Blindsided: Book 2 of the Bound Trilogy

~Emily’s POV~

The sound of the door closing didn’t even register in my mind. I was frozen where I stood.

He had seen me naked!

I heard the hesitation in his voice as he was backing away from me. I wish—not for the first time—that I was able to see my mate.

I need to know if he is repulsed by me or if it was something else to cause that tone.

Ugh, snap out of it Emily! Get your ass dressed and find out what he wants. Standing here acting like a neurotic freak isn’t going to help matters! I scolded myself.

Quickly, I made my way to my dresser.

I was so frazzled, I ended up walking straight into it. I heard a crash as some of the items on top were knocked off.

Great, just one more thing I’ll have to worry about.

Whatever it was, it sounded like it was glass. Now I’ll have to be extra careful that I don’t step on any shards.

Trying not to move my feet, I reached into my top drawer to pull out underwear and a maternity bra.

I hated wearing them, but because of this thing inside me, my breasts are ultra-sensitive, and I can’t wear my normal bras.

I slipped them on quickly and reached into the next two drawers, pulling out a pair of stretch pants and an oversized shirt.

I have no idea if they match or what they are, I just know that they will fit over my ever expanding belly.

I reached back into the top drawer for a pair of socks. With the pregnancy, I’ve found that my feet turn into ice cubes unless I keep them covered. I can’t wait for this to be over so I can get my normal body back.

Once completely dressed, I tried to step carefully away from the dresser. Being mindful of the glass that was sure to be littering my floor, I barely lifted my feet off the ground. Unfortunately, that did not help.

I had only taken two steps when my right heel landed on a broken shard. I felt it go through my thick socks and into the meat of my foot.

Standing on one foot and cursing like a sailor, I hopped the rest of the way to my door.

I felt along the frame until I came to the doorknob. Only thinking about the pain I was in, I ripped the door open and came crashing down when a body collided with my legs.

I screamed and braced myself for contact with the floor.

Instead, I was suspended midair by a pair of large hands on my waist.

My savior was Jack. The currents sending delicious shivers down my spine were the only sign I needed to know he was the one who had been sitting against my door, and saved me from causing more harm to myself by falling.

Slowly straightening out of his grasp, I made sure to keep weight off my right foot. I stood there waiting for him to say something.

The silence was going to drive me crazy, so I spoke up.

“Jack, why were you leaning against my door? I told you I would come and get you when I was dressed.” I honestly tried to ask the question nicely, but my heel was throbbing, I could still feel his hands on me, and what I said came out more accusatory than I liked.

Instead of answering, I heard him sniff the air. I could feel tension rolling off of him in waves.

What was going on? Why is he upset? Did I do something wrong?

“Jack…” I spoke hesitantly. “What’s going on?”

He growled at my question and I wanted to shrink back and hide. What did I do?

“Why do I smell blood?” he growled.

Wait, what? Blood?

I gave myself a mental face palm. Ugh, no wonder he’s upset. He must smell the blood from where the glass entered my foot.

“Um, well, I bumped into the dresser…” I never got to finish as I was swept up bridal style and carried to my bed.

He placed me down gently and started running his hands over me looking for injuries.

“Where are you hurt? I smell blood so I know you’re hurt. Is the baby okay? Do I need to call for the pack doctor? What do you need me to do?” he rambled.

“Jack!” I yelled at him. “If you would let me finish, I will tell you where I am hurt.”

I heard him inhale and exhale slowly.

“Okay. I’m sorry. Please tell me what happened,” he said more calmly.

Nodding, I continued, “I ran into my dresser and knocked something off.” I pointed in the general direction of where the mess was. “It broke and I stepped on a piece of glass or something.” I lifted my right foot to show him.

I felt his fingers gently take the throbbing heel. I heard his sharp inhalation as he inspected my foot.

“I’m going to have to take the sock off to see the damage. I’ll try to be gentle but let me know if I hurt you.”

I nodded.

“Okay, I’m going to gently slip this off now.” I felt his fingers slid under the top of the sock and touch my skin.

If I wasn’t in so much pain this would so be turning me on. I bit my lip as he slowly—so slowly—pulled my fuzzy sock off.

Once it was completely off, he lifted my foot and prodded around the wound causing me to hiss in pain.

“Sorry,” he said, his voice absent minded and distant. “I’ll need to get some things to take care of this.” He placed my foot down and got off the bed. “Stay here and I’ll be right back.”

He shocked me by placing a kiss on my forehead. What was that for?

A few moments later he returned and I felt the bed dip under his weight.

“All right, you have a piece of glass still stuck in your foot so I am going to have to get it out and clean the wound. Just hold still, this is going to hurt a little.”

With that, he took my foot in hand and started digging for the offending object stuck in my flesh.

I bit my lip to keep from hissing at him and balled my hands into fists to keep from ripping his hands away.

After what seemed like an eternity, he cleaned and bandaged my foot.

He shocked me again by raising my foot higher and kissing where he just bandaged.

My breath clogged in my throat.

I don’t know how to respond to this. It felt like my body was on fire from that simple touch of his lips.

“There all better,” his voice sounded huskier that it normally is. Could it be that I affect him the same as he affects me?

No, it can’t be that. Can it?

He lowered my foot but kept a hold of it by placing it in his lap.

I don’t know how to respond to this. I’ve never used someone—other than my brothers—as a footrest before.

I mean, my brothers are the only men who I am comfortable to do that with, anyone else is just creepy. I don’t even use my dad as a footrest. One he’s my dad, it would just be weird. And two, he’s the Alpha! I would never disrespect the Alpha like that.

But here I am, with a man who is my mate, but who I don’t know, letting him hold my feet while running his fingers in patterns over my ankles. What is wrong with me?

I needed to get my mind off the fact that his absentminded pattern making on my skin is causing my blood to boil, and a liquid heat to settle in my core.

Goddess, he has wonderful hands!

No! I need to get back on track. He said he needed to talk to me, so we’ll talk.

A part of me is hoping that’s all we do, but a bigger part is hoping he’ll bypass the talking and get to the good stuff.

Geez, when did I become such a slut?

I was trying to think of a way to start a conversation but was interrupted by a monstrous growl let loose by my stomach. Oh man, how embarrassing.

I heard him chuckle as he squeezed my ankle. I’m glad he thinks this is funny. I don’t find anything funny about being hungry twenty-four-seven. And to top it off, I couldn’t have normal food. No, I had to have cravings for weird things like jalapeños and ice cream.

Seriously, who likes jalapeños and ice cream? Well, this thing inside me does, but I never ask for it thinking everyone will think I’ve gone off the deep end.

“Come on, let’s get you something to eat before that monster decides to claw its way out.”

Jack’s humor filled voice brought me out of my mental rant.

Stupid hormones, can’t concentrate on a damn thing.

I was startled when he picked me up bridal style and started walking. My arms automatically went around his neck and I snuggled closer, even as I protested.

“Jack, I can walk on my own you know.”

“Not on that foot you’re not,” he replied. “I’m not going to have you injure yourself further. So, I will carry you to the kitchen and sit you at the table, prop your foot up, and make you something to eat.” He paused while walking down the stairs. He pulled me closer to his chest so as not to jostle me as he went down. Once at the bottom he continued. “Now, what would you like to eat?”

I know I should have said waffles, or bacon and eggs, or even toast, but my brain was fried from being in his arms and I blurted out what my body has been craving for weeks now.

“Jalapeños and ice cream,” I can’t believe I just said that.

I thought for sure Jack would make some sort of comment about my cravings, but he just kept walking towards the kitchen and set me down in a chair and propped my foot up.

With a kiss on my forehead, he said, “Okay, jalapeños and ice cream it is.”

I was shocked.

No snide comments, no pauses, no questions, no gagging—am I missing something here?

I must have been lost in my thoughts as the next thing I know, a bowl is placed on the table next to me and a spoon in my hand.

“I didn’t know what kind of ice cream you wanted so I put a little bit of everything in the bowl. I hope you don’t mind.”

That was it. I was a goner.

Hormones and pregnancy be damned, I was in love with my mate.

~Jack’s POV~

I had been leaning against Emily’s door, thinking about ways to bring up the fact her unknown twin sister was coming today to meet her.

Next thing I know, I’m falling backwards knocking into Emily’s legs. My arms automatically shot up to keep her from falling and I could feel the sparks igniting between us at the same time the baby kicked my hand.

I was stunned for a minute and then I smelled it.

Blood.

My wolf was instantly on alert, rearing his head and growling inside me to ward off an unknown danger.

I could hear her talking to me but it was more of a buzz in my mind as I tried to figure out what was going on.

“Jack…” she spoke hesitantly. “What’s going on?”

I could barely contain my wolf with the scent of blood in the air and a growl escaped, causing her to shrink back from me.

“Why do I smell blood?” I growled.

She hesitated before answering.

“Um, well, I bumped into the dresser…” She never finished as I swept her up bridal style and carried her to the bed.

I placed her down gently and started running my hands over her looking for injuries.

“Where are you hurt? I smell blood so I know you’re hurt. Is the baby okay? Do I need to call for the pack doctor? What do you need me to do?” I rambled.

“Jack!” she yelled, her firm tone finally reaching through my protective fog. “If you would let me finish, I will tell you where I am hurt.”

I inhaled and exhaled slowly tightening the reins on my wolf.

“Okay. I’m sorry. Please tell me what happened,” I said calmly.

She nodded before continuing, “I ran into my dresser and knocked something off.” She pointed in the general direction of where the mess was. “It broke and I stepped on a piece of glass or something.” She lifted her right foot, showing me the blood soaked sock.

After taking care of it, I sat there with her feet in my lap. I didn’t want to move from this spot and I really didn’t want to have the conversation we needed to have.

I was trying to think of something to say when I looked up and noticed Emily was doing the same thing.

A smile stretched across my face as I saw hers scrunched in concentration.

Whatever she was going to say was interrupted by her stomach growling.

It sounded like the pup was going to come clawing its way out of her stomach if she didn’t feed it soon. Laughing, I told her we should feed her and I picked her up to go to the kitchen.

She curled into me and put up a token protest. There was no way I was going to let her walk around on an injured foot.

He wolf hadn’t surfaced yet, so she would heal only slightly faster than a normal human and ten times slower than a werewolf would.

On the way down, I asked her what she wanted to eat. I could see she was trying to think of something but what came out didn’t even faze me.

I had to live through Alia being pregnant and all of her crazy cravings, so Emily’s craving for jalapeños and ice cream were normal to me.

Her face pinked up in embarrassment as she waited for me to say something about what she wanted.

There was no way I was going to tell her that what she wanted was weird. If the baby was craving something so unusual, then I would get it for her. I would do anything to make my babies happy.

I set Emily down at the kitchen table and propped her foot up as I went and got her preggy-food—as Alia calls it.

I opened up the freezer and saw several different kinds of ice cream stockpiled in there. There was chocolate, rocky road, mint, strawberry, there was even a coffee flavor stuck in the very back.

Not knowing what kind she would like and not wanting to ask—incase the pregnancy hormones reared its ugly head—I took them all down and put a little of each in a bowl.

I then looked in the fridge and cabinets for the jalapeño peppers.

I finally found them in the pantry on the top shelf.

Hmm…I guess she hasn’t told anyone else about her cravings.

I smiled to myself at that realization, maybe she is opening up to me and will give me a chance to be the mate I want to be for her.

After grabbing a spoon, I brought the bowl over to Emily and placed it on the table next to her and the spoon in her hand.

“I didn’t know what kind of ice cream you wanted so I put a little bit of everything in the bowl. I hope you don’t mind.” I said a little uncertainly.

She looked stunned, and I was nervous that she was going to yell or demand that I take her back to her room.

She shocked me by holding out her hand. Reaching out and twining our fingers together, she tugged me to her. I stumbled a little but steadied myself on the edge of the table.

She dropped the spoon and ran her hand up my arm, to my shoulders and around to the back of my neck.

I gulped, and let the pleasant shivers run through my system. I had no idea what she was going to do, but I didn’t care. She was holding my hand and running her other one over me. I was in heaven.

Suddenly, she jerked me forward by the back of my neck and kissed me.

He aim as a little off and she ended up kissing the side of my mouth, but I was not going to let this opportunity go.

I shifted a little and captured her mouth with mine.

Fireworks exploded between us. I saw her eyes flutter closed as her other hand reached up to grasp my shoulder.

Letting my eyes close, I savored the flavor of my mate. I wanted to deepen the kiss, but I also didn’t want to scare her away.

Reluctantly, I pulled away, but only far enough so I could rest my forehead against hers.

Goddess, this girl could undo me in a second. A grin formed on my lips, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Both of our breathing was a little labored from the short kiss, but neither of us seemed to mind.

I cleared my throat, but my voice was still husky when I said, “You should eat your ice cream before it melts.”

She moved her head up and down in acknowledgement of my statement but did not pull away from me.

Taking matters into my own hands, I reached behind me and grabbed the back of the closest chair. I dragged it around and sat in it. I then picked up Emily’s forgotten spoon and dipped some ice cream into it.

“Open up,” I murmured to her.

Her mouth parted slightly and I placed the creamy delicacy between her wonderfully swollen lips.

She let out a small moan as the flavors burst on her tongue, and I had to suppress a groan at the images that formed in my mind from that small act.

Gulping, I continued to feed her the ice cream and jalapeños. She was so cute, as she closed her eyes on each bite and savored every spoonful.

After the ice cream was finished, she sat back with a satisfied smile and laced her fingers over her belly.

“Okay,” she said the smile still on her lips. “There was something you wanted to talk to me about. What was it?”

Oh crap! I almost forgot.