Lycan Christmas by S. Yule (best contemporary novels txt) 📗

in her eyes. She sat back with a big sigh, and her shoulders slumped. “I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal.

I mean, I’m not sick. I’m pregnant. I simply wanted to get Piers something special, something that showed him how much I love him and how happy I am that we are having a baby together.” She sniffed. “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have asked you to help me.”

Melony scowled at the floor. Damn. She hated when people cried. And seriously, what was the big deal about letting Sherry ride into town? Sherry was right. She wasn’t sick. She was pregnant. Lots of pregnant women did more than ride around on a bumpy road. And getting Piers a gift seemed to be extremely important to her. If she drove real slow and planned it carefully, they might be able to pull off the trip to town without anyone finding out.

“Listen. If I do this—”

Sherry sprang forward and grasped Melony’s hands between her fingers.

“You’ll take me? You really will?” She hugged Melony tight. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Now wait. If we do this, we have to plan it out carefully, and make it fast.”

“The best time to go is a week from this coming Sunday. There is a meeting planned for that day, and everyone will be attending. There are normally two meetings a month to discuss security, new reformants, and maintenance on the property, but there is only one this month because of 115

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Christmas. Everyone will be tied up for several hours that day. We can slip away and be back before anyone misses us.”

“Isn’t the closest town a couple hours away?”

“Less than that. I know a shortcut. We can be there and back within three or four hours, probably less because I already know what I want to get Piers. All I have to do is run in and right back out.”

“I doubt you will be running anywhere.” Melony raised a brow and looked at Sherry’s protruding belly.

Sherry giggled. “True, but I’ll hurry. Thank you so much, Melony.”

Melony stood. “Thank me once we are back and no one is the wiser about our trip, because if you get me in trouble, I’m not going to be happy.”

“I won’t. We’ll be fine.”

Melony wasn’t as confident as Sherry, but she couldn’t really turn back at this point. Sherry seemed so much happier now. She couldn’t agree to take her and then take it back.

“I have to go. I’m going to be late for my meeting with Lorent if I don’t get going. I enjoyed visiting with you.”

Sherry walked, or rather waddled, her to the door, where she gave her a quick hug before Melony continued on to the Learning Center.

Ten minutes and a thousand worries later, the Learning Center was in sight. Why had she agreed to take Sherry to town? What the hell was wrong with her? It had been Sherry’s tears. Those had been the death of her logic.

She’d just wanted to make her friend feel better. She sighed, and decided it would be better to accept it for what it was. It was a simple trip to town, and she was blowing it out of proportion, worrying over nothing. They’d get there, get back, and that was that. At least she hoped.

* * * *

When Melony arrived for their lesson, Lorent was surprised that she no longer seemed angry with him. She hadn’t brought up what happened Thanksgiving night. Maybe she’d thought about it and finally realized that there had been nothing going on between him and Shannon. Hell, how could 116

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anything go on between him and anyone other than Melony? He didn’t want anyone but her. Yeah, but she doesn’t know that, you idiot.

He looked at her closer and noticed she seemed a bit preoccupied. Maybe she was still angry at him, but he didn’t get that feeling. Something was distracting her, because he was now preparing, for the fourth time, to show her how to break a front choke hold.

“When I grab your throat, tuck your chin under my hold, if possible, to force some space between my hands and your neck.” He placed his fingers around her delicate throat, she tucked her chin, and he was pleased at the way she worked her chin under his fingers. “Good. Now bend your legs just a little, and turn to the side.” She did that part perfectly as well, and he smiled in encouragement.

“Bring your arm up, over, and down on my forearms as hard as you can, then swing up at my temple with your elbow.” This was the part where it fell apart each time.

She followed his instructions to a tee, but seemed to lose heart at breaking the hold and hitting him.

“I can’t hit you.”

Did she not understand that if she didn’t get these moves down, it could possibly mean her life down the road?

“Yes, you can.”

She tried to back away, but this time he refused to release his hold on her throat as he had each time before. He didn’t hurt her, but he had to make her understand why she needed to learn self-defense properly.

Her chocolate eyes sparked at him when he didn’t release her. “Let me go,” she said through tight lips.

“Make me.”

“Stop it, Lorent.” Her teeth were clenched now.

“No.”

“I’m getting angry. Let me go.”

She tried to twist away from him, but he kept his grip firm enough to keep her imprisoned, yet gentle enough that he wouldn’t leave marks on her skin.

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“Good. I want you to get angry. Now slam your arm down across my forearms and crack me a good one in the temple.”

“Seriously, I don’t want to hit you. Why can’t we just go through the motion without me actually hitting you?”

“Because you need to feel the move, not just imagine it. I want you to know exactly what