Julia's baby, Bk 1 - Oh, Baby! Watty Awards 2012!

Chapter 20- Werewolves? A not so nice reminder & lesson...

"Levi?"

Levi dropped the suitcase and opened his arms for Beth. He smiled somewhat at Julia, who was glancing from him to the girl, looking somewhat sheepish.

"I was ordered to come back and protect you." He glanced sideways at the girl. "I was going to wait till you and Oliver finally made up..."

Julia saw it. He tried to hide it, but she saw it, she smelt it, and her eyes narrowed. Oh hell no. 

"Remember stress." Beth said, quietly, grasping her hand. "Don't. Come and have some dinner."

"Who's she?" Julia yanked her hand free. Glared at the girl. Scary jealous werewolf... or teenager... came right back up. It'd been quiet now that Oliver was separated from Yasmine but then, Oliver had never been her boyfriend. Wasn't Levi her boyfriend?

"A friend, Julia. My business partner." He said, calmly, quiet, reaching out to take Julia's hands. A glance at the woman though, this glance that was just a fraction longer than usual, it put Julia on edge again. She wasn't sure she believed it.  "I told you I had to work for another few weeks." 

Something in Julia didn't buy it. Some deep inbuilt sense that she was learning to trust, slowly, that there was something else. Maybe it was the way the woman's eyes flickered to him, when he'd touched Julia, or the smell of someone who had too many pet cats... but it bothered Julia.  She shrugged and went with Beth into the kitchen.

"Julia." Her father followed her into the kitchen and she gazed up at him. "Look, we need to move some of the youth. You, Beth, the kids. The teenagers. I'm taking Beth first, of course, Levi's staying with you till I come back."

"This because of the border thing?"

A stiff nod from her dad confirmed what she'd suspected. When he slid a gun across to her Julia stared at it like it was a snake about to bite her.

"Just in case. Levi knows how to use it, right?" Her dad glanced to Levi who nodded. 

"Dad, what if we get attacked? Don't tell me to trust Levi. You have to teach me. I can't fight something I don't know about." She grabbed her dad's arm as he turned. Frustration. Yes, Julia knew by tradition this was the role of a pack-father or pack-mother, and yes, she knew she wasn't there yet. Oliver had told her to think like a Beta.

"I can't tell you." David grimaced as Julia scowled. "Not yet. Eighteen, I can. Levi?"

"Yeah?"

"Make sure nothing happens to her." David hurried Beth outside, the woman with them, and she and Levi were alone. 'Don't be too long before you leave."

 They watched them leave, Levi coming to stand closer, and she wrapped an arm around his waist. "That's not your girlfriend?"

Levi grinned. Stepped closer, tugging Julia close for a warm hug, and shook his head. The closeness made her body spark up all over again, now that Julia couldn't use chocolate to replace sex, and she breathed in his smell. Nice. Earthy. Tongue felt nice. The memory of it made her want to drag him into the bedroom.  "Girlfriend? Not exactly. We've got to talk."

Uh oh. 

"I think you're gorgeous..."

This wasn't going to go well. Julia felt her smile fade. Felt the warmth in her chest and hips fade. Oh god.

"But I don't think we should continue it. I'm still your friend but it's better to let it go."

Julia pushed him back. She crossed her arms over her chests. "What?"

"Come here." Levi sat back at the kitchen table, tugging her into his lap, hand stroking her thigh. Talk about mixed messages! 

"That's not fair. What was I then?"