Paranormal Heroes 1 and 2

Chapter7

Laura

I was permanently on edge with Oz’s threat to come and pick me up for dinner reverberating through my brain as I went about my daily business. Which meant sitting in my one room apartment until I had to go to work. Usually, it was my sanctuary. A place where I didn’t have to hide who I really was but since he had left me in that alleyway, the walls seemed to close in around me. It was suffocating.

And being at work was even worse. Every time the door opened, I jumped out of my skin. I had been so sure he would turn up like he had threatened. But two days went past and he still didn’t show up.

“Coming over to The Dolphin?” My fellow waitress called as we stepped out into the rain after our shift. The sun had set hours ago but it wasn’t late. I peered across the road to the bar she had just mentioned. It was a local hang out. Everyone and their nan drank there but it was also the place I had seen the army guys frequent when they were in town as well. I shook my head silently. I couldn’t risk going over there on the off chance Oz would show up with his cronies. I wanted as little to do with him as possible.

“I’ll pass, I need to grab some food and head home. All I want to do is sink into a bubble bath and massage my tired feet.” I threw her a look I hoped was pained. “They are hurting badly today.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. My feet hurt like a son of a b***h.

“Oh, I get that.”

I was already losing her attention. Her eyes fixed on the pub just a little way away and the promise of oblivion it represented. I couldn’t blame her for that. Oblivion sounded good to me. If I didn’t have so much going on I might have joined her.

“Well, have fun.” With a wave, she trotted away, not looking back. I continued to stare at her though. We were close in age and yet she was so carefree. But me? Well, I would never be free.

Shaking my head, I pulled the collar of my coat more snugly around my neck. There was no point dwelling on things I couldn’t change. Doing that would send me crazy. I had to live the life I had been given, as shitty as it was.

Turning toward home, I walked forward, keeping my head down against the rain that was getting heavier and heavier. My denim jacket did little to protect me from the downpour and I was soaked by the time I ducked under the faded awning of the grocery store near to my house. If I had any kind of food at home, I wouldn’t have bothered, but a jar of pickles and some blue cheese just weren’t enough after the shift I had just finished. I needed chocolate and maybe wine to go along with my stinky cheese.

The life of the rich and glamorous, I chuckled to myself sheepishly. It was a pipe dream. I couldn’t afford to splash out on luxuries like chocolate and wine. A microwave budget meal for one was more my style. Still, food was food.

A prickling of unease washed over me. Freezing in place, I took a second to let the feeling take hold. Someone was watching me. Not just watching, staring.

“Where’s your coat, Laura? You’re soaked to the bone.”

That voice. The deep timbre of it made my stomach flip flop.

Oz.

Something heavy settled on my shoulders. His coat. Confused, I stared down at the thick material of it. It smelt amazing. Like pine and leather and clean pure man. And it was so warm. Like being wrapped in his arms and pulled against his chest.

“What the hell?” Angrily, I shrugged the heavy leather from my shoulders, turning to glare up at him. “You can’t just go around putting your coat on girls, Oz.” What the hell was wrong with this guy? It was like he had never been around people before.

“You’re not just any girl and you’re cold.” He frowned, his dark eyebrows knitting together. “I could hear your teeth chattering from across the road.”

He could hear my teeth chattering from across the street? I shook the thought away. “What are you doing? Stalking me?”

“I was on my way to pick you up like I promised when I saw you walking. It’s all innocent, I promise you.” Oz held his hands up in surrender and tried his best to look non-threatening. It was impossible for a man his size.

“So, you followed me?” I wrapped myself in my self-righteous anger. If I didn’t then I would do something stupid like climb him like a tree. Oz was hot. Probably one of the hottest guys I had ever laid eyes on. Thrusting his coat back into his hands, I glared at him. I half expected him to look embarrassed or ashamed. Instead, his eyes darted downwards and a slow, sexy as hell grin made his dimple pop.

“You don’t have to wear my coat, Laura. To be honest, I kind of like the view without it. I just thought you might like not to freeze.”

Blinking away the rain, I clutched the thin jacket closed over my breasts. Of course he liked the view. My white shirt was completely drenched. Which made it completely see through. I had given Oz, and every other person I had passed on the street an eye full of my bra and breasts. “Asshole.” Stomping away, I reached for one of the plastic baskets inside the door. Oz got to it first.

“I’ll carry that for you.”

“Oz.” I was getting tired of this. Why wouldn’t he take the hint? Sure, most girls would have found his attention flattering, but I wasn’t most girls. Oz was a distraction I couldn’t let myself have. Even if I wanted to. “What are you doing?”

“I said I would pick you up for dinner. So here I am.”

“Look,” stopping dead, I pressed my hand on his chest and his eyes flicked down to it and stayed there, “I’ve just finished the shift from hell. All I want to do is grab some food and go home and binge some crappy TV. I mean, I’m really grateful for the rescue the other night and everything but…”

His big hand came up to cover mine. And it was like I couldn’t breathe. Something passed between us. A warmth that heated my insides. The world fell away.

“Ok,” he said softly. He didn’t let go of my hand as he moved forward, his fingers linked through with mine.

“What...no, Oz, that wasn’t an invite for you to come over.” I didn’t want him in my little haven. Mostly because I wanted nothing more than for him to be in my little haven. I wanted to be alone with him. “I can go out for dinner with you tomorrow or…”

“Just tell me what you like to eat, Laura, and stop arguing with me.” Something passed over his face. A look I couldn’t read. There was a note of anger to it, mixed in equal measures with longing. He sighed, and the look shifted to something else. If I didn’t know better, I would say he looked sad. “Let me look after you.”

“Oz…” The fight went out of me. It wasn’t like he was going to listen to anything I said anyway. “Fine, we can eat at my place, but this is the date. After tonight you have to promise to leave me alone.”

He didn’t say anything, but he looked like I had just promised to be his wife. Happiness radiated from him in waves.

“I mean it, Oz, promise me.”

“Sure, whatever you say.” With casual ease, he pulled me into his side, our hands still clasped together. He had agreed, but why did I get the impression he wouldn’t follow through with it? “Whatever you say Laura.”