Isabel and the Wolf: (Part 3) by Ariana Hawkes

bed.
    “Wednesday,” he replied. She was somewhat reassured by the confidence in his tone.
    “You’re not bullshitting me so I don’t harass you with a million questions?” she asked, in a small voice.
    “No. I promise. I give you my word. On Wednesday, I’ll be back on your doorstep.” He smiled and kissed her.
    “Ok.” She slid down the bed and snuggled into him. She brought her mouth to his and kissed his soft lips, darting her tongue into his mouth. Her hand slid down the six-pack of his torso.
    “Have you got time for one more?” she asked, and reached for his cock at the same time. Instantly, he grew hard, but, as she started to move her hand up and down his shaft, he pushed her off.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “I can’t. I’m sorry, Bella. I just can’t.”
    “But why?”
    “I’m just not capable right now.” He stroked her cheek, his eyes full of regret.
    “Are you sick?” she asked, in a sudden panic. How could I be so stupid? He’s said his family has a genetic disorder, so it’s very likely he has it too.
    “No, I’m not, honestly,” he said, and pulled her into a hug. She resisted, wanting to keep questioning him, but quickly realized it was futile. Instead, she let herself fall into one of their dreamy embraces, where time seemed to stand still, and all she was aware of was the sound of their breathing and the rhythm of their hearts.
     
    Chapter Six
     
    Her house was so lonely with him gone. They’d been pretty much living together for the past few days, and Isabel felt a physical wrench at having him separated from her. In what was a very short time, he’d opened up to her a lot, if not in terms of telling her his secrets, then at least in the way he’d allowed her to see a softness in him, and a generosity of feeling. She was head over heels, she admitted to herself. But, at the same time, she knew she had to keep a part of herself separate from him, at least until he told her the full story.
    To distract herself from her loneliness, Isabel invited Rob and Josie over for dinner. The couple came over and praised the airiness of Isabel’s place, saying it made a nice change from adobe. Josie was in high spirits, talking a lot and being overly affectionate to both Rob and Isabel.
    “What’s happening with the mutant wolves?” Isabel asked, as soon as they sat down in the living room. Rob’s face tightened.
    “We haven’t learned anything new, except that we seem to be the only conservation area having this issue,” he said. “We haven’t seen any more of these wolves either. But, last night, someone broke into the center, stole all of the physical evidence of the wolves, and hacked into the computer and wiped all the data. It doesn’t really matter, as all the samples have been recorded and analyzed, and I’ve got the computer backed up, but the fact that someone stole it at all is majorly worrying.”
    “Someone’s got something to hide,” Isabel said. “But this doesn’t make any sense. Apart from suggesting that the introduction of the wolves was deliberate.”
    “And that’s what I’m having a hard time coming to terms with. Why would anyone do a thing like that?”
    “Beats me,” Josie said, in a light tone that made Rob frown at her.
    Isabel put together a simple meal of spaghetti with truffle oil, Italian sausage and lots of parmesan, washed down with red wine.
    “You were so lying about your cooking skills. This is the second thing of yours I’ve tasted, and it’s delicious!” Josie said.
    “I’d have a hard time going wrong with those ingredients!” Isabel replied. Josie seemed to get drunk after her first glass of wine, and her conversation got louder, and the words tumbled out after one another. Her outfit, a scarlet jersey wrap dress, was getting hiked dangerously high on her thighs, and the black lace of her bra was clearly visible at the neckline. When she went to the bathroom, the tension in Rob’s face eased.
    “I find Josie a little