Green - a werewolf story

11. Saved by the Belt

Green leaned closer and kissed her. It wasn't like the kiss a few minutes ago when she'd goaded him with exes. This kiss was slower and warmer. Vanessa felt herself melt. Green kept his hands around her face and in her hair, but Vanessa took the opportunity to explore.

She let her hands slide over his shoulders and down his back, felt him shiver under her touch and deepen the kiss. She moved closer to him and brought her hands to his chest and his abs. His skin was surprisingly soft. Vanessa hummed to herself and tried to move over the gear stick to get back in his lap. Something snapped tight around her chest and stomach.

Vanessa pulled back and looked down. The seatbelt was pulled snugly against her body.

"That was better," Green said, leaning back into his seat.

"What was?" Vanessa asked, blinking.

Her brain had turned to mush.

"This kiss," Green said. "More romantic."

"We're still in the car," Vanessa said stupidly.

"And there are no candles and roses, yeah I know. Still. A pretty good kiss," Green said and buckled up again.

Vanessa didn't understand how he could form full sentences. She felt flushed and numb at the same time. For a moment all she wanted to do was release her seatbelt, climb into his lap and keep kissing him.

She resisted the impulse. They were on an open road. Sure, it was empty now, but it wouldn't be for long. Besides, she had no business kissing him. Her objective remained to get rid of him as soon as possible. Kissing him would do nothing to make him leave. Worse, it might give him the impression that she liked him. Which she did not. Even if he smelled like chocolate, tasted better and kissed like a...

Vanessa rolled down her window. She needed air. That was all this was. Her brain was shutting down due to a lack of oxygen, not because an arrogant packwolf had managed to shake her to the core with his kisses. And his body that was still, she saw when she glanced at him, rather perfect.

She leaned out the side window and inhaled deeply. The air smelled of trees and asphalt. Way better than the scent of him that was everywhere in her car.

"What are you doing?" Green asked.

"I'm getting a bit of fresh air. You stink."

Green laughed.

"You didn't seem to mind that a minute ago."

"I don't know what I was thinking," Vanessa said.

It wasn't a total lie. She didn't know what she'd been thinking. Possibly because she hadn't been thinking at all.

"I like your scent," Green said. "I like everything about you."

"You don't know me well enough to know that," Vanessa countered.

"Maybe not, but I don't think there's anything about me that could make me not like you."

Vanessa looked over at Green. His face was so solemn, as if he honestly believed that. She couldn't help it. She laughed.

"What's so funny?" Green asked.

For the first time since their kiss she heard a note of irritation in his voice.

"You have no idea what I've done or where I've been," Vanessa said.

"So? I'll find out. I'm looking forward to getting to know you."

Vanessa shook her head. She could tell him things about herself that would make his beautifully tanned face pale. She almost wanted to do it too. Put it all out there, everything she was, everything she'd been and dare him to like it. To love it. To live with it.

Part of her wanted to do it to scare him away and prove her point, but another part of her wanted to see if he could do it. If he could look at her the way he'd looked at her before he kissed her just now after she'd shown him everything. She wondered if anyone could.

"I'm not worried about your past," Green insisted. "I might not like all of it. Especially not the... vampires. But it won't affect how I feel about you."

"No?" she asked, a hint of bitterness she never intended seeping into her voice. "Are you sure?"

Green folded his arms over his chest and Vanessa looked away and back out the window.

"All werewolves have done things we're not proud of. It's part of who we are. It's not easy to be half wolf, half human and all magic. We mess up, we learn and we move on."

"Half wolf, half human and all magic ll magic?"

He winked at her.

"That's right," he said.

"Sounds like a good advertising slogan for something."

"My point is that I'm not going to judge you for whatever you did before you met me," Green said patiently.

She wondered if that was possible. She realized she didn't know him well enough to know. It didn't matter. He couldn't know. It wasn't safe. Not for her, not for anyone she cared about. She'd known when she left the pack she had been born into that she was choosing a life of solitude. A life on the run. She couldn't let herself get close to anyone, couldn't open up. Especially not to a packwolf who demanded she share his life. Ha! Share his life. He didn't know what he was asking. And it didn't matter. This was her life. She'd fought for it, she was keeping it and she wasn't going to share.

"We should get going," Vanessa said, checked her mirrors and got the car moving again.

"You don't need to be scared of me."

"I'm not scared of you," Vanessa said and it was the truth.

She wasn't scared of him, but she should be. For a moment she'd let herself forget that. It was lucky she'd come to her senses. She looked down at the seatbelt still tight around her chest. Thank goodness she cared about traffic regulations and safety protocols. She'd been saved by the belt.

***

Author's note:

This is the raciest story I've ever written. What is it with werewolves? Is it the teeth? 

Anyway, hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it :)

Next update on Saturday!

Also, couldn't resist putting a Christmas song in this chapter. I know, I know, it's summer and it's got nothing to do with werewolves. Still a great song.