Page 11 of Pack Baines

The offer is too tempting to pass up, even with all the paranoia in my mind. I know Creek won’t hurt me, would never hurt me. He isn’tthem. All he did growing up was protect me, look out for me, made sure I knew that I was wanted with him. With him and the others.

I’m nodding before my thoughts catch up with me, and I’m suddenly wrapped in a pair of strong, toned arms that band around me without hesitation. My cheek is pressed against a warm chest, athundering heartbeat pumping against my ear, very much in sync with my own. Creek’s chin falls to my head with a shuddering sigh, and with a heady whiff of ginger and spice, my body melts right into him as though it has a mind of its own. My free arm wraps around his back, fingers clutching at his shirt tightly, while my body practically molds to his.

“God, I fucking missed you, Juno,” he whispers against my head, hugging me tight enough that I almost lose track of where he starts and I end. It’s the best damned hug that I’ve had since the night my life turned to worse shit than it was before Hershal almost beat me dead.

Rubbing my cheek against his chest, I sigh as a sense of comfort washes over me. It’s as familiar as breathing, his touch putting the memory of it to shame, and I almost fucking cry right there and then as a wave of rightness overcomes me. A bone-deep knowing that this is how it should have been, what I’ve been missing, and everything that was supposed to be mine.

I don’t realize a whine has slipped through my clenched teeth, my eyes snapping shut so tight that I hope they trap the rotten, good-for-nothing tears from falling, and Creek’s arms hug me that bit tighter and he coos, “Shh. It’s alright, J. I’ve got you.”

I do my best to swallow the sound crawling from my throat, turning my face and burying it in Creek’s chest, and inhale him in with every breath until I’m almost dizzy on the scent. I feel his free hand running through my shortened hair, untangling knots I was too lazy to remove before leaving my room, before he squeezes the back of my neck and keeps his hand there. I don’t know why it feels good, why it feels like a form of security, but it seems to help calm my tremulous thoughts. The whine cuts off instantly, and I feel him rub his cheek against my head, the bastard scent marking me without hesitation. I can’t even be mad, because it settles something deep within me. Something that’s been raging and weird since I woke up in the hospital, alone and confused, and without anyone I knew or recognized.

I have no idea how long Creek holds me, strength unwavering as he keeps me tucked against him, but eventually my mind calms enough that I step back and peer up at him. He doesn’t remove his arm, keeping it wrapped snugly around my back as he looks down at me with a strange look I can’t decipher. I just know that I think I like it.

It gives me the confidence to admit, “You have no idea how badly I needed that.”

A seriousness washes over his face, and he answers with a quiet intensity. “Probably just as much as I needed it.”

I nod slowly, once more sensing the truth in his words, the frayed edges of my doubt unraveling further. A man doesn’t hug someone like that if he hasn’t missed them, hasn’t thought about them, hasn’t needed them in eight long, tortuous years.

When he brushes my hair from my face, it’s almost like those years disappear, only the sight of the grown-up version of Creek looking all the way down at me keeping me in the here and now. The smile that tugs at his lips almost launches me back to the past, but then he says, “So, what do I have to do to convince you to have dinner with me?”

“Dinner?” I ask, frowning, slightly dazed by Creek’s touch, smell, and handsome face. It’s such a shift of direction in whatever this is between us that it confuses me for a long moment, my thoughts tripping over themselves as I try to connect the dots instead of sinking into him like my mind is begging me to.

That grin finally breaks free and, as cliché as it sounds, it’s like the clouds finally part for the sun. It steals my breath, my heart, and sanity, and I can do nothing but swallow hard as he says, “Dinner. You know, that thing people do at certain times of the day when there's a meal in front of them, on a table, maybe wine or something. Conversation. Good lighting. Nice atmosphere. You know,dinner?”

Well, now,thatconfuses me more, because that sounds very much…

“Like a date?” I blurt, eyeing the man like he’s an alien and not my long-lost best friend. Or, one of them, anyway. I try to ignore the panic the very suggestion of a date lures out of me. I haven’t been on a date in… well, shit.Ever, actually. Anyone who’s attempted to ask, I’ve turned down viciously. I don’t do dates, never wanted them. At least, not with anyone that wasn’t Creek, Evron, Geo, Leylan, or Lowie. Since I couldn’t have them, given I was all alone in the world, it seemed easier and safer not to bother with the bullshit of dating. I wouldn’t even know how to think of a date, let alone actually date someone.

Likely seeing the panic plastered over my face, Creek shakes his head quickly before a rumble creeps from his chest. He’s purring. The guy is fucking purring, trying to soothe my panic. And it works, too, my body gradually loosening from its tense position. “Not a date. Just dinner. A chance to catch up, to spend time with one another. I meant it when I said I missed you, Juno. More than I could ever tell you. Come to mine for dinner, hang out for a while.”

I find myself tucking my lower lip between my teeth, biting it as I contemplate his explanation. I see no reason not to go. It’s just dinner, right? What’s the worst that could happen? Hell, it’s a free meal and a chance to spend time with the guy I’ve missed like a lost limb.

My head is nodding before I actually decide to agree, and I’m blessed with another rare Creek smile that I’d love nothing more than to capture with the camera I left in my room. A camera that I bought second hand for a hundred bucks, one of my only prized possessions I go nowhere without. Unless I’m panic-attack-hungover and thinking stupid.

“Awesome. I’ll pick you up at seven. I’ll meet you outside your dorm building,” he rushes to say, practically tearing me into another hug that almost cracks my bones. Before I can utter a single word, Creek releases me, taking with him his comforting scent, before he points at me. “I left my number on your cup. Text me so I have yours, too. I’ll seeyou later, J.”

Then the bastarddisappears out of sight before I can part my mouth, for what, I don’t know. All I know is that I’m left standing in the middle of a sidewalk, confused and off kilter, holding a still hot cup of mocha and clinging to the scent that coats me from every spot Creek touched me.

Peering down at the paper cup in my hand, I turn it and my lips twitch when I find black ink on the white surface, Creek’s number scrawled neatly with a note that says‘text me’.

Shaking my head, I turn and restart my journey toward my truck, slipping my battered cell from my pocket. It was the first thing I bought after my first off-the-books, cash-in-hand pay from a waitressing job I snagged at age sixteen. It’s seen better days, but it’s helped where needed, especially since the last cell I had was lost before I landed in the hospital on the brink of death. I lost every number I’d accumulated, lost all connections to the life I had before, and lost the only remaining ties I had to my boys.

Biting my lower lip, I type Creek’s number into the cell, before writing out a quick text.

JUNO:That was smooth. Thanks for the coffee.

A reply comes so fast that I don’t doubt Creek was holding onto his phone, waiting for me to text. I don’t know why that has me battling a confused smile, but it breaks free when I read his message.

CREEK:What can I say? I’ve got some game now.

Shaking my head, I slip my cell into my pocket without bothering to reply, ignoring the pang of jealousy that appears at the thought of him using this newfound game on someone other than me. I already know it’s irrational. I’ve been missing from his life for eight years. I can’t expect him to have been a saint in that time, to wait for me. I didn’t even think I’d see him again.

With an eye roll, my mood slowly souring at my stupid thoughts, I jump into my truck as soon as I reach it. I place the coffee in the cup holder, eyeing the thing fondly, before I pull away from the parking lot. Guess I’m going to distract myself with retrieving my textbooks and thinking of anything other than Creek and this upcoming dinner I’ve agreed to.

It only takes a few minutes for me to realize that Creek said dinner will be at his house. A house that, if they did as they said they would all those years ago, he shares with Evron, Geo, Leylan and Lowie.Ah, fuck.

Chapter 5

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