5. A kiss is just a miss
5
A KISS IS JUST A MISS
Archer
I’m beat.
It’d been a long day at work, and I was looking forward to a hot shower and a night on the sofa eating leftovers and watching TV. But as I wheeled my bike through the Sunshine Manor gate, I pounded a fist against my forehead. Neil had invited me for dinner, and that was tonight.
So, there’d be a shower, hopefully a warm one, as long as there was enough hot water. No sofa and no leftovers. I considered begging off and saying I was exhausted—which was true—but I’d only been here a short time, and cancelling so late, when Neil had probably already cooked, wasn’t the way to make friends.
Glancing upward at Micah’s closed front window, I idly wondered if he was home. The porch was infused with his scent, which I tried and failed to ignore.
I yawned while I locked the bike and peered over my shoulder as a vehicle pulled up. The words big, expensive, and shiny flashed into my head as two men emerged. I’d never been fashion conscious, but their suits shouted money, and plenty of it. Their shoes probably cost more than I earned in a week.
They strode through the gate as though they owned Sunshine Manor, ignoring me. The pair didn’t strike me as friends of Daire’s. He was certainly rich, but he didn’t wear his wealth as the two men did. Even their fragrance reminded me of money.
Daire raced onto the porch, and his gaze dipped toward me before he greeted the newcomers. “Dad. Father. You didn’t tell me you were coming.”
Oh, they do own the place !
“That was the point, son,” one of the men replied as the other turned up his nose at the paint peeling off the handrail.
“Come inside. Ivor’s not back from class yet.” He got behind them and shoved them toward the front door.
But as the words left his mouth, Ivor jogged up to the front gate. When he caught sight of Daire, he froze.
“Isn’t that your roommate?” One of Daire’s parents pointed to the wolf shifter, whose hand was clutching the metal gate, blood draining from his face.
“Y-Yes,” Ivor stammered.
“Y-Yes,” Daire repeated.
My head swiveled from Ivor to Daire, trying to figure out what was happening.
“Have you found somewhere else to live?” the same man asked me.
“I think you’re mistaken,” I replied to the man. “I just moved in.”
Both men glowered at their son, and Daire visibly wilted under their unblinking gaze. “Didn’t our son tell you?”
Ivor found his voice. “Tell us what?”
“We’re selling Sunshine Manor.”
“What? No.” Ivor again, and while I was disappointed and irritated that Daire had let me move in knowing what his parents were planning, my fellow wolf shifter was genuinely distressed as he leaned on the fence and his face crumpled.
“How about we go out for dinner?” Daire announced to his folks. “My treat.”
Both his parents snorted, and without saying goodbye to Ivor or me, headed for the car with their son trailing behind.
“Be right there,” Daire said as he turned to me and said, “Nothing's certain yet. That’s why I didn’t mention it. I’m going to convince them not to sell. And please don’t say anything to the others, especially Neil.”
“Fine,” I replied.
“Okay.” Ivor’s wavering voice had me wanting to hug him.
“Thanks.” And then he was gone, swallowed up by the huge black car.
“You all right?” I asked Ivor.
“I guess.” He shrugged, but the tremors in his hands told me he was anything but.
I was bummed as I trudged up the stairs. Finding the apartment at Sunshine Manor hadn’t been easy. As I got to the second floor, Ryder’s door flung open and Kellan charged out, yelling, “You thought cooking me dinner last night and begging me to stay until morning was going to make me change my mind? I just came by to collect my wallet I forgot when I left for work.”
He headed toward me, and I flattened myself against the wall in an attempt to stay out of his way.
“I was trying to show you I’d changed,” Ryder shouted as he charged after the guy .
That was seriously fucked up, I said to myself as I reached the third floor.
I’d originally thought I’d get used to Micah’s scent. That it wouldn’t have the same tantalizing effect on me as it had that first day. I was wrong.
It swirled around me, tying me up in its potent aroma and enticing me toward his door. My cock reacted, and so did my wolf.
Go , he challenged me.
No . Gathering my courage, I ignored the fragrance, and opened my door and slammed it, my inner teen hoping Micah had heard me. If the building were sold and we were all turfed out, Micah’s distracting presence would be a thing of the past. Shame, but I pushed that thought away and got ready for dinner.
Ivor had thought Micah and I were on a date when we were in the car, and now, I wondered if Micah looked on my dinner with Neil as a date. It wasn’t. Neil was friend material. There was no spark between us except the one of friendship. Daire had let slip that Neil struggled to leave Sunshine Manor, which was why he’d been reluctant to come with us when we shifted. Open spaces made him nervous, though the rooftop patio was his safe space.
Thirty minutes later, I was on the second floor after being assaulted once again by Micah’s aroma as I left my place. Maybe he was doing it on purpose, rubbing himself over the walls and railings in the hallway, knowing it was driving me crazy. I’d never jerked off as much as I had since I’d arrived at Sunshine Manor.
And the whole dildo incident at the dumpster had me conjuring up scenarios where both Micah and a dildo were in my bed.
“Hi.” Neil’s cheery voice interrupted my daydream. “Have you been running? You’re a little flushed.”
“Nah. Just got out of the shower. Something smells amazing.” I handed him the wine I’d bought, anxious to put away the X-rated vision of the unicorn shifter. Neil had me sit on the couch while he uncorked the wine.
“I made vegetarian lasagna. Hope you like it.”
“I’m sure I will.”
Neil had obviously lived here a while. Plump cushions were piled on the sofa and a fluffy white rug sat on the door. Photos lined the walls, many of them of soccer teams holding shields or cups, everyone with huge smiles on their faces.
I got up and peered at the pics. “Is this you, Neil?” I pointed to the one guy in each pic wearing a different uniform.
“Yeah, I was the goalie.”
“Do you play professionally?”
“Not anymore,” he told me in a small voice. “Constant knee and ankle injuries had me sitting on the bench most of the time. There was no future in it, so I walked away from a dream.”
While I hadn’t had a high profile sporting career, I’d had my dream of working with animals put on hold. Or ended. I got up and gave him a hug as he handed me a glass of wine. “What shall we toast to?”
“The future.”
Remembering my promise to Daire, I said nothing about Sunshine Manor’s prospects and clinked glasses with him. And when we sat down to lasagna, salad, and fresh crusty bread, I was glad to not be demolishing my leftovers at home.
“It must have been hard establishing a new career,” I said as I slid a forkful of pasta, spinach, mushroom, and creamy cheese sauce into my mouth.
“Mmmm.”
I’d almost forgotten his reluctance to discuss his job the night of the barbecue. And judging by his noncommittal reply, nothing had changed.
“Can I let you in on a secret, Archer?”
Or maybe it had. “Sure.”
“Everyone in Sunshine Manor knows what I do. I work from home.”
“Cool. Wish I could do that. Sitting at my desk wearing a shirt and tie on top and my underwear on the bottom while conducting a video conference with my colleagues sounds perfect.”
“Ummm… that’s not quite how it is for me.” He jerked his head toward a closed door, which I assumed was a bedroom. “I have a whole set up with an expensive camera and I need to do my hair and makeup every day. I spend a lot of money on clothes.”
“Sounds interesting,” I said as my mind raced, trying to place his line of work. Maybe he advertised cleaning products.
“I’m a sex worker of sorts.”
I wasn’t expecting that, and I stopped chewing. Maybe because I lived on the floor above, I hadn’t heard or noticed a parade of clients heading to and from Neil’s door.
“But there’s no actual sex,” he clarified and stabbed a piece of lettuce with his fork. “It’s me in front of the camera taking off my clothes and doing other stuff.”
“Okay.” Based on the way he was studying his food, I guessed he was prepared for me to judge him. And that I wouldn’t do. “That seems a lot safer than…”
“Having sex with strange guys? Yeah, much.” His eyes met mine. “The tips are great, though some clients try to stiff me by watching the videos and then insisting I didn’t provide what I’d claimed and initiating a chargeback.”
I had no idea how to put that right. “Don’t suppose you have a union?”
A piece of tomato flew out of his mouth as he giggled. Any tension evaporated, and we spent the rest of the evening sipping wine and chatting about our favorite TV programs and books.
As I was leaving, knowing I’d drunk a little too much, Neil confided in me. “I almost forgot. Ivor lost his job. He was late yesterday and they fired him.”
“Poor guy.” And he might have to move. I suspected Ivor would never find as good a living situation as he had right now sharing Daire’s huge apartment.
“But he hasn’t mentioned anything to Daire yet.”
Another secret I had to keep. “Okay.” A quick hug and I was out the door, stumbling up the steps to the third floor. I waved a fist at the door of 3B. That damned unicorn and his intoxicating aroma. But not looking where I was going, I tripped over my own feet and bashed my shoulder against Micah’s door.
“Fuck!”
“What the…?” As Micah was half a head taller than me, I was confronted with his salt and pepper scruff. And the ever-present fragrance.
“Oops! Wrong door.” My attempt to turn toward my door ended with my face in Micah’s chest, drowning in his scent. I peered up at him. “If I die tomorrow, I’ll die happy having listened to your heartbeat.”
“You’ve been drinking on your date.”
“Date?” I waved my arms in the air, which had me losing my balance and Micah grabbing me. “It was delicious, and Neil told me a secret. Can’t tell anyone.” I put a finger to my lips. “Not you.” I waggled a finger in front of his face.
His lips curled as though he’d tasted something bad. “Give me your key, Archer.”
“Ummm… I forgot where I put it.”
He nodded toward my bulging hip pocket. “There.”
“Oh,” I giggled. “You’re right.” After much fumbling, I dropped the keys on the floor and Micah picked them up, leaving one hand on me while I attempted unsuccessfully to peer at his ass.
“Come on.” He unlocked the door and steered me toward the sofa, where I collapsed. I patted the cushion beside me but he ignored it. Instead, he grabbed a blanket from the armchair and covered me.
“Micah.”
“Mmmm.” He’d gone to my small kitchen and brought back a glass of water, which he placed on the coffee table. On a coaster, I noted with one eye open.
“I had a dream about you.”
“Oh, yes.”
A niggling voice in the back of my head told me to thank him and say goodnight. I beckoned him closer and he bent his head toward me, his aroma doing its best to strangle me. Draping a hand around his neck, I pulled him closer, anticipating his lips on mine as my heart thundered.
But he grunted and untangled himself from me. The door slammed and I was alone. The wine-induced fatigue had my eyelids closing, but as sleep claimed me, the words, “I fucked up big time,” echoed in my head.