Read Online Wicked Wonderland by Luann McLane - Free Book Online Page B

another ahhhhhohhhh rang out into the night, Claire swallowed and with a weak laugh sang, “Werewolves of London.”Tugging the covers nearly up to her eyeballs, she said, “I’m Team Jacob, so please don’t eat me.” She shook her head, thinking this was feeling more like a B horror movie than R-rated Hallmark.“R-Rated Hallmark is way better,” she mumbled, and was very close to calling out for Jesse but refrained. It’s just the wilderness, you little city slicker.
    “Okay, calm down and just relax.” Claire attempted to fall asleep, but she realized that although it was so very, very dark, her eyes were wide-open. After a few minutes her vision adjusted, but then the previously lovely furniture seemed to be lurking in the shadows ready to pounce. Feeling absolutely absurd for being so scared, she pressed her lips together and squeezed her eyes shut.
    Realizing she would never fall asleep being this tense, she willed her limbs to relax one by one as if in the cooldown part of her Pilates class. After a while her method began to work and she started to drift off to sleep....
    And then she heard it. Scratching at her window! Her eyes opened wide and she strained to see what was trying to come in and get her, but could see nothing but shadows. Her heart pounded double-time, but when all she heard was silence, she blew out her held breath and had to start the whole Pilates thing all over again. She was only to her thighs when the scratching began and then quickly accelerated to banging.
    Dear God!
    Claire wanted to shout for Jesse, but with every ounce of courage in her body she eased from the protection of the comforter and then leaned over and turned on the lamp, wanting to see her would-be attacker in the light. Swallowing hard, she crept over to the window, shoved back the drapes, and, fully expecting to see some sort of eerie, beady-eyed creature of the night, sucked in a breath, ready to let out a bloodcurdling B-movie-worthy scream for Jesse to come to her rescue.
    “A tree branch!” Claire whispered hotly, and allowed the drape to fall back in place. “Well!”Totally ticked at her scared-silly self, she stomped over to the bed and slid under the covers. Still grumbling beneath her breath, she snapped off the light and slammed her eyes shut. “It was only a stupid tree branch,” she muttered darkly, but then thanked her lucky stars that she hadn’t made a fool of herself by screaming. A girl could take only so much humiliation in one day. She yawned and this time made it all the way up to tensing and then relaxing her butt before falling fast asleep.
     
    The aroma of bacon frying filtered into Claire’s brain before she was fully awake, causing a dreamy smile before she snuggled back into the soft, squishy bedding. She really needed to invest in some feather pillows. Must be the hotel restaurant making breakfast, she thought with a sleepy sigh. She inhaled deeply and was delighted to smell coffee brewing as well. Still, she opted for more sleep, but her stomach rumbled in protest. With a groan she slowly lifted her eyelids while stretching and wondering why her muscles protested in odd places.
    “Ohmigod.” It suddenly all came flooding back to her befuddled brain. She was in Jesse Marshall’s cabin in Whisper, Colorado, with nothing but the clothes on her back. She peeked beneath the covers. “Okay, make that his clothes on my back.” Oh yeah, and she had made passionate love to him on a rug in front of his fireplace.
    And now she had to go down there and face him.
    Claire closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath. No biggie; we’re adults , she reminded herself with a firm nod. This sort of thing happens all the time....
    Just not to her.
    Claire’s stomach rumbled again and she rolled her eyes. She was going to have to face the music sometime, so it might as well be now. With a short determined nod she tossed back the covers and padded in Jesse’s big socks into the bathroom. “Oh, dear