Chapter 4
We parted ways to get dressed, and then I started the daunting task of wrangling Carlos. I’d opened the back door again to let him tend to his leaf piles. Normally, he’d come running when I so much as looked at his leash. When I picked it up and he didn’t appear in front of me, I knew he’d woken up and chosen violence. I went to the back door and jingled it in my hand. “Carlos!”
He popped out of one pile of leaves, and with an excited yip, he plowed into another. Leaves went scattering across the lawn. That clearly meant, “I’m busy. Try me again later.”
I whistled. “Walkies?”
His head appeared out of the pile like a game of whack-a-mole. Now he noticed the leash, and he screamed in joy. I cringed, praying he hadn’t awoken Angel. But it worked: Carlos bolted out of the leaves and into the house, dragging a trail of dirt with him in the process.
I’d clean it up later.
Raleigh was strapping Evie into her stroller. He was clearly amused at my failed attempts to secure Carlos, who insisted on spinning in circles. The spinning was obviously helping and I was the incompetent one.
“Keep laughing, asshole,” I said. “Wait until Evie’s walking.”
By the time I clicked Carlos’s harness into place and hooked the leash, I was already out of breath.
“Want to trade?” Raleigh asked. “You look like you could use a break.”
I seriously considered it, then I eyed the maze of straps that secured Evie to her seat. No thanks. “Shut up.”
Carlos set the pace for the first block, but Raleigh’s long legs easily kept up. I, on the other hand, was panting by the end of block two. I yanked on the lead, pulling Carlos back. He whined in protest, but I didn’t care much for his opinion.
“Are you ready to talk yet?” Raleigh asked as we approached the park.
“No.”
“Tough shit.”
I side-eyed him, but he wasn’t paying any attention to me. He unlatched the gate, pulling the stroller back to let me go through first. I was winded from the walk, but it did nothing to still the energy buzzing through my veins.
“What do you think about all of this?” I whispered to Carlos, who was distracted by a squirrel. He only whined, zeroing in on the helpless creature. “Thank you for your concern.”
He bolted the second I unclipped his leash, taking off after the rodent that had somehow offended him. Raleigh and I found a bench, Evie stirring as we sat down. “All right Clark,” Raleigh said, unfastening his daughter and lifting her out of the stroller, “start talking.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” I was nothing if not stubborn .
“I don’t believe you,” Raleigh sing-sang, bouncing a giggling Evie in his lap.
I was stuck. In order to talk to Raleigh about the whole “mate” thing, I’d need to tell him that James wasn’t human—which was dangerous. I wasn’t ready to risk that.
“James is ready to get serious,” I said instead.
“Uh, I hate to tell you this, Ryder, but you’re already serious. Wait—did he propose?”
“No!” I put my head in my hands.
Despite how often he teased me, Raleigh knew when to be a grown up. “Take the baby,” he said, holding Evie out for me.
I took her happily into my arms, her knit sweater soft on my fingertips. She rested on my chest, and it was as though her weight grounded me emotionally. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
“Better?” Raleigh asked.
I nodded. “I don’t know if I’m ready.”
“What did James say when you told him that?”
I watched Carlos over Evie’s head. He’d found another dog, and he was chasing the poor thing around in circles.
Raleigh took my silence as a response. “You weren’t honest with him, were you?”
“I didn’t lie . I told him I needed space to think.”
“So he opened up to you and talked about something that he knew you’d freak out about, and you turned him away?”
I grimaced. “Well, when you put it like that…”
“Talk to him, Ryder. He might be able to make you feel better about it.” Raleigh took a deep breath, and I knew the next words out of his mouth were going to be frustrating. “Besides, you wouldn’t be this scared if you didn’t know what you wanted to do.”
“I’m not scared. ”
“Sure, you commitment-phobe.”
“You’re one to talk,” I scoffed.
“We’re not talking about me, are we?” Raleigh fussed over his daughter, who’d curled into the crook of my neck. “All I’m saying is that if you didn’t want to take whatever this step is, you would’ve ended things on the spot.”
I didn’t get a chance to reply. On that note, I didn’t want to reply. Letting Raleigh know that he was right was bordering on dangerous territory. Evie decided then that she was fed up with the conversation and refused to let us go on any longer. Apparently, a trip to the park without other-daddy was out of the question. She let out a cry that Raleigh explained meant she only wanted Angel. As it was, I had to be ready for my lunch meeting. His friend had left, so Carlos laid at my feet, tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth. This time, he contented himself to trot alongside us on the walk home. All he’d done was play in the leaves and chase a few innocent animals in the park, and he was as happy as could be.
Why couldn’t human life be that simple? Or… paranormal life?
Ugh !
As we walked into the house, I heard Angel in the kitchen. Between the running water, Evie’s crying, and the looming presence of my best friend, you’d think the house wouldn’t feel empty. James was doing exactly as I asked and still, it made my heart sink to be in that house without him. After a quick check-in with Angel, who was a man of few words anyway, I trudged down the hall to take a shower.
I rushed through washing myself, not caring to spend any more time than necessary in the too-big space. I wasn’t accustomed to solo showers anymore.
“Will you guys be okay while I go to this meeting?” I asked, walking into the living room and scrubbing my messy hair with a towel. I was early, which never happened, but I was craving some one-on-one time with my man before Shiloh showed up.
Angel was plastered to Raleigh’s side—as always—with Evie on his chest. “We’ll be fine,” Raleigh answered. “Remember what I told you.”
“Sure thing, Dad.” I wadded up my towel and carefully threw it in Raleigh’s direction on my way out the door. Evie found it hilarious.
Liz’s was only closed one day a week, and James chose that day to invite Shiloh for lunch and drinks. According to James, Shiloh had been a little jumpy in their interview, so he wanted them to feel comfortable in the space before throwing them to the wolves on their first shift.
By the time I parked outside and jogged up to the door, I was itching to have James in my arms. Even one night without him was too long.
Despite having his back to me, James knew the moment I entered. Still, he feigned shock when I slipped my arms around his waist and brushed my lips over his neck.
“Hey, you.”
“Hey, yourself,” he rumbled. “I’m glad you came.”
I held him close, feeling a sudden need to comfort him. “I’m sorry if I gave you the impression that I wouldn’t.”
“About last night?—”
“I have questions,” I interrupted, “but I want to talk this out.” I held him in place when he tried to turn around. Because as damn good as he felt in my arms, I was still terrified about a lifelong bond.
James let out a sigh of relief. “I’ll do this however you want. You call the shots here. I’ll tell you everything you could ever hope to know.”
“Not right this second,” I chuckled. Right now, I needed my vampir e. “How long do we have?” I knew the ghost of my breath across his skin would drive him wild.
James reached over his shoulders and laced his fingers behind my neck to hold me close. “About an hour,” he murmured.
I smiled and spun him around, backing him against the bar and caging him in with my arms. “Guess we’d better make this quick then.”
My head darted in for his neck, my tongue rolling around his silver chain and pulling it between my teeth. James’s head fell back, exposing his delicious skin.
“Ryder,” he moaned, hand twisting into my curls and pinning me in place.
I dropped the chain. “I love it when you say my name like that.”
He ground against my thigh, and I earned another intoxicating sound from him as the move granted him the friction he needed. “We’re at work, love. This is a bad idea.”
I made a show of taking a step back and glancing around the place. “We’re alone at work. And you’re the boss. You can do who ever you want. Besides, you said we have time, right?”
“Mmhmm…” James’s resolve was wavering, I could feel it.
“Kiss me.” It was half a demand, half a plea, but full of that breathy moan that I knew drove him wild.
His response was part whimper, part growl. Then he folded. “Let’s be quick.” He sealed his mouth over mine.
I couldn’t ignore the way our lips fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. I knew his next move before he made it. He angled my head, the tips of our tongues flirting with each other. A shiver zipped down my spine. By the time it hit my tailbone, my cock was throbbing . He pulled me closer with a primal snarl, grinding his own hard length into me. We spun, and I found my back pressed against the bar as I rutted against his th igh. I squirmed and bucked, welcoming the pressure. Our heavy breaths turned into pants as his tongue lapped at my skin.
I cursed, feeling the tickle of his fangs. “ Yes ,” I hissed, turning my head to give him better access. My hips jerked forward in anticipation.
A sudden voice intruded on our private moment. “Oh, shit! I’m so sorry!”
James pulled off of me with a pop, fangs retracting before my eyes. I hadn’t heard the door over our labored gasps. Fuck, I hadn’t even heard the chime above it. I was so shocked—and painfully hard—that I couldn’t find words as I grappled to compose myself.
Whoever the intruder was, they stood frozen at the glass door, their small frame swallowed by the entrance. They were so fine-boned that when the door blew shut and hit them in the back, it sent them stumbling forward. Whether it was embarrassment or the cold that colored their cheeks, I wasn’t sure, but I’d never seen someone’s face redden so quickly.
James recovered much faster, cool as a cucumber. “Not at all,” he told the newcomer calmly. “ We’re sorry, Shiloh. This is completely inappropriate. It won’t happen again.”
“No, it’s my fault; I’m early and I saw you come in,” they gestured at me with a flustered motion, “so I thought… I don’t know what I thought.”
I bit back a snort, earning a glare from James. “If you’ll excuse me…” James cut me off by clearing his throat and stepping in front of me. I frowned and muttered, “Or not.”
“I’ll give you two a minute,” Shiloh said, a slight quaver to their voice. “I have to use the restroom anyway.”
James kept shielding me until Shiloh disappeared behind the bathroom door. Only after we heard the lock click did he step back and let his eyes roam over my body. The grin that tugged at his li ps only served to make me harder—if that were even possible. “Your jeans are borderline obscene.”
That was exactly why I’d worn them. I leaned back, giving him a better view. “You heard them coming, didn’t you?”
The sparkle in his eyes told me everything I needed to know. But with a quick glance down, I was satisfied to know that he was as turned on as I was. “I’ve been warning you that you’d regret teasing me one day.”
“I don’t know if ‘regret’ is the word I would use.”
My eyes were trained on his lap. I studied the outline of his erection like I was going to be tested on it. My hand itched to reach out, but before I could follow through, James placed a finger under my chin and raised my vision to his. Crimson swirled in his eyes.
I was getting to him.
Perfect .
“You’re playing with fire, Clark.”
“So burn me, vampire.”
I closed the distance, palming him through his jeans. His face remained stoic, but his Adam’s apple bobbed, giving away his nerves.
With a deep breath through his nose, he knocked my hand away from his crotch. “Go into the office and cool yourself down.”
“Yes, sir,” I quipped, satisfied when a growl formed deep in his chest. I began to retreat, only for him to catch me by my arm.
“Don’t antagonize them, Ryder. They’re nervous enough.”
As if on cue, the bathroom door opened and a small, timid person poked their head through. They looked around sheepishly, then gave me a shy smile. Damn, they were cute. Having shrugged out of their oversized coat, Shiloh straightened the baggy t-shirt they wore and fully emerged. The tee nearly dwarfed their lithe frame, leaving me curious as to what was undern eath. They brushed a strand of shaggy, light brown hair out of their face, revealing bright, curious eyes. Now that they were closer, I could see the hint of green mixed with the brown, giving their eyes a camouflage appearance. A smattering of freckles spread across their cheeks.
Turning back to James, I lowered my voice to a whisper. “No promises.”