LOREN
Iwas being attacked.
Walking into the room that had become my second home since I’d been here, I was surprised when two forces of nature attacked me, taking me down to the ground. Their happy licks and snorts were delightful, and I tried to grab them in my hands to hold them still as their little butts wiggled in excitement.
“Aw, I missed you guys too,” I cooed at Barkley and Fort.
Looking up, I found a smirking Wells leaning against the wall. I’d hoped he was here and had ventured down to see if we could get in a workout. With all the events of the past week, it had been a while since I’d run or done anything physical, and nervous energy had built within me. I didn’t want to examine it too closely yet, but I found it often dissolved when I could exert myself in something.
Sex, however, didn’t seem to work the same as punching a bag.
Because if that was the case, I’d definitely banked enough sexual activity for at least a week of no exercise. I felt a little smug about that fact, but I found myself liking that I could be. Cami would be proud. The thought of her made me miss her more, and I realized I was starting to get worried. Perhaps I should stop by her place and check on her later and make sure she wasn’t sick and one of those people who refused to ask for help? Yeah, that sounded like her and was probably the case.
Filing that away, I got the dogs to calm down, and I sauntered over to the sexy man holding up the wall. He didn’t move or say anything, but his eyes heated, and his smirk grew as I approached.
“Hey, you.”
“Kitten.”
I pressed my body into his, kissing him. His hands went to my waist, and he captured my offering with his lips, his tongue making a greedy sweep of mine. I’d only meant to greet him, but Wells was on a mission, it seemed, and I gave in to the desire coursing through him. When his hands started to roam, I moaned, rubbing myself against his hard length. The dogs began to make a noise behind us, barking in a warning, and we broke apart, panting.
A second later, Jude and Imogen walked through the door laughing and then converged on the dogs when they noticed them. Thankfully, it gave us more time to right ourselves and walk over to them. I eyed their clothes, both in loose-fit ones that neither wore regularly.
“What’s up?” I asked, bringing their attention to me.
Imogen looked up first, a small smile on her face. “Um, well, I wanted to ask Mr. Young if he would be interested in giving me and Jude self-defense lessons. Sax mentioned it would be a good idea for Jude, so I decided I wanted to do it too when he told me about it. That is, if you’re willing, Mr. Young. If not, I can bug one of the guards. It’s just,” she paused, glancing over her shoulder to see if any were near. I didn’t spot the usual three I’d come to know as Beau, Topher, or Elijah, and Immy relaxed a little when she didn’t either. “It’s just, they won’t really teach me anything because it goes against their creed to harm a woman.” She stopped, her eyes going wide, and her head started to shake back and forth quickly. “Not that I think you harm women,” she sputtered.
Jude laughed next to her, and she calmed some, turning to stick her tongue out at him before addressing Wells again. “What I meant is, that it makes them feel like their job is obsolete if I can defend myself, and they would never go all out in the training because they’d be scared of hurting me. But I don’t think you have the same hang-ups; at least, I’m hoping you won’t. I just… I think I need this, especially if he’s back.”
Wells flicked his eyes to me in question, and I mouthed “later” to him, and he nodded, looking back at the two on the ground with the dogs. He stood with his arms crossed, a frown on his face that I knew was all for show.
“Hmm,” he muttered, moving his hand to rub his chin. “I’ll do it on two conditions.”
They both looked up, excitement peeking through as they eagerly waited.
“One, call me Wells, none of this Mister shit. Two, assuming you can find a way out to my place, help me look after the dogs. I’m finding myself away from them more and more, and it’s not fair for them to be cooped up so much in the house. They need to run and play. So, if you can stop by and do that a couple of times a week, that would help me a lot.”
“Absolutely, that’d be no trouble at all, Mr., er, I mean, Wells,” Imogen said with hope shining through.
“Hm, I seem to remember you like it when I call you Mr. Surly,” I purred into his ear before I walked over to the bench to wrap my hands. I heard him growl softly, making the smile I wore grow with each step. Pushing his buttons was so fun that I now understood the attraction to that whole trope of enemies to lovers.
I zoned out as I started on my punches, Wells not needing to monitor me as much anymore now that I had a good understanding of how to stand and punch. During my breaks, I watched him with them both, seeing that softer and patient side I often noticed when he was with the dogs. I guess Wells had a soft spot for kids as well. It made my heart feel squishy, and a blush rose to my cheeks. I quickly drank my water and then went back to my kicking, not at all imagining Wells holding a baby—nope.
The reality of that image slammed into me, and I staggered, the pain hitting me square in the chest with force at the realization I couldn’t give him that. I’d been doing so well, so it wasn’t surprising that my dark thoughts wanted to surge up and poison the small amounts of happiness I’d found. As I breathed rapidly, clutching my chest where I could feel physical pain, I wrestled with myself.
“Give in. It would be so easy to fall into the despair and let it swallow you. It feels good. Let it consume you. You don’t have to care anymore when we’re around,” the darkness promised.
No, that wasn’t true, because I cared. I had people who cared about me, too.
“Do they really care, though?” the thought whispered.
Forcing myself to open my eyes felt like lifting a 50 lb bag of sand. But I did it, and I found both Barkley and Fort at my feet, leaning into me, their whimpers drawing my attention as I slowly moved my arm down to scratch Barkley’s head and then Fort’s. My arm felt like it moved through quicksand, the weight of the world on it as I pushed through it for the action.
Lifting my head, I saw the other three were still practicing, thankfully not having noticed I’d stopped. Wells glanced up, though, his eyes capturing mine, and he held them while he spoke to the teens. It was the reminder I needed as I held them—Wells’ eyes always held so much emotion.
Pain would always be present. Things in life didn’t magically get better over time or feel any less hurtful. Pain hurt. No argument there.
But life was about balance.