Chapter Five
WEST’S PHONE VIbrATED on the table. He glanced around the room, but Lisa and Jeremy were busy in the kitchen, and everyone else was off doing whatever they were doing. It was just him and Austin, who looked at him from above his cup of coffee and arched a brow.
West ignored him and snatched his phone up. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw Jonathan’s name on the screen. He unlocked it, read Jonathan’s text, and quickly answered.
He didn’t have the time to put the phone down before Jonathan answered back. They talked for a few minutes, with Jonathan reassuring West that he was okay and back at work and West asking a few pointed questions. Maybe he should have asked for Caleb’s number, too. Something told him that the other man would’ve been more honest with his answers about Jonathan’s health.
“You’re smitten,”
Austin said.
“And you sound like you’re eighty. Who uses that word?”
“Everyone.”
West sighed. He’d been expecting this conversation since he and Austin had left Caleb and Jonathan at the hospital. He’d threatened Austin with bodily harm so that his friend would keep his mouth shut that day, and they’d worked one infernal shift since then, but today was calm. They’d had a few calls, but they’d been back at the station for an hour, and everyone had drifted off. West had known he couldn’t avoid this conversation forever, but he’d hoped he could.
With everyone busy, this was the safest moment for him and Austin to talk. Austin would probably back down if West told him he didn’t want to, but he wouldn’t. Austin was his best friend, no matter how much they teased each other. He was worried about West and what had happened during the fire.
“Did you manage to find out what Caleb is?”
West asked as he leaned closer.
If Austin was surprised that this was the first thing West asked, he didn’t show it. “No idea. I know he’s a shifter, but that’s it.”
“He has to be the reason that Jonathan wasn’t surprised to see me shift. He knew I was a shifter before I did.”
What he’d said about knowing what West was hiding made more sense now.
“I don’t think Caleb’s a dragon.”
“He might know about dragon shifters, though.”
Most shifters in the city stayed away from each other, especially if they didn’t belong to the same species, but they knew of each other’s existence. A small pack of wolf shifters lived north of the city, and they never mingled with the bear shifters that lived east. They knew they were there, just like West and Austin did, but they weren’t friends, and everyone was happy keeping things that way.
Not all shifters lived in groups. There were a lot more solitary shifters in the city than one would expect, and West thought that Caleb was one of them. If he was a smaller shifter, it would be easy for him to hide his presence.
West was curious. He wasn’t planning on asking Jonathan, even though he wanted answers. This was a conversation he and Austin should have with Caleb, not with his human best friend.
Austin tapped his fingertips on the table, maybe to get West’s attention. “So, you shifted in front of him?”
“I had to. He was hurt and pinned under a shelf. I couldn’t leave him there.”
“I’m not saying this to make you feel bad. I would’ve done the same thing, and I know you would’ve done it for anyone, not just Jonathan.”
Clearly, West had sounded defensive. He knew that Austin wasn’t judging him. They were firefighters because they wanted to help people, and West would’ve never forgiven himself if he hadn’t done everything in his power to save the people in the store.
It was something he and Austin had to deal with every day. Where was the line? When should they shift versus when should they try not to? It was a delicate balance, but so far, they’d managed to make it work without anyone finding out what they were.
Since Jonathan seemed to know about shifters, West doubted he’d be a problem. He’d keep everything to himself. West didn’t have to worry about him running to the press or anything like that.
“What do I do now?”
he asked, hoping Austin would have the answer.
Austin shrugged. “You should probably talk to him again. If anything, it’d be interesting to know what he knows.”
“He won’t tell anyone.”
“I didn’t say he would.”
Austin leaned over the table. “But think about it. You like him, and he already knows you’re a shifter. You wouldn’t have to hide that part of you if the two of you dated.”
“We’re not going to date.”
“Why not?”
“Because he doesn’t like me.”
“Maybe he didn’t like you before, or maybe he didn’t want to be unprofessional because we were at his shop and you were working. You have a second chance. Even if he says no, shouldn’t you try? Unless you don’t like him, of course.”
West did like Jonathan. He probably shouldn’t ask him out considering everything, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Jonathan before, and things hadn’t gotten better now that the two of them were regularly texting. West had no idea what they were doing or where things were going, but he didn’t have to know any of that to ask Jonathan out on a date.
He pressed his lips together. He wasn’t about to tell Austin about it because Austin would gloat, and West couldn’t deal with that right now.
He carried the decision that he would ask Jonathan out in his chest like a bright light as the alarm went off, and they all jumped to their feet.
“YOU KEEP GLANCING AT your phone,”
Caleb teased.
Jonathan shrugged. “You don’t want my help.”
“Because you’re not feeling well.”
“I told you that I’m feeling perfectly fine.”
“You have a sprained ankle, and don’t think I haven’t heard that you’re still coughing. You’re not a hundred percent yet, and until you are, I’ll take care of everything. You keep your ass in the chair and don’t go anywhere.”
Jonathan hadn’t been planning to. He’d only worked half a day today. Christy had banded together with Caleb and the others to send him home early, and he hadn’t minded. He hadn’t been hurt badly in the fire, but for some reason, he felt exhausted. He was sleeping a lot, which was a distraction from not being able to work, and it felt good. Jonathan didn’t often have the opportunity to relax like he had these past few days. He always worked, and it felt weird not to have to go anywhere.
“Who are you talking to, anyway?”
Caleb asked as he flipped a chicken breast in the pan. “West?”
“Why do you think it’s him?”
“Maybe because you gave him your number the other day at the hospital. My jaw was going to drop to the floor.”
“You make it sound weird.”
“Well, it kind of is. I thought you didn’t like him.”
“I never said I didn’t like him.”
“Not in those words, but he reminded you of Sal.”
Jonathan leaned back in his chair, his phone still in his hand. He texted West back, sending him a raccoon meme, but he knew not to expect West to answer right away. He and his team could be called out at any moment, and West had made sure to warn Jonathan about that. He’d said he didn’t want Jonathan to feel like he didn’t matter, which was ridiculous. Why would Jonathan feel that way? He and West barely knew each other.
West had saved Jonathan’s life. He’d exposed himself, even though he hadn’t been sure how Jonathan would react to his dragon. Jonathan felt close to him, and he didn’t know how to deal with that. Logically, he knew that West had nothing to do with Sal. Emotionally, he was afraid of being hurt again.
“He’s nothing like Sal.”
Caleb nodded. “I agree. He and Austin seem nice.”
“I’m not getting Austin’s phone number for you.”
“Who said I wanted it?”
“The way you were staring at his ass.”
“Like you didn’t stare at West’s ass? Besides, Austin’s is magnificent. Who wouldn’t take the chance to stare at it?”
He hesitated. “He’s a dragon shifter, too. I smelled it.”
“Well, we just agreed that West is nothing like Sal. I don’t think Austin is, either.”
Jonathan couldn’t imagine West and Austin being friends with someone like his ex.
“So we both agree that West is nothing like that asshole.”
Caleb grinned, and Jonathan knew he was in trouble. He realized he was correct at Caleb’s next words. “You should ask him out.”
“I’m not going to do that.”
Jonathan didn’t think he could be logical about this after what he’d been through with Sal.
“Why not? You like him, and it’s obvious he likes you. You gave him your phone number. Why did you if you weren’t planning on asking him out?”
“I did it because I knew he’d worry, and I wanted him to be able to call me so he wouldn’t. I feel I owed it to him after he saved me. He cares, you know? Not only about me but about the other people he saved, too.”
“Yeah, okay, that makes sense, but still. Sal’s out of your life. You haven’t seen him in a while now, and I don’t want you to allow him to continue ruining everything you do. You’re allowed to have a boyfriend if you want one. You’re allowed to give cute guys your phone number and get fake engaged to them.”
Jonathan chuckled. “That wasn’t my idea.”
“You know what I mean. Sal is in the past. You should focus on your future.”
Once again, Caleb was right, but part of Jonathan couldn’t believe that Sal really was a thing of the past. He could swear that sometimes, he could feel his ex-boyfriend watching him from afar. He never saw him, and he didn’t think he would. Sal wasn’t there. He wasn’t hunting Jonathan.
Hopefully. Stalking Jonathan was something Sal wouldn’t hesitate to do. Jonathan prayed that Sal had moved on and found someone else to obsess over, but he also felt guilty about wishing Sal on someone else. Sal was an asshole who didn’t deserve anyone’s love, and no one deserved the hell that was dealing with him.
Caleb sighed and squeezed Jonathan’s shoulder. “Please think about it, all right? I’m not going to continue pushing or force you into anything you don’t want or aren’t ready for, but I also don’t want you to miss an opportunity because of what happened. West wants to get to know you. He seems like a good guy, and he saved your life. Maybe ask him out for dinner? It doesn’t have to be anything more than that.”
Jonathan would have to figure this out. He wanted to see West, but he couldn’t ignore the part of him that was wary of him. He also didn’t want to judge West because of what he was and what he could turn into.
Jonathan hated all of this, but he didn’t know how to fix it or how to fix himself. West might be nothing like Sal, but he was a dragon shifter like him, and that was enough for Jonathan to want to run the other way.