Read Object of My Affection for Free Online Page B

meditation. I tried not to wonder why I was so comforted by the presence of an alpha werewolf.
    —
    Early the next morning I woke up with my head on a pillow in Sam’s lap. I looked up and found him watching me.
    “It’s over,” he said.
    “How do you know?”
    He pointed to the clock. “It’s time for him to be back.”
    Before I could sit up straight the phone rang and I ran for it. Screw pride, I needed to know that Marco was safe.
    “That was quick, Red,” Marco’s deep voice rumbled through the phone.
    “I hate you,” I panted.
    “Yeah, I know. That’s why you sound like you ran to the phone, so you could go on hating me, right?”
    “Exactly.”
    Both of us knew the real reason I’d ran to the phone, but neither one of us spoke up. We talked briefly and he told me the hearing seemed to have gone well. I could hear the relief in his voice, and it did me good. I felt a tension I had not previously noticed begin to loosen within me as he spoke.
    Even if the council didn’t go along with his ideas, they hadn’t killed him. It would be several weeks at least before I would find out if that was still my job.
    “Aldan Medwin in particular seemed to be interested in what I had to say.”
    Aldan Medwin was the wizard who had taken the council seat vacated by Mathias, after Alek Ambrose had refused the appointment.
    “Really?”
    “Yes, he seemed quite sympathetic.”
    After a few minutes my heart began to beat normally again and I passed the phone to Sam as he sauntered up behind me. Relief was not an accurate word for what I felt. The sound of Marco’s voice never failed to thrill me and that day was no exception. When Sam hung up he turned to me and said, “Now all we have to do is wait for their decision.”
    “God knows how long that might take.”
    “Yeah, and I’m in no position to ask Him.” He smiled.
    Sam stayed through the rest of the week. I stood on the front porch Monday morning and watched as he disappeared down my drive way.
    Elijah called a few days later to apologize for having been so busy. I didn’t bother to tell him that was alright, because everyone in town thought he’d been busy with me. We made plans for the weekend. I genuinely liked Elijah, but I mostly wanted to go out with him to dare people to say something else. He said there was somewhere he wanted to take me. I didn’t feel much like going out, but once Elijah smiled at me with those big blue eyes, I’d agree to go most anywhere.
    Being by myself again wasn’t as bad as I’d expected.
    Besides, with Mathias lodged somewhere in the back of my mind, I was never completely alone. Of course, no one knew that except me. How would you go about explaining that to someone? “Oh yeah, my great, great, grandfather’s consciousness still exists in the back of my mind and we chat sometimes when I meditate.” If I was ever looking for a room in the local nut house, that was a sure way to get there.
    —
    Elijah called again on Thursday and informed me I needed to bring my swimsuit. He said I was going to the beach if he had to drag me kicking and screaming. I don’t know why people got the impression that I never went outside. I’m just naturally pale. The best I get is a honeyed sort of cream color which is not exactly tan.
    Since it had been at least a few years since I’d been swimming, I called Kat and informed her we were going shopping. We went to a local mall since shopping on the beach was a good way to get ripped off. Once we were inside the store, Kat immediately started looking at some suits that could only be described as vaguely obscene.
    “No way in hell,” I said, before she could even suggest it.
    “Not for you, for me.” She chuckled, but I could see through her lie.
    “Oh, sure. Like you could fit any more than I could into that top.”
    Kat and I were both very well endowed, so selecting a swimsuit that didn’t look like an old lady or flash parts you wanted to keep private always proved a