Nicole's POV
--

Dallas grunts quietly and pulls away with a hiss. His cheeks are bright red, but he runs a hand down his face before I can see him anymore.

Carly's eyes are wide from surprise. She looks embarrassed to have caught us like that and she ducks her head. "I'm sorry! Sorry, sorry!" She says quickly, placing the stack of clean clothes on Dallas's dresser before rushing out of the room. Her beautiful brown hair streams out behind her in a fishtail braid.

I feel more blood rush to my cheeks and my ears turn red. I'm so embarrassed. I was just about to kiss Dallas. Would Carly have been okay with that? My eyes slide sideways to look at the blond boy from the corner of my eye.

His elbows are on his knees, his face in his hands. He just sits there a few seconds. His back is rigid, the muscles tensing and drawing my eye to them. It's embarrassing, but I can't stop looking.

Disappointment and humiliation roll off of Dallas in waves, making me feel horrible. I scoot closer to him, swallowing, and then lean against his side and resting my head on his shoulder. My arm wraps around the backside of his torso. Dallas doesn't move. But he tenses up more and I hear ragged breaths leaving him. I have no idea what I'm doing.

I move my arm up and down on his back, scratching him with my nails gently. I close my eyes when I hear him let out a shuddery breath and the muscles in his back relax. After some time, I hear soft snores coming from him, his head still in his hands.

He must have been mire tired than he looked to have fallen asleep so fast. Usually it's me who falls asleep. I quickly stand up and place my hands on his shoulders before pushing hard to get him to fall backwards on his bed. His head tilts to the side, looking peaceful and relaxed. His chest moves with the rhythm of his breathing.

Now that he's asleep, it's safer for me to look at him. I feel guilty and embarrassed, but I can't stop looking at his chest and his stomach. His muscles are clearly defined from the lighting of the room and I throw away the thought of touching them.

Forcing myself, I pull my needy eyes away and grab his ankles from the floor and bring them up so he turns vertically on the bed rather than horizontally. I decide whether or not I should go in search of some pajamas for him. He's still in his swimming trunks which are damp and cold.

After some time, and the fact that I know his room inside and out from the amount of time we spend in it, I find some pajamas and underwear. If you think I'm changing him, think again.

I'll tell Carly. He's not budging.

I heave myself to my feet and place a small kiss on his cheek before walking to the door, glancing back to see Dallas turning his emerald eyes to me. My eyes widen and I quickly book it out of there, Dallas calling after me once.

When I reach downstairs, Carly is washing the dishes. I smile at her, offering her some help(which she declines). I pretend upstairs didn't happen.

"Dallas fell asleep. I found some pajamas and set them next to his head on his bed." I tell her. She nods, looking at me with the same beautiful eyes that Dallas has.

"Thanks, dear. You going home? " at my quiet nods, she continues. "Be safe. It's late."

I nod and walk through the kitchen door into the hallway leading to the front door. It's past the stairs, and you know who is standing at the stairs? Dallas. He's in the pajamas I put on his bed, but his arms are crossed. His eyes look droopy and tired.

"Nicole. Why didn't you stop when I called you?" He asks, his voice slightly hoarse from sleep.

"You need to sleep. You're exhausted. And I need to go home." I respond, tilting my head at him.

"No you don't." He says stubbornly. "It's too late. I'm surprised my mom is letting you go at this time in the night."

"I want to go to sleep in my bed Dallas. And get changed out of my bathing suit. I'm going." I insist, stepping around him and starting for the door. His hand grips my wrist and pulls me back.

"Well, you can borrow something from my mom then. And you can sleep in my bed. I'll sleep on the beanbags." I shake my head at him, until he pulls me closer to him so his mouth is next to my ear. "I also want to talk to you about what happened." Ugh... I don't want to talk about that!

I pull away from him. "I'm going home, Dallas." And with that I continue to the door. An animalistic growl sounds from behind us, surprising me. When I glance over my shoulder, Dallas is gritting his teeth and following after me. What is up with him?

"You can't go out there, Nicole. I won't let you." He says, his voice smooth.

"Why not?" I turn around, glaring up at him and not caring that yet AGAIN we are so close.

"It's not... Safe." He searches for a word, and glares at me. It makes me wish I could hear him laugh again, or see him smile. Angry doesn't suit him. Then his face softens. "Please.. Don't go." He says quietly. I sigh, giving in to the adorableness of his accent.

"Okay.." He grins at me, making my heart soar.

--

I plop into a blue beanbag, searching for the game remote. I'm waiting for Dallas to bring his mom's clothes over.

I figure out how to start up the game, and immediately start playing minecraft. Just then, a thump lands next to me; a pile of clothes for me to change into.

Setting the remote down, I grab the clothes and stand up. My shoulder brushes against Dallas's when I walk past and out the door to the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, I'm all changed and my teeth, hair, and face are clean.

Dallas has taken my spot playing minecraft.

"Hey! I was playing," I say with fake indignation. He just chuckles.

"Sorry Nic. You were taking hours."

"It was ten minutes!"

"Same thing." He grins, glancing up at me and then back at the screen. That's when I get an idea. I grab the remote from next to him and click the power button, the screen immediately going black. "Nicole!" He yells. I toss him the remote.

"I'm tired. Turn off the lights." I grin. "I'll sleep on the beanbags. You sleep in your own bed."

"Nah. I like sleeping on the bean bags. I build a fort." He grins and stands up.

"Okay. Thanks for giving me the boring bed then. " I tease, walking over to the bed and pulling back the covers. It smells of him. I'm going to sleep well tonight.

When I get in and turn around, Dallas is right next to the bed, his eyes bright. He startles me and I nearly fall out. I raise my eyebrows to question him.

"I want to talk about earlier." He says, his face unchanging.

"I'm tired. Can we talk about this in the morning?" He hesitates, but nods anyway, retreating to the bean bags.

I am not looking forward to Morning.

--

My eyes flutter open upon seeing the morning light. Dallas's minty smell surrounds me, reminding me of where I am. Something puffs against my neck, causing shivers to roll down my spine. When I turn my head to see, I am shocked to see that it's Dallas.

His nose is almost touching my neck, and I realize that he's curled around me. Why isn't he on the bean bags?

He stirs, mumbling something under his breath and lets out a sigh. "Sorry... I couldn't sleep last night." He says into my ear. Guilt fills me but it's as if he reads me. "I had a nightmare." He grumbles and moves away from me. The warmth goes with him, instantly being replaced by the cold air. A shiver races up my spine as goosebumps start to form.

I just stay put as my eyes slowly close again. Dallas's warmth suddenly surrounds me again and I tuck my chin into my chest. Something heavy lands on my waist, pulling me closer to the source of heat. "Are you cold, Nic?" Dallas asks, amusement in his voice.

"Yes." I say quietly, scooting backwards, against him. His chin rests on top of my head and I can't help but feel relaxed. The arm around my waist grabs my hand, making me feel jittery.

"Are you cold now?" He kisses the top of my head. He seems to adjust himself.

"No." I say quietly, my eyes closed. "Just tired." He moves his head to my neck, his breath puffing against it.

"Go to sleep then."

"But I feel bad."

"Why?"

"Because I'm sleeping in your bed and you didn't even get to."

"Yes, I did."

"No."

"I lied."

"What?"

"I didn't have a nightmare. As soon as you fell asleep, I came over." That boy! He lied to me! Why would he do that?

"Why?"

"I didn't lie about not being able to sleep."

"Oh."

"You weren't close enough to me." That startles me.

"What?"

"I needed to be closer to you. At one point, I was asleep at the end of the bed, but it still wasn't close enough. "

"Oh." His grip on me tightens.

"I'm sorry. I should have asked. But you looked so peaceful sleeping that I didn't want to wake you up." Awww....

"It's cool." I say quietly, feeling my eyelids droop. "I'm... Glad you did."

After a few minutes, Dallas suddenly speaks again. "Nicole?"

"Mm?" I mumble.

"Were you okay?" He asks.

"Okay with..?"

"With me almost kissing you." My eyes snap open and I turn to face him. One of my eyes is half shut while the other is all the way open. His Emerald gaze meets mine.

"What do you mean 'was I okay?'" I ask, my eyebrows furrowing.

"It was too sudden."

"It's fine." I turn back around. We sit for a long time in silence and I feel tugs on my hair, signaling Dallas playing with it.

"I really wanted to, you know. To kiss you." He says quietly as if we might be speaking too loud. His words catch me. He WANTED. Not wants. He wantED. I feel myself begin to crumble. "I still do. So badly." His voice is even quieter as if he didn't want me to hear. And I'm instantly healed and my heart is soaring. "Probably not going to happen again, though."

"And why not?" I ask, turning back to face him. I startled him. He thought I was asleep again.

"I-I didn't think you....." He swallows, his emerald eyes wide. I scoot closer to him, burying my face in his chest and wrapping my arms around him. He hesitantly does the same, bending down so his head is resting slightly on my shoulder. This is wrong. I know it is. I shouldn't be liking him. He shouldn't like me. We are best friends!

He whispers in my ear. "I love you, Nic. You're my best mate." His accent tingles in my ear.

"Love you, too, Dal. You know, I wouldn't have minded if you kissed me. I honestly really wanted you to, too." I say quietly. "I shouldn't, but I still do. I don't want us to change."

He nods. "I like the way things are."

--

Later, after a day of being with Dallas and a run through the woods in wolf form, I retire to my bed, feeling just as exhausted as the day before. My limbs ache and nothing smells good to me after smelling Dallas.

As I lay in the darkness of my room, the silence weighing on me, I can't fall asleep. It's odd, but I feel the need to be with him again. For him to hug me and kiss me on the cheek, something.

And then images pop into my head. A vision. But I only have those when I'm asleep!

It's Dallas. He's standing in the forest in just some shorts. Scars dance across his chest. How did I not notice them before?

It's eerily quiet, birds no longer tweeting like they usually do, leaves no longer singing with the breeze.

But then a snap sends Dallas looking over his shoulder. Two men appear. Scar-face and Chipped-ear. Also known as Mason and Ian. The guys who delivered a "message" to him.

Dallas's eyes widen and he takes a step back, clutching at his chest as if he were being mauled again.

Ian and Mason grin, amused of his fear.

Dallas lowers his hands and sets his jaw. "What are you doing here?"

The men laugh. "We own this land, remember?"

"No. You gave this land up to us in place of the other land." Dallas growls.

"Well. We have another message. This land belongs to us again. Not one of your members are allowed on here again. And..." Dallas glares at Mason, narrowing his eyes as he continues on. "We have to enforce it again. Show your father what happens to trespassers."

Dallas's eyes widen, but he doesn't turn and run like he should. It's already too late. The wolves have him surrounded. AGAIN. There's nothing he can do.

But there's something I can do.