36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

S he hadn't imagined that.

Just that morning, she thought about wolves and how she'd imagined seeing one during the storm. The sound she'd heard had sounded very much like a growl.

She had felt it vibrate through her body.

It had come from Jackson; she was sure of it. Something flashed in his eyes when he turned back to her, something cold and dark. Something evil.

And there she was with her legs still wrapped around him.

She pushed him away quickly and hopped down from the table.

"What's wrong?" Jackson asked.

Was he serious? Who growled at people like that? It sounded so... real. So terrifying. Not human. It had raised the hair on the back of her neck and her arms, and her instincts had told her she was in danger. She never ignored her instincts.

Maybe she was overthinking things because of all the weird things she'd heard and seen, but... She had to get out of this room. Put some distance between them so she could think.

"Nothing," she lied.

She pulled her t-shirt lower to hide her bare bottom as she rushed to pick up her jeans. She could still feel Jackson. She could feel the slight tremors in her body after what she had just done with him. She was sure she'd made the first move this time despite telling herself she would never touch him again. Jackson hadn't had to do anything for her to feel that insatiable hunger for him.

But that was the last thing on her mind now. She'd just fucked a man who growled like an animal.

"I'll have a word with Dylan about just barging in without knocking," Jackson said. "I'm sorry about that."

From the corner of her eyes, she saw him tuck himself back in and adjust his clothes while she struggled to pull her jeans back on.

"It's fine," she lied again.

"Then why are you being like this? Did I hurt you?"

That growl had been loud, and he was just going to act like it hadn't happened?

"Stop it, Jackson. This place is weird enough already without you playing with my head."

Jackson cocked his head to the side and met her gaze.

"How am I playing with your head?"

"I heard you! I felt you," she said, wrapping her arms around herself. "Just take me back to the bedroom; I'll be okay on my own for the rest of the day."

"What exactly did you hear, Layla?"

She frowned at the expression on his face. He looked so genuinely puzzled that she started to doubt herself. When she was younger, her father had worn that same expression every time she'd told him about the wolf that came to visit and talk to her.

Was it happening again? Was she losing her mind?

Her shoulders sagged with the realisation that maybe her mind was about to snap again. People didn't growl like animals. Wolves didn't have glowing red or blue eyes. And they weren't huge like the thing she'd imagined jumping over her.

She turned away from Jackson's probing gaze to face the door. This was the worst time for her mind to play such tricks on her. Not knowing what was real or imagined would hinder her escape plans if she didn't sort her head out first.

"Nothing. It was nothing," she lied.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm probably just tired."

"Okay. Let's get you to bed."

Jackson opened the door and allowed her out first. Once again, she didn't see anyone else around as she walked down the hallway to the lobby, but she could feel Jackson's gaze burning through her.

And she could hear the growl playing in her mind over and over again. The deepness of it. The way it seemed to rumble through the air like a force of nature.

It felt so real...

She put her arms around herself as she walked up the stairs and didn't say a word to Jackson, who was walking behind her for a change. When she finally opened his bedroom door and then turned to face him, she saw that expression on his face again.

It looked like worry.

Maybe he was wondering if he had picked the right woman for a surrogate after all.

"Do you want to speak to your sister now?" Jackson asked.

It felt like he was throwing her a bone, just like her father used to do. When it had happened back when her father still gave a shit about her, he would buy her some ice cream and make more of an effort to spend time with her. Like he was treading on eggshells while waiting for her to snap.

Of course, she'd never snapped. She'd just gotten better about not revealing things that would make people look at her differently.

"Yes, thank you," she answered.

Jackson pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled a number before he handed it to her.

"Five minutes," he said to her before walking to the bathroom.

Was he not going to supervise her anymore?

She didn't have much time to think about it when a male voice came on the phone.

"Um... hi," she answered. "Can I speak to my sister?"

The man didn't ask why she was using his boss' phone, and judging by how quickly Brit came on, he must have been in the same room. Her anxiety ramped up. This had to be what made her hear and see things that were not there. She'd put Brit in danger by revealing she wasn't safe—Brit would be a mess with worry.

"Lay, are you okay?" Brit asked straight away.

"I'm fine," she lied.

"Last night—"

"I'm sorry, Brit. It was a misunderstanding. I'm okay."

"When will I see you?"

"I'll ask when I can get a lift to the hotel soon."

Jackson wasn't going to allow that now, even though when they had made the agreement, he had told her she could see her sister any time.

"So you're not being held hostage?" Brit whispered.

"No. It was just some petty, mean girl stuff, but that's been handled. I lost my phone, so I don't know when I'll call you again."

She made up more lies for her sister to ease her mind before she made her promise to go back to school. When Jackson came back out, he looked like he'd washed his face and wet his hair. He seemed to get more handsome every time she saw him. More irresistible. She couldn't wait for the drugs to pass from her system.

Jackson stopped in front of her, interrupting her call. She said goodbye to Brit quickly and handed the phone back.

"Rest," Jackson said. "I shouldn't have done that in the conference room so soon; you're fragile. I'll see you later."

He left the room without looking back and locked the door behind him.

Fragile? Could he tell?

Frowning, she walked over to his huge bed, which had fresh bedding. The whole room looked like it had been cleaned while they were out, even though she hadn't seen anyone there except the doctor.

She lay down in the middle and closed her eyes. Meditation and jogging always helped relieve her stress, but she didn't think she could calm her mind enough to do it this time.

Because even now, that growl was constantly echoing in her head.