Chapter Ten River

W aking up next to Vincent was easily the sweetest thing I could imagine, and it lived up to my expectations without fail. Sometime in the night we'd both slipped out of our wolf forms. As I came to, Vincent was curled up against me with his back against my chest, the warmth of him seeping into my skin. I had an arm thrown over his waist, my fingers digging in as I pulled him tighter against me. Burying my face in his hair, I breathed deeply, committing that beautiful sweet scent of his to memory.

Everything about that moment felt so right. I loved the way he felt against my skin, the softness of his breathing, and how his body lined up with mine perfectly. Of course, I was also rock hard, which wasn't a surprise. But his butt was in just the right place, giving my cock the perfect spot to rest. I could imagine how a few simple moves could give him a wake-up he'd never forget.

However, I kept those thoughts to myself. We'd had sex and spent the night cuddling, that didn't give me permission to just use him without asking. There was no real closeness between us. Sure, he'd had my cock in his ass, but that was about the extent of our relationship. I didn't know anything about him and he didn't know shit about me.

With a sinking realization, I knew that's how it had to stay. I wanted to wake him up, go out to coffee, and ask him every little detail about his life. Something about him made me want to know. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I definitely didn't feel that way with other guys in the past. Most of them were a good time and a goodbye, and I never saw them again. Vincent was different though. Something about his scent and the spark of electricity that shot through my body every time I touched him made me feel like I should be doing more. Like he was somehow more important . I just didn't understand why.

"Are you always this hard when you wake up?" a soft voice said in front of me.

I couldn't help a small chuckle. "Sorry… You just feel really good."

Vincent didn't respond. Instead, he reached to the side table and grabbed his phone, clicking the button to light the screen. "We slept in…"

"We were up late," I replied, squeezing him closer and kissing the back of his neck.

There was a long pause. Vincent relaxed against me for a moment, acting like he wanted more of the attention I was laying on him. But then he pulled away.

"I need to get going," he said, pushing himself to the edge of the bed and out of my arms. "The shop opens at noon."

"No worries," I nodded, trying my best not to sound disappointed. "You've gotta make a living."

"Yep."

I pulled the blankets aside, feeling a bit exposed by my nudity and obvious excitement. However, Vincent didn't seem to even notice as he got up and headed for the bathroom.

"I'm gonna hop in the shower," he said without looking back. "Just let yourself out."

The door closed before I could even respond.

"Right…" I muttered.

I grabbed my clothing from the floor, pulling them on piece by piece. Vincent was a bit of an enigma. One minute he was warm, caring, and insecure. And the next he was cold and closed off, like he couldn't give a fuck less what I thought. It was giving me emotional whiplash. Although, if I was being honest with myself, I shouldn't be having any emotions at all where Vincent was concerned. If he could keep his distance, then so could I. After all, I was the one who demanded that we maintain that distance in the first place.

So, once my clothes were on, I slipped on my shoes and left the apartment without a word. My brain was still muddled, but some time at the beach would fix that. Besides, as soon as I stepped outside I noticed the wind had picked up considerably. Maybe, if I was lucky, the waves would be big enough to surf.

I needed the escape.

◆◆◆

Luck held out and by the end of the afternoon, I'd surfed enough to exhaust myself from head to toe. I practically crawled back to my van and pulled the back doors open. I didn't think twice about flopping onto the bed in the back. It was still covered in sand from the day id met Vincent. I made a mental note to have it cleaned, but as I turned over and smelled his scent coming through the sheets, I forgot that mental note and just enjoyed it. A little sand never hurt anyone, anyway.

But while I was on the subject of Vincent, maybe I should check in and see how he was doing. I'd gone out of my way to avoid talking to him. I didn't want to seem overly attentive. After all, it wasn't like anything could happen between us and I was already dangerously close to overstepping that boundary. Something about him just made it too easy to get attached and that couldn't happen. So I'd kept myself busy. But nearly eight hours was enough distance, right? Of course it was.

At least that's what I told myself.

However, when I picked up my phone, I noticed there was already a message from him waiting for me. Seems like he'd missed me a bit more than he let on this morning. And if I was being honest, seeing his name on my phone screen gave me butterflies in my stomach .

Vincent: Sorry I had to kick you out so fast this morning. Hopefully it didn't bother you. I wanted you to stay, but you know how work is. I had a really good time last night. Probably the best I've ever had… you're a good guy :)

I stared at his message in surprise. It was surprisingly sweet, open, and personal. It reminded me of the first time I met Vincent. Since then he'd become sort of cold, but obviously something about our night together had him softening up. But as the butterflies rose in my stomach again, a tinge of panic swept through me.

Liking Vincent wasn't an option. All these warm fuzzy feelings were nice right now, but in a few weeks they were going really fucking suck. The last thing I wanted to do was go home with a broken heart so I could spend the rest of my life yearning for someone I could never have. Vincent wasn't worth giving up my entire future for, right? Nobody could be worth that…

At least that's what I told myself as I started to type.

Me: No problem. Last night was fine. Glad you had fun.

I hit the send button before I lost my nerve. Being cold wasn't really my forte. But I had to be brave about this and put up my icy walls. It was what was best for Vincent and myself.

His next message followed quickly.

Vincent: Cool. Well let me know if I'm worth your time again. The dick was tolerable, so I guess I could do it again if you want.

Me: Sure. I'll hit you up when I have free time again.

Vincent: Yep.

There was a tightness in my chest that I wasn't used to feeling. His reaction told me he understood my coldness and he fed it right back. Even after all that, he was still interested, which was hard to believe. Now I just had to reign myself in and not end up in his bed again tonight. I desperately wanted to kiss him again, but I had to be aloof. I had to resist him.

But I couldn't force myself to be a total dick.

Me: I did have fun. It was a good night.

Vincent: Right.

Well, I couldn't blame him for being upset. If it was me on the other end of the phone, I would've been pissed too. I'd probably be lucky if I ever saw him again.

No pizza for dinner tonight I guess. Instead, I guess I'd just stay at the hotel and have whatever Sam was making for dinner. It wasn't like there was anything else to do in this tiny town after dark.

Maybe, if I was feeling squirrely, I'd sneak out after dark and go for a run in wolf form. At least that would give me a break from the hum-drum of human life.

But nothing, not even an animal brain, was going to get me to forget about Vincent.