Page 69 of Panther's Magpie
“No. You don’t get to do that. If you are in his home, I assume he allowed you there. Correct?”
I frown. “Yeah. I mean, I had a nightmare last night and called him. He brought me here.”
“Oh, this is so good. Trust me. This is a great idea. Stay there. Go take a bath in that ridiculous claw tub he has. I’ll be there soon.”
She hangs up before I can complain.
I do as she says, going to run myself a bath. He has no kind of bath salts or bubble bath, so I resort to using his body wash for some sort of bubbles. When I inhale, I get the zesty cypress, oud wood, and warm sandalwood the label promises. It reminds me of Panther. Woodsy. It reminds me of the outdoors.
I let my body slip beneath the warm water, letting it caress my skin. I pretend it’s Panther’s fingers on my body.
It doesn’t take me long to find myself lost in a fantasy of him. I’ve been trying to keep them at bay, but it’s like his kiss this morning gave me the permission I’ve been searching for to give in to these intense feelings I have been having about him.
It feels so wrong to betray Aspen this way, but at the same time, he feels right. He feels like what I have been searching for my whole life.
He feels like home.
My core heats at thoughts of him. The way his body glistened in the moonlight as he carried me from the clubhouse to his own home. The feel of his body against mine as he held me, creating the safety I have always craved.
Quickly my fingers find their way between my legs. They explore as if I’ve never felt myself before, even though I have many times. I pretend they are him. He’s learning my body so he can please me.
It doesn’t take long for my moans to ring out in the empty bathroom. They echo off the walls as I find my pleasure with my mind on Panther.
I thought it would make me feel better, but it only makes me hotter for him. It’s like craving a vanilla shake all day, but all they have is chocolate. Still satisfying, but doesn’t get rid of the need for the real thing.
Cleaning up, I find one of his T-shirts to slip on and a pair of boxers. I don’t know if he will let me stay past today, but I haveno idea how to get back to the clubhouse from here. I could ask Rain, but part of me wants to stay here. I want to be in his space.
I wait in the living room for Rain, wondering what Panther does for fun since he doesn’t have a TV. I could do some snooping, but I don’t want to betray his trust like that.
After what seems like forever, Rain finally arrives.
“Wearing his clothes. I like it. Very territorial of you.”
“Rain! I don’t have any clothes here, and it’s not like he left me a map to get back to the clubhouse. I don’t even have any shoes.”
She smiles wider. “Well, you know, if you just go through the woods, you could find it. Want me to tell you exactly how?”
I shake my head. “Plausible deniability?”
She laughs. “He is going to wonder how you got this stuff here, you know. What do you plan to tell him?”
I frown. “I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe I’ll just tell him I thought he wanted me to wait here? He did tell me I could hang here until he got back if I wanted.”
“There you go. Stop questioning yourself. Men aren’t like women. There’s no hidden meaning to what he says. If he said you could stay, then you can stay. Now help me put these groceries away and tell me everything.”
I help her take the bags to the kitchen and start to put everything away.
“There’s not much to tell. I get nightmares sometimes. Aspen is usually the one who helps me through them, but, well, I didn’t know what to do, so I called him. I didn’t expect him to come. I just needed someone to talk me down. Then he said he didn’t want to leave me alone, so he literally picked me up and carried me over here.”
I bite my lower lip, not sure if I should tell her about the kiss.
“You could have called me. Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?”
I shake my head. “It was a stupid nightmare that I’m sure is fueled by my own insecurities. Or at least that’s what the internet says. I almost did call you, by the way.”
“You called him, though.”
“I did. I don’t know why. I think he represents safety for me. Does that sound stupid?”
