The Unlikely Mate

Chapter 10

When William took Jennifer home, she invited him inside. She really wasn't sure why, but it was like an automatic response out of courtesy. She had a new interest in him after their conversation overlooking the city, and wanted to get to know him better and was glad she hadn't ended the date early. William accepted the invitation to come in, and followed her inside.

Jennifer let him know she had plans to move into a larger apartment eventually, but for now she had decided to stay put until she had saved a little more money. The hotel-apartment she was in was pretty small. They walked directly into the living space that had a small couch a coffee table and a TV that adjoined the kitchen space, which was just a sink, stove, a small refrigerator and minimal counter space in an ugly burnt orange color that was probably never in style. Above that hung a row of cabinets in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint.

Off of the kitchen was a doorway that led to the bedroom and bathroom. The bed was only a full size with a purple and green bedspread, a closet, a small dresser and a bathroom that didn't even have a tub. It was just a small walk-in shower, toilet and sink.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Jennifer asked, when they had stepped inside and she had closed the door. She was trying to be hospitable, but didn't really know how to act. She had always lived in pack housing and had never really had male visitors who were expressing romantic interest in her.

"Yeah, do you have any soda?" William asked.

"Sure, I've got Coke and Dr. Pepper. Do you have a preference?" She replied, as she walked over to the small avocado colored refrigerator.

"A Dr. Pepper would be perfect" he said, smiling as he looked around the meager living room. "How do you like it here?"

"Well, the city is great, but I'm renting this place for at least another month or two. It's not great, but it's close to work and it's cheap" Jennifer responded as she handed William a soda and opened one for herself.

William tossed his coat over the side of the couch and sat down as he took a drink of his own beverage.

"What are your long-term plans? Do you know what you want to do yet? My offer still stands to have you come out to the Blood Moon Pack to help me out there. The place still needs a lot of work before it can be turned over to new leadership. It could use a woman's touch."

"I appreciate the offer" Jennifer said with a smile as she sat down near to William on the couch, but upright and nervously near the edge of the seat. "But I really need to figure some things out for myself for a while. The last few months have been pretty rough, and I need some time to make a plan."

"Fair enough" William said, and he looked at her and smiled. He just stared into her eyes, saying nothing else. Jennifer felt a little shy with his direct stare, and looked away, not sure what else to do.

"You can relax" he said to her. "I'm not going to bite... unless that's the sort of thing you like" and he gently pulled her toward him, until she was half leaning up against him and he scooted her further back into her seat.

Jennifer chuckled nervously, not really sure how to respond. She didn't know what she wanted at this point. She couldn't help but feel flattered by the attention, and she got butterflies when his arm went around her shoulder and pulled her close, his fingertips gently grazing her exposed arm. With his other hand, William gently took Jennifer's chin and directed her face toward his own and then he gently kissed her lips.

Jennifer closed her eyes and allowed the kiss, without fully responding. She liked it, and the butterflies that had started a moment ago continued to flutter inside. She liked William, enjoyed the attention and most of all, she was tired of being alone. So she turned her body toward him and returned the kiss, placing her hands around his neck.

William then leaned back, pulling her on top of him, causing her to take a sharp intake of breath at the sudden movement, and William used that opportunity to deepen the kiss, his tongue entering her mouth. Their tongues went back and forth together, gently fighting for dominance, as William's hands began to explore Jennifer's back and waist, as he pulled her closer to him.

As William's hands continued to wander across her body, going lower down her back, his fingers beginning to wander down past her waist, Jennifer pushed back slightly to catch her breath. It was obvious where this was leading, and she was trying to decide if it was what she wanted or not. The butterflies in her stomach were active, but her wolf had retreated. Jennifer expected it was simply because this wasn't her mate, but she also felt there really wasn't any reason not to allow herself to indulge in this pleasure, because her mate was dead. She had watched him die, and she rationalized to herself that she still deserved some level of pleasure, since she didn't expect to ever get the type of mate bond pleasure she had always hoped for.

"Is everything ok?" William asked her, interrupting her train of thought.

"Yeah, I'm good" she said, deciding that this was something that she wanted, even though below the butterflies, there was a pit in her stomach that she was trying to ignore, telling herself it was just nerves. And then she leaned toward William to resume kissing him again.

After a few more seconds of kissing, William then stood up, never taking his lips from Jennifer as he guided her to her feet, and he then directed her toward the bedroom. William's body remained close to Jennifer as they walked, and he continued to kiss her until they were in the bedroom and he closed the door behind them.