39. Nikolas: Distraction
*NIKOLAS*
I’m sitting at my office desk when the text from Claire comes in on my phone. I’ve turned my attention to my computer just as my phone beeps with a text message. I squeeze my eyes shut, attempting to have some self-control, but fail miserably as I reach for my phone and open up the text from Claire.
CLAIRE: Yes sir, Alpha Bentley ;)
CLAIRE: I won’t forget. I promise.
*Fucking hell. This woman is going to be the death of me.*
I have no trouble picturing the teasing, sarcastic smile she was most likely been wearing when she’d typed out that message. It’s the same look she flashed at me this morning in her apartment when I’d been listing off my demands and ground rules to follow for her safety.
After Vivian had gone home to rest, I had stayed at Claire’s apartment with her while she’d quickly showered and dressed for work. With my heightened senses, I listened to the muted sounds of her moving around in the next room while I alternated between sitting stiffly on her couch and pacing around the room.
Despite the push back I’d given her for leaving the four walls of her locked and heavily guarded apartment, I couldn’t help but admire the resolve and strength she’d shown when telling me she was going to live her life as normally as possible. Regardless of the circumstances. The surge of pride I felt for her in that moment had pummeled me in the chest so hard that it was scary. Terrifying even.
But that didn’t stop my protective instincts from eating me alive.
Logically, I knew that she’ll be just as safe— and *happier*— being guarded in the library. But the instinctive and possessive urge to lock her away until the danger was gone wasn’t anything near *logical*.
She’d come out of her room wearing a navy blue dress that swirled around her legs mid thigh. It fit her like a glove, clinging gently to her curves. It was a dress that had the animalistic side of me roaring to life, ready to rip that dress off of her with my teeth. Hell, had she chosen that dress to distract me? Because if she had, it was most definitely working.
She’d spent the last half hour before she needed to leave for her shift at the library making me breakfast and plying mug after mug of coffee into my hand. Watching her move around her space…doing something so normal as making coffee… I was happy for a moment when I shouldn’t have been happy considering the chaos that’s been swallowing me whole.
I’m growing addicted to her. Addicted in a way that’s probably unhealthy. Especially considering that I have no idea where her head is at. I don’t know if the time we’ve spent together has been as significant for her as it’s been for me. Will she eventually go back to my brother? I have no idea what she’s thinking. I can see that this is turning into something more for me, when I shouldn’t. I can’t seem to help it, though. Regardless of everything else.
The door to my office creaks open, and I glance up to see the tired faces of a few shifters filing in. They each hold steaming cups of coffee, evidence of the long night we spent scouring the mountains. Vivian and Ricardo are among them, their expressions solemn as they take their seats.
"Any word from Claire?" Vivian asks, her voice laced with concern.
I shake my head, taking another quick gulp from my coffee. "Nothing new. She's back at work, though.”
Ricardo lets out a low whistle, running a hand through his tousled hair. "She's a gutsy one, that's for sure."
I can't help the way my lips tip up at the corner at his words. Boldness is venerated in Blood Moon Pack. I can't help but feel a swell of pride in her determination to reclaim her life despite the danger lurking in the shadows.
“Damn straight,” Vivian says with a wide smile, “That’s our girl.”
“Who’s on guard at the library?” Ricardo asks, collapsing into a relaxed slump in one of the nearby chairs.
“Louisa’s on guard inside,” I inform them, “Pablo and Marcus are outside, patrolling the building’s perimeter.”
“Still don’t want any males around her I take it?” Ricardo murmurs into his coffee cup, a shit eating grin on his face.
I shoot him a stony glare, not even deigning that with a response.
"We need to come up with a new plan," Vivian says, her voice firm, “I have a few ideas we could go over…”
I nod, focusing in on the shifters gathered around my desk. “Good. Let’s get started.”
**************************************************************
After a few hours of meetings, we pause for a quick break. I stay at my desk, waiting for a message from Claire. Throughout the morning, I found myself regularly checking the clock, seeing what time it was, counting down the minutes until I hear from her.
As I’m checking the time yet again, my screen suddenly lights up with a text. It’s a selfie of her and Louisa eating lunch together in the library’s break room. The sight of her playful grin has me shaking my head, fighting a smile while warmth radiates through my chest. The woman makes friends everywhere she goes. Even with no- nonsense Louisa. I don’t know how she does it.
CLAIRE: Any plans for lunch today?
I stare at the picture of her for longer than I care to admit, swallowing hard. She doesn’t need to know that what I really want for lunch is *her*. If she were here right now, I’d be feasting on her before she could even take her next breath.
All it took was one taste of her. And now I’m a mess. I want her.
I can’t think of anything else but her. This is why I shouldn’t have gotten involved the way I had.
I knew crossing the line with her would be a bad idea, because she’s too consuming. She’s not the type of woman you can have a single taste of and leave afterward. She leaves an imprint. She doesn’t fade away. And now, the repercussions of my actions are staring me in the face.
Amidst the chaos and uncertainty, though, one thing remains clear: I'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.