Waiting for his Luna

Chapter 6

Josie opens her bag and pulls out some muffins. She offers the bag to Archer hesitantly, only finally realizing that he is sitting close and they are all alone together. The amount of times they have actually spoken could be counted on two hands.

Sitting this close, being able to see him at such a close range, having a conversation just her and him, being so close they could nearly touch each other, it is beyond what she was prepared for and she is embarrassed to admit, way too excited about it.

Archer looks at the paper bag she is holding with a questioning look, not because he doesn’t trust her, purely interest.

"They are blueberry muffins. I baked them yesterday"

If he could grab the bag and eat them all he would, it is the first time he gets to sample her cooking. It is the first thing he has received from her, even though it is not much, he is beyond happy. He doesn't hesitate to grab one, looking back in her eyes.

"You bake?"

Josie laughs, slightly embarrassed.

"Don't sound too surprised"

"I just thought you were too busy being bad ass"

Josie laughs somewhat awkwardly, not knowing if that is a compliment or not, is being a bad ass a good thing or a bad thing? She supposes it just depends on his preference. She has no idea what it means to Archer.

Archer takes a bite out of the muffin. It is actually delicious. He was expecting it to be terrible. How can she excel at so much? Could his mate be any more perfect? Archer looks at her with an adoring gaze. Josie misses it as she looks in her bag.

"Do you want another?"

Archer nods and grabs another. Josie smiles as she watches him eat. She just keeps passing him muffins. She watches him deliver his food to his mouth, his lips opening, his adams apple rolling, his lips movement seem to reach a whole new level of s*xiness. Before this moment, Josie had no idea that eating could be so enticing.

Josie looks away awkwardly as she realizes that she has just been staring at him non-stop like a creep.

Archer looks at her finally. He has been so worried about looking directly at her impeccable beauty, it is easier to control himself when he looks at her from afar, up close it is a hard task. When he hears her voice, smells her scent and looks at her, he realizes that all the restraint for all these months is incomparable to sitting in her presence. He has been trying to look anywhere but at her, so he doesn't notice her obsessive eyes. Archer asks.

"Are you going to eat any?"

Josie waves her hand dismissively.

"I ate like a hundred when they were out of the oven yesterday"

How could she eat? She is feeling so parched that it is hard to swallow. Archer looks down at the muffin and then asks tentatively.

"Did anyone else get any?"

"My brother's always manage to appear and eat most of them. You have the remainder"

Archer smiles as he shoves the last piece in his mouth. Since her family doesn't count, he will take it that it means that he is special. He likes to think that they were made for him even though it is just a random accident that he is able to consume them.

He is struggling to make conversation, worried that he will just drop the mate word at any time.

The bell rings and shocks the life out of the pair. When has a lunch break ever been so short? Both of them feel like it has only been a couple of minutes, neither want to leave this short stint even if it was slightly awkward. It was a harmonious time.

Archer sighs and looks wistfully at Josie, wondering if he can ask her to skip class so they can spend some more time together, but decides against it, as more time is also dangerous and a good student Josie might be uncomfortable with the idea.

He gets to his feet and extends a hand to help her up without thinking much. As soon as her small hand touches his large hand, it feels like his whole body surges.

His wolf that was buried deep is once again nearing the surface. He over exerts his strength when pulling her up and pulls her straight into his hard chest.

Both are momentarily startled. Archer looks down at the top of her head, her silky brown hair so close that he could bury his face in it with only the slightest of movements.

Josie stares at the large shoulder right in front of her eyes, somehow her lips even landed on his sizeable pectoral muscle. She is so stunned that she doesn't know whether to remove herself or enjoy the moment.

The choice is made for her, as in her shock she just stills with her lips still attached.

The moment doesn’t last for long as the second warning bell chimes, snapping them both back to reality.

"Let's go"

Archer steps slightly back but keeps a tight grip on the hand that he is still holding, leading Josie back into the building.

Josie looks at his strong back as she follows him, her hand that is not held in his is gripping the material of her top tightly as she resists the urge to reach out and touch his back. His figure is so tall, his shoulders broad, she gets the sudden feeling that this man could protect her from everything in the world, the impenetrable wall keeping all the bad things out. While she has often fantasized about him and looked at him, she has never had that feeling. While she knows the feeling of being protected, this feels different and it is something that she has never felt before, much less felt it from Archer.

She looks down at the two hands that are tightly intertwined, one very big and one so small in comparison, that it almost looks like he is an adult holding a child's hand. She never noticed that her hand was so small before. Is that normal? Does she have freakishly small hands?

But why does it somehow look so right?

Archer leads her straight to her classroom without saying a word. Most of the students are in the classroom already, so no one witnesses the phenomenon; the man that rejects every advance, with the girl that turns down all suitors. It is a strange sight for that reason, but beyond that, the exceptionally handsome man is the perfect match for the exquisitely beautiful woman.

Their combination of brown and black hair, their healthily tanned skin, all a mix of perfection, make it a stunning picture of beauty.

Archer turns back to her, his golden orbs drinking in every detail of her face, his hand still holding hers tightly, not wanting to release it, but wanting to escape at the same time.

"Thanks Josie"

He doesn't say any more, just takes one more look at their two hands together before he drops her hand and strides away without looking back.

He wanted to tell her, he really did, but is it worth telling her two weeks out? Is it even slightly believable? She knows he has his wolf, so why wouldn't he have said anything before now? Would any excuse seem plausible? Would it just sound like some spur of the moment thing? Would he break down his own image and just look like the others, using any excuse to get into her pants? Would he just sound like the others lying through their teeth on the off chance that they get to have a taste of what so many have been craving, getting to be with the ultimate she wolf, getting with the beauty?

Like all the others, would he just look desperate to take her first?

If he stayed with her a moment longer, if he looked at her a moment longer, he might have told her, he might not have been able to resist and it wasn’t something he was willing to bet on.

If he told her and she didn't believe him, it would spell the end of all of his dreams and all his happy endings.

Just for two weeks, just because he couldn't hold on for two more measly weeks?

It is not worth it.

Anything that jeopardizes them being together for the rest of their lives is not worth it in his opinion.

Josie looks at her small hand which is still covered in the residual heat of Archer, still in a daze, did that whole thing just happen? It wasn't just her dream?

She shakes her head, as much as she would hate to admit it, her dreams usually get a bit further than hand holding she isn't that cutesier, her body is v*rgin but her mind is an x-rated pit of smut.

So it happened? She had lunch with Archer and she kissed his chest and then he led her in holding her hand?

Josie looks up at the corridor where Archer's figure has long disappeared. She caresses her hand with her other hand. How can she still feel the heat?

Josie turns sideways at her class, narrowing her eyes at the door of the classroom. How did he know that this is her next class? She doesn't remember telling him.