CHAPTER 19
Emma
As it turned out, we shouldn’t have worried. Ribbon the ‘mountain toad’ was the hit of the dog park. He’d befriended every single dog there and was currently sitting on the back of his favorite—a Cane Corso who’d withstood his licks and slobber all the while maintaining sober regality.
I was pretty certain Ribbon was in love and wouldn’t leave the park without his new buddy, but I’d break that news to Krusk at another time. For now, we were sitting on a bench overlooking the park, our hands pressed on either side of our bodies as we chatted.
This meant that while we made the most inane small talk in the world, my pinky finger was edging closer and closer to his. And I knew he knew, because of the looks he kept shifting their way before looking away with zero grace or tact
Now I just had to decide what I was going to do about it. I knew what I wanted to do, but it wasn’t what I should do. I should leave him there with his toad and race to spend time with my grandma.
Instead, I was… considering. If I moved my finger toward his, I would be giving him the indication that he needed that I was interested in him. That I wanted him to continue pursuing me.
And while every logical bone in my body told me that I shouldn’t want that, the rest of me—which honestly was so much bigger than just the tiny bit of logic I contained—told me that maybe I could consider letting this male in who’d already given me so much.
With that thought in mind, I moved my pinky finger the few millimeters left between us, breaching the space and connecting with his.
The jolt that went through my body made me think that it was more than just fingers touching on that bench. It was another connection that had been forged as well.
Without further prodding on my end, my hand was engulfed by his and he looked over with the sweetest, softest expression on his face. “Is this okay?” he asked, and I bit my lip, ducking my head and nodding.
My grandma would be so ashamed of how shy and withdrawn I was being to him. She’d always taught me to lift my chin and take challenges by the horns. But the years and weight of the world had ground me down into something smaller than I originally was—emotionally, not physically.
I knew I had to find myself again. The girl who wouldn’t allow a male she worked with to victimize her in any way. Who would stand up to the bullies of the world.
But I’d been teetering on thin ice and had been waiting until I could find a way out that didn’t involve drowning in the water below. I looked over at Krusk, who was grinning at me, thinking that he looked like a pretty sturdy lifesaver.
“I’d like to be friends with you,” I told him with a grin, and I watched the happiest smile spread across his face as he nodded.
“I’m going to be the best friend you’ve ever had,” he said with confidence and a peal of laughter left me.
It made Ribbon bound toward us, followed closely by his serious Cane Corso best friend. We gave them head scratches and belly rubs as their rewards. Ribbon was rolled over, his eyes closed and his tongue handing out of his mouth.
The Cane Corso was curled on his back, a serious expression on his face as he enjoyed his own attention with much more poise. Still, he couldn’t stop himself when his foot kicked in Ribbon’s direction as I got to a spot that he loved.
It sent Ribbon flying for almost a foot but he just bounded back to us, dropping on his back again as if it hadn’t happened at all. Glancing at each other, we shrugged and went back to giving them our undivided attention.
“He can’t come with us,” I explained to Ribbon as he stared mournfully at where we were leaving the park—and his best friend—behind.
I’d taken the number of the owner of the Cane Corso—whose name was King—so that we could set up some future play dates with them. Even after realizing that our dog wasn’t quite an actual dog, she’d still agreed to let them be friends.
The tall succubus that had approached us, raising one sleek eyebrow at where her dog was being laved by our mountain toad had admitted that she couldn’t just separate them. I’d originally felt a twinge of panic when she’d moved closer to us.
I’d glanced from her tall, toned body, that would be the perfect match for the male next to me, compared to my short, overly curvy self, but he hadn’t even looked at her. His eyes had been on me the entire time, as if still trying to gauge what friends could really mean.
I’d hidden my smile and offered my best greeting to her, exchanging numbers and names.
I was certain that if Ribbon didn’t belong to his brother, he would have ignored the entire thing.
Instead, he’d had to include himself in the conversation, promising her that he’d talk to his brother and ensure that he made the time for weekly visits.
I was grinning like a dolt down at where my hand was still tucked into his as we walked back to his apartment. The thing was, I was certain that friends didn’t just go around holding hands. That was definitely something that was reserved for a relationship that was… more.
And we weren’t there yet. In fact, I wasn’t certain that we ever would be. I was still considering possibilities.
Ribbon trotted along beside us, happier since we’d stopped to get him a pack of roasted crickets. He pranced forward with us, more confident with the outdoors now that he’d had an official walk.
Krusk’s hand tightened in mine and I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. We were a few feet away from the entrance of his building—the humongous, gleaming monstrosity that it was—and I wondered if he was getting nervous.
And why. Shouldn’t I be nervous about whether I would accept an invitation to go upstairs with him? Wait. Should I be nervous about that?
I glanced at him again, just as he came to a stop, my heart hammering with indecision even though he hadn’t even asked me anything yet.
“Will I see you tonight?” he asked instead, and relief as well as disappointment flooded my system. Especially when those earnest brown eyes were staring down at me with hope.
“I’m not working tonight,” I told him after a long moment, not wanting to disappoint him. “I’m going to visit my grandma, actually.”
Why are you still talking, Emma? This is the part where you shut up!
“She’s in a nursing home,” I said, reaching down to stroke my fingers over Ribbon’s fur on the top of his head where it was soft and supple. “And I like to spend my free time there.”
Stop. Talking.
“Because of your generous tipping,” I told him, clearly not listening to my brain. “I get to take tonight off so I can spend an extra long day with her.”
His eyes were huge in his face. “I’m sorry, did I keep you with me longer than I should have?” He gestured toward the building wildly. “I can drive you there! Let me drop Ribbon off and I’ll be right back.”
Everything screeched to a halt in my head. No. That couldn’t be right. We were supposed to part ways here and I was going to pretend that I forgot all about him by the time I took the bus to the nursing home.
“Oh,” I forced a laugh, waving my hand in front of me like it was no big deal.
“No, that’s not—” I didn’t bother to continue as he scooped a startled Ribbon into his arms and charged into the building.
I glanced around, wondering if I was supposed to follow him, but decided that I would stay there just in case.
Within a few minutes, he was exiting the building, reaching down, grabbing my hand and heading toward the front doors again.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were busy,” he scolded, and I had to hide my smile as he hurried me past the security team who just stared after us with confusion.
He hustled us to the elevator doors, tapping on the down button until I reached out, taking his hand in mine and smiling up at him, utterly charmed by his concern. “It’s fine,” I told him, running my fingers over his dulled claws.
I wondered for a moment who he’d dulled them for, allowing dozens of sensual scenarios to play through my mind of him and other women. Jealousy was just threatening to overwhelm my common sense when he ducked his head, lifting his other hand.
“I filed them down so I could hold my niece properly, but I’m really glad they’re not sharp so I won’t accidentally hurt you,” he admitted in a voice that said that he hadn’t been fully onboard with the change at the time, but was glad he’d done it now.
Shit, shit, shit. Stop liking him. You can’t afford to fall for anyone. Especially not someone who you’ll fall really hard for if you let yourself.
“That’s really kind,” I told him, shaking my head lightly to try to get my brain unclogged from all the images of me cuddling against him like a sex-starved cat in heat that were popping into my head. “How old is your niece? I don’t remember you telling me last night.”
“She’s four, but she acts like she’s old enough to be the boss of us,” he chuckled, the rough timbre of his voice arcing through me like lightning. “We’re all pretty much wrapped around her little finger.”
By then the doors were open and he was hurrying me out again, in the direction of the cars that were all lined up neatly against the back wall.
“This one is mine,” he said, pointing toward a roomy SUV that was a metallic blue. I wanted to call it pretty but I was worried I’d offend his masculine sensibilities. “Gabbi helped pick it out,” he admitted as he opened the passenger door for me.
I blinked at him—this male who was opening doors and offering his hand without needing to be asked. “Thanks,” I told him, even as I wondered who the hell Gabbi was.
Looking around, my eyes went wide. The inside of the SUV was less a vehicle and more a mobile fortress on wheels. The ceiling were high enough that Krusk—whose shoulders were doorway wreckers and stood at nearly eight feet tall—wouldn’t have to hunch.
Reinforced leather—stitched with rune-thread that I recognized from the Magickal Bureau and embossed by The Everlock Clan—wrapped around each oversized seat like armor, tough enough to withstand tusks, claws, or any toddler’s tantrum.
The front console had been custom-made, a technological wonder of displays and readings.
I had no idea what anything was. The dashboard flickered with glyphs pulsing in tandem with the engine, which had started a faint humming when he’d opened the door.
The gear shift was the hilt of a war axe that had been refitted. It made me wonder if it was Krusk’s.
I turned in my seat to peer into the back. There were two rows of seating. One bench wide enough for three full grown orcs, complete with safety harnesses that adjusted to different sizes. I wondered if he’d had the younglings that he’d been speaking about in mind when he’d had those fitted in.
Another row behind that one was modified into a kind of play-den, lined with fur pelts, glowing lights and consoles. Netting across the ceiling made my eyebrows go high. They looked strong enough to hold anything that Krusk could ever want to carry.
“Gabbi has strong opinions about everything,” Krusk continued, nonchalantly reaching across me to buckle in my seat belt.
I sucked in a breath as his scent filled the enclosed area around us, mixed with the leather of the seats and something I could only refer to as new car.
“So when I told my brother I was getting a new vehicle, she insisted on coming with me. Her head couldn’t even see over the sales rep’s desk,” he laughed.
I held my breath as he pulled away, not wanting to question the sudden wetness between my legs, settling because he was still talking about his niece. There was no reason for me to be jealous anyway. I looked away, praying that he couldn’t tell how much his presence affected me.
Damn you, Emma, get it together!
“That’s sweet,” I gasped, as he rounded the SUV to take the driver’s seat.
Why the hell are you this turned on by him being a gentleman? You’ve had boyfriends before who’ve…
My thoughts trailed off, because no. No, I had not had males who’d cared the way he had. Who’d taken the time to ensure I was safe and comfortable around him the way he had. But still, I wasn’t going to fall for him and that was that.
I gave myself a firm nod, ignoring the way he was eyeing me with concern before the engine roared to life.