-chew.

I was equally shocked.  Where in the hell had that come from?  Stupid hairy legs and self-doubt.  It must have been eating at my subconscious.  Hot or not, I forked a large bite of eggs into my mouth and then another bite while I prayed Carlos would move or say something before I choked myself on eggs.

He swallowed—it looked difficult—set his fork aside, then turned to face me.

“Why do you ask?”

I shrugged as I chewed and swallowed my mouthful.

“I just wanted to know if you changed your mind yet.”

“I won’t.  Ever.  If you’re ready, so am I.”  He paused and studied me.  “Are you ready?”

“I don’t know.  What exactly does being engaged to a werewolf mean?  For humans, the guy gives the girl a ring, and if she gets pissed, she can chuck it at his head and tell him to get lost.  What’s the point of the bite?”

“Do you want a ring?”

“Gah, no!”

The idea of Carlos getting down on bended knee freaked me out way more than me biting him.

We stared at each other while I waited for him to say something.

“The bite is more permanent than a ring.  And when you get angry, there’s nothing for you to throw at my head.”

“Probably a good thing,” I said.

“Probably.”

He sighed, and a hint of frustration showed in his face.  Before I could see if it was directed at me, he spoke.

“Grey wants to know if we can join the group.”

I nodded and quickly devoured my eggs.  Carlos likewise cleared his plate.  I found myself staring at his throat as he tilted his head back to drain his orange juice.  He set the glass on the counter and looked at me.

“You don’t need permission,” he said.

“For what?”

“To bite me.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

I stood and took his empty plate to the sink with my own.