Haunted by Time

Chapter 7

When I opened my eyes again, the familiar trees were not lining the road anymore. The endless fields felt open and refreshing. After what happened this morning, I felt like the forest might have been too suffocating for my raging thoughts and feelings. I turned my gaze from the rolling golden hills to Nicolas. He drove through the morning into the late afternoon and he looked tired. Guilt slowly curled into my other emotions and I took a breath to get a handle on everything before I crumbled under a panic attack.

“Hey. Do you want me to drive for a while so you can get some sleep?” I asked and my voice sounded groggy.

I internally cringed and wiped at my eyes to get the last traces of sleep out of my system. He glanced at me and a contemplative look crossed his face. I lifted my brow at him and he pulled over to the side of the road. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened his GPS, typing an address into the search bar. The little car centered on the screen and the road lit up blue. I didn’t recognize the town’s name he put in. He unclipped his seatbelt before getting out of the car. He stretched with his arms above his head and I realized that he was still shirtless.

My cheeks heated and I tried to hide it by unclipping my own seatbelt and getting out. My limbs were stiff from staying in the same position for so long. This was the first time in years that I missed training. I wondered if Cynthia was at Josh’s trying to figure out where I went and who Nicolas was. I let out a breath and walked to the front of the car where Nicolas was stretching his legs out. He looked down at me and warned me not to scratch his precious car. I rolled my eyes and walked past him.

I got into the driver's seat and buckled up, waiting for him to do the same. I revved the engine and he shot me a look before I gave him a s**t-eating grin. I was going to have fun pushing his buttons. He would provide the perfect distraction until I had time to sit down and properly work through my emotions. I knew better than to get romantically involved with him so he would have to endure my teasing and friendship until I was ready to get out there again.

He eventually cuddled into my pillow and fell asleep. I drove well into the night and didn’t dare wake him up. I made a few stops to stock up on snacks and fuel, using the money I had saved up to get my own place. I would have to get a job wherever we were staying to keep my savings in place. My parents left me a generous inheritance, but I didn’t want to get into it just yet. I would use it to buy my first house and then live off it when I retired one day. I wanted to leave some of it for my children if I ever had any.

A light patter of rain started to hit the windscreen when Nicolas stirred in his sleep. He grunted and tried to adjust the pillow, but I could see he was uncomfortable. A flashing red light popped up ahead as if it was summoned. Vacancies. I pulled over into the parking lot and looked around before deciding that it looked decent enough to spend the night. I turned the engine off and ran into the small office building. The lady behind the counter was friendly enough and informed me that they only had one room available with a double bed. I took it. We needed to sleep and I wasn’t going to be immature about sharing a bed with him. As long as he didn’t try anything.

I jogged back out into the rain with our key in my pocket. I knocked on his window and watched his eyes snap open. He lifted his intense gaze to mine and I had a tiny feeling deep down that I made a mistake by getting the room with one bed. I walked to the back of the car and got my bag, ready to get out of this skimpy outfit. I admit that a part of me wanted to stay wrapped in his scent for a while longer, but I put that down to being my demon.

He got out and looked around while I closed the trunk. I took his hand and dragged him out of the rain. I let go as soon as we were under the canopy. He stood dazed and watched me walking towards our room for a second before he jogged to catch up to me. He waited patiently for me to unlock the door and even let me go in first. He flicked the light on and closed the door behind him.

“I thought we might function better with some proper sleep and maybe a shower.” I said and motioned to the bathroom.

He nodded and mumbled that I could take a shower first. I hardly turned around before I heard his jacket hit the floor and the bed huffed as he plopped down on it. I smiled and closed the door behind me, not even bothering to lock it. He has been the perfect gentleman up until now. I doubt he would try to sneak a peak and even if he did, I would kick his ass. I dropped my bag on the lid of the toilet and stripped out of his wet shirt and belt. I took the towel off the towel bar and hung his shirt open to dry while we slept. I rolled his belt up and put it on the little table under the towel bar.

I picked out a fresh pair of underwear and the oversized shirt I liked to sleep in. I’ve been walking around in nothing but his shirt all day, so I didn’t see the need for pants at this stage. I opened the water and let it run hot while I got all my toiletries out. I stepped under the steaming water and let the water run over me for a while. The raw feelings crashed into me and I struggled to keep the tears in while I lathered my hair in shampoo, scrubbing at my black curls with more force than needed. I caught a glimpse of my face and felt pathetic when I noticed the eyeliner smudged down my cheeks.

Have I been walking around like this all day? My cheeks burned in embarrassment and I felt a hatred start to grow in my chest. I hated Logan and I hated Josh. How could they do this to me? It did explain why Logan had a hard time getting hard for me and why we only had s*x about ten times in the twelve years we’ve dated. How did he not feel like he could tell me after all the things I’ve told him? Was he just using me as a cover for his relationship with Josh? It didn’t make sense. His father hated me.

I gave myself five more minutes to throw my pathetic pity party while I conditioned my hair and washed my body. I let the tears mingle with the water running down my body before forcing them to stop. I let the anger in again and pulled myself together. My eyes were red and puffy now. The eyeliner washed off with all the tears. I turned the water off and wrapped a towel around my body, deciding to brush my teeth before getting dressed.

The thought that Nicolas needed to shower still hurried me along and soon I was stepping out of the bathroom. The steam wafted out above me and drifted into the room. The light was now off and he was laying on his stomach with his back on full display. His arms were propped up under his head and the flex of his bicep caught my attention. I could feel the wetness settle between my legs and frowned. This was insane. I walked closer to him and poked his leg to get his attention. He let out a groan than sent tingles over my skin. This was definitely a mistake.

He opened one eye and peered down at me. I pointed to the shower through the open bathroom door and he pushed himself up from the bed. His arms flexed along with the muscles on his back and I felt my mouth run dry. I turned away from him and put my bag on the couch near the door to keep me occupied while he moved into the bathroom. When the door clicked shut, I turned around and rushed to the bed. My cheeks were probably flushed as I threw the covers back and settled into the surprisingly comfortable bed. I pulled the covers up and tucked them under my chin, rolling onto my side.

The demon in my mind was not helping at all. It kept sending images of Nicolas into my mind. Naked images. Doing various dirty things to himself and to me. My cheeks started burning after a while and I shoved the dang horndog to the back of my mind. I settled my rapid heart and focused on my breathing just like Cynthia trained me to do. I calmed down enough to drift off to sleep.

My sleep didn’t last long. I felt the bed dip behind me and turned around. My brain felt foggy with sleep and I let out a sigh. His scent surrounded me again and the wetness increased between my thighs along with a need within me. I tried ignoring it and going back to sleep. I focused on his breathing slowing down and let it lull me to sleep again.

A sigh of frustration left me when I woke up again not long after falling asleep. I watched the rise and fall of his chest and listened to the light snore leaving him with every inhale he took. I have never felt this lonely in my life. I’ve always had family or loved ones around. Now I hardly had anyone. A sharp pain spread through my chest and my eyes filled up with tears. I let them fall silently until it felt like I would suffocate with emotion if I didn’t let it all out now. A sob racked through my body and I grabbed my mouth to muffle the sound. I didn’t want to wake him up.

I turned over letting my back face him and used the pillow to cover my mouth as another sob escaped my throat. The next few came out before the previous one was done with me. I felt completely broken and alone in an unfamiliar bed with a complete stranger sleeping behind me. When did my life take such a drastic turn? How long have they been sneaking around behind my back? Did Cythia know? I needed to ask her as soon as we got up for the day. The image of Logan thrusting into Josh was seared into my brain and haunting me each time I closed my eyes.

I felt Nicolas turning and his arm dropped over my side, pulling me against his chest. I sniffled and let a sigh out to get some fresh air into my lungs. His grip on me tightened and I looked over my shoulder. His dark eyes were filled with pity and it sent a stab of anger through my chest. I didn’t want his pity.

“Are you alright?” he asked and the husky tone to his voice sent a shiver down my spine.

“I don’t need your pity.” I said evenly and watched his eyes darken.

I clenched my thighs together and let another sigh out when his hand dipped from my waist to my thigh. My head rolled back against his shoulder and I pressed my body against his. The hardness that greeted me sent another shiver down my spine and a breathy moan escaped my mouth.

“What do you need?” He whispered into my ear and sent chills over my body.

“This.” I said and turned to him, grinding against him.

He let out a groan and gripped my hips. I didn’t want him to stop me so I claimed his lips with mine in a heated battle for dominance. He tried to stop my hips and frustration drove my hand between us. He hissed when I took hold of his hardness and started stroking him. I bit his lip for good measure and he turned onto his back. I straddled him and started working on a rhythm. He groaned again and it was the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard. It spurred me on and dropped me into a pool of desire that I had a hard time staying afloat in. A small voice whispered that this was just a rebound while the demon within me snuffed the voice out, urging me to mark him.

I was confused on how exactly I would do that. The thought was like a splash of cold water and I pulled back from the kiss. Apparently, he wasn’t done with me just yet. He flipped us over so that he was hovering over me. His eyes pitch black staring down into my burning brown eyes. The desire was still burning between us, but I could see him trying to hold himself back. He was fighting with his demon. He must have won, because his eyes bled back to brown and he rolled off me. He breathed heavily and stared up at the ceiling. I felt the sting of rejection and fresh tears welled up in my eyes. I blinked them away, refusing to let him have an influence on me.

My thighs were still throbbing with need, but I turned away from him and forced my mind into silence. I was a complete mess. I closed my eyes and waited patiently for sleep to claim me and take me away from this nightmare that has become my life. I heard him sigh.

“I’m sorry. I just can’t.” He said and I could hear the regret in his voice.

The sting in my chest grew a little more, but I didn’t blame him. I kind of regretted what happened too. The demon was now dormant in my mind, probably sulking about being rejected by her mate. I let out a sigh of my own. This was going to be a problem going forward. I could feel the bond pulling us together.

“Don’t worry about it.” My voice sounded empty.

“Kara…” He started, but I cut him off.

“Just drop it, Nicolas.” I warned and he sighed before getting up.

He mumbled something about a cold shower before I heard the bathroom door click shut. The shower started running a few moments later. I closed my eyes again and let the falling water soothe me into sleep.