Page 44 of Squatch Out!
“Um, so, in the books, Jacob shifts into a giant wolf.”
“Better than a glittery bloodsucker.” Sean grins down at me and lifts my chin with his finger to kiss my lips.
It’s at that moment my cell phone suddenly starts buzzing in my pocket. It’s such a habit to carry it around, I always keep it on me, even though I haven’t had much service—until now.
Pulling back from Sean, I glance down at the screen and apologize. “It’s Tony. I need to take it.” I swipe my thumb across the screen as I lift it to my ear. “Hey.”
“Oh, thank god!” Tony’s voice is all kinds of relieved.
Suddenly, I’m on high alert. “What’s wrong?”
“I was worried about you,” Tony says, “so I came down to the lodge to check on you, but the front desk said you left early this morning and haven’t been back.”
“I’m sorry I worried you. I didn’t think to leave a note for you or a message on your phone. I’ve been… out. Doing some sightseeing.” I glance up at Sean and shrug. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
There is a long pause, and I can hear Brian in the background before Tony asks, “Have you heard from Darren, by chance?”
My blood turns cold. “As a matter of fact, I have. Why?”
“He took off last night, and we hadn’t seen or heard from him since.” And just like that, all my anxiety is back. “You haven’t left, have you? You’re still coming back to the lodge?”
I glance at Sean again, who nods—because of course he has super hearing and can probably hear the whole conversation. “Yeah, I’ll be back later tonight. I’m in Port Angeles right now, having dinner.”
“Brian and I are at the lodge. We’ll wait for you; we really need to talk.” There is another pause, and then Tony asks quietly, “Are you okay? The way you left, I feel awful that I didn’t stick up more for you.”
“I’m okay, Tony. Thank you, but I’m a big girl, and I can handle myself against bullies.”
“Okay, good.” I can practically hear the relief in his voice. Then he adds, “Enjoy your mushroom ravioli, and we’ll see you when you get back.”
“Thanks, I — wait! How did you know?”
“I’ve known you since we were teenagers. You think I forgot how into those books you were?”
“Nice. Speaking of… my dinner just arrived,” I say as I catch sight of the waitress heading our way.
“Okay, I’ll see you in a few hours.”
I shove my phone back in my pocket just as my dish is placed in front of me. The savory scent of the parmesan and earthy mushrooms has my mouth watering and helps to blot out the stress of my phone call.
“Thank you again for bringing me here,” I say to Sean after we’re left alone once more.
His dark eyes roam over my face as his lips twist up into a smile. “You’re welcome, baby.”
The way he calls me baby, like he did when he was inside me, sends heat rushing to my cheeks… and lower. Forcing my attention back to my plate, I scoop up a steaming ravioli and blow across the top before taking a bite. My eyes roll back, and I can’t stop my moan as the rich flavor bursts across my tongue.
“I will never get tired of hearing you make that sound,” Sean whispers in my ear before he picks up his hamburger and takes a giant bite.
Across the table, Owen is shaking his head and trying to ignore us.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
SEAN
It’s well past dark, and much later than we intended, when Owen drops us off at the lodge. He drives off with little more than a wave, leaving me stranded and at Olivia’s mercy. Not that I have any complaints. Especially when she slides her hand into mine and smiles, assuring me that she won’t be kicking me out of her bed tonight.
We walk toward the lodge, hand in hand, as she calls Tony to let him know we’re here.
I can’t help listening as Tony fills her in on the latest drama. I don’t mean to eavesdrop—or maybe, I do—but it’s kind of hard not to when you have preternatural hearing.
