I didn’t want to stand outside and watch my mom and sister ride away. I felt like I’d just done that. Saying goodbye to them, twice now, and then saying goodbye to Grandma, permanently, left me feeling all alone. I knew that wasn’t really the case, that I did have a family sill, a new one, maybe one that would take even better care of me than Mom and Max had, but it was still a lonely feeling.
I woke up to weak morning light filtering into my room, half expecting Sam to be gone, but as I became conscious of my surroundings, I realized that the hard surface beneath my cheeks was his chiseled chest, and he hadn’t gotten up in the middle of the night or just before dawn and fled the scene as I’d assumed he might.Aware that I was awake, he smoothed back
I spent most of the day in the woods, recharging my energy, though I did go inside for lunch because that seemed like the responsible thing to do. I had to get used to the idea that I was the only one who was going to take care of me now, without my parents or my grandma around to do it. I wanted to be as much like an adult as possible, and that meant remembering to eat three meals a day and all of that jazz.
“What is it?” I asked Raven, not sure what it might be she wanted to tell me about. The fact that she thought we should have a conversation before she moved in made sense to me, but if she wanted to talk about her feelings for me, I wasn’t sure I was ready for that.Raven blew out a hot breath. “Before you moved here, I was in a lot of trouble with
I didn’t sleep well that night. It had less to do with Raven being there, though her story did weigh heavily on my mind. It was mostly the wind and rain that kept me tossing and turning so that I didn’t even wake up until almost 9:00, which might not have seemed so late if I didn’t have a new houseguest.By the time I was awake enough to realize that Rave
We dropped Sam’s stuff off at the house and then headed to the diner to talk to Ben. It was too early for lunch, and a bit too late for breakfast. It seemed like most people preferred the donut shop for breakfast anyway. There were a few older people sitting in booths, eating eggs and bacon, and a couple grabbing an early lunch with sandwiches and fries on their plates, but the place was much quieter than the last few times I’d been in.
Having my entire pack beneath the same roof was pretty amazing. I hadn’t felt that content since we’d moved from Sacramento. Maybe even since I was a little girl, before my dad died. It had taken some work getting everyone moved in, but by the time we were all ready to get some sleep, Joshua and Ben’s beds were situated in what used to be a dining room. We’d hung a curtain between them so they’d have some more privacy since the room was big enough for that, unlike their own room. Horace hadn’t been there when we’d gotten everything out, but if he had, I would’ve given him a little more of the same of what I’d given him before.
Sam was so gentle with me, so careful. He took everything slowly, waiting for my approval, either through my eyes or from my reaction. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought my first time could’ve been so perfect.He kissed me, his tongue tangling with mine. I lay back, and he came with me off to my side as he continued to kiss me, deeper and more passionate
I woke up late the next morning, in my own bed--alone. I was wearing the same thing I’d had on when I’d gone to bed the night before, and for a moment, I thought maybe it had all been a lovely dream. Maybe I hadn’t gotten up in the middle of the night and gone outside with Sam.But my body told me otherwise. It wasn’t pain, exactly. More like a deep