Page 46 of Entangled in the Woods
“Why’d you stop?” he asked.
Only because you scared me, you idiot,I thought. I didn’t want to let him know he had startled me.
“How long have you been following me?” I asked.
“Not long.” His lips lifted in the amusement of his obvious lie.
“Well, good luck keeping up.”
I turned and ran down the trail, happy I had already run about a mile and my body had warmed up. Everett’s steady footsteps kept up with mine, and I couldn’t hear any hard breathing behind me. He was in good shape if he could hold this pace. I, unfortunately, couldn’t hold this pace for more than a mile, and I slowed down. So much for my taunting. Maybe all the running in his wolf form gave him an advantage. I could sense his presence behind me getting closer and closer as I slowed down to a jog.
The damn thread was back, and I could feel him reeling me in. Large hands reached out and gripped my waist, stopping my momentum and pulling my back against his chest. Both of us were breathing hard as I melded into him, once again a perfect fit. Our breaths found rhythm together, inhaling and exhaling. His heart pulsed against my back, beating erratically. My heart was doing the same, although I didn’t know if he could feel it.
“Did you think you could run from me?” Everett’s breath was hot against my ear. He seemed to enjoy a hunt. Maybe it was the wolf in him, or maybe it was just his nature. Everett could have had me several times in the last two weeks, but he was still playing with me. Like a wolf with a hare. “I’ll always catch you.”
He spun me around, and my forearms braced myself against his chest. Everett walked me backward toward a large maple tree. He pushed me against the tree with his body, reminding how well we fit together. The exposed skin on the back of my body tensed at the feeling of rough bark. My breathing rate increased even though I wasn’t running anymore. The smell of summer mixed with sweat filled my nose as I breathed steadily against his chest. The sports bra and shorts I wore left little to the imagination, and I wished I had one of my oversized T-shirts on to protect me from feeling all the muscles in his chest.
Sweat was dripping from Everett’s body as he leaned over me, and a drop fell onto my chest. The droplet melded togetherwith my own beads of perspiration and slipped between my breasts, disappearing under my sports bra. I looked up to find Everett’s eyes following the same drip I was.
Probation.Distraction. The rot.The words again echoed in my head.
“I can’t do this with you.” It took so much will power to push him away. I wasn’t able to push him far, my palms meeting muscle.
“Why not?” Everett filled the gap between our bodies again, pushing his against mine, caging me in with his arms by my head.
“There’s too much at stake. I can’t be…distracted.”
“Do you find me distracting, Elise?” he asked.
Yes, in the best way possible. But…
“I could be kicked out of my program, Everett!” I ducked under his arm, leaving a space the size of my body between him and the tree. I stood with my arms straight by my sides, my fists clenched. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t do this with him.
Everett walked over and wrapped his hand around my upper arm, pulling me close to him. “What do you mean?” His voice sounded threatening.
“The sample of the rot I turned in for testing came back inconclusive,” I explained. “I’m in trouble with my university. They think I falsified the sample.”
“But you didn’t. The rot is real.” Everett played with my ponytail, letting the hairs slide through his fingers. I let him, needing the comfort, the intimacy.
“Of course it is—that’s not the point,” I said. “They don’t believe me. I need to find a way to prove that I wasn’t lying. That’s why I’m out here, running, trying to clear my head before I get back to work.”
“I believe you.” He moved his hand from my ponytail to the back of my neck, massaging the tense muscles.
“Of course you do. You saw the rot yourself…”
Everett put his fingers over my lips, silencing me. “I believeinyou. I’ve seen what you can do, Elise. You’re nothing short of amazing. The university would be stupid to let you go.”
His fingers fell from my lips to the bottom of my chin. He lifted my head up so our eyes met. The swirling of gold eyes was again my downfall. I was so tired of resisting. I threw my arms around Everett’s neck, lifting up my whole body so my face could reach his. Strong hands gripped under my backside as my legs wound around his waist. He pushed me harder against the tree as our noses touched, eyes staring at each other and lips opened, gulping in air.
“What is happening?” I asked.
“I found you, we ran together, and now you’re having trouble controlling yourself.” Everett’s words were true yet annoyed me.
“Okay, says the man who’s been following me on my runs,” I said. “Is it really me who is having trouble controlling themselves?”
“Who says I’ve been following you before today?”
“I know it was you two days ago. Hard to miss a giant black wolf running with me.” He smirked.
