7. Talia

7

Talia

T alia woke with a start to the incessant blaring of her alarm. She slammed her hand down on the snooze button on her old-fashioned clock alarm. It had taken her abuse since she was in middle school, and frankly, she was still surprised that she hadn't beaten it to death.

Five minutes later, it went off again. Her eyes opened a slit and she groaned. Reaching over, she turned off the alarm and practically rolled out of bed. Talia did not enjoy having her night's rest interrupted by whatever pain in the ass decided to wake her up last night. She made her way into the bathroom and splashed water on her face. Forcing her eyes open, she stumbled toward the kitchen where her automatic coffee pot was blissfully full.

She drank one cup and poured another until she decided she really should get dressed. Teaching class in nothing but a T-shirt and panties might keep her students' attention but would likely end with her being fired. That would be a bad thing, considering this was the first day of classes.

Talia grabbed a couple of breakfast bars and hopped into her car. Instead of thinking about the day's ice-breakers and introduction to the classes she would be teaching this semester, her mind raced.

"Who in the world would try to break into my house?"

When Sebastian had asked about a stalker, Darius briefly came to mind. However, he was a narcissist and a pain in the ass, but she didn't think that he had the gumption to be a stalker. He was too lazy and tended to avoid anything that took an effort.

She blushed at the thought of Sebastian. Talia had run out of the house wearing a T-shirt and panties. Granted, the man had seen her naked many times in the past as they shifted, but there was something about certain types of clothes that were even more erotic than nudity. Sebastian had been interested, even if he was worried about her.

They had a meeting first thing in the morning. Talia abhorred meetings and thought most of them were a waste of time. People spent an hour talking about something they could take five minutes to write in an email.

However, her mood brightened once she got into her classroom. The kids were great and welcomed her to the school. Despite her misgivings, the students seemed to enjoy the ice-breakers, and they helped her get to know them. It was still going to take a while before she remembered all of their names, but she would, eventually. For now, though, they were sir and ma'am.

The day went fairly quickly, and she was packing up to leave when someone knocked on her door. She looked up and groaned. The hair went up on the back of her neck and goosebumps covered her arms. Her gut told her there was something off about him.

Talia plastered a smile on her face. "Mr. Ellis. What can I do for you?"

She wished she could take back the words as soon as she saw the wolfish grin on his face.

Great. This is all I need right now.

He walked toward her and she made sure to keep her desk between the two of them. She was sure that he wasn't going to physically attack her in the classroom, but she didn't want him touching her or even getting too close.

"I was just checking in to see how your first day of school went."

"It was great, thanks."

"If Joey puts even one toe out of line, all you have to do is call me and I'll straighten him out."

Talia hated to think what that might mean.

"He is a great kid and I'm sure he will be terrific in class."

"His mother and I are divorced. Are you seeing anyone?"

Talia crossed her fingers against the fib and said, "I am." She hated to lie, but she knew that if she didn't, he would become very pushy and that was the last thing she wanted to deal with tonight.

Besides, I've had dinner with Sebastian a couple of times. That counts as seeing someone, right?

"He's a lucky guy. You're a beautiful woman, sweet, and smart." He paused and there was a brief awkward silence. "Well, I have to get going. I work as a security guard at the prison."

"Be careful."

She breathed a huge sigh of relief when he left. Talia waited a few minutes before she stepped out into the hallway. She walked down to the office and clocked out. Then, she was happy to see another teacher walking out at the same time she was.

Talia was restless when she got home and wanted nothing more than to shift and go for a run, but she wasn't sure that she wanted to go alone. At least one of her parents had gone with her when she was a kid. A lot had changed since then. Other shifters might be around or just hunters. Although Angel's Creek had always been relatively safe in regards to shifter hunters, she couldn't be sure.

Sebastian's truck wasn't in his driveway. She thought about knocking anyway because he often pulled it into his garage, but she didn't have the nerve. She laughed at herself and decided that she was still acting like a little girl with a crush, even though Sebastian had proven that he didn't see her as a little girl anymore.

She was about to give up on the idea when he pulled into the driveway. Talia hemmed and hawed about whether she was going to ask him, and then told herself, "Put your big girl panties on and just go out there."

It occurred to her, as she walked outside, that she was a bit of a stalker herself. She had been watching and waiting for him to get home and pounced the second that he did.

"Talia. How are you? How was your first day of school?"

"Good and good, but I was feeling a little antsy. I know you just got home and are likely tired, but I wondered if you might want to shift and run. I want to, but I don't want to go alone."

"That sounds awesome," he said. "Let me take my computer and such inside, and I'll meet you here. Don't forget to set your alarm."

She was in and out of her house quickly and reached his truck just as he was coming out of his house. Talia told him about her day at school, without mentioning any students' names. She also left out her encounter with Joe Ellis.

He said that he did some research on a couple of bad guys he couldn't talk about. Then, he asked, "Have you ever heard of Yaretzi Duran?"

"Yeah. I'm not a super huge fan. I don't dislike her, but I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to her music."

"She has a stalker who is a little terrifying. I set her up with my best bodyguard."

"Poor girl," Talia said. "That's one of the millions of reasons I'm happy being a teacher and not rich and famous."

"I know. I did some research and the thing about it is that her stalker isn't even a secret. It's been in the news and, of course, the tabloids are talking about it. You would think that would stop the man from bothering her, at least for now."

"Some people are just dense and can't take a hint," Talia said.

They reached the mountain and walked to the shifting spot. Talia tried to pretend that she wasn't looking when he undressed, but she couldn't help it. The man looked like some kind of Greek or Roman god who stepped out of a masterpiece painting. She smirked because she obviously wasn't the only one who had a reaction.

He shifted and said, telepathically, "Are you ready?"

"Yep," she said and took off running.

They raced through the woods until she couldn't run anymore. He easily kept one step ahead of her. If wolves could run backward, he probably would have done that, too.

"I give, I give."

He howled in victory and she laughed.

Talia was happy and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Sebastian. His scent wafted in the air and it made her insides tingle.

When they were tired, they headed back to the tree, retrieved their clothes, shifted, and dressed.

"Since you beat me in the race, I'll buy pizza if you're interested."

"I'm interested," he said. "I'm going to run home and take a shower really quickly while you order the pizza and I'll be over."

"Sounds good."

She ordered the pizza and since it would be a few minutes, she jumped in the shower. Talia was in and out before he made his way back over to the house.

Next of Kin was the best thing playing. It was a star-studded cast with Patrick Swayze, Liam Neeson, Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, and Ben Stiller in it.

"This is one of my favorite movies. You have to love a good movie that features hillbilly justice or the equivalent," Sebastian said.

"Let me guess, you have all the lines of this, Roadhouse, Boondock Saints, and Deliverance memorized," she teased.

"How did you know?" he asked. "You forgot to mention The Expendables. "

She laughed. Sebastian wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. Talia snuggled up against him. She loved the feeling of having his arms around her. If Talia hadn't already seen the movie a hundred times, she would have had no idea what it was about because all of her attention was on the sexy man holding her close to him.

When the movie was over, he smiled at her. "I haven't been this relaxed in a very long time. I like spending time with you."

"Ditto," she said.

He gently traced her jawline with his finger and then cupped her cheek. Leaning in slowly, he brushed his lips against hers in a tender kiss. Talia melted into him, kissing him back and winding her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss.

She opened her mouth to his as their breaths mingled. Sebastian cradled the back of Talia's head as the kiss intensified. Her hands roamed down his back.

Their hungry kiss sent a roaring inferno coursing through Talia's body, and she felt an incredible want and need for him. Their lips meshed and their tongues danced together. She let out a soft moan as the world melted away.

Talia slipped her hands under his shirt and ran her hands over his hard chest. The heat and moisture built between her legs and she touched him.

Sebastian pulled his shirt off and then hers. He unhooked her bra and then cupped her breasts, rubbing her nipples with his thumbs. He broke the kiss and sucked one of her nipples into his mouth, flicking it with his tongue. Electricity exploded inside of her and she wanted to feel him inside of her more than anything she had ever wanted in the past.

His ringing phone destroyed the moment. He looked at the caller ID and said, "Shit. I've got to take this."

He listened for a few minutes and said, "I'll be there in a couple hours. Hold tight."

Sebastian looked at Talia and said, "I'm so sorry. I have to go. I have an emergency in Albuquerque, and I needed to be there ten minutes ago. I wish I had any other job in the world than this right now."

Talia smiled ruefully and said, "I understand. Go take care of business."

He grabbed his shirt, pulling it on over his head as he practically ran out the door. Talia, suddenly feeling shy, covered her arms over her chest.

"Lock your door and set your alarm," he said, brushing a kiss across her lips as he rushed outside.

"Hellfire and damnation," she muttered as she picked up her shirt and bra. "That was the most exciting and disappointing experience all wrapped up in one."

Talia turned off all the lights, except for the kitchen, and got ready for bed. She laid down and her phone buzzed. She hoped it was from Sebastian, although she knew he was driving and his mind was on other things.

She groaned when she saw that it was from Darius.

I love you, more than you'll ever know. I want to marry you.

"Ugh," she said.

No. We've been done for a very long time.

She waited for some kind of nasty response. Instead, he typed, I will win you back.

Sighing heavily, Talia didn't bother responding. If she said that couldn't happen, he would challenge her.

Slipping between the sheets, she couldn't help but compare Darius and Sebastian. Darius had been sweet and charming at first, but then he became mean and controlling in some sort of show of his manliness. Sebastian exuded masculinity and power without any of the negative behavior. He was tender and gentle with her. His kisses were incredible, and she would have had sex with him tonight, even though she had always refused Darius. It had just felt right.