Page 6 of His Hungry Wolf

I could no longer doubt that I needed it. There was a part of me that felt like I was going to crack without it. So, why did I always withdraw from people the way I did?

If I understood that, maybe I could break through it. Maybe I could let someone in and together we would be happy.

I could do this. I had to do this. And as I wiped another tear from my cheek, I heard a knock on the door that turned me around.

“Merri!” I said, shocked to see his steel-gray eyes once again looking back at me.

Chapter 3

Merri

“Hey Claude,” I said as if it hadn’t been two years since I had seen him.

God, did he look good. It wasn’t like I had forgotten how his gorgeous eyebrows framed his square jaw and full lips. It was more that, I had forgotten how staring at them made me feel.

Seeing him for the first time freshman year was the final thing I needed to convince me I wasn’t straight. The man’s complexion was the color of milk chocolate. How could someone not want to lick it?

Claude shook his head as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“What are you doing here?” He asked stunned.

“I was in the neighborhood. Thought I would stop by.”

“You’re in Tennessee!” He said still trying to piece everything together.

“What? Does Tennessee not have neighborhoods?” I joked.

“No, I mean, you live in Oregon.”

“Actually, I’m in Florida now.”

“Which still isn’t near Tennessee.”

I smiled. “You got me.”

“So, why are you here?”

“I thought I would stop by and say hi.”

“I got the keys to this place yesterday.”

“Is the place new?” I said looking around at the small cabin. “You run one of those river rafting tour companies, right?”

“Yeah. How did you know?”

“You have a website,” I told him as I explored the place.

“Of course. And I put this address on it.”

“Bingo.”

“Okay, that explains how you found the place. But that doesn’t tell me what you’re doing here.”

I looked back at my old friend wondering which I should go into first. A lot had gone on between us before he told me he was choosing to graduate early and leave the team. And I’ll admit that I didn’t handle his leaving well.

“I’m here because I have a proposal for you,” I said with a smile.

“And what’s that?”

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