Page 23 of Wild Cub

“I appreciate the help.” Silence surrounds us again.

I’m the first to break it. “Do I wanna know how this happened?”

He grunts. “Something I needed to take care of. Someone disagreed with me.” I wet a washcloth to clean off the remaining dried blood. It must have been a heated argument.

“What’s thisthingyou needed to take care of?” I rinse off the cloth to clean his face again.

“You.” He turns my face towards him, a finger under my chin. I look him dead in the eye, wondering when I became the damsel in distress.

I scrunch my eyes. “I don’t need to be taken care of; you don’t need to worry about me. But how did this have to do with me?”

“But what if I want to, Teresa?” I throw the washcloth into the sink at his words. I attempt to make my way off the counter, but I’m trapped against him.

“You didn’t answer my question.” I stare at him.

“Nothing you need to worry about.” He inches closer to me. His hand trailing alongside my thigh.

He pulls me out of my thoughts, I pat his hand. “You’re all clean. You don’t need me anymore. If you please, I would like to continue my date with a man named Jack.”

“Trying to get rid of me? Or are you taking your anger out on something else?” He brushes his nose against mine. I see red, my temper about to go full sail.

“Fine. You show up here like you haven’t been ignoring me for days. I had a shitty ass day where my boss made me feel like I was drowning, then second guessed my ability to take on a job I have worked my ass off for for years. So no, I don’t need someone to take care of me when I am doing just fine. Last I remember, you said you’re not a very good man. Why would you want to take care of anyone other than yourself?” I try to wiggle out of his reach, avoiding his contact. I have taken care of him and in response he becomes cryptic.

Jackson’s face changes as I speak. He goes from flirtatious to stern, his eyebrows knitting together. He grabs my face, pulling me to look him in the eyes, but I refuse to back down.

“When I called your office, your assistant said you were going home. I asked what happened and she didn’t want to tell me. I can beverypersuasive. She sang like a bird after a moment, about how you screamed and wrecked your office. She said she hasn’t seen you like this in ages. I got concerned, I told Rawlings I was going to check in on you after I got done withwork, he gave me some choice words, and now I’m here. Yes, I know you can take care of yourself, but maybe it is okay to let someone who cares about you be there too.”

His words hit me hard. Why am I worth it to him? I haven’t done anything worth anything. “You called my office? Why?”

Jackson scoffs. “Why? Just because it’s been a few days doesn’t mean I forgot about you. I wanted to see you, but apparently, you found another man to be with tonight. I’m sorry if you thought I was ignoring you, but business comes first.”

“Mmm, Jack D. Never disappoints.” I release a soft laugh, my buzz quickly fading. Damn high tolerance.

“I won’t disappoint. I told you to give me a chance.” He kisses my cheek. “You can be the most hard-headed, stubborn ass woman with a smart mouth, and I’ll still be here.”

I turn beet red. “Most men would be turned off by my mouth.”

He grabs my hand and places it on the crotch of his pants. He’s turned on. He’s hard for me. No,becauseof me. A rush of emotions fights to come up my throat. “I wanted to see you. Let’s go.” He walks to the couch and grabs the blankets under one arm and Seamus, who is growling at him, under the other.

Okay, now I’m confused. “Where are you taking my dog?”

“You’re following me to the backyard and I am going to kiss you under the stars. I want the wonders from above to look down in awe.”

I practically whimper. He’s saying all the right things. He wants to release a part of me that’s still caged in like a wild animal refusing to be tamed. The rest of the night, he fulfills his promise of kissing under the stars. For a moment, my body eases into the bliss of the night, wondering what the stars will tell me, what whispers will come my way.

Chapter 9

Aprilisfinallyhere.Jackson is a constant now, ever since that night in the kitchen, patching up his wounds. This week’s flowing better than last week; I felt myself spiral, becoming the person I’ve tried so hard to not become. Anxiety is a bitch.

I’ve apologized to Sam and Reva for allowing my monster out. They didn’t deserve how I spoke to them, and I don’t deserve them as friends. I’ve been lying low at work, sticking to my to-do list. When I got to the office the day after the disaster, my office was put back together like nothing happened. Thank you, Sam and Reva.

A knock sounds at my office door. “Boss, Ms. Aggie just called.” My head jerks up. It’s rare that Aggie calls the Foundation, nevertheless me. Shivers again. I have a bad feeling about this. The concerned look on Reva’s face doesn’t help either.

“Did she say what she needed? Is something wrong?” I feel the need to forget my to-do list. My mind races with the endless what ifs. Reva shrugs, giving me motivation for my next steps. What if she’s calling because something is wrong with the center? What if someone in the community died? My stomach is in knots. I dial Aggie’s number.

One ring. Two rings. Three rings. Voicemail. Fuck. I grab my keys and dash out of the office, telling Reva that if anyone asks, I’m out doing outreach and talking with partners. The anxiety keeps building as I drive through the city, dodging traffic as much as I can. My phone beeps with a text message. My mind’s telling me to answer it in the hopes that Aggie messaged me. For a brief moment, I stop at redlight and open my phone.

Leif Erickson:Tell me I can see you tonight.

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