4. How To Show Your Crush Your Jizz Pic

Later that day,a shadow person attacked Samsen and Valor at their workplace.

Samsen

Valor says we're moving in with him

He doesn't think the safe house is as safe as his own place.

Joey stared at the messages, his shoulders drooping. Staying with Valor was... not ideal.

With the safe house, the place didn't belong to any one person, so Joey didn't feel like he was imposing so much.

But moving into Valor's place made him feel like a burden. He couldn't pay for food or board, and he still couldn't stop Katie from burping sparks and accidentally setting something on fire.

What if Katie burned down Valor's house?

Joey

Are you sure Valor's okay with it? Does he know about Katie?

Samsen

He says he'll borrow some things from Yaeger but it might take a couple days

Joey

Okay. Tell him I said thanks

There was one other thing, though.

Samsen and Valor had just gotten together. Last night, Joey had accidentally overheard a lot of sounds they made.

But he'd also seen them giving each other heated looks this morning. He'd seen the way Valor watched Samsen, like he'd found something special.

Joey was happy for his friend, he really was.

But moving in with them and seeing what he was missing in his own life... That part sucked.

He wandered over to where Katie was flipping onto her front, lying down next to her. "I hope Valor's house is more fireproof than this place."

Probably not. Valor was a wolf, not a dragon. Why would a wolf go out of his way to fireproof anything?

Katie reached over and stuck her thumb in Joey's nose.

He yelped; she giggled and began hiccupping sparks.

Joey hurried to slide an upside down baking tray under her; the wood floor already had enough burn marks.

"Maybe he'll kick us out if something big catches on fire," he said sadly. "Then where would we go?"

The move was simple,but awkward. Joey had fled his Cartfall apartment weeks ago with the clothes on his back; Yaeger and his friends had helped retrieve Joey's important belongings because it hadn't been safe for him to return.

Now, he and Samsen dropped their bags into the trunk of Valor's car. They buckled in their babies, and set off.

Joey was probably the only uneasy one in the car. They pulled up at a house at the edge of town, Samsen's chattering giving way to quiet awe.

"It's so beautiful," Samsen said excitedly.

Valor seemed proud as he grabbed their bags and showed Samsen around.

This was probably Samsen's forever home. Wolves mated for life; Valor looked as though he was already thinking about proposing to Samsen.

Valor showed Joey to a guest room, and he brought Samsen's bag into his own bedroom.

Joey couldn't help feeling a smidge envious.

Would Blade let Joey sleep in his bedroom?

Stop thinking about him,Joey chided himself. This was all temporary. He had to learn not to pin so much hope on that man.

Blade called againthe next morning, sending Joey's heart fluttering. "I heard you moved. Are you settling in okay?"

"I'm... I'm okay." Joey glanced at the door. Valor and Samsen were sleeping in after a long, late night, and Katie had gone back to napping after he'd fed her.

"Is something wrong?" Blade sounded concerned.

Joey swallowed the first words that came to mind: I miss you and we haven't even touched each other in bed yet. "Just... Just taking a while to settle in, I guess."

"Ah. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Why do you have to be sorry?" Joey blurted. "It's not your house."

"But I know you." Blade's voice was warm and close to his ear. "And I'm more than a little invested in whether you're happy."

Joey's pulse skipped. "It matters to you?"

"Of course. You haven't had a good break in a while, have you?"

Joey sighed. "I guess not."

"I want things to be good for you," Blade murmured.

"We only just met two days ago." Why couldn't Joey stop the words from falling out? Then again, he couldn't help thinking about Blade each time he ate a shortbread cookie.

Blade's laugh warmed Joey's insides. "After that little chat we had yesterday? We're not acquaintances anymore."

Joey gulped. "Wh-what are we?"

"Friends, maybe? It might change once I have you in my bed. I don't know if I'd want to let you go."

Damn it, why was he blushing again? "O-oh. Um." Joey cast around for something else to talk about. "How was your day?"

"Long. And hard."

Joey froze, sucking in a slow breath. Did Blade mean what he thought he meant?

Before Joey could whimper, Blade added dryly, "It was full of tripped burglar alarms, robberies, and rescuing more cats from trees."

A laugh bubbled out of Joey. "More cats?"

"Apparently it's National Cat In Tree Week."

Joey tried to suppress his snicker.

"You should know that rescuing cats is life-endangering," Blade said.

"How?"

"They have nasty little claws." Blade snorted. "I guess mountain lions are fine, but domestic cats don't like me."

"I like y—Um! Nothing."

"You like...?" There was a smile in Blade's voice. Joey just knew it. "Anyway, I won't be able to make it tonight, either. Or tomorrow night."

Joey bit his lip. "But we can, um...?"

"We can...?"

"Like yesterday?" Joey squeaked, his face burning again.

"Over the phone?" Blade's voice turned gravelly. "You like talking about this with me, Joey?"

"Yes!" Before he lost his nerve, Joey added, "I... I took a picture the day before. When you were supposed to be here."

"What kind of picture?"

Joey wanted to hide his face. "I could... um, send it?"

"Yes," Blade growled.

Fabric rustled across the line as Joey pulled the phone away to open their text conversation. His hands shook.

He triple-checked to make sure it was his private chat with Blade, because no one else needed to see it.

Then he attached the picture and hit Send, and his heart pounded.

"You're breathing hard," Blade murmured.

"I'm nervous!"

"You don't have to be."

"Easy for you to say!"

Blade's phone buzzed. There was silence.

Joey curled into a ball of embarrassment, pulling his pillow over his head.

Blade growled. "Mmm. Fuck. Were you thinking about me when you came this much?"

"Yes," Joey mumbled into the sheets.

"Show me your cock, Joey." Blade sounded hoarse, ravenous.

Joey gulped. But he pulled down his pants and took a picture of himself half-hard, flushing everywhere when he sent it.

There was another buzz. Then Blade groaned, and his breathing was harsher, but slow and measured like he was trying to hold back.

It was obvious, how much he wanted. And it sent a thrill down Joey's spine, knowing he could affect a big, strong policeman like Blade with just a few pictures.

"Wh-what does yours look like?" Joey blurted.

"I sent you a picture yesterday," Blade said, sounding amused.

But Joey's phone buzzed.

When he opened the message, he found Blade's muscular legs stretched out on his bed, his cock in his hand. Less red than yesterday, but it was still big and hard.

"I want to slide it into your tight little ass, Joey," Blade growled. "Hold you down and make you scream."

A helpless whimper fell out of his mouth.

"Fuck. I love the sounds you make," Blade whispered. "You make me so hard, just with your begging and whimpering alone. Makes me want to give you my entire cock. I want to make you come so hard, you forget your name."

Need swelled through Joey's body, so taut that he ached. He grasped himself and pressed his phone to his ear, greedy for whatever Blade wanted to give him.

"More," he begged.

Blade rumbled. And the promises that followed made Joey come, so many times.

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Umm, I have a confession

HotMess69

Gasp! Are you secretly a murderer?!?!?

WolfCubDad

Considering you've killed people before, Elson, that's kind of ‘pot calling the kettle black', isn't it?

HotMess69

I didn't say being a murderer was BAD.

NoMoreFangs77

Maybe let Joey talk???

HotMess69

Joey can always talk over us, Samsen, we're just chatting while we're waiting for the hot news

JoeyNotAKangaroo

I mean, it's not HOT news...

NoMoreFangs77

Actually, I think it might be hot news.

If it's about your... gentleman caller

That's Hans' words, not mine

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Omg, Hans heard?? What did he tell you??

HotMess69

What gentleman caller?????

WolfCubDad

Joey... You should know that all these butlers are nosy beyond imagination. Valor's included

They will listen in on everything

EVERYTHING

And their hearing is miles better than mine

NoMoreFangs77

Liem's right. Hans has been tagging along with us to the Center, but we were all home one day and he was very excited about you, uh, spending time with your new friend

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Oh my dear gods

I didn't know he was awake!!!

NoMoreFangs77

It's ok Joey. Breathe

HotMess69

I repeat, what gentleman caller?????

JoeyNotAKangaroo

I've been um....

I started talking to Blade

NoMoreFangs77

Ooooh Blade!!! Hans didn't tell us who it was

JoeyNotAKangaroo

He was at Ess-Mart the other day when Katie's kidnappers found me

The police chased them off and we started talking

HotMess69

Uh huh...???

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Um... he's been calling me?

WolfCubDad

You like his calls, right?

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Maybe a bit too much (blushing emoji)

HotMess69

Omg. Are they sex calls????

JoeyNotAKangaroo

That's not my confession!!!! My confession is that I might ummm have a crush on him?

(several blushing emojis)

WolfCubDad

Oooh

HotMess69

Omg we should help you get together

Or are you already together?

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Probably not, it's just been a few calls. We haven't met in person since that first day

NoMoreFangs77

(eyes emoji) Hans said your call was... very "enlightening"

JoeyNotAKangaroo

I'm not gonna answer that

But he held Katie and Katie LOVED HIM (sad emoji)

I had so much more trouble with her!!!!!

It's not fair

WolfCubDad

There, there. I'm sure he would've had trouble with Katie too if she was freshly-rescued

You helped her get back to being normal again, Joey. That's a good thing.

JoeyNotAKangaroo

As close to normal as I can get her, anyway

NoMoreFangs77

I'm sure Blade will appreciate that too, if he knew

JoeyNotAKangaroo

But he can't know, or he'll hate me forever (sad emoji)

HotMess69

Are you sure?

JoeyNotAKangaroo

He's a policeman, of course he will (sobbing emoji)

Katie isn't really mine