Page 56 of Adoring Fletcher
On the drive home, Fletcher finally relaxed a notch. “Is he always like that?” he asked. “I thought you guys used to be friends? No offense, but he doesn’t seem like the kind of friend I’d want to have.”
I sighed and curled my fingers loosely around the steering wheel. “He…didn’t used to be. He’s changed. I think Father’s been feeding him lies.” I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Fletcher. Maybe you were right. Maybe we shouldn’t have gone out.”
“It’s okay,” he told me, patting my knee. “What’s done is done, right? He gave me the ick, though.” He wrinkled his nose. “I think we need to be a little more careful.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Keep your eyes open. I don’t know what my father’s playing at, but I think he’s suspicious, and that’s not a good thing.”
Fletcher’s sigh sounded disheartened. “Can’t we just stay inside forever? Close all the blinds and have groceries delivered to the front door? We could be hermits. It could be fun?”
I squeezed his fingers in mine. “I wish, baby.”
If only it were that easy. I’d do it in a heartbeat, just to be with him.
35
FLETCHER
My heart kicked,my fingers tangled in Adam’s atop his thigh as the BMW bounced down backroads in a town neither of us had ever heard of before. Hours away from home, I could feel the wildness beneath Adam’s skin, his wolf almost peering out from behind his eyes when Adam looked at me in the darkness.
“How much further?” I whispered, as if I spoke much louder, someone might hear.
“We should be good now.” His voice had taken on a rusty rumble, one that told me that his shift was very close. “Far enough out that no one will see the car.” He put the car into park and killed the engine—and the headlights. For several moments, we just sat in the darkness, our hearts beating in unison.
It was my idea to go for a run. Adam had been cagey lately, his wolf penned up as the stress of our situation got to him. Tonight, over dinner, he’d snapped at me over something so minor that all I could do was stare at him in shock. Adam had never once raised his voice at me before.
Immediately, he’d dropped to his knees at my feet, apologizing with tears in his eyes. “Please, Fletcher, forgive me. I’m sorry. Im not well. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”
“You need to let your wolf out,” I’d told him quietly. “He needs to run off the wild energy in your veins.”
“I know, but… I can’t. I don’t want to go alone, and running with the pack means that they win. Besides, what if they smell you on my fur? We’re so intertwined now.” He’d looked so defeated in that moment that my heart ached for him. For us.
“What if we left town and ran together?” I suggested.
“Where?”
“I don’t know. Pick someplace.”
So he did, and now we were here, staring at each other, our eyes glassy in the darkness of the forest.
Adam’s breathing was shallow and a bit uneven when he finally spoke. “Ready?”
I nodded, a quiver of nerves and excitement mingling in my belly. “I’ve never seen your wolf before,” I admitted almost shyly.
Adam’s smile stretched across his face. “And I can’t wait to see you in all of your stunning feline glory.”
Together, we got out and walked around to the front of the car. My shoes crunched over leaf litter and pine needles as I knelt down and held my hand out to Adam, palm up. “You first.”
Adam grumbled, but he didn’t deny me. Magic crackled through the air, like a shimmer of static that sparked against my skin as his wolf burst to life before me, and I gasped. I actually gasped.
His beast was massive and beautiful, with long tawny fur covered in dark guard hairs that formed sort of a mask around his eyes and muzzle. His bushy tail gave a wag as he stepped close enough to sniff my face, then lick a wet stripe up my cheek.
I giggled softly and cupped his tufted cheeks in my hands, running my fingers through his coarse yet soft fur.
“You’re beautiful, Adam,” I whispered, admiring him openly. I could stay here all night, if he’d let me, suddenly wishing I had my sketchpad.
But Adam was impatient. He nudged me with a soft, short growl. I shook my head and closed my eyes, letting that same buzzing magic wash over my body as well, until I stood on four legs instead of two.
As a lynx, I was much smaller and more compact than his large wolven form. I had soft tan fur, tufted ears and a bobbed tail that flicked back and forth as I pressed my nose to Adam’s.
