Chapter 11 #2
I used the sleeve of my hoody to swipe at my eyes. “Thanks, Chester. You don’t know how much I needed to hear that.”
“You’re welcome,” he said roughly, getting to his feet. His face was far away, and I wondered if he realised how much of what he’d just said also applied to himself. “You’re also one hell of a florist. Something you should remind yourself of by getting started on these orders.”
I hiccupped a laugh. “Aye, aye, Captain.”
I searched for the words I knew Chester needed to hear. The reminder that everything he’d told me, he should know about himself. Then I realised there was only one part of it that was important. One sentiment he needed to hold closer than all the others.
I paused in front of the door to the cooler. “You know, if I’m deserving of love, that means you are too. Right?”
Chester’s throat bobbed as he swallowed a couple of times. Then he gave me a smile. It was so full of quiet hope that it made me ache. “Yeah, Reid. I think you might be right.”
I nodded before disappearing into the cooler. I was definitely right. Chester deserved all the love in the world, and I suspected Finn would be the one to give him that. Just as he deserved.
I wished I could be as certain about my own future. My own heart.
I doubted my path to happiness would be so straightforward.
It was well past midnight, but my brain was far from ready to sleep.
Usually, I was able to run off some of my hyperactivity, but it was bucketing it down outside, which meant I was stuck indoors.
Reorganising my bathroom.
It wasn’t that I didn’t have anything else to do. The opposite, in fact. I had three client sketches I’d promised to have to Chester by the weekend. The deadline was drawing close, but it wasn’t imminent enough to have panic setting in.
Hence the organisation.
It wasn’t what I’d planned on doing. I’d gone into the kitchen to wash the dishes from dinner.
But then I’d spotted the hot chocolate stand gathering dust and thought one of those might help me sleep.
The orange flavoured powder wasn’t there though, which had led me to pulling everything out of one of the cupboards Mac had meticulously organised.
He was going to have my head when he next came over.
That was when I’d realised that the hinge on the cupboard door was loose.
That had taken me to the small storage closet in the hall where I kept a miniscule collection of tools Cole had forced upon me when I’d moved in.
I could have left it for him to fix, I knew that, but I could do it.
I didn’t need to be bothering anyone else.
Unfortunately, on opening that cupboard, I’d found a tiny patch of mould. Again, I should probably have messaged the landlord, but I knew I had some treatment spray in the bathroom.
But could I find it?
Could I fuck.
That was the series of events that had led to me sitting on my bathroom floor, surrounded by every cleaning implement and product I’d ever bought.
I hummed as I scrolled through various organisation setups.
Pinterest was so useful for this shit. Sadly, my efforts never quite matched up.
Mainly because I’d get bored or distracted halfway through.
I glanced around at the mess I’d inadvertently created and sighed. I’d started out with the best of intentions, but looking at the mess now, I was having regrets.
Fuck it. I’d just shove it all back in for now and then I’d order some storage containers off . The fancy ones I’d seen on TikTok. That’d make it easier both to find stuff and to store it.
With a plan in mind, I started shoving the bottles back in willy-nilly. I hadn’t found the mould spray, but it didn’t matter because my desire to fix it had vanished along with everything else I’d planned on doing. All I wanted to do now was veg on the sofa with my Switch and the TV on.
I was just loading up the top shelf when my hand brushed against something unexpected. Something long legged and fuzzy.
I swear, the shriek I let out rattled the window. I snatched my hand back out, knocking bottles over as I scurried backwards.
“Shit,” I said with a small laugh, pressing a hand to my chest and peering in at the hairy culprit. I wasn’t scared of spiders, but it hadn’t half given me a shock.
Not as much as what happened next though.
I froze as an almighty crash rattled through the flat. Hurried, padding footsteps followed.
There was a shifter in my flat.
Sniffing me out.
Before I had time to panic, a human voice called out my name from the other side of the bathroom door. One I was familiar with. One I definitely shouldn’t have been hearing in my home. “Reid? Are you okay? Can I come in?”
I closed my eyes. At least Evan wasn’t here to kill me. Just raise my blood pressure a little. “Yeah, I’m fine. Ye can come in.”
The door swung open and I almost swallowed my tongue. Evan’s eyes were slightly wild as they searched for the source of danger. His broad chest was rising and falling rapidly, his light brown hair all askew. Ominous creaks filled the air as he fought against the urge to shift.
None of that was what had my mouth drying out.
No, it was the fact that he was completely naked.
Of course he was. He’d come in here in his wolf form, so it made sense for him to be nude.
But I really really wished he’d stopped to pull on some trousers. It was difficult enough trying to tell myself I wasn’t attracted to Evan when he was clothed. At least then I could pretend he wouldn’t look good without his clothes on.
I knew now that wasn’t the case.
My breath caught in my throat as I greedily gobbled up the tattoos that spread over his pecs. The piercing in his left nipple. The wonder that was his abdominal muscles, complete with a perfect V that led south to…
Yeah. I really could’ve lived without knowing what Evan was packing. Why did I have to be such a fucking size queen?
And why did God have to be so…generous where Evan was concerned? I mean, come on. Who the fuck looked like that in real life? His build was something that was only meant to exist in porn or on the pages of a romance novel.
Not in my poky bathroom.
My brain forgot a lot of stuff, but what Evan looked like in his full, naked glory?
It’d never forget that.
“What’s wrong?” Evan demanded, eyes still sweeping for danger. Thankfully, his complete focus meant he’d missed my horny ogling. “What happened?”
“I’m fine,” I said with a sigh, waving a hand in the direction of the cupboard. “Just a spider.”
Evan winced, shrinking back slightly. “A spider?”
My lips curled up. There was no way. “Don’t tell me you’re scared of spiders, Ev.”
“I’m not,” he said unconvincingly.
The spider chose that moment to vacate his hidey-hole, running up the front of the cupboard and into the sink.
Evan gave a high-pitched scream, jumping backwards and knocking over yet more bottles. “Oh my fuck!”
Laughter burst from me as Evan tried to become one with the wall. “Jesus, Evan. It’s a house spider. They can’t hurt you.”
Evan huffed, not taking his eyes off the sink. “You can pipe down given how loud you screamed.”
I snickered as I got to my feet and stretched. “Yeah, but mine was because it made me jump, not because I’m afraid of spiders.”
“I’m not afraid of them.”
“Mm-hmm.” I drew nearer to the sink, shooting Evan an innocent look. “Then you won’t have an issue taking it outside for me, will you?”
Evan blanched. “I…Sure, I guess. I can…”
I couldn’t help it. I dissolved into giggles. The kind that hurt your stomach and made tears well up. How was it that someone immortal and as powerful as Evan was scared of a tiny spider?
Okay, as far as spiders went, it was on the larger size. But still…
“You do know you turn into a deadly predator, right?” I gasped out between giggles.
“I’m aware.” He crossed his arms and scowled. “But it’s not right how they move.”
“Says the supernatural shifter.”
His lips twitched, making his dimple flash. “You’re never going to let me live this down, are you?”
I considered it for a minute. “Probably not.”
My laughter faded. Suddenly, I was acutely aware that this was the first normal conversation Evan and I had had in thirteen years. Well, as normal as it could be considering he was buck-ass naked and cowering from an arachnid.
Clearing my throat, I turned to face the sink to see the spider struggling to find a grip on the porcelain. “Poor thing is stuck.”
“It can stay stuck. Or better yet, turn the tap on and send it down the plughole.”
“Meanie. Besides, he’s too big to fit down the plughole.” Evan groaned at that and I bit my lip to contain another giggle.
Clicking my tongue, I carefully scooped the eight-legged creature out of the sink. “Ignore the grumpy wolf. He’s just jealous that you have twice as many legs as he does.”
“How do you know that I don’t have two arms and two legs as a wolf?”
“I googled it once,” I said distractedly, letting the spider run over one hand and then the other.
“Before I was banned from Google, that is. Did you know that these spiders can run up to half a metre a second? And when males find a female, they carefully pluck at her web like a harp to try and woo her.”
“If you’re hoping that’s going to endear them to me, you’re failing there. And what do you mean, banned from Google? Who banned you?”
I glanced up to see deep frown lines on his forehead.
“Oh, I banned myself. Had to, because I kept falling down rabbit holes. Hours would pass and I’d have achieved nothing.
Now, if I want to know something, I write it on a list on the fridge.
If I’m still interested in it a week later, I’m allowed to look it up. ”
Evan’s ire vanished. “Huh. I bet that’s one interesting list.”
I was about to offer to show it to him when I remembered the reality of our situation. Evan wasn’t my friend. More than that, he wasn’t even supposed to be here.
I moved to the window, unlatching it and letting the spider crawl out onto the sill.
Despite their name, house spiders preferred to live in sheds and dark outdoor corners.
Hopefully this not-so-little fella would find somewhere suitable where he wouldn’t be disturbed by screaming blokes. “Why are you here, Ev?”
“Um…” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. I swallowed at how the move made the muscles in his torso ripple. “I heard you scream and thought there was an emergency. That’s what we agreed, right? That you wouldn’t see me unless it was an emergency.”
I closed the window and turned to face him. Without a shirt, I could trace the exact line of where his blush started on his chest. Fuck, I’d have loved to follow it with my tongue.
Behave, Reid. Evan is a shifter, remember?
Like I could forget. My brain didn’t need to worry though. Evan was firmly in the look-but-don’t-touch category.
I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest. “What I mean is, you’re not supposed to be here at all. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you weren’t included on the guard rotation.”
“Well, no, but…” Evan winced. “I may have bribed Logan to let me take over for a few hours.”
“Evan,” I groaned, rubbing at my temples. “You can’t be doing shit like that, okay? I meant what I said about not knowing how to act around you. I can’t cope if I think you’re going to pop up at any second.”
Evan’s bones creaked as he glared at a spot above my head. “Aye. I can understand that.”
I took a step closer to him. “Can you, Ev? Because it’s really not coming across that way.”
His shoulders drooped as he sighed. “I’m sorry, Reid. Truly, I am. I’m trying to be rational about this whole situation, but…”
“But what?”
He exhaled slowly. “But my wolf isn’t behaving rationally.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as alarm bells began to ring. “That’s not my problem.”
“No,” he said wearily, giving me a small smile. “It’s mine. Don’t worry, Reid. You won’t see me again unless you call for me.”
Before I could blink, he was gone. Out of the bathroom. Out of my flat.
In theory, out of my life for good.
While I was left staring at the space where he’d stood, trying desperately to pretend I didn’t have the knowledge I did. That Evan’s wolf behaving irrationally around me didn’t mean anything.
I really wished I didn’t know better.