36. Riley

Chapter 36

Riley

I t turned out that, when you weren't having to zig zag across the country to avoid detection, you could do the journey from the clan lands to Southampton in one day.

It especially helped if the driver was a shifter who didn't tire easily, ignored speed limits, and compelled slower vehicles out of his way.

If it hadn't been for my bladder protesting and the fact that I was getting hangry, we probably wouldn't have stopped at all. Danny had learned a long time ago though that road trips with me required food. ‘Riley' and ‘chilled' weren't terms that went together when my stomach got involved in the conversation.

We pulled into a services along the M6. After eating our fill of fast food, we loaded up on snacks for the rest of the journey.

As we got back to the car, Danny tossed his haul onto the back seat and glanced at me questioningly. "Do you want to drive?"

"You don't have to," he added quickly, seeing my flinch. "Hey, come here."

"Sorry," I said as Danny wrapped me in a bear hug. "I'm being stupid."

"No, you're not," he said sternly. He cupped my face. "Princess, I'll happily play chauffeur for as long as you need me to. The rest of eternity if that's what it takes. I just wanted to let you know the option's there if you want it."

I shook my head rapidly. "No, absolutely not. Maybe one day, but not yet."

"That's fine." He frowned as he stepped back. "Bollocks, I crushed the crisps."

I lifted up the now very sad looking grab bag of ready salted crisps. "Told you we should've gone for Pringles."

"You're always right. I don't know why I question you." Danny's good humour was replaced by solemnity. "If you need help with this though, don't suffer in silence. We can talk to Dr. Tyler, take you out to practise in a field…or you can just never drive again. Whatever you want to do, you've got my full support."

"I know." I dropped a peck on his lips. "I love you, Danny."

He ran his knuckles over my chin. "Love you more."

T he next week raced by. Danny and I were welcomed back into our old life with open arms. Splitting our time between his house and my flat, we did everything we'd missed while in Scotland. Hung out with Matty and Sebastian. Went to the cinema with Ferry and Leo. Had a night out at The Closet with the whole gang. Stayed up until four a.m. gaming together.

We also went over to have Sunday lunch with Mum and Richard. Neither of them seemed the slightest bit surprised when we announced our relationship. In fact, it had taken us a while to convince Mum that we hadn't secretly been together for years.

I still wasn't sure if she believed it or not, but she was happy with Richard, and happy for us. That was all that mattered.

The other thing we did during that week was have sex. A lot of sex.

You couldn't blame us though—we had several years to make up for. Having sex with Danny, knowing the love we shared, it was the best thing in the entire fucking world. It was unlike anything else I'd experienced. I was kicking myself for missing out on enjoying this with him for so many years.

But, as Danny kept reminding me, we had plenty of time ahead of us.

Time that I wasn't entirely sure how I was going to fill.

Danny had insisted that money wasn't something I needed to worry about now. He'd already added my name to all his accounts, giving me free access, and I did understand his logic…but that didn't mean I had to like it.

I'd always made my own money. And, okay, I might not have needed the financial safety net now. It wasn't like Danny would ever break up with me, leaving me penniless and homeless. But I liked contributing to the household. I liked knowing that the years of study I'd dragged myself through weren't going to waste.

What I didn't like was my old job. Having had a break from it now, there was no way I could go back. I didn't want my entire life being dictated by audits and middle managers. I enjoyed what I did, but not who I worked for.

I didn't know where that left me though.

It had been playing on my mind all day. It was the only smudge marring what was my now perfect life. Danny and I were getting ready for Matty and Sebastian to arrive for dinner. We were ordering takeaway, so there wasn't much to prep, but we worked together to set the table. I was just putting a bottle of Matty's preferred brand of wine into the fridge when Danny slid his arms around me from behind.

"Fuck." I jumped a foot before settling back against him. "I'm getting you a bell one of these days, Daniel. Mark my words."

He hummed and kissed my neck. "Princess, I'll wear what you want me to."

I tilted my head as his lips moved to the sensitive skin above my collarbone. "You're too good to me."

"I am. You're very lucky."

I groaned as my dick twitched. "I am."

"Not as lucky as me though."

I spun to face him, letting him feel the effect he was having on me. "Damn fucking right."

He palmed my arse. "Fuck, I'm going to miss this when I'm back on shift. Maybe I should take another few weeks off."

Like me, Danny didn't manage well without something filling his time, something that made him feel useful. He'd stopped by the fire station yesterday and they were desperate to have him back.

"No, you're excited to go back," I reminded him. "I'll be at home waiting for you when you're done."

That right there was why I was in such a funk. Danny knew what he wanted to do, but I had no idea. And, as of Monday, I'd be back to having nothing to do but watch the clock until his return from work. Now though, I wouldn't have Logan to keep me company. He was the thing I missed about Scotland. We'd video called daily since my return and he was planning to come and visit in a couple of weeks. I wasn't sure if it was me he was most excited to see, or the many hot men who happened to be a part of my circle. Either way, I was counting down the hours to it.

"I'm happy here with you, Riley. I don't want to leave you if it's going to make you unhappy."

I tickled his ribs and grinned. "Having you under my feet and tearing your hair out from boredom will also make me unhappy. You need to go back to the fire station, Danny. You're not going to be satisfied until you do. Your hero complex won't be satisfied until you do."

"I don't have a hero complex."

I didn't speak, just raised my brows.

Danny grumbled. "Okay, maybe I do. Just a teeny tiny one. But helping people…it satisfies my alpha. I might not be helping my clan, but I'm still doing my bit. Does that make sense?"

"It does." I kissed his lips just as his doorbell went off. "And that's exactly why you'll be going in on Monday, as planned."

"Fine." He stepped away from me and adjusted himself. The doorbell rang again impatiently. "You're going to have to answer that. If Sebastian catches me with an erection, he'll never let me live it down."

That was true. We didn't need to give Sebastian any more ammo where Danny was concerned. They sniped and bickered like an old married couple as it was.

I barely had the door open before my arms were full of Matty. "Whoa. Hello to you too."

"I've missed you."

I laughed. "Matty, I literally saw you two days ago."

He didn't remove his arms, practically strangling me at this point. "But before that you left me for two months . It's a good thing you're mated to a supe too. If you'd got old and near death I would've had to get Sebastian to scare another supe into taking you on."

"Good thing I was there to save the day," Danny said from behind me. "Danny to the rescue as always."

Sebastian turned from where he was hanging his jacket. "Since when do you come to the rescue?"

"I'm literally a fire fighter. It's my job ."

Matty finally released me and handed his coat to his husband, accompanying it with a kiss. "And outside of that?"

"Umm…" Danny put his arms over my shoulders, pulling my back to his chest. "Well, I rescued Matty that time."

Sebastian's eyes narrowed to slits. "No, you assisted me in cleaning up the mess that your actions created."

Matty looked like he was going to interrupt but I stopped him with a wink. "Any other big rescues you want to claim, baby?"

Danny huffed, making my hair lift. "I saved you."

"You did." I twisted my head so I could kiss him. "You've saved me many times, and not just physically. For that, you'll always be my hero."

Danny melted. "You sappy sod. I love you."

"Love you more."

We'd both forgotten we weren't alone, startling as Matty clapped his hands together. He was staring at us with heart eyes. "You two are so adorable."

"Adorably disgusting," Sebastian said darkly. He shoved past us, disappearing from sight before shouting back, "We're ordering Thai because Matty's craving it."

Matty's cheeks pinkened. "Ignore him. We can have whatever you want. I'm easy, honestly."

I exchanged a smirk with Danny before tucking my bestie under my arm. If that was what Matty wanted, then that was what Matty would get. Even if Sebastian hadn't been insistent on it, Danny and I liked indulging Matty too much to deny him.

"Thai food sounds great."

F ull to the brim with red Thai chicken curry, sticky rice, and pad Thai, the four of us were sprawled across the furniture in the living room.

"It's official, I'm never eating again," Matty said dramatically, lolling his head back on Sebastian's shoulder. As per usual, he was sat on his husband's lap with Sebastian wrapped around him like he was afraid Matty might run at any moment. It was funny really, given he'd been the one to run in their early days. But it just went to prove that when a commitment-phobe went in on a relationship, they went all in.

Take me and Danny for example. My head was on his lap, one of his hands in my hair, the other resting on my chest. He was stroking me in lazy circles, not with the intent of arousing me, but like he was just reassuring myself that I was there. That he hadn't dreamed the past couple of months. That this night was different to every other night we'd spent with Matty and Sebastian, having takeaway and chatting.

Because it was different. Before, I might've laid my head on Danny's shoulder. Maybe chucked my feet on his lap. This though, our casual intimacy in front of our friends, it showed how far we'd come.

Like he could hear what I was thinking, Matty turned his smile my way. "You two are killing me with all the sweetness."

"We aren't always sweet." I winked up at Danny. "Right, baby?"

His blue eyes darkened as his tongue swiped over his lower lip. "That's right, princess. In fact, as soon as they leave, I think I'm going to remind you just how not sweet I can be."

Sebastian's derisive snort drowned out Matty's squeal of delight. "If you two start making out, I will stake you." Matty pouted at Sebastian, making him hastily clarify, "Danny, I mean. I'll stake Danny. Riley, obviously, you can do whatever you like."

Danny's mouth fell open. "Wait, how come Riley can do whatever he likes but I can't?"

Matty gave Danny a sympathetic smile. "You might think there's nothing Sebastian wouldn't do for me, but asking him to never stake you again is pushing his limits."

"That's not fair," Danny protested. "He stakes me all the bloody time."

"Because you wind him up all the time." I patted Danny's knee. "Don't be a dick and then maybe Sebastian won't stab you."

The smirk Sebastian gave Danny was deadly. "We all know that's not going to happen, which is why no one is bothered about me doing it."

"Rude," Danny huffed. "Next time we do couples' date night, we're having Leo and Ferry over instead."

Matty's lower lip quivered slightly. "But not us?"

"Of course you can come too." The speed at which Danny caved had me biting back laughter. Across the room, I suspected Sebastian was doing the same. "I was only joking. I'd never cut you out, not even because of the twat you've tied yourself to for eternity."

"I do have my stakes," Sebastian said mildly.

"Behave," I said before yawning. "I'm too tired to clean blood up tonight, and Matty is too full to be fainting."

"True." Matty shuddered. "Blood is gross."

Sebastian nipped at Matty's earlobe, whispering something that made him blush ferociously. I couldn't hear what was said, but the same couldn't be said for my mate, apparently. Danny coughed, trying to cover a laugh.

A low growl emanated from Sebastian's chest as he glowered at Danny again. I decided I'd better change the subject before I really did have to start mopping up blood. "Danny's going back to work at the station on Monday."

"Really?" Matty's face lit up. "Oh, Leo will be thrilled. He hasn't said it, but I know he's missed working with you."

"I've missed it too," Danny said, a pulse of affection echoing through the bond. "It's not the same doing dangerous shit without him at my side."

"What about you, Riley?" Matty asked. "Are you going to find a job? Or just chill out here?"

"Definitely a job. I can't stand the idea of sitting around with nothing to do."

Danny stroked my hair comfortingly, knowing I was thinking about our time in Scotland.

"Not at the old place though, right?" Matty asked anxiously. "Because they were terrible to work for. You hated it there."

"I could compel them into treating you better," Sebastian offered, making all of us look at him in surprise. "What? If Riley's happy, that makes Matty happy."

"I can compel them myself," Danny huffed. "I've offered loads of times, but he's never let me."

" He is right here," I said pointedly. "I don't need anyone to be compelled, thank you very much. I don't want to work in an office, but…I dunno. It'd be nice to keep on doing accounts."

Sebastian tapped his fingers on Matty's thigh thoughtfully. "Why don't you go into business for yourself?"

"Doing what?" I knew Matty had his craft business, but the one time Danny had taken me pottery painting, I'd managed to somehow paint the table more than the plate.

"Accounting," Sebastian said slowly, like he was speaking to a toddler. "You know, the thing you're qualified to do."

Now Danny was the one growling. "Watch your fucking tone when addressing my mate, Sebastian. You're not the only one who knows how to spill blood."

Matty and I rolled our eyes at each other. Supes, honestly. Oscar was right—they had about as much self-control as teenagers.

"Calm down, children." I waited until I felt Danny's mood settle before continuing. "You're suggesting I do people's accounts for them?"

Sebastian shrugged. "Seems like a logical step. You could work from home, set your own hours and rates, pick and choose the clients you take on. Sounds like a no brainer to me."

"As much as I hate to admit it," Danny said through gritted teeth, "Sebastian's right."

The vampire smirked, cupping his ear. "Sorry, can you say that again? I'm sure you can't have actually agreed with me for once."

Danny ignored him, stroking my hair. "It sounds perfect for you. You can keep doing what you enjoy, but without all the bureaucratic bullshit and overtime."

"I mean…it sounds good—" I chewed on my lip. "—but I don't know the first thing about running a business."

"Good thing you're surrounded by businessmen then." Danny grinned. "Not me, obviously. But Cal, Mori, Harlow, Bailey…even Sebastian, I guess. Any of them would be happy to point you in the right direction."

The curl to Sebastian's lip told me that was stretching his best intentions a little too far. His expression changed fast though when Matty bounced on his lap. "Oh, that's a brilliant idea! You'd help him, right, Seb?"

"Of course." Sebastian smiled in the way he only ever did for his husband. "I'd be… happy to."

I sighed. "That's all very well, but I can't have a business without any clients. I don't even know where to start with advertising."

"Hence asking the others for advice," Danny said, poking my forehead. "Duh."

"Hang on." Matty bolted upright, practically vibrating with excitement. "I have a business."

All three of us winced, but I was the one who spoke. "Shit, Matty, we didn't mean you couldn't give advice?—"

"Don't be silly." He interrupted me, waving his hand dismissively. "I didn't mean I can give advice—I barely know what I'm doing as it is—but what I do need is someone to do my books for me."

He reached across the space to take my hand. It was a bit awkward given neither Sebastian nor Danny seemed inclined to relax their holds on us, but we made it work. "What do you say, Riley? Can I be your first client?"

"Seriously?"

"Please," Matty begged. "I have shoeboxes full of receipts, and no idea what to do with them. You need to saaave me."

I laughed. "Okay, but you're paying me in cake."

From the way Matty pursed his lips, I knew this was an argument we'd return to later, but right now, I didn't care. The weight of not knowing my path had been lifted with one simple conversation.

And I was in business.