Chapter Eleven
Oakley
Slamming my bedroom door shut, I leaned against it, groaning as I banged my head back a few times.
Holy Mother of Scales.
I looked down at my pants and grimaced at the tented area. “You’re gonna get me in trouble.”
With my eyes shut tight, I pictured maggots, puke, and bird poo, doing my best to will my boner down and not think about Roman for five minutes—an impossible feat.
As I walked over to my bed, I groaned again, rubbing my face with my hands, then plopped down on the bed, laid flat so my legs were hanging off, and stared at the ceiling.
Had Roman even realized what he’d been doing?
When I’d rested my head on his shoulder, he’d turned into me and sniffed my hair as he squeezed me tight with the arm around my shoulders. And then… and then he’d trailed his fingertips over the skin of my forearm with his free hand, and chills had run down my spine.
But then, when he’d pressed a kiss to the top of my head—not even a sexy place, for fuck’s sake—my body had sprung to attention, and I’d had to get out of there.
Fuck.
I really hoped no one had noticed.
I was sure they’d all at least smelled my arousal.
Oh Scales. Tan was out there.
Thank all the gods and goddesses that he didn’t have a super nose like the rest of us. Imagine my own stepdad knowing I… oh Scales… and from his viramore’s best friend. My own father’s best friend.
Shitballs.
I was way too embarrassed to go back out there. Ever.
I pulled out my phone and sent a text before I could even think about it.
Me: It’s official. I’m changing my name, leaving the country, and dyeing my hair so no one in this house can ever find me ever again.
It only took a few seconds for a return text to come in.
Keryth: What embarrassing thing did you do this time?
Me: How do you know I did something embarrassing?
Keryth: The only way you’d ever go into hiding is because of embarrassment. Give me some credit. I do know you.
That made me chuckle, and a little bit of my tension was released.
Me: I popped a boner at a very, very wrong moment, and I know everyone could, you know, smell it. I’m never leaving this room again. You’ll have to come collect my body after I die of starvation.
Keryth: I’m sure no one noticed.
Me: Dude, I was in a room with a dragon and three vampires. There’s no way they didn’t notice.
Keryth: Well, lucky for you, they’re all too polite to mention it.
Me: Have you met Jed?
Keryth: I live with him.
Me: Touche.
I snorted, shaking my head.
Me: They really won’t say anything, right?
Keryth: I don’t think they will, especially if you ran away, which I assume you did since you’re texting me.
Me: I did. I ran like a bat outta hell.
Keryth: You have nothing to worry about then.
Me: Thank Scales.
Keryth: I can always send a group text to them and tell them not to say anything.
My eyes widened in horror at the thought of that text. And a group text of all things.
Me: Don’t you dare!
Me: That’ll make it soooooooooo much worse!
Me: Seriously, I beg of you. Don’t do it.
Keryth: Just so you know, I’m laughing at you right now.
Me: I’m so glad you find my pain amusing.
Keryth: Shut it, you.
I snorted and set my phone down on the bed beside me, taking a deep breath. Keryth always knew how to make me feel better when I was wigging out. Thank goodness he never seemed to mind me oversharing like I did just now.
A knock on the door made me jump.
“Oak?” Roman’s voice was deep and made me shiver even as I cringed and prayed he hadn’t been paying attention before.
“Yeah?” My voice broke, and I cleared my throat.
“Breakfast’s ready.”
“Okay, thanks. Be out in a minute.” I spoke a little louder than I usually would, but his hearing was good enough to hear me easily.
There was a long pause, and then, “Oak?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I… are you okay?”
“I’m good. Just needed to, um, check something and talk to Ker.”
“Okay…” He still didn’t walk away.
“Rome?”
“Yeah?”
I sighed. “Open the door. It’s stupid that we’re talking through it.”
He opened the door and leaned against the doorjamb, though I didn’t bother moving after I glanced over at him. I just lay there on the bed like a complete lug, staring at the ceiling and praying to the embarrassment gods.
“Hey,” he said quietly after a few seconds.
I asked, “Are you okay?”
When I looked at him again, his eyebrows were raised. “Am I okay? I’m not the one that ran out of the kitchen like their ass was on fire.”
I groaned. “Sorry.”
“No, I’m the one who owes you an apology.” He pushed off the doorjamb, closed the door, and crossed over to the bed, then stood there, looking unsure.
Sitting up, I patted the spot beside me, curious about why the hell he thought he owed me an apology.
He sat down and sighed. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”
My brow furrowed. “What? When?”
“When I put my arm around you. I wasn’t trying to—”
“Woah. Wait a minute.” I grabbed his arm. I needed to shut this down right now before he started blaming himself for other stupid shit. “You did nothing wrong, Roman. I… you… I like when you, um… when you hug me and stuff.”
He turned his pretty blue eyes to me. “You do?”
I nodded.
“Then why…?” He looked so confused and upset that I knew I needed to give him a good reason for running away. I couldn’t have him thinking he couldn’t cuddle me into his side or something ridiculous like that.
“I, um… was embarrassed.”
His brow furrowed further. “About what? You don’t get embarrassed about anything.”
I groaned and fell back on the bed, covering my face with my arms so I didn’t have to see him. “If I tell you this, you’re not allowed to make even a single comment about it, okay?”
“Uh… okay.” It almost sounded like a question.
But I took a breath and prepared to die of embarrassment anyway. “You were, you know, rubbing my arm and, like, smelling my hair and—”
“I’m sorry.”
“No. Shut up. You’re not. Or you shouldn’t be. I… I liked it… a little too much.”
“What does that mean?”
“Oh my Mother of Scales. I liked it. Like, a lot.” I waved at my crouch with one hand while keeping the other arm over my face.
He didn’t say anything.
I removed my arm and stared at him. “Well. Say something.”
“You told me not to.”
I grabbed a pillow and threw it at his face, making him splutter. “Get out, and never speak of this again.”
When I finally looked at him, I could tell he was trying not to laugh at me. I glared.
He held his hands up in surrender. “I won’t say anything, but only if you come out and eat breakfast with me.”
I groaned again and let my head drop on the mattress dramatically. “Fine. But seriously, if I think you’re even thinking about it, I’m gonna shift and eat you.”
That made him laugh, so I grabbed another pillow, sat up, and started whacking him with it, trying—and failing—to hold back laughter.
He held his hands up again, laughing his ass off. “Truce! Truce!”
“Ugh!” I hit him one more time, then jumped to my feet and strolled out of the room, holding my head high and ignoring his giggles—who knew Roman could giggle?—as I walked down the hall. “Asshat!”
His laughter followed me all the way to the kitchen.