Chapter 15
Maverick
“So, Mom says she thinks she has the perfect house for us,” I said as I wiggled in between my mates and curled so my head was on Leo’s shoulder, and my legs were across Briar’s lap.
Had I been in fur, I’d have just sprawled across the two of them and would probably end up that way before the first movie was finished, but not before I had the chance to share the videos Mom had sent and discuss the housing options with them.
My inner cat purred when Leo stroked my hair, something I loved immensely, which he’d quickly figured out.
“Already?” He said, "Man, she does work fast."
“Heh,” Briar said. “Wait until you meet her; you’ll soon see that she’s a hurricane of unstoppable energy and good intentions.”
“Wow.”
“So, where is it?” Briar asked.
“Well, in typical mom fashion, she won’t tell me which house she thinks it is, so she sent three video walkthroughs of three different places,” I explained. “Did you guys want to look at them tonight, or wait until later?”
“Tonight,” Leo blurted before Briar could respond.
“I texted my boss yesterday, just giving him a heads up about my impending move and intention of giving two weeks’ notice when my vacation was over, and he said not to worry about it; the number of subscribers had fallen so far in the last quarter that they were going to have to eliminate two staff positions.
He told me I wasn’t on the chopping block, but since I was bowing out, he was going to be able to keep my buddy, Jackson, who he’d intended to lay off along with the junior staff writer, Reid, who’d been hired on following an intern position last year.
I’m glad I decided to tell him now, instead of waiting until he'd already sent those emails out.”
“No shit.”
“I texted my dads right after I got his message and asked if they wouldn’t mind using the spare key to pack up my place for me, since everything I own will fit in the back of their pickup trucks,” he said.
“I just don’t want to leave here and be away from you two, even for a day, and I know you guys have a firm deadline for when you need to get back to your shop, so umm, I thought I’d just follow you guys home, if that’s okay. ”
“It’s more than okay,” I said, rubbing my cheek against his shoulder. “And you don’t have to follow us. I can ride with you, in case we get separated from Mr. Never Met A Speed Limit He Didn’t Break.”
“Gets a lot of speeding tickets, does he?”
“Nope, he’s been super lucky in that regard, but as a constantly petrified passenger, I can say that the ‘oh shit’ handle gets a lot of use when I’m in the passenger’s seat.”
He drew in a breath and tickled the spot just under my ear. “I hate to break it to you, but I’m afraid my ‘oh shit’ handle will be the one getting the workout if you ride with me.”
Groaning, I just pressed my face against his t-shirt and muttered a lighthearted complaint to the Goddess about giving me two speed demons for mates. With Briar caressing my leg and Leo carding his fingers through my hair, my grumbled complaints soon turned to purring as I lounged against them.
“Alright, rumble kitty, let’s see those videos before you decide to take a nap on us.”
“In fur?” I asked, popping my head up and staring into Leo’s eyes beseechingly.
“I would love to spend the evening petting your fur,” he said. “The weather report is calling for a few inches of snow tonight. If we actually get them this time, it would be fun to go out and play in it in the morning and get some more pictures of my adorably fuzzy mates.”
His words had Briar purring right along with me as he continued stroking my thigh.
Touch was so important to us as shifters and doubly so with the connection that had formed between us.
Ever since our mating, I’d found myself craving it even more, as in constantly taking every opportunity to brush against one of them as I walked past or run my fingers over any bit of exposed skin available to me.
The fact that Leo had come out of the shower dressed in a tank top and shorts tonight had left me with plenty of skin to touch, and on a whim, I slid my fingers up the leg of his shorts, just to see if he’d put anything lacy on tonight.
Bingo.
“Ohh, what the hell did you pet to get him purring like that?” Briar asked, leaning over me to try and see what Leo was doing with the hand that wasn’t buried in my hair.
Leo just chuckled and brushed my hair back from my cheek. “Nothing. He’s the one doing all the petting, and I think he’s found something he likes.”
“He’s wearing lace again,” I murmured, enchanted by the feel.
“If you promise to keep me warm, I’ll ditch the shorts and let you enjoy the lace to your heart’s content,” Leo said. “But only after you show us those videos.”
“Oh shit, yeah, the videos,” I murmured, uncoiling from my spot so I could sit up and retrieve my phone from the drawer in the coffee table, where I’d placed it so it wouldn’t be in the way of our mugs.
Mine was almost empty now, and I’d be switching from tea to cocoa the next time I refilled it.
I was craving melted marshmallow tonight and planned to stir a big old heaping spoonful into my mug, despite knowing that the pot already contained plenty of it.
With Briar pressed against one shoulder and Leo pressed against the other, I clicked on the first video, and we settled in to watch.
When Mom did a walk-through, she did a thorough damned job of it, leaving no nooks and crannies unexplored. Closets, cabinets, pantries, and crawl spaces were given as much attention as the rooms themselves, making for a true virtual tour of the three residences she’d chosen to present to us.
The first was extremely modern, with high, vaulted ceilings with glittering chandeliers and tall windows.
While it contained every feature we’d asked for and a few bonus ones we hadn’t thought about, like solar panels on the roof and built-in shelves in the living room, there was something almost sterile about it, especially with all those pristine white walls and wall-to-wall Berber carpets.
“So… I’m gonna say pass on that one,” Briar remarked. “Unless you guys really, really like it, in which case, I’m begging you to please choose cozy colors for the walls.”
“I’m not a fan either,” Leo said. “I mean, it’s nice and all, but it doesn’t scream ‘live in me’.”
“That’s pretty much the way I feel about it too,” I said as I clicked on video number two.
This one was a split-level ranch, less modern than the first, but a lot darker too.
The downstairs was almost cave-like with how many places required the overhead light to be turned on before you could see what the rooms looked like.
It was a nice place though, way cozier than the first, and the upstairs had sliding glass doors that led out to the deck, while downstairs, there was a patio that would be perfect for grilling and a huge fenced-in backyard that would offer plenty of space for playing and entertaining.
It just didn’t scream home to me, though I did prefer it to the first one.
Judging from the way Briar huffed and Leo squirmed around like he was getting restless, I could tell that they weren’t exactly jumping for joy over it either.
“I’m sure there are ways we could make it work,” Leo hedged.
“But it doesn’t really call to you, does it?” I said. “It’s not calling to me, either. The downstairs is way too dark, though I do like the laundry chute. It’s rare to see those in a house anymore.”
“Yeah, that is a nice selling point,” Briar said, “but I’m not even sure I can consider that house to be a maybe, especially when that downstairs space would be the most logical place for the den.
There just wouldn’t be enough sunlight streaming through to be able to fully enjoy lounging in a sunbeam. ”
“Yeah, and I don’t think the room off the back would make a good office either,” Leo added, “not when we all draw inspiration from is staring out windows. The one in there is the size of a postage stamp.”
“So, a definite pass then,” I remarked, beginning to wonder why Mom had chosen to send it and the previous one when she knew Briar and me so well.
I got my answer the moment I clicked on the third video, and the opening scene showed a stone pizza oven in a kitchen boasting natural, gleaming hardwood beams and stone floors.
Oh. Holy shit.
Like the other two houses, this one had every feature we’d asked for, but unlike the other two, those features were laid out in a way that just felt warm and comfortable, even when viewed through a glass screen.
Arched doorways, warm hues on the walls, stone floors and accent walls, hardwood baseboards, wide windows, French doors leading out to the deck and the patio—the list went on and on.
Natural light flooded every room, so much so that I could tell that the sun had been beginning to set when she’d shot the video.
The island in the kitchen was wide, round, and perfectly positioned to allow easy movement around it, even if all the chairs were full.
She’d zoomed in on the stove, with its six burners and dual ovens that I instantly fell in love with, moving from it to the round bay window and bench seating set up there.
Oh yeah, this was the kind of kitchen I’d always dreamed of.
The fact that the deck ran the full length of that side of the house meant that there was a second set of French doors in the kitchen, opposite that bay window.
I could just picture my mates and I seated out there, enjoying a candlelit supper and a bottle of wine from the deep wooden rack that ran halfway up the shortest wall in the pantry.
It was tucked way in the back too and started high, with regular shelves beneath it, wide enough for glass canisters to sit without an accidental elbow bump sending them crashing off.
“Mav,” Leo began, voice a bit breathy and awestruck.
My inner kitty preened, and I started purring, the voice in my head screaming, ‘Home, home, home’."
“That’s our house,” Briar said, when Leo seemed so awestruck he forgot to finish his statement.
“You’re damn right it is,” Leo said.
I didn’t need to ask if they were sure; I could feel the certainty radiating off them in waves of contentment and joy.
I sent a quick text to Mom, though I doubted that I really needed to.
Knowing her, she’d already marked it offer pending and was just waiting to hear confirmation from us.
Sure enough, she texted back right away, with a smiling emoji giving us two thumbs up.
I know, honey. Now that you’ve confirmed it, I’ll get the paperwork started for you so it’s in all three of your names.
Thank you. The timetable for Leo coming home with us has shifted. He doesn’t have to go back to work, so he’s asked his dads to pack his place up. They’ll bring his things after we close on the house. Until then, we’ll all be staying at my place, since it’s a little bigger than Briar’s.
Sounds like a good plan. Once we have a date for the welcoming party, we’ll pass it along so Leo can let his dads know that we’d very much like them to be there so we can all start getting to know one another.
Thanks, Mom, that would be awesome. Thank you for finding the house for us. We’ve already fallen in love with it.
You’re welcome, sweetheart. I knew you’d love it; I just sent those other options so you’d be sure.
Kinda figured.
Tell Briar happy Yule and tell Leo we can’t wait to meet him. See you when you boys get home. You be careful on those roads coming back; Grandpa Cash’s knee has been bothering him, and you know what that means.
Yup, it’s gonna snow on our heads.
Exactly.
Love you, Mom.
Love you too, baby.
I was totally on cloud nine by the end of our discussion and more than ready to feel Leo’s lacy underwear beneath my furry cheek, just as soon as I could get out of my clothes.
“We’re all set,” I told them as I reached for the hem of my t-shirt only to have Briar reach it first and peel it off over my head.
Warm breath tickled the back of my neck as he leaned in to lick over the claiming bite he’d left there, my body growing limp and pliant as he nipped at my skin.
“Fur-time, baby,” he murmured, making me shiver as Leo stood, but only long enough to help me up and hold me steady as I stepped out of my sleep pants.
The moment I was naked, I shifted, while he shed his shorts, revealing the mossy green lace boy shorts he had on underneath.
Tonight, as I snuggled up in his lap and rubbed my fur over his body, it wasn’t about turning him on; it was just about comfort and appeasing the senses, and maybe a bit of scent marking, just to let anyone who happened to smell him know he was mine.