--

'What's wrong?'

'The cold ones gave us an update.'

'And?'

'They said the danger would come from within our ranks.'

--

Chapter 4

--

I woke up with a thick layer of sweat on my skin. Puppy was on top of me.

"Gah!" I inhaled the heavy scent of dog.

I pushed him to get him off, but he was too heavy. He woke up and jumped to the floor.

I raced to my shelf and coated my room with Febreze.

Puppy looked indignant.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"You don't exactly smell like roses, Puppy."

He looked amused.

Once again, he did the potty dance and I let him out of the yard, only to see him jump the fence before I drove away.

Wiley was waiting for me in the lunchroom, looking very smug and happy.

I sat down in my usual spot, which was also across from him.

"So, who'd you bang last night?" I asked as I got my lunch out.

He immediately looked offended.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're smiling like you got lucky. I know that look."

He smiled again. "Oh, I got lucky. But not in the way you think."

I rolled my eyes. Men.

"Even if I had, why did you ask? Are you jealous?" His smile could've reflected light to the moon. He had perfect white teeth, which looked even whiter against his copper skin.

I was spellbound for a minute by the effect of his smile. And because I noticed that he had big pointed teeth.

"Oh you wish, Wiley. I'd rather date my dog."

He looked at me like I'd just agreed to marry him.

"You have a dog? I thought you didn't like dogs," he said, still smiling at me.

I scowled in response. "I don't. But I like my baby crying her head off even less."

"Baby? Are you married?"

I held up my empty left hand. "She's adopted."

"Oh. What does your baby have to do with having a dog?"

"Let me put it this way; her first word was 'puppy.' Need I say more?"

He chuckled and it made his torso shake.

Don't stare at his muscles. Don't stare at his muscles.

"So, I heard that there's a dance this weekend," he said after he'd finished laughing.

I ate a big piece of lettuce that left salad dressing on my mouth.

"And?"

I licked the salad dressing off, noting that he was looking at me like a starved tiger that had just spotted an antelope.

"Would you like to go to it?"

"With you?" I said with salad in my mouth.

"Well, that's usually what a guy is implying when he asks a girl about a dance, so yes."

I rolled my eyes and kept eating. I let the suspense build a little.

"Well?" he asked, already impatient.

I licked my fork and he gave me the hungry look again.

"Can you find me a babysitter?"

He almost jumped out of his seat.

"Heck, yes! This is so exciting! I can't wait!"

I kept my cool, even though he had just freaked me out.

"Whoa, chill out, Wiley. I didn't agree to marry you or anything. It's just a dance."

He sobered immediately.

"I'm sorry. Did I frighten you?"

"No," I lied.

He looked convinced. I was a good liar.

--

Wiley's idea of a babysitter was the girlfriend of one of his friends.

She was still in high school. College/high school relationships are weird.

I put on my plain but dressy light blue dress and waited for Wiley to arrive.

"Puppy!" Kitty wailed from her high chair. The babysitter was trying to feed her dinner, but wasn't making any progress.

Puppy had left that morning and hadn't been back since.

It was foolish to think that he wouldn't come back. He had developed a habit over the past week and he also stuck to me like glue.

Wiley arrived looking very handsome in a nice black suit and a blue tie.

He had brought me a bluebonnet hand corsage.

"How did you know I like bluebonnets?" I asked as I slipped it on.

He shrugged. "Just a guess."

I turned my wrist around, admiring it.

"They're my absolute favourite."

He grinned like he'd won the lottery.

"Then I guess I'm psychic."

I walked out the door, not taking his offered arm.

"I knew you were weird."

--

The dance was at a church gym.

We walked in the doors and there was a big crowd of about 200 people.

I gulped. I didn't like crowds.

Wiley noticed me stepping back towards the door.

"Hey, it's okay, Abby," he said in a soothing voice. "I'm right here."

He took my hand and led me to a non-crowded corner next to the food.

I took my hand back quickly and he looked hurt.

"Sorry, your hand is really…warm," I explained.

He smiled. "S'okay. At least the air conditioner's on in here." He leaned over to whisper in my ear, "That means I get a dance." His hot breath made my whole body shiver.

I laughed nervously.

He smiled at me and took my hand again.

His hand was rough and calloused from hard work, but still smooth and warm.

Very warm.

We walked to the dance floor and he slowly put his hand on my waist.

His hand was so big, it cupped almost half of my chubby middle.

I ran my hand up his sleeve, which was warm from his skin, and cupped his shoulder.

He flashed his bright teeth and we started flowing across the dance floor.

I smiled. "I didn't think you would be so graceful."

"I'm the most lithe back home."

"Lithe? You?" I smiled. Lithe was a term I would put with a cat, but never a big man like Wiley.

It wasn't that he was chubby, because he wasn't. He was ripped up with muscles everywhere. Like the Scorpion King.

I tried not to stare at the outline of his man pecs.

He caught me looking anyway and smiled.

"So, you like a man with muscle, huh?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "I didn't say that."

"Then why are you ogling me?"

"I'm going to ignore your impertinence."

He gave my waist a squeeze, which made me gasp and rub against him.

He made a low sound in his throat that could've been a moan or a whine. I couldn't tell.

"You're so soft, Abby," he whispered.

He started to rub his thumb up and down my lower back.

"No!" I pushed him away and rushed to the door.

He caught me in the foyer and gently tugged on my elbow.

"Abby, please wait."

I stopped, but took my arm back. I didn't look at him as I spoke.

"Wiley, I feel a connection to you, I really do. But I'm a package deal. I have a baby, and I have to consider her now. Besides, I…" I looked up into his deep brown eyes. Where had I seen those eyes before? "…I hardly even know you."

He stepped closer, taking my chin in his fingers.

Against my will, my body went wild under his touch.

"We could change that, you know."

I gulped a few times before I found my voice.

"But we've only known each other for a week."

I could feel my body becoming soft, meant to compliment his hardness.

Soft against hard, the way it was meant to be.

Wait, did I just think that?

He dipped down to my face, which was over a foot in height difference compared to his own face.

"That's more than enough time for some people."

Before he could brush my lips, I whispered,

"Enough to lust, or love?"

"If you love someone, you will lust for them," he breathed against my lips.

I tilted my head to look at him.

"You…love me?"

His beautiful eyes were level with mine. I could see flecks of gold in them.

"Yes," he whispered, before crushing his lips to mine.

Half of me wanted to push away, but the other half somehow knew that kissing him was right. Like it was meant to be.

He lifted me off the ground and supported me with a hand on my back and my bottom.

His kiss was animalistic; like he'd had so much hunger built up for me and was finally letting it go.

I met him back with my own hungry kiss. His mouth tasted sweet and tangy and his skin smelled divine.

After a minute, I pushed away and he set me back on the ground.

"How do you know you love me, Wiley? How do you know it's not just lust?"

He sighed. "I can't tell you here." He kissed my cheek. "I'll get your coat."

"I'll wait outside."

I walked out to the sidewalk and leaned against the building.

Even though the night was warm, it cooled me down. Wiley was warmer than the air.

Before I could smile and think about the kiss, two guys walked up to me.

"Hey purty lady," one said as he breathed in my face. I smelled beer.

I tried to walk away, but the other one grabbed my arm.

"Aww, come on, sweetheart. We need someone to keep us company tonight." He winked.

I got my arm back and started towards Wiley's car.

They caught me again and started dragging me past the parking lot to a thick group of trees.

I heard the door to the church open and heard Wiley call my name.

I bit the hand over my mouth and shouted to him.

One of the men slapped me, sending me spiraling to the ground.

I heard a big roar coming from the parking lot. What was that?

The two men took off running into the rest of the forest.

The growling got louder as a huge dog overtook them. I didn't watch the attack, but I smelled the blood.

The dog had killed the men.

I got up and the dog came back to me. I recognized the dog.

"Puppy? How'd you get here?" I took a step forward and fell. My ankle hurt.

Puppy's fur started shuddering and he transformed into a man right before my eyes.

Wiley.

--

Yeah, I know. Totally obvious who Puppy was. But I had to put it.