Chapter 3: An Unexpected Morning

"Yyyyeeeooooww!" I screamed, practically jumping out of my skin as my heart pounded against my ribcage.

He was sprawled out across the futon from end to end, his feet dangling off the side. As startled as I was, I couldn't help but notice that his sculpted back muscles and legs were those of Adonis, and he had a mop of scruffy, light brown wavy hair that suited him well.

"Holy crap!" I yelled, trying to remember the self-defense classes I had taken in college. I quickly ran into the kitchen and grabbed a butcher knife just in case. Hey, just because he looked like a Greek god didn't mean that he wouldn't kill me... or worse.

Tiptoeing into the living room, I looked around for the wolf, hoping that this guy hadn't released it back into the wild before it had completely healed. In the condition it was in last night, it wouldn't last a day on its own.

"Morning." He sat up and gave me an impish grin. The only thing covering him was the quilt, casually draped across his lap, strategically covering the vital parts. He smiled, reminding me of the wolf, for some reason. The man ran his fingers through his scruffy hair in an effort to smooth it down, which was proven pointless. By his demeanor, I could already tell that he had a very likable smile and an easygoing personality. And he had to be confident in order to be so casual while naked before a strange woman.

"Sorry to startle you. My name is Cruz Cain. It's a pleasure to meet you." I had forgotten that I was holding the butcher knife until he nodded toward it and smiled. "You won't need that."

"I'll be the judge of that." I looked down and realized how ridiculous I looked, but until I knew who he was, I wasn't taking any chances. "Where's the wolf?"

He shrugged as his lips curled into a mischievous grin. "Wolf?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "Yes! I'm sure when you came in this morning, there was a wolf lying right where you are right now. In fact, I left it water and food on the floor right over there...." When I looked down, nothing was there.

Cruz smiled, enjoying my discomfort a bit too much as he ran a thumbnail between two of his teeth. Then he looked up at me and raised an eyebrow. "Oh! You mean the steak? Yes, it was delicious. Thank you."

I scoffed, unable to believe what I was hearing. "So, you not only broke into my house, but you ate the wolf's steak, too?" I shook my head as I marched into the kitchen. "Unbelievable! It's a wonder the wolf didn't bite you! Actually, he should have bitten you!" I was rambling and I knew it.

In the kitchen, the two empty bowls had been washed and were setting in the dish drainer to the side of the sink. Well, if he was a burglar, then at least he was a clean burglar.

When I turned around, the Greek god was standing in the dining room, stark naked, his lips curled into a wicked grin. And his assets were... impressive.

"Oh… go put some clothes on!" I yelled, storming past, trying not to look.

Cruz shrugged, giving me a cocky grin. "Don't have any."

I scoffed as I turned around, trying to avert my eyes. "You mean to tell me that you broke into my house... without clothes?"

He shrugged but said nothing.

"Ugg!" I screamed heading toward the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower and you'd better not be here when I get out!" I slammed the door to my bedroom and locked it, gathered my things, headed into my private bathroom, and locked that door, too. If he was coming after me, then he would have to break down two locked doors.

I flipped on the shower and waited for the water to heat, trying to process what had just happened. Every woman's erotic fantasy had just come to life. I shrugged. Well, maybe not the wolf part. But walking out to the living room with a gorgeous naked man lying on the futon was... unreal. The stuff made of fantasy... or paranormal romance novels.

Pushing the thought from my mind, I stripped down and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water calm me down, since I appeared to be on an adrenalin high.

"Oh, the hell with it!" I soaped down my body and rubbed over my nipples, raising them to peaks, and then slid two fingers inside, rubbing my pleasure spot with my thumb, moving slowly in and out at first, and then faster. My breath quickened and my heart raced as I pumped in and out until my body quivered, and I found release.

Over the years, I had always had more of a sexual appetite than my boyfriends, and I wasn't sure why. After reaching my climax, I was soon ready to go again, but the guy was usually out of it, needing time to regroup, and wanting to cuddle.

By the time I finished my shower, the water had ran cold. So, I quickly turned it off and stepped out, and wrapped a towel around my body, hitching it between my breasts.

I wiped the steam away from the mirror and looked at myself. My long, blonde hair was a knotted mess and my eyes looked wild. Then I thought of the guy in the living room. Although I shouldn't want him to still be there when I walked out, I couldn't help but wish he were.

"This is not you, Kalyssa," I said aloud, never one for one-night stands or falling into the sack with some guy I'd just met. But after not having had a relationship for a while, a part of me wanted to do something wild and crazy, something to look back on and remember in my old age.

But today wasn't that day.

I quickly dressed, yanked a brush through my wet hair, and opted to let it air dry, since I was off today. Satisfied, I headed out to the living room, wondering what I would find.

Cruz was still there on the futon, naked as the day he was born, appearing to be waiting for me. He smirked when he saw me. "Hello again."

"Ugg! You are so annoying!" I rolled my eyes and shook my head as I stomped over to my purse and grabbed my car keys. "I'm going to the store and you'd better not be here when I get back!" Then I stormed out.

"Thank you for the care you gave me," he said when I was outside, causing me to freeze in my tracks. Then I walked back in and he smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"What did you just say?"

He stood, letting the quilt fall to the floor. "I said, thank you for caring for me... while I was here."

I stared at him for a moment, wondering at his meaning. Then it hit me, though I quickly chided myself for being so stupid. But there was no way that he could be the wolf.

"Oh… put some clothes on!" I yelled and then walked out, slamming the door closed behind me.

Luckily, all my valuables in the bungalow were locked away, but he didn't seem the type to steal from me… even though he had broken into my house. Also, I had left my purse in the living room and everything appeared to be there. In the car, I quickly looked through it to check the contents, and everything was there, just like I knew it would be.

Somehow, I trusted him, although I wasn't sure why. I rarely trusted anyone.

It was a mystery that would have to keep for another day. I had groceries to buy and errands to run. I couldn't let a deranged psycho that sneaks into ladies' houses ruin my day.

But he didn't seem deranged or psycho.

While I was out, I tried not to think of the naked man that seemed to be wearing a perpetual, bad-boy grin. Although I hoped Cruz wasn't there when I got back home... a part of me couldn't help but wish that he was.