She went still, staring at him. ‘what does that mean?’ She couldn’t bear to assume, and then be wrong. After a moment she remembered the apple and kept eating, faster now. Was he planning to take her somewhere, have her arrested or something?
“It means that you can stay here,” he said with a small shrug. He moved over to the fridge and pulled out some meat as well as seasonings. “I’ll make you something to eat. You go sit on the couch for now.”
Clutching the remnants of the apple in one hand and the pencil and pad in the other, she obediently sat on the couch, positioning herself to watch him. Slowly, remembering to take a bite every now and then, she wrote out what she could remember. Her name, Summer. That she couldn’t remember her home, or her life. That someone was hunting her, someone she could sense as absence instead of presence.
For a long moment she watched him move around the kitchen, confident and sure, and her gaze was sad. Then she bent to the paper again. ‘I have nothing. No way to repay.’
Derek was just walking by when Summer’s body pressed into his, going back against the wall with a confused expression. He was surprised by the kiss, though he could smell her attraction to him sometimes, it’s not like there wasn’t some toward her either. He just didn’t expect that. Though it didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy it. He watched her walk a few steps before striding out and catching her wrist gently, pulling her back and spinning her, kissing her again.
She shuddered in his hands, rocking up against him. Unconsciously, she clenched her fingers in his back, holding on as her body ached with sudden need. She didn’t even know what it was she needed — to be touched, to be wanted, she didn’t know. She let her head fall back against the sheets, baring her throat to him as she gasped for breath.
Derek growled softly with want, grinding down against her again. The bared throat before him was beautiful and he couldn’t resist from taking his lips and human teeth to it, kissing, sucking, and nibbling all around it as he ground against her at a slow, steady pace.
It felt like every hair on her body stood up as she shivered under his mouth. Fingers scraping, she dragged his shirt up his back, arching and pressing against him. She needed more, needed skin. Denied voice, she begged with her body.
Derek was a little startled at the sudden hug and rush of emotion, though he caught her and tentatively patted her back soothingly, still a tad bit stunned at the force of her gratitude but glad he could help and make someone feel so thankful.
She twisted the pen in her hands, staring down at the words on the page. Was it just being a wolf that made him different? No one else had seemed to think helping her was a thing to do at all, much less the right thing. She twisted to look at him, eyes searching his face, trying to understand what made him different.
‘why do you care?’
Derek just stared at the words. He didn’t understand the question. “It’s the right thing to do,” he said and shrugged his shoulders.
After a moment, she nodded, eyes flicking away. ‘is it still okay to borrow clothes and have a shower?’
She looked down at the apple, before taking another bite. ‘why are you doing this?’ Another bite. ‘you bring me to your home offer me your food and your coat’ Another bite, and another. She had asked for help; had ask for help from many people. It was why she wasn’t dead of starvation yet. But nobody had ever done more than buy her fast food or give her a little money. This man, Derek, this wolf, took her to his own home, practically burned with concern for her.
“Because you asked me for help,” he said as if it were that simple. He was curious about her and knew the best way to figure her out was to observe her. She also looked like she needed a place to stay and Derek had more than enough room for her. “You won’t have to wander around the woods anymore.”
She went still, staring at him. ‘what does that mean?’ She couldn’t bear to assume, and then be wrong. After a moment she remembered the apple and kept eating, faster now. Was he planning to take her somewhere, have her arrested or something?
Derek was just walking by when Summer’s body pressed into his, going back against the wall with a confused expression. He was surprised by the kiss, though he could smell her attraction to him sometimes, it’s not like there wasn’t some toward her either. He just didn’t expect that. Though it didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy it. He watched her walk a few steps before striding out and catching her wrist gently, pulling her back and spinning her, kissing her again.
She made one of those tiny sounds again, squirming into his hand in encouragement. She would be utterly content to do anything he wanted, as long as he didn’t stop kissing her. She slid her hands around to his back, tracing at the flexed muscles there, pushing his shirt up a little. She loved the way his skin felt under her fingertips, the muscles shifting, and she shared that feeling with him, urging him on.
His hand slid around her hip to dip behind her, warm palm skimming over smooth skin of the small of her back. This brought them closer, her hand going over his back, his hand over hers as he deepened the kiss again. The hand on her back took the chance and slid to her ass, pressing her up as he gently ground down against her, making their hips nestle together and making the muscles she was tracing flex and move.
She shuddered in his hands, rocking up against him. Unconsciously, she clenched her fingers in his back, holding on as her body ached with sudden need. She didn’t even know what it was she needed — to be touched, to be wanted, she didn’t know. She let her head fall back against the sheets, baring her throat to him as she gasped for breath.
Derek was a little startled at the sudden hug and rush of emotion, though he caught her and tentatively patted her back soothingly, still a tad bit stunned at the force of her gratitude but glad he could help and make someone feel so thankful.
She twisted, looking up at him. ‘why are you doing this?’ She thought she might cry again, annoyingly, with how much he seemed to want her to feel better.
“Helping you?” he asked when he read the words. “Because you need help. Because it’s the right thing to do.”
She twisted the pen in her hands, staring down at the words on the page. Was it just being a wolf that made him different? No one else had seemed to think helping her was a thing to do at all, much less the right thing. She twisted to look at him, eyes searching his face, trying to understand what made him different.
The pencil for the pad had rolled away a bit, hiding behind the toaster. She rubbed the apple against her face, enjoying the coolness, the way it smelled, before taking a little bite. She thought she might cry when the juice hit her tongue. She forced herself to only take two bites before she put it down and printed, ‘my name is Summer.’ In between every sentence, she took another bite.
‘was it wrong to pick the apple? I don’t have any way to repay you.’ She stared at the paper for a long time, fingers clenched around the fruit, before she wrote the next line. ‘I should not have asked you. I’m sorry.’
Derek was a little weirded out by her rubbing the apple on her face. He was almost afraid that she didn’t know how to eat it. His fear vanished when she finally bit into it. He watched her write on the paper and waited until she was done before he read it. “I think the apple is a good choice,” he nodded, “but it won’t fill you up. You need to pick something a little heavier if you’re hungry.” He ignored the rest of the note, not accepting the apology or anything in return for something he chose to do.
She looked down at the apple, before taking another bite. ‘why are you doing this?’ Another bite. ‘you bring me to your home offer me your food and your coat’ Another bite, and another. She had asked for help; had ask for help from many people. It was why she wasn’t dead of starvation yet. But nobody had ever done more than buy her fast food or give her a little money. This man, Derek, this wolf, took her to his own home, practically burned with concern for her.
Derek was just walking by when Summer’s body pressed into his, going back against the wall with a confused expression. He was surprised by the kiss, though he could smell her attraction to him sometimes, it’s not like there wasn’t some toward her either. He just didn’t expect that. Though it didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy it. He watched her walk a few steps before striding out and catching her wrist gently, pulling her back and spinning her, kissing her again.
God, that made her feel safe; him hovering over her. Maybe others were frightened of him, huge and gruff and taciturn, but he’d saved her, and he was letting her kiss him and touch him with her power, and he was kissing her back — she couldn’t be afraid of him. She got a hand up under his shirt, fingertips dancing over his skin, breathlessly opening her mouth to him.
Derek’s muscles contracted under the fingers skimming his skin, chuckling into the kiss softly at the tender touch. He kissed and nibbled her bottom lip gently, one hand going to rest on her hip as the other supported him on the bed.
She made one of those tiny sounds again, squirming into his hand in encouragement. She would be utterly content to do anything he wanted, as long as he didn’t stop kissing her. She slid her hands around to his back, tracing at the flexed muscles there, pushing his shirt up a little. She loved the way his skin felt under her fingertips, the muscles shifting, and she shared that feeling with him, urging him on.
Summer had to peel herself away from the window to answer his question — it wasn’t like she could call over her shoulder to him. Ducking in beside him, she peered into the fridge, and swallowed hard. So many good things to eat. She gave Derek a questioning glance, and picked up an apple. She wanted to ask him something, many things, but here — it wasn’t as easy. Stepping back, she spotted a pad near the fridge and held it up to him.
Derek moved away from the fridge slightly so that she could pick out what she wanted. He was stunned when she only took an apple. That was all she was going to eat? She looked like she needed to inhale a horse to get back to a healthy size. He looked at the notepad and nodded. “You can write on it if you want.” He hoped it would make all of this a lot easier.
The pencil for the pad had rolled away a bit, hiding behind the toaster. She rubbed the apple against her face, enjoying the coolness, the way it smelled, before taking a little bite. She thought she might cry when the juice hit her tongue. She forced herself to only take two bites before she put it down and printed, ‘my name is Summer.’ In between every sentence, she took another bite.
‘was it wrong to pick the apple? I don’t have any way to repay you.’ She stared at the paper for a long time, fingers clenched around the fruit, before she wrote the next line. ‘I should not have asked you. I’m sorry.’
Derek was a little startled at the sudden hug and rush of emotion, though he caught her and tentatively patted her back soothingly, still a tad bit stunned at the force of her gratitude but glad he could help and make someone feel so thankful.
She paused in the entrance, checking around with wide eyes. It was sparsely furnished, but didn’t seem so empty or lonely as the place in the woods. After a moment, she went over to the couch, feeling wobbly in a way that owed nothing to hunger. She slumped into it, and wrote in big letters, ‘WHY?’
Derek walked over and stood behind the couch after securing the door locke again. He saw the paper and didn’t have an answer, hardly knew what was going on, so he just put a hand on her shoulder, trying to give some form of comfort.
She twisted, looking up at him. ‘why are you doing this?’ She thought she might cry again, annoyingly, with how much he seemed to want her to feel better.