trying to avoid me.”
Zach waved his hand in front of his face, as if to clear the air. “I’m not going to fight with you over something that happened four years ago. But I will tell you this—you are doing exactly what you accused those women of doing.”
He opened his mouth to argue, and then shut it.
“You’re making assumptions about someone you don’t even know.”
“This is different.”
“No, it’s not.”
“I know these types of people, Zach.”
“And I could say that those women knew that all black men are big, bad, scary criminals and that’s why they crossed the street.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, hating Zach’s sound argument.
“Don’t base your decision on a person on past slights, Garrett,” Zach said as he shoved another cookie in his mouth and left the room.
Sighing, he studied the floor. Yes, he had made assumptions about his new client, and maybe that had been a mistake. He tried to relax and clear his head of what he expected from this woman and just be open to who she was, and he wished like hell he’d never seen those perfect, milky white curves.
The door to Zach’s bedroom clicked shut, and Garrett felt the familiar hum within him. He needed to shift.
He silently went out the front door and took off his clothes. Despite it being spring, the night air still held a chill and he shivered.
Closing his eyes, he allowed the beast to emerge. His bones cracked and snapped as they grew and reshaped, then his muscles stretched. He remembered the first couple of times he’d gone through the transformation, and it reminded him of the Alien movies when the extraterrestrial emerging from the human’s stomach. His skin tingled with pins and needles, and he fell forward as the bones in his face shifted and grew, and he landed on the palms of his hands. He grunted in pain as the final transformation took place, and then opened his eyes.
Still totally alone, he meandered off the porch and headed for the forest.
He had about an hour before he needed to wake Ruby. Maybe scrounging around for berries and leaves would take his mind off of her.
Something had to, or it would be a long week.
Chapter 14
“Come on, Ruby. Open your eyes.”
She rolled over and let out a sigh. It seemed that just as she drifted off, either Zach or Garrett woke her. This may very well be the longest night of her life.
She opened her eyes and gazed up at Garrett. He loomed over her dressed in a white tank top and black sweatpants. She couldn’t help but notice the defined muscles in his arms and across his chest.
“I’m fine,” she mumbled.
“Have to make sure,” he answered, his voice so curt, it bordered on rudeness.
Just before she drifted off, she’d wondered what she’d done to make him so short with her. Perhaps he acted that way because he also had to get up every couple of hours to wake her, and it angered him.
“I’m sorry, Garrett.”
His forehead wrinkled as he stared at her, the light from the bathroom casting shadows over his face. “For what?”
“For whatever I did to make you so angry at me. I’m guessing it’s because you have to get up every other hour to check on me. Or maybe I said something rude. I don’t know what it is, but I’m sorry.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and let out a long sigh. “I’m not mad at you.”
His smooth, quiet voice reminded her of jazz crooners and had changed distinctively from the harsh tones he had previously used with her. It seemed as if he had been talking to her in what she deemed his ‘military’ voice, and now, maybe this was his civilian tone?
She sat up in bed and pulled the covers up to her chest. “It seems that way.”
“Why?”
“You’ve just been awfully short with me since I got here. I’m sorry I’m such a klutz and you have to get up. You really don’t need to, though. I’m fine.”
He gazed at her, his light eyes piercing her, sending a chill down her spine.
“I didn’t mean to be
Zach waved his hand in front of his face, as if to clear the air. “I’m not going to fight with you over something that happened four years ago. But I will tell you this—you are doing exactly what you accused those women of doing.”
He opened his mouth to argue, and then shut it.
“You’re making assumptions about someone you don’t even know.”
“This is different.”
“No, it’s not.”
“I know these types of people, Zach.”
“And I could say that those women knew that all black men are big, bad, scary criminals and that’s why they crossed the street.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, hating Zach’s sound argument.
“Don’t base your decision on a person on past slights, Garrett,” Zach said as he shoved another cookie in his mouth and left the room.
Sighing, he studied the floor. Yes, he had made assumptions about his new client, and maybe that had been a mistake. He tried to relax and clear his head of what he expected from this woman and just be open to who she was, and he wished like hell he’d never seen those perfect, milky white curves.
The door to Zach’s bedroom clicked shut, and Garrett felt the familiar hum within him. He needed to shift.
He silently went out the front door and took off his clothes. Despite it being spring, the night air still held a chill and he shivered.
Closing his eyes, he allowed the beast to emerge. His bones cracked and snapped as they grew and reshaped, then his muscles stretched. He remembered the first couple of times he’d gone through the transformation, and it reminded him of the Alien movies when the extraterrestrial emerging from the human’s stomach. His skin tingled with pins and needles, and he fell forward as the bones in his face shifted and grew, and he landed on the palms of his hands. He grunted in pain as the final transformation took place, and then opened his eyes.
Still totally alone, he meandered off the porch and headed for the forest.
He had about an hour before he needed to wake Ruby. Maybe scrounging around for berries and leaves would take his mind off of her.
Something had to, or it would be a long week.
Chapter 14
“Come on, Ruby. Open your eyes.”
She rolled over and let out a sigh. It seemed that just as she drifted off, either Zach or Garrett woke her. This may very well be the longest night of her life.
She opened her eyes and gazed up at Garrett. He loomed over her dressed in a white tank top and black sweatpants. She couldn’t help but notice the defined muscles in his arms and across his chest.
“I’m fine,” she mumbled.
“Have to make sure,” he answered, his voice so curt, it bordered on rudeness.
Just before she drifted off, she’d wondered what she’d done to make him so short with her. Perhaps he acted that way because he also had to get up every couple of hours to wake her, and it angered him.
“I’m sorry, Garrett.”
His forehead wrinkled as he stared at her, the light from the bathroom casting shadows over his face. “For what?”
“For whatever I did to make you so angry at me. I’m guessing it’s because you have to get up every other hour to check on me. Or maybe I said something rude. I don’t know what it is, but I’m sorry.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and let out a long sigh. “I’m not mad at you.”
His smooth, quiet voice reminded her of jazz crooners and had changed distinctively from the harsh tones he had previously used with her. It seemed as if he had been talking to her in what she deemed his ‘military’ voice, and now, maybe this was his civilian tone?
She sat up in bed and pulled the covers up to her chest. “It seems that way.”
“Why?”
“You’ve just been awfully short with me since I got here. I’m sorry I’m such a klutz and you have to get up. You really don’t need to, though. I’m fine.”
He gazed at her, his light eyes piercing her, sending a chill down her spine.
“I didn’t mean to be
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