Saturday, March 19, 2005
(Mike)
The first thing I became aware of was a beam of sunlight stabbing me directly in the eyelid like it had a personal vendetta.
I groaned, rolled over, threw an arm over my face, and tried to go back to sleep.
Five minutes later, my bladder vetoed that plan. So much for sleeping in.
I cracked my eyes open and instantly remembered where I was, still on the spare mattress on the floor of Seth's room. The kid's gentle snoring filled the air like distant humming. I turned my head and nearly snorted out loud.
Seth was spread across his bed like a starfish that had lost all concept of bone structure. Somehow, during the night, he'd rotated ninety degrees and was now asleep with his head where his feet had been yesterday, one foot dangling off the bed and the other shoved into his pillow.
I pushed myself up, scratching my stomach absently, and reached for my backpack. Toothbrush, toothpaste, got it. Then, barefoot and half-awake, I shuffled into the second floor bathroom.
One bathroom break, hand-wash, face-splash, and tooth-brushing later, I looked at myself in the mirror.
Hair: disaster.
Eyes: still kinda sleepy.
Brain: forming a very, very stupid idea.
An idea that made my face warm even though no one was around to see me.
Still… I kind of wanted to see her. Just for a second. Just to say good morning. Just to…
Okay, maybe I missed her already. Sue me.
Trying to be as silent as a wolf could be, which apparently was not silent enough, I tiptoed down the hallway toward Leah's room. Her door was plastered with warnings like she lived inside a nuclear facility.
DANGER. KEEP OUT.
NO ENTRY.
NO SETH ALLOWED.
I snorted. Yep. Definitely Leah's room.
I grasped the doorknob and turned it slowly, then pushed carefully, only for the hinges to scream like I was murdering them.
I flinched so hard my shoulder twitched. So much for stealth.
Once there was enough room for me to squeeze my not-small frame through, I ducked under the top of the doorframe (tall guy problems) and slipped inside.
There she was, Leah Clearwater, in all her morning glory.
Which, apparently, meant she slept exactly like her brother: diagonally across the bed, one arm thrown over her head, the other resting on her stomach, one leg hanging off the mattress, the other foot planted on her own pillow like a lazy flag.
Adorable. Absolutely adorable.
The corners of my mouth tugged up on their own. I crept closer, trying not to laugh. Then, with the infinite wisdom of a teenage boy in love, I grabbed a lock of her hair and gently tickled her nose with it.
Her nose twitched.
Then I did it again, and again.
And then… smack~!
She slapped herself right across the face.
I burst out laughing before I could stop myself, loud enough that she jolted awake and rolled toward the sound.
She glared murder at the intruder, sleep-flushed and dangerous-looking, until she saw it was me. Her expression softened immediately.
"Mike?" she croaked. "What are you doing here?"
I swallowed, lifting my gaze to her face and absolutely not staring at her very thin pajamas or the fact that her shirt did not, in any universe, count as proper armor.
Can you blame me? I was seventeen. And in love. And she was Leah, my absolutely gorgeous girlfriend.
Unfortunately, Leah noticed exactly where my eyes wandered, of course she did. And her lips curved into a slow, wicked smirk.
"Like what you see?" she teased, arching her back just enough to draw my eyes exactly where she wanted.
My brain short-circuited. I nodded like an idiot, my dignity shriveling into dust.
She laughed softly; proud, pleased, and incredibly smug. Then she curled her fingers at me in a slow come here gesture that hit my nervous system like hypnosis.
I obeyed instantly, moving forward like a zombie.
She grabbed my wrist and tugged, and I toppled forward, catching myself just in time so I didn't crush her. My knees sank into the bed on either side of her hips, my hands braced near her shoulders, my face inches from hers.
Her arms slid around my neck, warm and sure, pulling me down until our breaths mingled.
And then she kissed me.
And it wasn't one of those gentle, tentative kisses.
No, this one was hungry, causing the last few of my neurons to completely vaporize.
Her hands were in my hair, my own hands, God help me, were on her waist, then higher, then lower, then everywhere I could reach without losing my mind completely. Our breathing got tangled, her fingers tugged at my shirt, and neither of us stopped until oxygen made itself an emergency priority.
By the time we finally pulled apart, both of us were panting, our hair a wreck, shirts twisted, and pajamas rumpled in ways that would give her father a heart attack.
We hadn't gone further than second base, but honestly?
I still looked like I'd died and ascended directly into heaven.
And I would do it again in a heartbeat if she gave the slightest signal that she wanted a repeat.
If Harry walked in right now, I was either dead or banned from the reservation. But honestly, it would have been absolutely worth it.
…
Leah and I were lying on our sides on her bed, our foreheads touching, faces still warm and flushed. My hands rested on her waist, thumbs brushing lazy circles into her skin; one of her hands settled on my shoulder, the other drifting up and down my arm like she was petting a very well-behaved pet. For a while, neither of us said anything, we just breathed each other in.
God, I was so gone for this girl.
I was the one who broke the silence, a goofy, probably idiotic grin stuck to my face. "Good morning."
Leah let out a soft snort. "Good morning, stranger who snuck into my room."
"I don't hear you complaining," I said, leaning in just a little.
"No, you don't." Her smile turned content, relaxed in a way I didn't see often, and I felt a stupid swell of pride knowing I was the reason.
Then a thought hit me. "Hey, actually, isn't this the perfect time to show you that?"
She lifted an eyebrow. "Show me what?" Her gaze dropped pointedly below my waist, and her tone turned wicked.
I turned red so fast I probably became a lighthouse. "Not that. I mean, I'll still have to get naked, but… I was talking about my wolf form."
Her eyes lit up like someone had plugged her directly into a generator. In a blink she sat up, hair falling everywhere. "Well? What are we waiting for?" She hopped off the bed and headed toward the door, still in her pajamas.
"You're not going to change?" I asked, glancing toward the window. "We're going into the woods."
"Oh, right." That mischievous smirk came back with a vengeance.
And then she just… stripped. Right in front of me. Back turned, but still, I couldn't keep my eyes away, I didn't even blink for the whole duration. Smooth, tan skin. Panty clad, perfectly rounded butt. My brain short-circuited. By the time she pulled on fresh clothes, I was fighting a losing battle with the tent in my basketball shorts.
She definitely noticed. Her eyes flicked down, her teeth caught her lower lip, and the appreciative look on her face did absolutely nothing to calm me down.
Lucky for me, I'd slept in actual clothes, so I was ready to go. But we had to wait five minutes for my tent to calm down before heading downstairs, where Sue and Harry were already having breakfast. They greeted us casually, like two teenagers wandering in looking rumpled and suspiciously cheerful was the most normal thing in the world.
Leah moved toward the stove to make eggs and toast for both of us. Her mom arched an eyebrow, one of those "I'll save this for future teasing ammunition" eyebrows, but didn't comment.
Harry, however, had no such restraint. "So you'll make breakfast for him, but not for your dear old dad?"
Leah didn't even look back. "And with that attitude? Don't expect the day to come anytime soon."
Sue chuckled at Harry's wounded gasp. I just hid my smile behind my cup of orange juice.
After we finished, we told her parents we'd be out for a while.
"Take care," Sue said.
"Be back before lunch," Harry added, still pretending to be betrayed.
We stepped out of the house together, my heart thudding with a mix of excitement and nerves.
Now I just had to hope she'd actually like my wolf form.
…
(Drop them power stones right here ⬇️🐢🎶)