Once I had calmed down, I changed my clothes. My pajama pants were my best friend. Hopefully, Jay didn’t have any work for me tonight. The sound of the door made me spin around in surprise.
“Honey, I’m home,” Gage called. He was smiling until he saw my face. “What happened?”
I debated on telling him what I saw, but he and Jay thought I was crazy for even thinking there was something else out there. “You just startled me.”
“It smell’s good in here.”
“Thanks. Tacos for dinner.”
“Sound’s great.”
“What did you do today?” I was mixing the meat, trying to make small talk in order to avoid the topic of last night.
“I went to the gym and worked out.”
“All day?”
“This doesn’t happen naturally, Jess,” he chuckled, gesturing to his muscular body.
I chuckled, “Conceited much?”
He came up behind me and snatched a piece of meat right out of the pan. He put it in his mouth and then kissed me on the cheek. My skin burned from the contact. His mouth was close to my ear. “It’s good.” My body was frozen. He was so close, I felt his cock brush against my ass slightly before he pulled away. “Do you need any help?”
“Nnn…no, I got it.”
“I’m gonna jump in the shower.”
“Sounds good.” Literally. Good grief, help me now. The images in my mind were a pit of lust. An image of his naked body with water rushing over every muscled tattoo flashed in my mind. There was no real way to get my mind out of the gutter. He was an attractive man and I’m a single woman who hasn’t been laid in four years. Sad but true.
I fixed my food and waited for him at the table. I began eating without him, though we usually ate together. I wasn’t exactly hungry, but I was keeping my mind, hands, and mouth busy. Unfortunately, he was taking forever. I made my way up the stairs to tell him the food was ready. When I reached his door, I was forced to stop by the sound of his voice.
“No, you can’t. I’m living someplace else.” His voice was a deep whisper. Then it was a long pause. “I’m not giving you any money. Well, we will see what I can do.”
Bad timing. I made my way back to the kitchen. Gage came down minutes later with a look of displeasure on his face.
“What is it? Please don’t tell me we have to leave again tonight. I need a day off.”
“No. Jay needed someone to talk to.”
“Oh, that’s good. Is he alright?”
“Yes, he’s fine.” He sat down and began to build his tacos. The night before came to mind. I was embarrassed about what I had done. I opened the worms to clear the air.
“Hey,” I sighed and stared at my food for a second. “I’m really sorry about last night. I know my limit and I let myself get carried away.”
He looked up at me, “Why are you sorry? I’m not.” He smiled and winked before biting into his food.
“Making a move on you was never the plan. I overstepped. I’m sorry.”
“Jess, seriously, my only regret was you were drinking. If it were under different circumstances, maybe we could have gone further.”
My cheeks burned. “Seriously?”
“Sure. You’re single, I’m single.” He continued to eat.
“I think it could get weird and I don’t want to ruin what we have.”
“And what do we have?”
“We are not only roommates, but we are also working colleagues, as well as friends.”
“Would me moving out justify sex together?”
I smirked at him, “Stop teasing me.”
“You know you love it,” he winked and took another bite. “Seriously, don’t worry about it.”
“Thanks.” I felt better once we talked. Not only was the air clear but he admitted his attraction to me. Though I had to avoid it, I loved the potential for future affections. After cleaning up the kitchen, I grabbed a bottle of water and found Gage lounging on the couch watching TV with my dog on his lap. It was good to see Tank finally settling, though it was against my wishes. It wasn’t intentional on Gages’ part. “Good night.”
“Do you want to watch some TV with me?”
I smiled at him, “I don’t think that would be a good idea tonight. Maybe next time.”
“Come on.”
“I guess he like’s you now.”
“I’m sorry.”
“There is no changing it now. He trusts you at least.”
“I guess so,” he chuckled and petted Tank’s big head. My dog was content on his lap. There was no room for me to sit down, so I sat on the arm of the couch. “Down,” Gage barked and Tank jumped down so he could sit up. “Here.” He patted the cushion next to him.
“What are you watching?” I sat as far away as I could. I didn’t want to risk getting too close.
He looked over to me, “Um…Titanic”.
“I wouldn’t have taken you as a chick flick guy,” I accused with a smile.
“Yeah, but I like this movie.”
“I do too. I hate how it ends though.”
“Doesn’t everyone? I mean, they both could have fit on that damn door.”
I smiled, “Exactly. Selfish bitch.”
He looked at me in surprise and laughed. “You are so bad, Jess.”
“No, I’m honest.”
We watched quietly for a while. The car scene made being next to Gage unbearable. I began to blush next to him and my stupid mind drifted again. When he got up and walked into the kitchen, I watched his every move.
While he was gone, I fluffed my hair and adjusted my tank top. My nipples weren’t visible. He returned with a bottle of water and the outline of what he had to offer in those sweat pants graced my eyes. From what I could see, his cock was adequate. He sat in the middle of the couch next to me. I smiled to myself and took a drink of my water. Watching the movie, he looked over at me.
“Thank you for letting me stay here, it already feels like home.”
“You’re welcome.” I took another deep drink of my water, trying to wash away all the impure thoughts I was having.
For three and a half hours, he was sure to shift closer and closer to me. He made a point to touch some part of my body with a part of his. He would press his leg into mine and put his arm on the back of the couch, but never around my shoulder. His hand would dangle off the back of the couch and I could feel the tips of them touch my arm. I was so close to him.
Once the movie was over, he stood and turned off the TV. I looked at the clock. I couldn’t believe it. It was 3 am. I stood up and stretched. Putting my arms up, my tank top pulled up enough to show my tummy. He walked up to me and smiled that great smile. He was as close to me as the night before. My heart was pounding. He knelt to kiss my cheek but allowed his lips to linger close to mine. He put his hands on my exposed waist. His touch was pure heat. “We aren’t drinking tonight,” he whispered softly and moved in for a real kiss.
I dropped my water bottle and wrapped my arms around his neck. My lips parted and his tongue invaded my mouth. The heavy panting and stroking had me on fire. Heat raged between my thighs. I hadn’t had anything remotely close to this in so long. I wanted him to take me right there on the couch. It was wrong, oh, so wrong. I should stop but I couldn’t. I needed to feel desired. I needed to feel wanted, if only for a while. His mouth released mine and traveled down my throat. He was licking and nipping at the tender flesh as he tasted me.
“Yes,” I whispered as I gripped his hair, holding him close. I didn’t want the adrenaline to stop. He put his arms around me and pulled me closer. He groaned deeply as he pressed his cock into my hip. His left hand slipped under my shirt and stroked my tight nipple. As he rolled it between his rough fingers, sending shivers through me, I felt a sharp but pleasurable pain on my neck. I hissed but didn’t pull away from the feeling of his lips and hand. I wanted more.
“You taste like honey,” he whispered as he kissed my neck and nipped at my ear. “Your body is perfection.” The feeling of his tongue and hot breath on my skin made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. With eager hands, he reached and picked me up by my bottom. I wrapped my legs around his waist. He pulled me closer and I could feel his need pressing hard in the right spot. I pulled away from him.
With me wrapped around him, he settled me down on the couch. His weight felt amazing pressed against me. When our lips met, he began to thrust against me. He slipped both hands up into my shirt and cupped my breasts. His touch made my hard nipples ache with anticipation, sending warm pulses to my core.
“Is this okay?”
“Are you crazy? It feels amazing.” I sounded a little like a panting dog. It had been too long.
He chuckled and began to kiss and lick my neck again. I ran my hands up his back and started pulling up his shirt. He took it as a hint and the shirt found its way into the floor. All I could do was touch his hard body. His skin was soft and warm. He sat up and pushed my shirt up to expose my breasts.
“Jesus, your tits are perfect.” He cupped them a few times and worked himself against me. He was saying and doing all the right things. It felt amazing to finally be touched, caressed. I watched as his eyes rolled back and closed as he thrust against me. I was spinning, he was pressing in the right spot. I slipped my hand down into my pants and stroked my mound. I released a moan and he looked down at me. “Fuck, that’s sexy. Don’t stop.” With the constant friction, I found my release, but he was still looking for his.
I could see him struggling. I wanted to touch him and bring him to bliss. I coated my hand with my own release and slipped it into the hem of his waistband. He clinched when I wrapped my hand around his shaft. As I predicted, he was suitable, not freakishly large. When I began to stroke him, he was like a wild animal. He grabbed my wrist and held my hand in place.
“Oh, shit,” he roared and found his release.
Our breathing was still cooling as he snuggled me on the couch. “Jess, that was great. I haven’t cum that hard in years,” he said into my neck. That made me smile and he took a deep breath. “Was everything ok for you?”
I smiled and let a little giggle, “I feel like a teenager.”
He laughed with me, “I know what you mean. Dry humping was not what I planned. You are just too irresistible.”
I woke alone in my bed. He must have carried me up. I got up and used the bathroom. After I finished, I walked the house. Tank was sleeping by the back door, so I looked out the window. Gage’s truck was gone. I thought it was weird for him to leave so early in the morning. The sun wasn’t up yet but would be soon. Maybe Jay called him out. I thought about calling him but he didn’t need his phone ringing during a vampire hunt. I made my way to my room and crawled into bed. The softness engulfed me.
The next thing I remember was waking up in the afternoon. I showered, but before I could get dressed, my cell phone rang. “Hello?”
“Jessica, I need you to come in today.”
I was annoyed. I didn’t want to go to work but my day off was yesterday. “I’ll be there within the hour.”
“Sound’s good. See you soon.”
I dressed quickly and headed down stairs. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and picked up my black bag with all my hunting goodies inside. I wasn’t going to be caught without it again. I turned for the door and a voice behind me made me jump.
“Where are you headed off to so early.” I turned around to spot Gage behind me.
“It’s not early. Where did you come from, anyway?”
“I fell asleep on the couch last night.” He gave me a sexy look and grinned.
My brow furrowed, “You weren’t there this morning.”
He stepped closer to me. He was so near, his sweet breath wafted in my face, “Do you think I’m lying?”
“I didn’t say that. I woke up and you were gone.”
He smiled, “Jay needed to talk.”
“At five in the morning?” I stepped back from him and looked at the clock on the wall. I was going to be later than anticipated, “I’m actually headed up to T&J if you wanna come.” I was getting too deep. I was acting like a jealous girlfriend. Though I was a little offended that he left after our intimate moment, I had to get myself in check. Gage and I were roommates, I had to stop this now.
“Sure, I’ll be ready in a minute.” He left the kitchen. I went out to the truck to wait for him. After several minutes, he finally emerged. He was dressed in his usual leather jacket and jeans but his dark hair was free flowing. It was usually tied back or braided. When he opened his door, he looked down into the passenger seat. It was full of the plastic shopping bags from the night before.
“Sorry. I went shopping last night and I forgot to take this stuff in.” I grabbed the bags and tossed them into the small back seat for later. I didn’t want to tell him about my experience, or even how strange the cop was acting. I got the distinct feeling the cop was trying to detour me from the story. He climbed in and I turned the key.
“What were you doing out alone so late anyway?”
“How did you know I was out late? You came in after me.” Now, he was beginning to sound like a jealous boyfriend.
“I saw you from the Quickie Trip.” The convenience store was right off the highway. Due to my shock of the sighting, I wasn’t paying attention to much of anything else. Hence getting pulled over.
The drive wasn’t long to T&J but I wanted to get there in a timely manner. Jay had asked me to get there ASAP. When I pulled into a parking spot, Gage’s phone rang. I grabbed my bag and turned off the engine. It gave a rough shake in protest as it died. I would have to get a new one eventually. Before I could get out, I heard a woman’s voice on the other end of the call. Curiosity made me want to linger and listen but I had a job to do. I closed my door and left him alone.
The inside of the office was all a deception for the public eye. Behind a section of the wall, resided a hidden door. Behind that was the location of my true place of employment. When you first walk into T&J, you are hit with a putrid smell of motor oil. The building used to be a mechanic’s shop before Jay purchased it. There was an old dial-up computer, a lamp, and a phone on a desk. It may be a cover but the business does do what the cover implies. The guys did go out and catch critters and kill bugs for the locals. Jay and the others were busy day and night.
If you continue down the small hallway and toward the public bathroom, that was where the door was hidden. You would never know it was there. Jay had a genius way of keeping it locked to everyone but employees. I typed in my personal eight-digit code into the ten-key pad on the keyboard of the old computer and a second later, the hidden door popped open.
The room we entered was not another office or a mechanic’s shop at all. It was a huge space which we call the gym. Heavy bags hung from the high ceilings and weight sets were on the walls. There was even a wrestling ring equip with gloves and protective gear. That was where we did most of our hand to hand combat training, but I noticed a few wrestling mats out on the floor. That wasn’t normal unless it was being used. Gage came in soon after I entered.
“I thought Jay would be here.”
“He’s probably in the back,” he expressed with a nod of his chin toward the door on the back wall. Behind it was a small soundproof firing range. Jay went to great extents to secure out activities and true purpose. We couldn’t have the law knocking on the door about gunshots. To the left of the door was a dressing room for those who wanted to shower after training.
Gage walked over and flipped the signal switch by the door. A red light would let someone inside the range know someone was outside the door. He leaned up against the wall and crammed his large hands in the pockets of his jacket. When I made eye contact with him, he winked and then wiggled his eyebrows in a goofy, but sexy way.
“Stop,” I hissed but giggled. There was no getting away from his goofiness.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he whispered and winked again.
“You know exactly what you’re doing and work is not the place for it.”
Finally, after what felt like forever, Jay came out of his cave, “Dude, what the hell?” Gage asked.
“I was busy,” he replied with a strange look. It was as if they were holding an entire conversation with their eyes. “Come on out here, hun.”
I was surprised to see a raven-haired beauty emerge from the range. She had sculpted cheek bones and beautiful brown eyes. Her short curvaceous body made me self-conscious of my own. I loved her almost instantly, especially with her smile. It was adorable and her eyes told me she was a little shy and embarrassed.
“This is Marie. She’s one of us,” Jay said. He looked over to Gage and he nodded his head.
I stuck out my hand and offered a shake, she took it. “I’m Jessica. It’s very nice to meet you,” I smiled. “And welcome to the crew.”
“Thanks. It’s nice to meet you too.”
“Jessica, Marie is the reason I called you in today. I would like you to train with her, show her the way we do things. I would like to see what she has to work with,” my boss explained. I nodded but Gage jumped in.
“Do you really think that’s a good idea? She might get hurt.”
Marie looked nervous. I looked at her with assuring eyes and smiled, “Jay taught me everything I know. As long as you can follow directions and take your time, I’m sure you won’t get hurt.” She giggled and nodded her head. Gage looked upset but I ignored him. “Did you happen to bring anything to change into? Something more comfortable?” She was dressed in tight jeans and a decent top that was shifted a little. I didn’t want to think about what she and Jay were doing behind closed doors.
“I came prepared. Where can I change?”
“I’ll show you.” I directed her toward the locker room. She grabbed a backpack from the range and followed me to the locker room. I gave her the locker next to mine.
“I really appreciate this, Jessica. Jay didn’t feel comfortable training me on the mat,” she explained as she grabbed her clothes.
“It’s no problem. You can change over there behind the curtain.”
“Thanks.” she practically skipped away. My self-esteem went right out the window when I saw her tight body in those jeans. After I changed behind a different curtain, I pulled my hair up in the mirror. There was nothing worse than getting hair in your face and mouth when trying to defend yourself. What I saw surprised me.
“Oh, fuck!” I blurted out.
“Are you okay?” Marie shouted.
I was in shock. “Oh, I’m fine, just stubbed my toe.”
I had a crescent moon shape wound on my neck. Gage had bitten me harder than I thought. I was going to kill him. I was slightly pissed off and planned to confront him about it.
Gage was sitting in a chair next to a far wall when I came out of the locker room. It was childish but I stood with my hands on my hips. I was pissed. I think I was even tapping my toe like an angry parent. I hated getting a hickey because they make you look like trash, but a bite was way worse than that. It’s going to take a while to heal. I was going to have to wear my hair down for a while. I love my long hair but I hate it when it touches my neck.
“What’s wrong?” He cut me a sly smile.
“Do you notice anything different about me?”
“Other than the fact that you look sexy as fuck in that outfit? No,” he grinned.
“Don’t start that shit.” I turned my head and showed him the bite on my neck. I pointed to it in a huffy way and then glared at him, “How in the hell am I going to explain this? I don’t want everybody knowing that I had a good time.”
He smiled, stood up, and put his hands on my shoulders, “I did it because you liked it.”
“Gage,” I sighed with annoyance.
“I did it to let everyone know that you are my woman.”
My blood was boiling. A possessive man wasn’t my thing and we weren’t even an official couple. I would have to set boundaries. “We need to have a long talk.”
The seriousness in his eyes captured my attention, “Don’t be angry. Trust me when I say that this tiny mark,” he pointed to it. “It will ensure the respect you deserved when it comes to dating me.”
“We shared a moment. I wouldn’t call that dating.”
“You’re with me now.”
“I am not even gonna pretend to understand what that means.” I turned to walk away and felt a slap on my ass. I stopped in my tracks and had to breathe before I exploded on him in front of Jay and Marie. “Marie, are you ready? Jay, can you start the music, please?”
My boss walked over and got into my bag and pulled out my MP3 player and plugged it into the converter. The Beastie Boys came blasting out of the speaker’s that hung on the walls. Surround sound was always better. I stood on the mats with my eyes closed and took a deep breath, allowing the music to pulsate through my body.
“Alright. Come at me, Marie.” She came at me and grabbed my waist. I shoved her to the floor. “Good. Try again.” I tried to explain what to do. “When you are using takedowns, you want to do what you did, but once you get your hands on me, don’t stop. Try to grab one of my legs and lift up, get me on the ground.” I instructed.
She nodded, “Got it.”
“Now, try again.” I clapped my hands together, trying to ready myself for her impact. I didn’t plan to allow her to get a grip on me. Jay always said I was light on my feet and had cat-like reflexes. I’m sure he was only stroking my ego. I was horrible at this at first.
Marie came toward me but she looked different somehow. All of her beauty was gone and was replaced with a determined rage. I dug my feet into the mat but she knocked me to the ground. Before I could react, she lifted me off the ground and slung me across the mat. I hit the cement floor like a ragdoll. The momentum behind the toss was enough for my body to collide with the wall.
“What the hell?” I was trying to get back up but she was coming at me again. She looked like a determined animal on a mission to kill me. I could practically feel the anger coming off her.
“Marie, stop!” Jay growled but she didn’t.
Gage stepped into her path. He was ready to spring onto her. “Stand down,” he commanded. She was looking at Gage and shaking like a leaf in the wind. If she had a tail, it would be between her legs. “Jay, get her the fuck out of here and from now on, you work with her,” Gage demanded.
“I’m fine. Really.”
“No, you’re hurt. Exactly as I feared would happen,” Gage hissed.
I sat up with my back up against the wall. My right arm felt like it was pulled from the socket and my head hurt. “I think I’m done for the day.” I have never had someone slam me around like that before. Not even my ex was capable of tossing me around like that, no matter how much he tried.
“Jessica, are you alright?” Jay asked.
“I’m sore. I thought she needed training.”
“She does but of a different kind,” Gage growled.
“I’m sorry, Jessica.” Marie’s eyes were pleading for my forgiveness.
“It’s alright.”
“No, it’s not fucking alright,” Gage snapped.
“Give her a break. She’s new at this,” Jay stated.
“Not my problem. You deal with her or I will.” Gage’s tone was menacing.
“Please forgive me, Jessica,” Marie said softly. Her voice was full of emotion and her pretty eyes were flooded with tears. “Are you alright?”
“I’ll live.”
“Let’s go,” Jay took Marie with him. He was clearly bothered by what she did and was whispering angrily to her as they returned to the range. I could never see Jay harming a woman but my past experience with men still lingered with me.
“I guess I wasn’t light on my feet that time, huh?”
“It wasn’t your fault, Jess. He didn’t tell you she already had fighting experience. Fuckin’ asshole.”
“You’re right, he didn’t,” I said grabbing my neck. “Unless we are hunting, I’m going to go home now. I don’t enjoy getting beaten up.”
“Let me have a few words with Jay first.”
“No, Gage. Just let it go.”
“It’s fine. When I get back, we can go for food. I owe you a dinner anyway.”
I grinned and nodded. It would be nice to have dinner with him. Maybe we can count it as our first date since he says we are dating. Probably should have done that before last night but we can’t change it now. I did need to get to know him as a person if we were going to continue our relationship. Plus, I needed to talk to him about this bite. While gathering my things, I could hear Gage talking to Jay. The door to the range had been left open slightly. I was sure they didn’t notice.
“What were you thinking?” Gage demanded.
“I know she’s new but I wanted her to learn to fight,” Jay tried to explain.
“Jason, you know the young ones are unpredictable. You could have had her train with the other women out in the woods. Don’t bring her here again. Not until she’s ready.”
Hearing Gage bark orders to our boss wasn’t something I was expecting. I waited for Jay to bark back at him but he never did. Someone quickly closed the door and I was left with nothing to listen to.
I left the gym and sat down at the desk out front to wait for Gage. Out of boredom, I hit the power switch on the front of the monitor and it came to life. The computer sounded like it was going to die. On the desktop, there was a blank file.
Curiosity got the better of me. Sure, it could have been a file of all the trappings they had done over the years, but I had a feeling it was something more. I opened the file and it was full of new and old newspaper clippings from all the local animal sightings. I couldn’t find anything at the local library. Some were image scans. The claims went further back than I thought. All the way back to the 1890’s. “Why do you have this, Jay?” The description of the animal was the same. Black or dark in color, large, and even one report stated the animal seemed as if it were on fire. Most of the time the creature would disappear from sight in the blink of an eye. I landed on an old image, but it wasn’t all too clear. It was a dark exposure, but I could clearly see a set of bright eyes in the black and white photo. Whatever was looking at the photographer was nestled deep in a wooded area. Another. This time I got chills. It was a trap camera someone placed on a game trail for hunting. The camera was motion sensitive and would take a picture every ten seconds if motion was detected. Clearly, an animal sprung in front of the camera. To my eyes, it looked like a lion. Not a mountain lion but a real male lion. It had the large mane and everything. It was blurry but evident that Oklahoma held some pretty scary creatures in its dark woods. “You, asshole,” I grumbled as I thought of my phone call with Jay weeks ago. He tried to make me sound like I was crazy. I knew there was something to these attacks.
I was startled by the sound of someone coming out the gym. “Shit,” I whispered and quickly hit the escape button. The file disappeared. Jay walked out of the door and closed it behind him. I was pretending to play a card game.
“We are hunting tonight, so go home and get ready then come back here,” he stepped closer to the desk, “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing, just playing cards,” I lied quickly.
“The work computer isn’t for games, Jessica.”
“Yeah, sorry. Was just waiting for Gage to come out. Killing time, I guess.”
“I’ll see you tonight.”
“I’ll be here.” I watched as he returned to the gym area. I released a large breath of relief. “Why are you hiding this from me, Jay?” I closed the file and left the building. I waited a little longer before trying to call Gage. He didn’t answer. I decided to text him.
Hey, I’m in the truck. Are you coming out?
His reply came a few seconds later. No. I have things to do here. I’ll see you later.
Disappointment washed over me but I understood having to work. Our job insured you had no social life. I should never have gotten my hopes up.
K, headed home to get ready for tonight.
Sounds good. See you later.