My Stripper Mate

Chapter 18

"I'm in love with you!" I yelled out of nowhere. Was I in love with him? Did I mean what I said? I blinked in shock at my own words, but I was brought out of my shock by a sharp growl.

"You're not in love. Stop." Wilder growled and quickly, but carefully, pulled me from his lap and set me back on the bed. I watched him walk from the room and straight out the door. He closed it behind him harshly, leaving me with my thoughts. I spent the night tossing and turning, eventually finding the sweet release of sleep.

I woke up in a cold sweat, screaming at the top of my lungs. I'm sure everyone for miles heard the haunting screams that erupted from my lungs. Bebe was quick to jump from the end of the bed and push me back into a laying position. She rested her paws on my forearms to prevent me from ripping out my own hair. Her gentle weight was rested upon my chest. I immediately pushed my hands into her thick fur and pet her for comfort. Before I could even consider the others in the house, the door was thrown open. Wilder and Raven ran into the room, looking down at me with concern.

"What's wrong?" Raven's voice was filled with concern as she scanned the room up and down looking for danger.

"Thank you for your concern Rave, but I can handle it." Wilder sighed annoyed and walked to the bed. Raven shot me a look of apology before walking away from the situation. I curled into a ball beneath Bebe trying to cover myself completely. Wilder sat on the bed beside me and gently placed his hand on my shin. I flinched at his touch, and he removed his hand from me like I had burned him. We sat in momentary silence, but rather than feeling upset over our argument, I felt relieved that he had returned to me. I twisted my body gently towards his warmth, trying to steal some comfort from him. His hands stayed away from me, but he was first to break the silence.

"How could you love me?" He mumbled almost too quiet for me to hear. How could I love him? I barely knew him, I don't even know how well I like him, let alone loving him. Everything feels right with him. I feel like I belong with him. Is that love? I gazed up at him, trying to find the answer in his eyes, but he looked just as confused as I'm sure I did. He sighed once more before standing from the bed and walking to the door. He reached for the door knob, but instead of taking hold of it, he hesitated and turned back to me. I studied him closely as he pulled off his shirt and sweats before walking to the other side of the bed. I didn't move in fear of him changing his mind about wanting me. I stilled and allowed him to slip into bed behind me. His arm immediately found home against my waist. I hummed in comfort at his touch.

"Sleep, baby." He mumbled against my back. I could feel his sharp stubble rub against my bare skin as he talked and adjusted himself against me. It was more comforting knowing he was there, and I quickly slipped into a deep sleep, this time without the nightmares.

My eyes opened to the strange sight of a digital alarm clock blinking rapidly. As my senses tuned in I noticed the beeping erupting from the alarm's speakers that I had successfully ignored for the past 45 minutes. I franticly slammed the sleep button on the alarm and jumped up from the bed, running into the bathroom to ready myself for work. I had woken up alone, but I sort of expected that. I got the feeling that Wilder didn't want to talk to me just yet. I rushed into the shower, before making my way into the wardrobe. I slipped on a pair of jeans and a simple shirt. I was quick to brush my teeth before running down the stairs and into the kitchen where I was greeted with a small smile from Wilder and a scowl from his mother.

"Good morning dear." His father greeted me. I smiled at David, appreciating his kindness.

"Good morning." I returned the greeting. Delilah roller her eyes, and continued enjoying her breakfast. I ignored her and turned to greet Wilder.

"I'm late for work." I mumbled out unsure of what his response would be. I watched his eyes shift and go dull before he turned back to his breakfast. I watched in confusion as he took a bite before straightening back up. 

"Zeke will take you." He mumbled before going back to his breakfast. His mother has a look of content on her face which almost made everything worse. Rather than picking a fight, I turned and walked out of the kitchen with tears in my eyes. I waited at the door for only a moment before Zeke descended the stairs and opened the front door for me. The ride was uncomfortably silent, but I didn't have the energy to put into a conversation. We drove, with my minimal direction, to the shop. After pulling out front Zeke turned to me and took hold of my wrist before I could get out.

"What time should I come get you?" He questioned. I could see the concern on his face, but I didn't want him to worry.

"5 will do." I responded with a forced smile. He nodded before letting me go. I was grateful that he hadn't questioned or even talked much on the way down. I didn't know how much I could take without breaking down into tears. I jumped out of the truck and walked into the shop. I heard him drive away, and could almost let out a sigh in relief.

"Good morning, Kat!" I shouted as I walked in. She squealed and ran from behind the counter and into my arms.

"I'm glad you didn't disappear on me again. I was sure you weren't going to show today." She smiled and hugged me tightly to her.

"I wont be leaving again." I laughed and hugged her back with equal vigor.

"Are you sure? I'd be gone if I had that hunk of a man with me." She teased with a nudge of her elbow. I brushed her comment off, trying not to think of him.

"Yeah." I responded simply enough, ending the conversation, or so I thought.

"Let's do a girls night." She shouted right into my ear and began to jump up and down still in my arms. I really wanted to talk things out with Wilder, but he seemed as thought he could care less whether we talked or not.

"Sure let's do it tonight." I giggled and pulled her into my tight embrace once more before letting her go and making my way into the back. After my first tattoo of the day, I realized I didn't have any more appointments.

"Kat! Come help!" I shouted from my station, while I cleaned. Kat was quick to join me at my station, and take a seat in front of me.

"What's up?" She asked, while twirling in my spinning chair.

"Would you mind doing a tattoo for me?" I grinned, before sitting down and helping her set up all the supplies. After she got finished up, we wrapped it in dark wrap, to prevent people from seeing that tattoo. Shortly after my shift ended, and I finished cleaning up before heading to the front. Kat had also finished her shift right at 4:45. Perfect timing to escape Zeke, Wilder, or whoever he sent to collect me. This should be fun..

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Hi everyone! I hope you enjoy. I wanted to add a bit of conflict to the story. We'll see where it takes us next chapter, which I will hopefully be posting sooner. I seemed to his a rough patch in the middle of this one, but I am regaining my groove in writing again, so wish me luck. Thank you for reading and as always if you need someone to talk to or want someone to hear you out, you can always message me. Otherwise, have a great day!

Vote. Comment. Message me- you get the gist.

Have a good one peeps!

Love

-B

4/25/21