Chapter 10: The Lakehouse

Oriana’s POV

When Tanner said that they lived in a group house, I expected a rehab center. I’m not one to judge. Everyone had their own demons, right? As long as you fight them, it didn’t matter how. Despite not knowing these guys very well, I felt safe. There was an air of aggression around Tanner, but it wasn’t directed at me.

I guess that’s just his personality.

Instead of a rehab center, there was this cute lodge that overlooked a lake. It looked cozy and warm. Huge too. Smaller homes surrounded the lodge like it was a small-town square. Quieter than Time Square.

By the time we got off the subway car, the rain had subsided to a light drizzle. I wasn’t drenched to the bone anymore. I felt pretty gross, but at least that scent of blood was gone. My normally perfectly styled hair was frizzy and tangled.

I felt uncharacteristically embarrassed by my appearance, but the guys didn’t make any comment about it. I wonder what happened with them. They wouldn’t tell me even if I asked.

As we approached the Lakehouse, I didn’t see anyone outside aside from a few men talking on the porch of the lodge.

“Wait here, let me go talk to Wyatt real quick,” Tanner said. “Come on, Liam.”

Both Tanner and Liam approached a tall, lithe man who looked like he could be in his mid-thirties. Maybe older if he aged well. I glanced up at Robin, whose eyes met with this Wyatt guy. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, they were too far away. Wyatt gestured at me and shrugged. Liam left for the lodge.

“Oh, this is cute,” I mused, addressing the lodge.

“Oh, yeah?” Robin replied, looking down at me. Those amber eyes sent a shiver down my spine. “Are you cold?”

It wasn’t that type of shiver, but I wasn’t going to say that. “I’m just a little damp. I’m fine,” I reassured him. My lips parted to say something else. Something probably flirty, but Tanner came back over.

“Wyatt says it’s okay. Just for the night though,” Tanner said.

“I really appreciate this,” I responded gratefully. “I’ll be gone tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Tanner replied halfheartedly, seemingly put off by my unsarcastic answer. “Anyways, you can stay with Celeste. Rob will show you. I got work in the morning. Later.”

Tanner didn’t wait for Robin’s answer before he walked over to one of the smaller houses off of the main lodge. Robin sighed and glanced back over at me, “You’ll like Celeste.”

We walked together up to the lodge and the man I assumed was Wyatt greeted me. “You must be Olivia. I’m Wyatt. You can stay here tonight, but you need to be gone by tomorrow.”

I nodded, “Heard. Thank you.” I tried to be as respectful as I could. They were doing me a favor, and there was just something about Wyatt that commanded respect. Wyatt towered over me, ridiculously tall, but he lacked the muscle that Robin had.

What were they feeding the people around here?

Wyatt glanced at Robin, then back at me, raising an eyebrow. He looked at me for a long moment before opening the screen door to the lodge and gesturing that I go inside. I offered him a sheepish smile before going inside. He wasn’t very friendly at all.

“Is Wyatt like the boss around here?” I asked once we were inside.

Robin shrugged. “He pays the bills. Took a lot of us under his wing a long time ago.”

“Ah. Okay.” For such a big house, it was awfully quiet.

Robin seemed to sense my discomfort at the silence. “Everyone is asleep right now. It’s normally much louder than this.”

“It’s a nice change from the city. I didn’t even realize how loud it was,” I said, pushing some hair behind my ear. He led me upstairs to one of the many rooms. I didn’t mind the view. I watched his muscles in his back shift and ripple as he walked.

Damn those shoulders.

Robin knocked on the door and a few moments later a small sleepy woman with bedhead answered the door. “What do you want?” Then she noticed me. “Who’s she?”

“You have a guest for the night. Be nice,” Robin replied before his eyes dropped to me. “Goodnight, Olivia.” Those eyes left scorch marks against me. Did he feel it too?

I wanted to hear my real name slip from his lips. But I didn’t correct him as much as I wanted to. If I didn’t have a roommate, I would have invited him to spend the night with me. I would have dug my fingertips into that muscular back. Pulled that damp hair. Left punishing kisses down that throat. Relished in every noise as he-

Jesus Christ, Oriana. Get a grip!

“Goodnight, Robin,” I offered, clearing my throat. I tried really hard not to check him out when he left, but my eyes just couldn’t get enough of him.

“You can take that bunk,” Celeste said, pointing to an empty bed before collapsing back onto her bed.

Before I could even say thank you, her snores interrupted me. I glanced over at the free bed, the exhaustion of the night hitting me completely. Sleep consumed me as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I normally dreamt of Sekhmet, head of a lion, blood-soaked sand, a mountain of bodies. That was the usual go-to for me, but that night, Robin occupied my thoughts. What a gift. I dreamt of his large hands touching my enflamed skin. A blur of delicious sensations. I drowned in that scent of sweet oranges.

Robin’s breath puffed down the side of my neck and I had never wanted someone to bite me so badly. Normally, I did the biting, but the idea of reaching that sweet release under his teeth was unbearable. I wanted to give myself over, completely.

But before I could reach that pinnacle of pleasure, I woke up. Soaked in sweat. Body hot to the touch. Talk about frustration. I turned over in the small twin bed where Celeste had been sleeping. She was gone.

Oh, Thank God.

As great as that dream was, I would rather not have a wet dream with a stranger in the room with me. My cheeks were flushed, and awful, unsatisfied twisty heat in my belly. I stood up and opened the curtain to let the sun into the room.

I heard chatter all over the lodge, people wandering around outside. I couldn’t hear what exactly was being said, but very lively. The window was facing the back of the lodge and I could see a workshop.

The workshop door opened and, like he was fresh from my dream, out walked Robin, carrying a bunch of 2x4s over one shoulder. He couldn’t see me from where I was, so I greedily watched him. I didn’t care less what he was building.

He took a tape measure from his pocket, measured, marked, and cut the pieces on an outdoor table saw. He seemed to be breaking a sweat, so he put down his tape measure and pulled his shirt over his head.

Oh. My. God.

I couldn’t even look at him anymore. It felt illegal. I turned away from the window, and the image of his physique burned into my mind. His tattoos didn’t stop at his shoulders, they were all over his torso. He could be the poster boy for that tattoo parlor. He looked amazing.

The door to the room opened up and my face flushed even redder than it was before. Celeste stood there, arms crossed, thick blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. “Shower is three doors down. You need it,” was all she said.

“Thank you. It’s a little warm in here,” I replied, trying to scrub all of the filthy thoughts from my head. I really needed to get laid. That’s all this was. Robin was hot and I was thirsty. Nothing more to it.

“I’m sure,” she said before closing the door.

So, I took the suggestion. I could tell that I stunk. There was a knock at the door while I was in the shower. My body tensed up as the door opened. There wasn’t a lock on it, just a sign on the doorknob that it was in use.

“Just me,” it was Celeste. I relaxed. “Here’s my sweats. I’m gonna wash your clothes for you before you go.”

“Thank you,” I replied. I appreciated that. Everyone was so accommodating.

I heard a grunt of recognition before she left. The water helped cool that insatiable heat that bubbled up whenever I thought about Robin. No other man ever held such a presence in my thoughts. What was it about him?

*****

Robin’s POV

Robin avoided Olivia all morning. All afternoon. Buried himself in work at his workshop. His wolf made it quite clear what it wanted during his dreams last night. It didn’t help that the full moon was tonight, which made his entire pack much more antsy than usual. Robin distracted himself by working on that porch swing that Wyatt had been on his ass about for the past few weeks.

With Olivia being the source of his wolf’s desires, having her so close, knowing exactly where she was and that she was dreaming of him too, made the entire night restless and unfulfilling. He was exhausted.

His wolf wanted to touch her, feel her soft skin. See her wild hair splayed out across the sheets. Hear those delicious noises of pleasure. Robin’s body responded to those thoughts, but he shoved them back down.

No. The answer was no. Get it through your head.

That guttural voice inside of him whined. Tossing and turning in frustration. “We need to take what is ours,” it cried. “Stop denying me.”

Olivia didn’t belong to anyone. He would be blind if he didn’t notice her heated glances at him. Or that mouthwatering scent of arousal. That did nothing to quell the beast, only reaffirm its claim. It was frustrating. She was clearly so young in comparison to him. She had to be about twenty.

He was twenty when he got married to Emma. A large part of his heart ached. He wasn’t going to betray her like this. His wolf was confused. Or maybe just wanted to have sex. But there was no sex without feelings.

Lycanthropes were very sexual creatures. So it only made sense that denying his wolf sex meant that his wolf would fixate on someone.

After a long day of work, fixing that stupid porch swing that Wyatt had been on Robin’s ass about, he made his way over to the Lakehouse. Olivia sat on the porch, watching the sun. It was getting low in the sky. She needed to leave before moonrise.

Robin did not like how his body responded to seeing her. That guttural voice whined again at the spicy scent that filled his nose as he got closer. It would be rude if he ignored her.

“You’re still here?” Robin asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

Olivia’s icy eyes met his, “Yeah. I wanted to say goodbye before I left. I haven’t been able to find you today.”

“Oh. Sorry about that. I’ve had a lot of work today.”

“I noticed,” she replied before her cheeks flushed suddenly.

There was that scent again. That thick smell of arousal. Oh, no. She needed to leave. With moonrise being so soon, it was only a matter of time before Robin’s wolf could call more of the shots, and he was a fully-fledged wolf. The younger ones had even less control.

“Anyways, thanks. I’ll see you around, Robin” Olivia said, standing up from her seat and throwing a bag over her shoulder. She passed him, that spicy smell clung to her hair. She was so close to them. His friends all called him Rob, but he really enjoyed the sound of his name from her lips.

“Don’t let her leave,” that inner voice growled. “Tell her to stay. Stay with us.”

“Wait, Olivia,” Robin said helplessly, his hand shooting out to stop her.