“Aside from taking classes, what have you been up to? Are you and Dave still together?”
“Yeah, Dave and I are living together.” My mind flashed to the handsome, muscular wereman with the hard jaw and steely gray eyes. “We have a two bedroom apartment near campus. It’s nothing fancy, but it works.”
Todd nodded. “That’s good. My apartment is a dump. The drains keep getting clogged and the sewage backs up.”
“Yuck,” I grimaced, “that sounds awful.”
“Yeah, it sucks,” Todd said. “Is Dave taking classes or working?”
“He’s been looking for a job, but no luck yet. The idea was for him to support us till I graduated, but I may have to start looking for something myself; money is really tight. What about you? Are you working?”
“I got a job as a restaurant manager. We’re overstaffed now, but I may be able to come up with something for you or Dave in the future. I have always liked Dave, he’s a good guy. I got to know him pretty well when Caleb appointed us temporary alphas of the Lycan clan when his sons were gone.”
“Are you still with Kara?” I asked, thinking of the older Lycan werewoman who Todd had been dating at Camp Vickers.
“Nah, we broke it off a while ago. I haven’t dated much since.” Todd glanced at his watch. “I would love to chat, but I don’t have that option. I am opening the restaurant today so I have to get to work, but maybe we could all get together sometime. It would be great to spend some time with you and Dave.”
“That sounds like a plan. Dave told me I need to relax more.” I had been feeling especially tense lately, getting back into the rhythm of school and worrying if I could keep up with the course work. Then, there was the headache of the government trying to keep werewolves a secret. This led to protestors who suspected the truth, thanks to leaks within government offices. The protestors were positive we existed and were demanding the authorities come clean about us. They wanted us locked up.
“It would be fun to get together and catch up over a beer or two; maybe go for a run after. I need the release, but with my crazy schedule, I haven’t been able to let my wolf out in a while.”
“Awesome,” Todd said. “I could use a run too.” Though he was trying to be subtle, I could feel Todd’s eyes taking in my curves again. “It was great seeing you.”
“And it was great to see you too, Todd.”
“I’ll catch you later. Be sure to talk to Dave about getting together.”
“I will, Todd.” As we stood up to go, Todd pulled me towards him for a hug. Pressing against him felt so good. I felt a rush of excitement as he pushed his body into mine. He was so firm and had a fresh, clean smell with just a little bit of animal mixed in—so damn yummy. I could feel the bulge through his jeans press against me as his muscular arms pulled me even closer. I held him just a few seconds longer than I should have. God, I wanted him. I pulled back and looked in his eyes. He returned my gaze, his crystal blue eyes thoughtful and probing. Slowly, he released me.
“I … I best get going Todd, I will see you around.” This was craziness—as boring as the professor had been, I couldn’t wait for the next class. I wanted to see Todd again—and soon.
As I left him standing there, I felt pangs of guilt. How could I have such a strong desire for him when I was deeply in love with Dave?
3
The Maryland campus is over 1,000 acres, but thankfully my apartment complex was only a short walking distance from many of the main buildings. I was tired and ready to get home, grab something to eat, and chill for a bit. Later this week I knew I was going to have to hit the books, but for now I needed to ease back into school slowly.
It was a pretty day and the leaves were starting to turn, the warm colors swirled in the trees. I loved Maryland in the fall. The air was a little cool, so I pulled my black Maryland hoodie over my head to take the chill off. Rounding the corner, I walked by the main strip near the campus. There were a lot of businesses that catered to the college crowd: restaurants, banks, a copy center, an electronics shop, and more lined the main and side streets.
I had a few dollars left on an old gift card in my purse for the coffee shop. I decided to stop and get a latte, the hot liquid would warm me up. I placed my order and dug into my backpack to pull out my BPA-free ‘to go’ mug for them to fill. I always used it; one less paper cup for the landfill, I was a biology major, after all.
As I stepped to the side to wait for my order, I could hear a group of people gathered at one of the tables nearby. My ears perked up when I heard them mention the word ‘werewolves,’ but I didn’t dare turn around and let them see me. They would likely recognize me from the photos in the media as one of the camp counselors.