The Villain

20. Shadows

South

I startle awake, choking for air.

Even my own throat refuses to let me rest.

When I finally breathe easy again I let out a frustrated sigh.

“Death by sleep. How pathetic,” I mutter and rub my face in exhaustion.

Something shifts the mattress, bringing back where I am suddenly.

“I woke you, baby,” Shade’s voice is groggy but concerned. “We should look into one of those breathing machines while you sleep. It could help.”

My head shifts to see him by the soft glow of the keyboard. His head is on the same pillow with me, so close our noses brush when I move.

“How erotic,” I huff quietly. “Go back to sleep. I’m good.”

“You go back to sleep,” he grumbles and throws an arm over my hips.

I don’t have the heart to tell him I won’t be able to. Instead, I look at the ceiling and run my hand over his arm, mind wandering. I can run on very little sleep. Not happily, but it’s doable. He needs more rest. It’s so dark in here without windows I can’t tell what time it is.

I have a lot to do today. I should drag Shade with me and lock him in the new house to keep forever.

“You aren’t sleeping,” he sounds more awake now.

“Shh. Go back to sleep,” I mutter back distractedly.

“We’re both wide awake, fuck sleep,” he snaps and rolls on top of me.

I open my legs to welcome him naturally, as if we’ve done this a million times and I’m familiar with the move. My arms go around his shoulders as he presses against me, my body warming beneath his.

“Good morning,” I whisper with a grin.

“Not good yet,” he mutters back and gives me a gentle kiss that lingers.

I return it and he pauses, leaving his lips against mine to give me another one. We exchange more in a way that’s slowly melting me inside. My heart does that painful, pleasurable squeeze.

His tongue licks across my lower lip, asking permission and I meet him eagerly. His mouth is just as addicting as the rest of him.

The kisses get more drugging and his hand slides under my shirt to push the material up. I don’t try to stop him as I rock my core over him. He’s back to that painful hardness that he had last night. I want him to ache as badly as I do. I wrap my legs around his hips, opening myself more as I move under him.

He gives me a low moan and begins to move with me. Heat surrounds my breast. He squeezes the mound and drags a fingertip over my nipple. I can barely see him from the glow of his keyboard.

He finishes pushing my top up, uncovering me without removing it and looks down, taking everything in with a patience that seems almost reverent. I’ve never had someone look at me like he does. Never. His eyes worship me like I’m his God.

I take the back of his neck in my hand to pull him down into another lush kiss. The other slides under his shirt to dig my fingertips into the taught muscles there.

“Evie,” he groans my name and his movements get rougher as he pants against my lips.

“You feel so perfect, Shade,” I pant back.

His tongue slides along mine and his fingers slip beneath my pants at the hip to begin drawing them down so he can have free access to skin. I loosen my legs, lifting my hips to help.

His phone starts ringing.

We both freeze.

He starts chanting fuck under his breath and breathing hard.

“Is it important?” I grit out, trying to pull him back down.

“It’s Tera’s ring tone,” he grunts as my core presses against him with my frustration.

At his words, I loosen my hold.

“Answer it,” I try to get my breathing calmer so I’m less loud.

“Fuck,” he snaps and blindly reaches out for the phone. There’s a clatter as he curses. I can see his clenched jaw and furious eyes clearly as he answers. “ What? ”

I hear Tera’s happy voice on the other side of the phone call. If she’s happy she’s not in any trouble. Which means I can play.

He’s propped up on one elbow so I slide his shirt up to touch him as reverently as he did me.

He doesn’t say anything but he pulls the phone away from his face to try and breathe slowly.

My hands skim his sides, making his body shudder. My fingertips trace the line of his pants. I look up to find him watching me with burning intensity. His hips lift the barest amount. I smile as I slide my fingers inside.

He drops the phone abruptly, lying flat to crush my hands between us as I huff a laugh. He screwed himself because his shirt is still hitched up and his bare skin rubs along mine in a silky taunt.

He shakes his head hard and presses a button on the phone.

“She’s right here. Go ahead,” he grits out and presses me down with his full weight, staring into my eyes like he’s trying to psychically tell me to behave.

“South? Are you ok?”

I guess he put it on speaker. I untangle my hands from between us and stroke his back, enjoying the heat of him surrounding me.

“Yes. What time is it?” I clear my throat to regain some volume.

“Six.”

“What the fuck, Ter-bear?” I turn my head to stare at the innocent phone. What is she doing up this early?

“We’re picking up your keys today,” she squeals with excitement. I wince at the volume. The phone dropped onto the pillow right next to my ear. “I’m excited and they open in one hour. I want to get there before a crowd.”

Shade lifts up on an elbow, watching my face intently with a scowl. I frown back at him and try to pull him down to me.

“There isn’t going to be a crowd,” I mutter. She acts like it’s black Friday and we’re going to miss the sales. “It’s a simple pick up and signature.”

“And then I get to see your new house ,” she squeaks out and I can hear her bouncing around.

Her excitement is infectious, as usual. I can feel a little smile trying to come up while Shade’s expression drops in surprise.

“How excited are you?” She asks breathlessly.

“It’s gotten irritating,” I scowl and she starts giggling.

“Please, please, please get up? You’ve been keeping me in suspense for so long I’m going to blow up with excitement!”

“I’m up.” And frustrated at the interruption but telling her that will make her throw up.

She squeals in reply.

“You’re moving here,” Shade says in a strained tone. I tilt my head, frowning in confusion. I thought Tera would have told him. Why else would my things be packed away? Does he think I enjoy sleeping on a hard floor?

“Today, Shade! Today! ” Tera’s breathing gets uneven as she hops around. “Everything finally cleared and today is moving day! Her first house, it’s so epic! We need a truck to haul everything in.”

“I got my truck. And my stuff is being delivered, remember?” I remind her.

“You got it without me,” she starts pouting. “The road trip would have been amazing.”

“You’re fucking high. The road trip made my back hurt for days, oh pregnant one,” I say flatly.

“When you stopped following me you were getting your things,” Shade chokes out and drops his forehead to mine.

“Why are you so surprised?” I mutter and begin massaging his back instead of gently stroking.

“I didn’t tell him anything,” Tera says in a darkly smug tone I’m not familiar with. “I’m getting really good at passive aggression.”

My eyes widen as Shade’s head lifts to glare balefully at the phone.

“I’m impressed, Ter-bear,” I say reverently. Shade transfers the scowl to me.

“You got everything, right?” Tera asks in a tense voice.

“Yeah. I don’t collect much.”

“Except anime stuff. I can’t wait to see how many figurines you have now.”

“I’m giving Shade some. His place is like a hotel room.”

“Be nice,” Tera chastises me.

“I am,” I frown. “He’s getting half my shit.”

“Oh my gosh,” she goes breathless and I hear a lot of movement going on. She’s probably dancing.

“Stop fucking celebrating,” Shade snaps. “You both had me convinced she was leaving last night.”

“If you knew how big a deal it is that she’s sharing her figurines with you, you wouldn’t be so mad,” she giggles.

“You were angry because I said my stuff was packed up.” The dots connect and I give him a light laugh. I cup his cheek gently at his continued glare. “I assumed Tera told you.”

“She isn’t a runner, Shade,” Tera says smugly as she shamelessly listens to us. I don’t blame her, he’s the one who put it on speaker. “She’s a fighter and annihilator.”

“And you’re a poet,” I smirk while I stare into ghostly gray eyes that are slowly beginning to soften.

“Thank you,” she says sweetly. She lets out a happy sigh. “No more pervy landlord and nosy neighbors. No more listening to TVs turned up too loud and murder documentaries.”

“I’m starting to like the murder docs,” I admit with a thoughtful frown. “Is that a bad sign or normal?”

“It’s just subliminal messaging,” she tries to reassure me. “We all fall into the trap.”

“I’m getting suspicious about the couple down the hall. They watch it non-stop.”

Shade’s lips go up in his tilted smile and I touch them with my own grin.

The phone beeps with another incoming call. My brows furrow.

“Can we change your number?” I ask him seriously.

He chuckles but his mask returns as he sees the caller ID.

“It’s Andi. She’s never up this early.”

“Oh crap.” Tera says, hanging up abruptly and Shade picks the phone up to answer his sister’s call.

“What?” He says in a tense voice and quickly gets out of bed.

When he takes the call out in the living room I sigh in disappointment. What kind of game should I play to get kidnapped again? Maybe a do-over will go better.

When he doesn’t come back I get up, trying to find something to keep me distracted. If there’s a chance we can get back to the morning I wanted, I want to be ready. I glance at the laptop on the desk. Being Shade’s I’m sure it has a million games on it.

I pick it up and carry it back to the bed, settling on my stomach to get comfortable. I peek out of the open door to see if Shade is coming back but he’s not in view.

It hasn’t woken up from the movements so I click the mouse just in case it needs a wakeup call.

The screen lights up immediately and my pleasant mood drops when I gaze at the open tabs.

I click on them slowly, taking in the information he’s found about me. He’s thorough. He knows some of the alias’s that Tera has given me as well. He was much closer than I thought. News articles. My hospital bill from my attack. My juvie intake. My move to Georgia and Maryland. How did he find all this? He’s just like Tera, a hacker genius. I respect that a lot.

I open the last few and feel the emptiness inside me snap awake.

James Enderson.

Phillip Ward.

Scott Butler.

Erick Whittaker.

Paul Goodwin.

Missing person’s reports.

A tracking system for their basic information leading to a dead end.

He knows.

Movement brings my attention to the doorway.

Shade is watching me and his fists are clenched. His blank mask is back.

Mine is in place as well.

I never planned on him knowing this. It’s something that’s done and over to me. Normal people would disagree with the actions I’ve taken.

They owed. They paid. Simple to me. Much more complicated when you add in emotion.

I may need to kidnap him this time. Luckily I know where the knife tucked under the mattress is. I can reach it faster than he can get to any of the other weapons. I wonder where he left his duffel bag of toys. If he has a sedative this will go smoother.

“I have a few questions about that,” he says in a low tense voice. He fidgets where he stands but he doesn’t get out of the doorway.

“Sure,” I say flatly.

“Tell me they suffered, baby,” his voice cracks as his hands start to shake.

My brows furrow at his reaction. “No. I got it done and went home to watch Deckhand Luna.”

“It isn’t enough ,” he says roughly and starts shaking his head. “Nowhere near it. Did they beg for their lives? Did they look you in the face and understand why ?”

I tilt my head curiously. His monster is coming out and it’s soothing that empty space inside me. I’ve never had that happen without quiet or violence before. It makes my heart hammer.

“They never knew I was there until it was too late. I didn’t stick around after disposal. I prefer not to waste time.”

“ No! ” He yells in vicious rage. “You should have waited. I would have had them begging you for mercy. I want to break every piece of them I can get to.”

I sit back on my heels with a frown. “There aren’t any graves for you to piss on. I owe. How do I pay?”

His chin drops to his chest as he struggles with his anger. “You don’t owe me, baby. I’m being a selfish dick.”

His complete rage and the heady emotions that just roared out at me make my throat dry. I want more of it. Yet I don’t want him upset either. It’s a puzzle to try and solve.

“I’m surprised at this,” I tell him slowly. “I thought you would want me gone if you knew. Do you?”

I won’t listen if he does now that he’s mine. If he needs to learn that now, so be it.

His head rises to give me a flat look.

“Vigilante justice is normally frowned upon,” I point out with a smirk, taunting his monster into playing. He’s seen me now. It’s my turn to see him . How deep does his monster stretch inside him?

He scoffs and stomps over to the nightstand. He dips to pick up the figurine that fell to the floor at some point without my notice.

The head gets pulled off and he hands me a flash drive that’s hidden inside.

I take it with my lips parted. “Keep away just leveled up.”

“Scoot over,” he snaps, crawling onto the bed as I make space for him. He lies on his belly just like I did and plugs the drive in.

It opens to reveal three file folders. I lay back down to watch whatever he’s doing. If he’s comfortable enough to be on the bed with me, surely he’s ok with me being pressed to his side as he works.

Each file has a name as its identifier.

Daniels.

Evan.

Shade.

He opens the Daniels file first.

A list pops up with dates as the titles. They span back more than ten years.

He clicks open the first one and my eyes widen with delight.

It’s a kill list. There’s a name and typical physical description. A list of crimes. Whether or not they served time. Paragraphs worth of planning then execution.

He opens each one with a scowl.

“Stop,” I whisper and put my hand over his on the keyboard. “Open Evan.”

His fingers flex beneath mine, then he does.

This one has three dates.

The first is old.

“How old are you?” I ask with a head tilt.

“Twenty-eight.”

He would have been thirteen.

I start to frown. “Open them.”

He does one at a time.

The first one is simple. A kid’s notations instead of an experienced man. A rapist. Sarah Daniels listed as the victim.

“Who is this?” I keep my voice hushed but my tone is gritty and breaking.

“My mom.”

I nod as my jaw clenches.

“I wasn’t good enough yet. He went quick. Bled out while I watched.”

I lace my fingers with his and shift the computer towards me to start doing the work clicking on information. The next date is the man who helped his mother’s rapist. A two year gap in between and already his writing is becoming more formal. The last one is a name that surprises me.

“Glasgow?”

He huffs a laugh.

“She let you kill him but left me on bans?” I pout.

“Tera didn’t know about me at this point. And I didn’t know about you ,” he says darkly. “I don’t do bans. This was personal.”

“I’m proud of you,” I whisper with a smile. “He needed to go.”

“Yeah,” he mutters as he reads next to me.

“And Shade?”

“I fell off,” he scowls. “I was pretending to be weak.”

“I did that once,” I nod with a frown. I pick his hand up and kiss the back of it. “You need to stop. If you play weak long enough you become prey.”

“Is that what happened to you?” He turns to me with a concerned look.

“Yes.” I’m positive about that. I could have pretended to be stronger but I don’t think that would have mattered in the long run. As my normal self, people are terrified enough to not test it. Except his exes. They’re fucking morons.

I roll to my side and prop my head up with my palm.

“I know you feel like hiding is your best option. Tera does it too. I’m hoping you take this advice more seriously than she did, statue. Stop faking it. You’re a predator, not prey. Not very many people test a predator. Everyone tests prey. Stop letting yourself suffer for fools.”

“Did you suffer for fools?” His tone is too tight to be teasing but he’s trying.

“I didn’t suffer,” I huff a laugh and stroke his cheek. “Pain is all I had. My emotions are too stunted for much else, even if I remembered it all. But, yours aren’t. You can feel things I’ll never understand. The need to watch someone suffer. Why do that when you can get home and do the things that you like?”

“Because that’s what I like,” he tells me quietly. “Too much.”

I shrug with one shoulder. “Then take your time with it. You’re after the right people. As long as you don’t get caught I don’t give a shit.”

He clasps the back of my neck in a firm hold. “Do you know how scared I was to let you see this?”

“No. I never will, either,” I warn him. “I have a lot of limitations when it comes to emotion.”

“I’ll feel them for both of us, then,” he mutters.

He leans in to press a soft kiss to my lips.

“That sounds exhausting. I’d rather you relax and stay happy.”

He starts to chuckle and shifts until I’m tilted enough he can lay over me.

“Watch the figurine,” I mutter as his lips descend on mine again.

He stops in surprise. “What the fuck, Evie?”

“It’s important to you. Be gentle with it,” I pull him back down to stroke my tongue along the line of his lips.

He settles into me to start his drugging kisses again. His body is looser now. Whatever tension he was struggling with over this reveal is soothed enough he can give his entire focus to me. It’s heady.

I’m just parting my legs for him when his phone starts ringing again.

My head drops back. “I do feel anger. Strongly at this point.”

“I am about to kill a motherfucker,” he mutters and gets out of the bed again while he curses.

“ What , Tera?” He practically yells.

After a brief hesitation he snaps, “Yes, she’s awake. If you’re coming over, do it. You’ve ruined this twice now.”

He hangs up and starts cursing under his breath. After he takes a few sharp breaths he starts pacing around to get ready for the day.

“Are you going to be in a bad mood all day?” I ask as he tosses his clothes for the day onto the bed. His movements are borderline abusive they’re so aggressive.

“No,” he says flatly. He’s not bothering to make it sound like the truth. His acting has gone out the window now that he’s more comfortable with me.

“What’s the problem?” I sit up to move the laptop and figurine to his nightstand, out of the path of restrained violence.

He turns to me with a scowl and gestures to his crotch. The obvious erection hidden by his pants doesn’t look like it’s going away any time soon.

“This is what’s wrong. This. Every single time we get close, someone interrupts. Every time we start to understand each other, there’s a fucking phone call. I’m getting to the point that killing them all is going to become my number one solution to it.”

I nod placidly, which seems to make him madder. He turns his back to me and begins slamming drawers in his dresser.

“You don’t seem pissed about it at all,” he snaps over his shoulder.

He’s very wrong about that.

I glance at the phone on the pillow. A game will fix this for both of us easily.

While he goes into his closet I put the phone on the nightstand, set to silent, and plug it back in. I turn to face him on my knees with my thighs spread open.

He comes out with a shirt in his hand and sees me. He stops and stares at the apex of my thighs.

I tap the space between my knees with a finger. “Sit down.”

“I can see how wet you are. You’re soaked,” the cold tone turns into a moan halfway through. His tongue slicks his lower lip. “I can’t sit there if you want to get shit done today. Tera is on her way.”

I snap my fingers, cutting off his excuses. The sound brings his attention to my face sharply.

“Sit down. Let’s play a game.”

A muscle works in his jaw. He’s debating on arguing further. If he does, it’s his loss, but he’ll never know it.

Instead of the verbal berating and the stomp away I’m anticipating, he tosses the shirt beside me and sits down between my thighs.

“You think massaging my shoulders will help, baby?” He taunts me.

I press against him from behind and settle my lips by his ear. Then I reach up to wrap a hand around his throat and press my palm into it. Not enough to hurt, but enough that he knows I’m willing to go there.

“You have ten minutes to cum. No interruptions allowed. Get to work.”

He sucks in a surprised breath. His muscles start shaking as my words sink in. I rise on my knees to get a good view.

He hasn’t moved, but his breathing has gone rough.

“You like putting on shows for me, don’t you? I’m dying to watch this.”

I nip his ear and then soothe the mark with my tongue. I start pressing my palm a little harder into his windpipe, careful not to damage. A subtle threat.

His hands go to his pants, sliding them over his erection until it’s revealed. It hasn’t gone down at all. If anything, precum is starting to bead at the tip.

“That’s better. You’re always so hard it seems painful. Is it?” I ask in a voice gone raspy and soft.

“Around you? Yes. Ten minutes isn’t enough,” he protests. His fingers are curling in his pants, wrinkling the fabric in a tight grip.

“Less than that now,” I kiss his neck with a flick of my tongue. “If you don’t manage, then you get to suffer for the rest of the day. Get to work.”

“Let me use your hand,” he bargains.

I laugh softly, “I want to know what you like and you’re going to show me. So I can do it perfectly every time we shower together.”

“Fuck,” he spits through gritted teeth, and his hand moves to stroke his erection. He squeezes tight and jerks roughly. My breath falters at the sight.

His head leans back into my chest as his eyes close.

“Are you picturing me?”

“Yes,” his voice is low and angry.

“Jacking you off or swallowing you?”

His movements get faster.

“Both. Either. As long as it’s you.”

I sink to rest my chin on his shoulder, watching him work. The head peeks in and out of his fist, the flesh darkening as if it’s just as angry as he is.

I rub a hand down his forearm to hold his wrist lightly. Feeling the muscles work as he tightens and relaxes his hold.

“Talk to me,” he grunts. His thighs jump as the pressure builds inside him.

“Do you like my voice when I’m this wet?” I move my hand from his throat to his lips and clamp it over his mouth.

He gives a muffled protest, and I press harder.

“Tap if you need to, or I’m not stopping,” I bite down on his shoulder and rub my fingers over his forearm to feel the muscles jump.

“Show me how hard you’re going to fuck me.”

A sharp, muffled grunt reaches me, and his nostrils flare as his breathing gets erratic.

“You have five minutes left. Are you close?”

He gives a muted shake of his head.

“Too bad. I’m going to be soaking through my panties, imagining how much it hurts for you. Hard all day with no relief. I’ll even show you just to keep you motivated for later tonight.”

His fist falters to start pulling in long, hard strokes. Not the speed from before. Something to use as a tease.

“Is this how you’ll fuck me? Slow and rough?”

My only response is a broken moan.

My heart is pounding as I watch, my skin wracked with goosebumps.

“You’re being so good for me. Are you sure you don’t want to show me more? I want to see you cum. Do that for me.”

His hips shift, and I can feel his teeth grinding beneath my hand.

“Come on, statue. Show me more.”

I let his lips go to press my palm against his lower abs and dig my fingers into the straining muscles. They’re spasming constantly. He’s so close. He gasps in breaths through his mouth, his eyes opening to watch me with dark gray need. Whatever he sees spurs his hand faster.

“Harder. I’ll want to feel you all day tomorrow.”

“Fuck. Evie,” he pants and presses his face into my neck. His hand starts moving in long, sharp movements, his hips lifting a little for each thrust. His mouth opens on my throat to bite down softly, licking away the sting.

“That’s it. Show me how you cum.”

He chokes at the words, and his body shudders, his knees spreading in the confines of his pants as cum spurts from his tip. His hips jerk with every release as if it’s coming from his spine to land on the floor and his pants, coating his hand until his movements are slick.

His heart is hammering through his ribs as his hand falls still. Each of his breaths seems to be a struggle.

“You’re so perfect,” I settle back to let him lean against me and catch his breath. My hand massages his abs as they continue to spasm erratically. I pull his hand away from the softening flesh of his cock and intertwine our fingers.

We stay like that for a few minutes.

When his breaths get even, I shift to kiss his cheek. “I’m going to be thinking about this all day.”

“Fuck,” his voice is shaky and low.

“Now you can start this day over in a good mood. Get dressed, and I’ll grab you a drink.” I kiss his temple and prepare to get up.

“What about you?” He sits up to watch me. I smile at the mess he made.

“This frustration is nothing new for me. I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw you. A few more hours won’t kill me.”

He seems surprised as I pace to the doorway.

“You didn’t realize I dreamed of fucking you out of your depression? To lock you up and get you addicted to me until nothing else mattered? If I had known I didn’t have to behave around you I would have had you cuming every day.”

A barely heard knock comes from the door. My smile drops as if it never existed. “We have company, of course. Take your time, statue. No one will get past me.”

I shut the door on his shocked expression, pleased with his progress.

I take the time to wash my hands before going to the door. Tera and Andi are whispering to each other when I check the peephole. They hear the locks being undone and straighten abruptly like naughty children while I watch.

I open the door a crack and focus on Tera. “Who else is here?”

“Just us,” she’s quick to assure me.

“Stay in the living room while I get Shade a drink. He’s in a shit mood and I’m trying to get him back on track.”

“Ok,” Tera agrees with a smile. Andi looks suspicious.

I walk away for them to let themselves in, but I keep an eye on the hallway. The door is still closed.

“Is he upset about Matthias?” Tera settles on one of the bar stools, Andi at her side.

“What happened?” I spare her a frowning glance as I rummage around for something he can drink. As much as I appreciate the bottles of water in the fridge I’d like him to have something better to start. Hard to spoil someone with water.

“He didn’t tell you about the fight?” Andi asks with a smirk.

“Did they hurt him?” All my motions stop as my voice gets gritty. I didn’t see any bruising on him but I wasn’t looking for wounds.

“No,” Tera says quickly with wide eyes. “He hurt one of them.”

I let out a rough breath. “That’s good. We need to support that. If we do he’ll start attacking them on sight instead of waiting.”

“That’s not good, Southie,” Tera chastises me as Andi bursts into laughter.

“Then I’ll start attacking them on sight and he can relax,” I shrug. “I like that better anyway.”

I barely hear Tera saying my nickname in a stern tone as Andi’s laughter gets louder. I find a pod to make some of his favorite tea and start getting it ready.

When Andi settles, she has her elbows braced on the counter with a grin. “He broke Felix’s arm in two places. It was so fast I had no idea what was going on until Felix was on the ground.”

I turn to her slowly with a frown. “This isn’t enough. I need to reward him with one of his fancy ass teas, don’t I? Or pie.”

“Don’t reward him for that,” Tera says with a horrified gasp.

My eyes narrow on her. “He deserves to be spoiled. He’s letting loose and making a stand. I’m supporting it.”

“I can’t wait for this,” Andi tells me with glee. “I can tell you a bunch of stuff he likes.”

“Good. I can make a game out of it.” I go back to making the lackluster tea with a scowl.

“Why did I think getting you two together was a good idea?” Tera shakes her head but she’s smiling softly.

“Because you’re smart,” I give her a pointed look. “I’m not giving him back.”

“I love her,” Andi tells Tera with a grin. “He was in such a good mood when he got out of the bar last night.”

“I know,” Tera looks disgusted.

“I want to promote that too,” I mutter as I set the tea at the edge of the counter and look at the closed door again.

“Not in front of me, please?” Tera whines.

My eyes flick to her, taking in her wan complexion. “Do I owe? I forgot everyone else was there.”

“On my birthday?” She raises her eyebrows.

“Your birthday is tomorrow. The party was a warm-up. Your second gift is in the truck.”

“Aw, you remember?” She tears up and I rear back warily.

“Yes, I remember.”

Andi giggles and rubs Tera’s back soothingly. She’s worth having around just for that. If Andi can handle the sudden mood swings and stop the crying she’s worth her weight in gold.

I look back to the closed door and start frowning again. What is taking him so long?