Reluctant Imprint
The moment her tongue penetrated my mouth, I knew I was lost in a sea of lust, passion, and even desire. The wolf inside of me wanted to brand her; mark her as his. I had to keep a level head. I practically had to pull myself away from her. She made me feel like a horny teen – an idiot for wanting more from her. The wolf inside kept on insisting me to kiss her. It wasn't enough that her kissable lips were bruised from nipping at them, it demanded more. It urged me to continue kissing her, until I had memorized the taste of mouth.
I knew that my animalistic side would soon take over. I had to control myself, before I made any damages. I wasn't going to take from her what she wasn't ready to give me - us.
"I have to go," I said irritated at myself.
I didn't want to let her go. I wanted her so badly. I was an inch away from opening the Jeep door, pinning her against my body and the metal of the vehicle. I wanted to run my hands all over her body, until she moaned against my lips. Or until she grinded her hips against me, asking – no, demanding that I maker her mine.
I wasn't thinking straight. I was lusting after her. I wanted to do things to Lennox that were inappropriate at the time. I wanted her; I fucking, desperately needed her.
"No," she protested against my lips. "A little more, please."
"I should get goin'," I said, clearing my throat, as I gently pulled away from her. She frowned, but nodded. "My grandpa's having surgery in an hour or two."
"Oh, yeah. Sorry. I forgot," she said dejectedly, hopping down the rail step of the Jeep and sheepishly took a step back. "Thanks again, uh, for everything." She said and reached to grab my calloused hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
I trace my thumb over the back of her hand and brought it to my lips and absentmindedly kissed it. She shuddered, and blushed.
"You should go inside," I smiled at her innocent gesture.
"I will,"
I looked up at the sky and frowned. Gray clouds covered the blue of the sky. The sun was hidden behind dense clouds filled with rain. A cold gust of wind blew and she shivered. I grunted and muttered under my breath. I was by far the worse imprinter in the La Push history. She wasn't wearing a jacket or a coat. She had on the same shirt she wore last night.
"I don't want to go inside," she said, gnawing at her lip.
I could smell the rain approaching us. "It's going to start rainin' here soon."
"Really? How do you know?" she asked, looking up at the sky. "Oh, I see."
"I told you. It's going to rain," I said, removing my hand from her grasp, "I can smell it. Get inside..." I said sternly. "You don't need to get sicker."
"Ah – yeah."
"Go get some sleep and relax. You had a hard night. You barely slept." I ordered.
"You don't have to worry about me, Paul." She touched her forearm and took another step back. Lennox glanced over at her house and narrowed her eyes. I didn't like how she backed away from the Jeep or from me.
"Something wrong?"
"No. Nothing's wrong," she smiled and looked down at the ground. "Again, thanks for everything." Lennox said shamefacedly. "I guess I should leave."
"Um, hey," I said, tunneling my fingers through my hair. "Call me. I might get bored at the hospital."
"Really?" she asked, her eyes opening wide in hopefulness. "You want me to call you?"
"Sure,"
"Okay... When will be a good time?"
"Whenever," I shrugged.
I watched her beam. "I will,"
"Stay safe," I grinned. "I have to get going." I said, stepping on the clutch and slowly shifting into first gear. "Stay safe. Don't go in to the woods alone, ever again, got it?"
"Got it, Boss." Lennox smiled, as she moseyed in front of the Jeep. She turned briefly, blushing, she waved at me.
I watched as she picked up her hiking pack and headed down a long, unpaved driveway. I waited until she reached her house, but she stood there, not moving from the top step. I slowly drove down the dirt road, continuously staring at my rearview mirror. Something felt wrong. Something definitely was off. A strange sensation crept over me. I became worried – again, for the hundredth time since I imprinted. I felt like I was suffocating. I parked the Jeep a mile down the road, and continued to stare back at her from the rearview mirror, watching her carefully.
Lennox fumbled with her pack and tittered between going inside or staying outside in the porch. She turned to look over to where I was parked at. Her pleading eyes begged me to return to her. Desperation was written all over her face. Her hazel eyes were opened wide and in the distance I could see that she was about to start crying.
"Fuck," I cursed, shifting the Jeep into reverse.
I drove toward her house, and parked in the driveway. I unbuckled the seatbelt and was out of the vehicle. It took me a few strides to cover the distance between us.
"What's wrong?" I demanded.
"Nothing," she said, covering her face with her hands.
"What's wrong?" I ordered. "Why are you crying?"
"I'm not crying," She shook her head and tried to force a smile.
"Don't fucking lie to me," I said sternly brushing with my thumb a few renegade tears. "Why aren't you inside?"
"I don't have the keys." She sighed.
"You don't have the keys to your house?" I asked confused. "Did you leave them at my house?"
"No,"
"Hospital?"
"No,"
"Did you lose them in the woods?"
"No. No. No." She shook her head again. "I don't have the keys to my house. Only my mother and stepdad have the house keys." She explained. "I have to wait out here," she said, flopping on the patio furniture.
"Wait for what?" I asked, sitting next to her.
Lennox quickly got up and started paced up and down the threshold that led to her house. I followed after her.
"Why aren't you answering my question?" I asked harshly. She didn't respond. "Fine. I'll leave." I said, staring grimly at her. I walked down the front steps, but she quickly yanked me back.
"I have to wait for mom," she said quietly.
I had one foot on the porch and another on the top step, when the rain began to pour.
"Until mom or Dan get here," she said annoyed.
"Are they going to be here soon?" I asked, extending my hand to catch a few drops of rain.
Lennox shook her head and smiled up at me. "No. I don't know."
The rain started to come down really hard. I took her hand and let Lennox pulled me into the porch next to her. The least I could do was wait with her.
"Where is your room?" I asked curiously, pulling her into my arms.
She nestled her cheek against my heart and wound her arms around my waist. "Upstairs," she gulped softly.
"Left or right of the house?"
"It's on the right of the house," she cooed when I ran my hand up and down her back. She leaned closer. "It's the window next to that large oak tree," she said, pointing at the right of the house with her eyes.
"Hold on a minute," I said, pulling away, but she caught my hand.
"What are you going to do?" she asked intrigued.
"Just give me a minute or two,"
"Okay," she nodded and slowly let go of me. "Just be safe."
"I will. I'll be right back," I grinned and walked into the pouring rain. The cold rain felt good. I turned around to face her and she gnawed at her bottom lip.
"Come back." She shouted over the pouring rain. "You're going to get soaked!" she laughed softly.
"I'll be fine. The rain feels good." I said and ran to the side of the house.
"You are crazy!"
"I've been told worst," I laughed. "I'm going to see if I can climb into your window and –"
"Okay," she interjected.
I scanned around the perimeter; nothing in the distance. I sauntered over to the large oak tree. The trunk was thick, with low branches that wouldn't support my weight. I walked around it and slowly began my ascend.
"Paul," Lennox cried worriedly, leaning against the banister as she looked at me. "Be carefully. I fell once and broke my arm trying to climb that oak tree."
"Everything's gonna be fine," I said nonchalantly, as I inspected the branch above me.
I yanked at it and it seemed sturdy. I climbed a bit higher, making sure that the branches were strong enough to hold me. Every now and again I would glance over to her. Her worried expression tugged at my heart. If I hadn't imprinted on her... would I have ever noticed her?
One branch cracked on my climb up. It hit the wet sod with a splashy thud. Lennox gasped. I was quick enough to grab another tree branch. Effortlessly, I climbed to her window. I tried to remove the screen, but accidentally broke it, when I managed to pull my six-feet-four frame into her room.
I finally stepped inside, water dripping off me onto the wooden floor. I took off my shoes and placed them next to the steel desk next to her bed. I stuffed my wet socks in my shoes and glanced around her room, drinking in as much of her room as I could. The room was a tiny, with a twin size bed pressed to the wall and one dresser in a corner of the room. The closet door was painted black. The room was neat and tidy. Nothing was out of place. Lennox didn't have any posters hanging on her wall. Only a single picture frame sat on top of her dresser. I walked closer and narrowed my eyes when I saw it. It was a picture of Lennox smiling next to a guy. I frowned, placing the picture facing down and continued my assessment of her room.
The place gave off the idea that Lennox rarely spent any time in her room. The thought bugged me, but I let it slide. She wasn't like the girls I'd previously dated. She was different.
I exited the room and walked down the hall. I found the staircase and headed downstairs. The first floor of the house was plainly decorated. A few pictures hung on the wall. The living room had a large screen TV, a sofa and a loveseat and no end tables. I continued walking and stopped when I caught the faint scent of beer and booze. I finally made it to the front door and unlocked the door. Lennox was distracted, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, as she rubbed her hands together to keep warm.
"Hey," I said, looking down at her.
"Hi," she blushed.
"Ready to get inside and get you warmed up? You are about to freeze out here,"
She nodded and was about to step inside when the loud ruckus of a blue Camaro distracted us. It slowed down as it reached the gravel road. I narrowed my eyes to see who was driving, but I didn't know who he was. The car made a quick U-turn and stopped a few yards away from the unpaved driveway.
"Do you know who that is?" I asked, pointing out the door.
"Oh, yeah, that's Jeremy Randall." Lennox shrugged. "He's a tool." The passenger side door burst open and a short young girl stepped out. "That's my sister Lynn. Another tool..."
Her sister, Lynn, leaned into the passenger window and was yelling at the boy that was driving. She slammed the door shut and without glancing back, she crossed the street. When she saw us, she began to run in her high heels.
"Idiot," Lennox muttered, rolling her eyes. "Don't be mad at me if she suddenly claims you as her boyfriend," she said annoyed.
I looked over Lennox shoulders and saw her sister huffing and puffing when she reached our side.
"Lennox! OMG! Good thing it's you, Lennox. I thought you were Leighton," she said breathing heavily, as she clambered the front steps.
"Yes, if it was Leighton, you would have gotten your ass beaten," Lennox said nonchalantly.
"Are you just arriving?" Lynn asked, ignoring her sister's sarcastic comment. "Is Mom here? Oh my! Who is this?" she asked, pointing at me.
"Yeah, I just got here," Lennox nodded, narrowing her eyes again. "Paul, this is Lynn. Lynn, this is Paul." She introduced us.
"Hi," Lynn said, pushing her messy bangs away from her eyes. She sized me up and smirked, licking her lips. "Are you two dating?"
"Hey, I'm here," Lennox said annoyed, snapping her fingers in front of her sister's face. "So, you, um, got here just now?"
"Um, yeah, didn't you see me get out of a car?" she said rolling her eyes at Lenny, and tried to adjust her messy hair. "I was out with some friends. Lost track of time and um, here I am. And you? Where you two here... alone?"
"Nope," I said to her.
"Why is he wet?" Lynn asked, her eyes focused on me.
"We were at the hospital. Asthma attack," I answered, pointing at Lennox.
A loud beeping sound interrupted us. "Oh, sorry. That's my phone," Lynn shrugged and opened her purse. She pulled out her cell phone and started pounding away at the screen. "Sorry. I had to text Jeremy." She said without looking at us and continued, "I was out partying and fell asleep at Jeremy's house," she shrugged again. "So, you were at the hospital?"
"Didn't he say that already?" Lennox asked, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, I guess, sorry." Lynn said, looking down at her phone. "My friend Keena is texting me now," Lynn giggled at her phone and then batted her eyelashes at me. "She' so funny. Can I take a picture of you...? She won't believe that Lennox is with a hottie like you." She drawled and flipped her phone and pointed it at me.
"No, thank you," I said, digging my hands in my pocket. I turned to Lennox and took her hand. "We should go inside, Lennox. You are still sick."
Lennox nodded and moved inside. Possessively, she took my arm, linked her arm through mine, and started steering me toward the staircase.
Lynn walked behind us and cleared her throat. "So, um, you had an asthma attack? So bad... No wonder you look like shit. No offense."
Lennox inhaled deeply. "Ah, Paul, would you help me bury my sister after I'm done killing her?" she asked.
I bent my head next to Lennox ear and whispered, "Anytime."
"Lennox!" Lynn exclaimed offended.
"You know, Lynn, thank you for caring. I'm glad that I have such a caring sister. By the way, you look like a cheap whore." She said, grabbing the railing.
"Excuse me, Paul," Lynn said, moving between Lennox and I. She clutched her sister's arm and pulled Lennox to her.
"Lynn, you are hurting me," Lennox cried and pulled away. "That's the hand that had the IV."
I got between the sisters and grabbed Lennox's arm and pulled her to me. "You okay?" I asked her softly, inspecting her hand. "It's going to bruise."
"Yeah. I'm fine," Lennox nodded.
"Um, Lennox, sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you," Lynn said apologetically. "I didn't know."
"It's fine, just," Lennox paused, "go away."
"I will as soon as you help me. Why are you so nice to her?" Lynn said, as she gave me a puzzling look. I shrugged. "Look, can you like help me, please? Mom's going to kill me if she finds out that I was out partying with Jeremy. You know how she hates him."
"He's an ass. He treats you like shit, Lynn." Lennox said and shrugged, as she moved closer to me and we started going up the steps.
"I love him," Lynn protested, causing me to snort at her stupid reply. "What's so funny, Paul?"
"Nothing. I remembered a joke," I said coolly.
"Can we talk later?" Len asked, turning around.
"No! Now! Mom should be back at home in an hour or so. You know how... um," she trailed off and looked guiltily at me, "she can be a bit... Can you help me with Mom, please?"
"What do you want me to do?"
"I don't know. You are the smart sister. Can't you guess?" she laughed nervously.
"I'm not in the mood to guess. Just tell me, so I don't have to listen to your valley girl accent..."
I coughed to prevent myself from laughing aloud and walked to the top of the stairs. The sisters continued with their conversation. They reminded me of my older sister Kessia. I watched them, my eyes drifting over to Lennox. She looked tired. I wanted to scoop her up in my arms. She looked so helpless. I sat down on the top step and waited.
"Can you like, I don't know, lie for me," Lynn said, playing with her hands.
"Why should I? You haven't done shit for me. You are always getting me in trouble," Lenny said indifferently. "Why don't you solve your own problems like the rest of us?"
"Come on! Just do me this small favor." Lynn grabbed Lennox's arm again.
"No," she replied and jerked away. "Every time I help you, I end up getting grounded."
"Wait. Wait. I know. I know what to do," she inhaled anxiously. "I swear, if you cover for me, I won't tell Mom that you brought a guy into our house."
"You wouldn't?" I asked Lynn from the top of the stairs.
"Oh, she would! You are such a bitch!" Lennox scoffed at her sister.
"I swear, I'll tell her," Lynn said, crossing her arms over her chest. "You know I'll do it."
"Of course, I know," Lennox snapped. "You are such a bitch! You know she'll kick me out of the house just like... she did with..." Lennox said, her voice trailing.
"Leighton? I know what I did!" Lynn said proudly. "So, are you going to help me or not?"
Lennox stomped the last few steps, and then turned to her sister. "Hmm... do I have a choice? No, of course not. Fine, I'll do whatever you want!"
"Yes! Great!" Lynn said excitedly. "Tell Mom I was at the hospital with you! Okay?"
"Whatever. It's not like she's going to believe me, anyway," Lennox sighed tiredly. "Come on, Paul." She said, clutching my wet shirt and tried pulling me up.
I stood up, glowering at Lynn and trailed after Lennox. We entered her room and I gently close the door behind us. I waited for Lennox to protest and complain about her sister behavior, but all she did was flop on her bed and quietly growled.
"Can I go to the hospital with you?" she asked. Her voice is muffled by the pillow.
"Sure, why? Are you not feeling well?"
"I'm fine. I just don't want to be here." she said, lifting her head and faced me. "Can you take me with you?"
I nodded and held my breath when she smiled at me.
