Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

“I need the work permits expedited if possible,” Cross told Shepard. “The contractors are lined up and ready to work.”

Shepard looked at the plans again and flipped from the first floor’s business layout to the second floor’s living space.

“What’s this empty room in the middle for?” he asked, tapping a darkened square in the middle of the second floor that was about the size of the master suite’s bathroom–which was excessively large.

“The contractors said space was needed to run various things, such as wires and ducts from the kitchen to the roof. That space will be used since I don’t need a fourth bedroom.”

“Do you even need three of them? Are you making new friends who might need a place to stay, or are you planning on having live-in feeders?” Shepard asked his questions without a hint of judgment in his expression or tone, yet I felt it all.

“Those are rooms for Everly and me,” Vena said. “It’s a backup place in case we ever run into trouble. Or if ‘Brodier, Everly, and Vena’s Eating Retreat’ takes off and we want to ditch our crappy house to move in permanently.”

I shot Vena a warning look as Shepard looked down at his hands. I knew he was struggling to keep his reaction in check, not to Vena’s horrible acronym for the business’ name but to the idea of us living here.

In the weeks since our first shared kiss, not much had changed. Cross and Shepard had backed off their kissing-Everly war and treated each other civilly, which I knew wasn’t always easy, especially with the ongoing vampire problem. But they were mutually benefiting from helping each other. That didn’t mean their feelings for me had changed, though. Both made it clear through small and sometimes not-so-small actions that their interest in me hadn’t faded.

And that was why Vena was poking at Shepard. At both of them, really. She knew why I was hesitant to start anything with either of them. I still didn’t trust that their interest in me was genuine and not just some way to annoy each other. This was her way of pushing the subject.

“Let’s stay on topic,” I said. “First, the permits need to be approved. Then, the contractors need to get in here to do their thing.

“As for who will be using those spare bedrooms, it won’t be Vena or me in the near future. I’m not ready to make any life-altering choices until after I get my degree. So, Vena, stop trying to stir up trouble, and Shepard, please don’t worry about us and stay focused on the vampires.”

“No warning for me?” Cross asked, watching me with a hint of amusement in his gaze.

“Don’t order the wrong appliances or else?”

He laughed, and the way he tipped his head back was captivating enough that I quickly looked away.

“As you suggested, I’ll stick with the bonbons for the vampire clientele. I’ve asked Miles for help figuring out what ‘sweet' foods the other races like to eat. And since our initial core clientele will probably be humans, I’ll work on some ‘creature’ themed treats for them.”

“Please tell me that means you’re going to make more fairy trash,” Vena said, perking up.

“Only if you stop being a pain in my backside.”

She saluted me and stood when I did.

“If there’s nothing else, we’ll get going,” I said.

“I should go too,” Shepard said. “I’ll get you what you need, Cross.”

Shepard followed us out and opened my car door for me.

“If you’re headed home, would you mind if I follow you?”

“Is there a reason? I mean, not that you’re not invited. I just know you have a lot on your plate.”

His grey eyes were filled with something I wasn’t sure I could or wanted to name. “You asked for an update on the vampire situation last night. I thought we could discuss.”

“Sure. As long as you don’t mind me baking while we talk. I’d like to make a few more test samples before our shift.”

“Without your blood,” he said.

“Without,” I agreed.

That seemed to ease some of the tension in his shoulders. “I’ll be there soon.”

Shepard waited in the parking lot until he saw us drive away. When I glanced in the rearview mirror, I saw him walking back inside the building.

“Crap. He just went back in. Do you think he’s going to give Cross a hard time?”

Vena grinned. “Probably. You’re like catnip. Or whatever a wolf and vampire like. Blood and doggy treats?”

“You weren’t helping the situation,” I said.

“Your definition of helping would be to ignore it. You know I love you like a sister from another mister, but you all need a push toward each other. I’m that guiding hand.”

“I’m not ready to make decisions about what I want romantically. I want things to happen naturally, and you’re making it hard on everyone.”

“Hard on?” She snorted. “That’s what she said.”

“Vena,” I softly scolded. “I’m serious.”

“Fine. But you’re missing out on some prime action. And maybe you don’t have to decide. Maybe you can have a three?—”

“Stop!”

Vena smiled. “I’ll leave that idea alone for now. But you can’t honestly think you can string along two prime cuts of meat and nothing will happen.”

“I’m not stringing anyone along. This isn’t the time for…whatever is going on.”

“It’s never not the time.”

“Vena,” I said with a pleading groan. “Can we not do this right now? I’ll make you fairy trash if you don’t talk to me about Cross or Shepard for a week.”

“Counteroffer. You make fairy trash, and I won’t talk about them for twenty-four hours.”

“How is that a counteroffer?”

“I’ll throw in modest, nun-like behavior with Anchor tonight.”

I glanced over at her to see if she was serious or not. “I don’t think you can do it.”

“Want to bet?”

“No. I want a clause in the offer stating what will happen if you break your promise.”

She thought for a moment. “I will clean the bathroom for the rest of the summer.”

“Deal.” Either way this played out, I came out as a winner. “By the way, you still owe me a week of waking up to confectionary delights and one hot date at Enticed.”

“You’re right. I do. When do you want to go to Enticed?”

“Next Monday if you can get a reservation that soon. Maybe I can research some fae desserts there.”

I parked in front of our house and didn’t expect Shepard to arrive before we reached the front door, but he did.

“Done playing with your favorite vampire?” Vena asked.

“I was getting him in touch with someone who can expedite building permits.”

“Thank you,” I said.

He flashed a small smile at me. “You’re welcome.”

I headed to the kitchen with Shepard trailing behind.

“Don’t forget about the fairy trash,” Vena called as she sat in the living room with her phone.

As I washed my hands, I asked, “So, what’s the update?”

“We’re slowly clearing out nests,” he said.

As I turned for the towel, he took the apron from the hook and looped the top strap around my neck, pulling me toward him to tie the strings behind my waist. The warmth of his arms and body enveloped me, and I felt a hint of his stubble as his jaw slid along mine.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” he said softly next to my ear. “Vampires bring out the wolf in me. And even though I will admit Cross isn’t like the other vampires, it’s not easy to ignore instinct. But I’m trying.”

“I know. And I’m grateful for it.”

He pulled away, ghosting a kiss across my lips before he leaned back against the counter. “You know why I do it.”

I mentally shook off the effect Shepard had on me and began pulling out ingredients.

“You said you were clearing out nests. That’s progress, right?”

“It would be if every nest wasn’t small and only comprised of newly turned vampires.” He ran a frustrated hand through his hair until he caught me watching him. “I wish I could tell you this was close to being over. I wish I could–”

He looked down at the floor. I set aside the ingredients I held and moved closer to him.

“Could what, Shepard?” I asked.

“I want to go on a date with you, Everly. You can pick the place. Wherever you want.”

I considered him, weighing how to decline without hurting him.

“This isn’t about trying to get you to choose between me and Cross,” he said. “This is about you deciding if you like me.

“I’ve been your boss and the alpha wolf keeping peace in D.C., but you’ve never had the chance to know me as just a man. My hobbies. What music I listen to. Who my parents are. Just the basic things a person would learn about the person they might like.

“If you’re truly not interested in any of that, it’s okay to keep drawing the line between us. But if you are interested—even if just a little—step over the line, Everly. I promise not to draw you any closer than you’re willing to go on your own.”

The intensity of his gaze and the memory of our last kiss burned through my previous resistance. It was obvious that he’d been thinking about this for a long time.

“Just a date? And no matter what happens, you know I’m not picking a side?”

He swallowed hard and nodded once.

“Okay,” I said.

I didn’t even see him move. Suddenly, I was in his arms, and his mouth was on the skin just below my ear.

“Thank you,” he breathed.

The feel of his lips as he quickly kissed me there melted my insides.

“Fairy trash,” Vena yelled from the living room. “That’s what you’re supposed to be doing.”

I both loved and hated my best friend just then. On a higher level, she was absolutely right. On a hormonal one, I wanted to do to Shepard what she wanted to do to Anchor.

Shepard let out a low laugh and pulled back just a little.

“I apologize for distracting you.”

I stared into his eyes, seeing his desire for me, his worry for D.C., and a loneliness he’d been hiding better than Cross. Framing his face with my hands, I slowly stood on my toes and kissed him, just a whisper of my lips brushing against his.

Shepard didn’t pull me any closer or deepen the kiss.

Testing to see if he genuinely meant what he’d said about letting me decide how far to go, I opened my mouth and licked his bottom lip. He growled, and his tongue met mine as his hands moved from my waist to my hips. Shepard’s kiss in the safety of my own home robbed me of coherent thoughts. So did the hand that slid to my ass.

My hormones won over reason.

A small sound escaped me, and I grabbed his shoulders to lift myself higher. He growled again, and the next thing I knew, my feet were off the floor. My legs had a mind of their own because they immediately wrapped around his waist.

Squerk-squerk.

The sound registered a second before the spray of water hit my temple.

“Listen, I don’t want to be the bad guy here, but there’s going to be a whole lot of self-regret all around if you two don’t quit it right there,” Vena said, squirting us one more time.

Shepard ended the kiss sweetly then set his forehead against mine with his eyes closed.

“Don’t move. I need a moment,” he said.

Considering the tremors wracking his body, I took the warning seriously and held as still as possible as I panted for air and tried to calm myself.

Slowly, he released his hold on me. The slide down his body definitely didn’t help either of us.

I felt him arch into me just a tiny, tiny bit and almost whimpered. I didn’t though. He still had his eyes closed, and Vena stood sentry two feet away with the spray bottle ready.

“I’m sorry, Shepard. I shouldn’t have–”

His eyes snapped open, and I saw the gold in them.

“Please don’t apologize for giving me what I’ve been craving for weeks. The kiss and the date,” he said, clarifying. “I’m free tomorrow. Any time. You can choose, or I can make plans for us, whichever you feel more comfortable with.”

“I’ll choose,” I said. “You have enough on your plate.”

“Taking care of you, Everly, wouldn’t add to any burdens you might think I have,” he said.

He stepped back and looked at Vena. “Thank you. I’ll make sure Doc is here for watch duty.”

Then he strode out of the kitchen.

“That was so damn hot,” she said as soon as the front door closed. “Seriously. I videoed it. Want to see?”

I turned my back on her as she lifted her phone.

“Nope, I don’t. I want to bake. Go watch TV or something.”

“What? No way. I want to talk about how you want to bang a wolf just as badly as I do. Just wait. These dates are going to pull you even further in.”

“Date, not dates. Vena, please. I don’t want to talk about this right now.”

The kiss with Shepard scrambled my brain and a bit of my heart. It left me feeling like there was a promise somewhere in there but that it also came with messy strings. Wolves didn’t do casual. It was the exact thing I had been driving home to Vena for weeks now.

I wasn’t ready for a relationship. I still had school, work, a new business venture, and…Cross.

“Seeing that lovefest and hearing Shepard talk about a date gives me the feels,” Vena said, oblivious to my torment. “The feels of jealousy. Why do you get two men drooling over you, and I’ve got a guy who is avoiding me? What does a girl have to do to get a guy to have sex with her? I hung my gloriously used lucky panties in his locker. I wore my padded bra that hikes my boobs up like a pearl necklace. And I drop things all the time and pick them up, showing off this delicious ass. No response. Nothing. All he does is run away with his snatch sniper, missing an easy mark.”

“He was here last night, so he’s not avoiding you. He bought you hiking boots when he saw yours falling apart, hand-sharpened your throwing knives, and took you on treasure-hunting dates. He likes you, Vena. You’re just a little much.”

“I’m perfectly enough much.”

“Remember when MC was chasing you and throwing himself at you? How did you react?”

“I ran away,” she mumbled.

“Is there a lesson here?”

She nodded. “Yep. No more chasing and no more beating around the bush.” She snorted. “That’s what he said.”

I shook my head at her.

“You’re right, Ev. I’ve been doing this all wrong.”

“I’m glad you’re being reasonable.”

“Instead of beating around the bush, I’m going to be blunt. He needs to beat my bush, or he can say goodbye to my briar box for good.”

I stifled a groan.

“Speaking of which, I think I’ll take a few minutes before work to spruce up the hedges.”

This time, I knew there would be no saving Anchor. He was on his own. I had too much going on with a different wolf. My lips still tingled from Shepard’s kiss.

As if Cross could sense it, a text with two different color swatches popped up on my phone.

Cross: Looking at colors for the bakery. One reminds me of your hair and the other of your grey eyes. Which one should be our accent color?

Me: Maybe we should choose a color that will make people hungry instead?

Cross: Both of these colors make me hungry. And it’ll feel like you’re here even when you’re not.

Damn. My heart was being pulled in two separate directions.

I thought of what Shepard had said about knowing him as a man and realized I didn’t know Cross like that either. Asking him out would only be fair since I agreed to go on a date with Shepard. However, I suspected spending more time with Cross to start up the business had spurred Shepard into asking for the date. If Shepard found out I wanted to date Cross as well?—

Squerk-squerk.

“Gah!” I swatted at Vena, who held the spray bottle with a smirk. “Aren’t you mowing your grass?”

“Please, I keep this grass maintained like a golf course. I only needed a minor clipping. What’s with the frowny face?”

I shoved my phone at her then grabbed a towel to mop my face.

“Interesting,” Vena said when she read the text. “But why is it making you frown?”

“I just agreed to go on a date with Shepard. And Cross is making me feel?—”

“You better not say guilty. You don’t owe either of them anything.”

“No. But I like them both. A lot. More than a lot.”

“Excellent. Then keep it equal until you know for sure. If Shepard kisses you, you kiss Cross. If you go on a date with Shepard, you go on a date with Cross. If you eat Shepard’s cannoli, you eat Cross’ too.”

I saw her point, but I didn’t think I could treat my relationship with them so transactional like that. “No cannoli references, and I’ll think about the rest.”

“Nothing to think about. Just do it. Keep the playing field as even and as groomed as my downstairs.”

I made a face.

She snickered. “It’s glorious. You should see it.”

“No, thank you.”