Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

STORM

I’m not entirely sure how it happened, but I think I’m dating one of my bosses who I just met five minutes ago. That’s not even the weirdest part. Neither is the way there seems to be a breeze chasing me around the room and… this is going to sound deranged, but I think it’s flirting with me? Or the huge secret that everyone is being so obvious about not wanting to tell me.

No, the weirdest part is that I’m cool with it all.

I take a few seconds to just think, turn everything that happened over in my head and process it through my “is this really normal” filter. None of it is normal, but I don’t care. When I look at Zephyr, my first thought— Okay, so my first thought is that I want to lick every inch of his torso and feel all that white-blond hair on my skin. But the second thought, once my brain has had time to shove my hormones back into their box, is that just being in the same room as him makes me… happy. I look at him and feel warm and safe and loved, and seriously, what is that? All I know is his name and what he does for work… and that he likes flying kites half naked on the roof. None of that should make me feel loved. Or particularly safe, for that matter.

But it does. If I was one of those people who needed to go find themselves (which I don’t) the part of myself I’d be looking for (which I wasn’t) is Zephyr. He’s here, and suddenly everything is more… just more. Better. Complete.

I’m a logical person. I like plans and analytics. I’m the last one to say love at first sight is real, or even that soul mates are a thing. I’ve actually scoffed at people who’ve said that—my friends and I have an ongoing debate about it that only comes up when we’re drunk.

Damn them for being right.

In the meantime, everyone’s attention is on Aether, who’s wearing a wide, happy smile.

“Aether, babe,” Perry begins, sounding dangerous, “if you’re about to say what I think you are, don’t. Just do not.”

What was Aether about to say? I desperately need to know now.

As though he can read my mind, he turns to me and reassures, “They’re all overreacting. I can’t tell you why, because Perry will get mad and I don’t like making him mad. But everything is fine, and we don’t care if you and Zephyr love each other and want to be together forever. That would actually be ideal . It’s what’s mean?—”

“What part of ‘Don’t say it’ did he not understand?” Flame asks Perry. “Seriously. You know him better than me. Do we need to start phrasing things differently?”

Zephyr slides onto the stool beside me, moving it closer as he does, and his bare arm brushes against mine. My whole body tingles—but also relaxes. It’s unnerving. How can he make me so electrically aware and mellow at the same time?

“You don’t need to tell me anything that’s confidential,” I venture. “Though I’m happy to sign an NDA if there’s something I need to know that will affect my work. I just don’t want to cause any problems. It’s my first day, and we didn’t exactly discuss the idea of office relationships.” Because I didn’t think it would be an issue when working for such a small organization, more than half of whom are already paired off.

That’s a little unusual, now that I think about it. Were they already coupled up when they decided to start this venture? I know River still technically works for the Krills Institute, but his research seems to play a big role in what the Conservation Kings are doing.

“We don’t have a policy about that,” Zephyr says. “Do you want to go for a walk on the beach with me later? The afternoon sea breezes are beautiful.” He makes a pensive face. “I think the tornado in Kansas is going to ease off soon.”

I blink three times fast. “What?”

“A walk,” he repeats. “You can tell me all the things you like.”

“Uh… I mean, sure. After work, right?” I check, and Cody laughs.

“When the breeze calls him, more like.”

I am so confused.

“What Cody means,” Flame says with a glare, “is that we’re flexible with work hours. As long as everything gets done, it doesn’t bother us if you take the afternoon off and then work in the evening.”

I nod. “Oh. Okay.” Somehow, I get the feeling there’s more to it.

Zephyr sighs. “Really? Can’t we just?—”

“Hello? Who’s home?” a voice calls from the hallway, and a second later a tall man in jeans and a T-shirt appears in the doorway. He bears a striking resemblance to Cody, and his gaze flicks over us, but he doesn’t smile until it reaches Flame. This must be the firefighter boyfriend, Cody’s older brother.

“There you are,” Flame says, relief heavy in his voice. “Perfect timing. How was work?” He gets up, and they meet halfway across the kitchen for a kiss. It’s sweet, and I find myself smiling.

“Mmm, not as good as this,” the man says when he pulls back. “Sorry I’m so late—we got called out right before my shift was supposed to finish. House fire.”

“Was anyone hurt?” Cody asks. “Oh, and this is Storm. Storm, meet my brother, Bran.”

Bran takes me in, and it feels like he sees everything, including how close Zephyr is. “Hi, Storm. Nice to meet you. I hope everyone’s being nice and not making you uncomfortable.”

“Not at all,” I reply, then wince. “I mean, yes, they’re being nice. I’m not uncomfortable.” He doesn’t look convinced, so I decide to go for broke. “To tell the truth, it’s the weirdest day of my life. I think I just found my soul mate, and since I used to laugh at people who’d say, ‘When you know, you know,’ I’m not sure if that makes me a hypocrite or delusional or what.” I take a breath. “But definitely everyone is great and I think this is a job I’ll love. If I haven’t completely blown it by falling in love with one of my bosses.”

I’m totally expecting a moment of awkward silence, but instead, Zephyr slings an arm around my shoulders and says, “I’m in love with you too. That’s the important part. The details can come later.”

Awwww.

Bran turns slowly to look at Flame, who’s thrown his hands up in exasperation. “How long was I gone?”

“It was all going so well,” Flame exclaims. “Everyone was being normal , and Cody already showed him a lot of what he’d need to do. He started making plans for us. And then, bam—Zeph came down from the roof and it all went to shit in less than a minute.”

“Yesterday’s conversation was just a frustrating exercise in futility,” Perry says bitterly to nobody in particular. Then his expression changes, as though a thought has occurred to him. “Zeph, any update on Brenda and Ted?”

Zephyr nods, chewing on a bite of his sandwich. That reminds me… I should eat. “Brenda wants to tell her sister so she won’t think Brenda’s missing and have the police arrest Ted for being a wife killer.”

I freeze with my sandwich halfway to my mouth. “Excuse me?”

“It’s okay,” Cody assures me. “Ted didn’t kill anyone, and he’s not going to.” He looks at Zephyr. “Right?”

Zephyr purses his lips. “He doesn’t seem like the type. All signs point to no. He just wants to make his mom happy and not accidentally give her a heart attack. She likes Brenda.”

This is trippy. “Are these neighbors?” And would it be rude for me to ask for the backstory?

“Not our neighbors,” Perry hedges. “Bran, you never answered Cody’s question. Was anyone hurt in that house fire?”

Bran crosses to the island and begins assembling a sandwich. “No, it’s all fine. They’d already left for work but forgot to turn off the iron.”

Immediately I wonder if I left my iron on, despite the fact that I not only didn’t iron anything this morning but haven’t ironed anything in about three months. I’ve been sending my shirts out to be pressed since the incident where I burned myself and scorched two shirts and (somehow) my shoes while ironing. Now I only get the cursed appliance out when the situation is truly dire.

“I don’t know why you’re all being so mean,” Zephyr complains. “You got to tell your people. Why can’t I tell my person? Aether says it’s okay.”

Here’s the awkward silence I was expecting before. I keep my gaze on my sandwich, leaning just a little bit against Zephyr’s solid presence beside me, and wonder if I should offer to go eat on the deck so they can have this conversation in private. Whatever it is, it’s clear there’s some level of need-to-know involved.

Oh my god, did I just start working for drug smugglers?

“I won’t do anything illegal,” I blurt. “Don’t tell me anything. I don’t want to know. I can just walk away now and say the job wasn’t the right fit for me.” Shit, that still leaves Zephyr… “I’ll be one of those partners who had no idea about the secret double life my boyfriend was living. Keep it separate from our relationship.” There’s a note of hysteria creeping into my voice toward the end of that sentence.

“Oh boy,” Bran murmurs. “Relax, Storm. There’s nothing illegal happening here.”

I nod. “Good. Right. Yeah. That’s the line you need to hold. Nothing illegal here. Gotcha.”

Flame sighs. “Why is this happening to me?” he asks. “Why couldn’t it have happened to George?”

There’s a moment while they all shudder.

“Changing the subject,” I say brightly, because why not? “Is there a reason he didn’t opt to have a screen name like the rest of you?”

“He’s a geologist,” Perry explains. “All the ones he liked were already taken.”

I think about that for a second. “Ah. You mean like The Rock?”

“Yep. Nothing else sounds as cool.”

“I mean, Stone or Stony wouldn’t be bad?” I even think that could be kind of sexy.

To my surprise, Aether, Flame, Zephyr, and Perry shake their heads in unison. “Pebble,” Zephyr says, as if that’s all the explanation it needs.

“Pebble? Like the cute baby from The Flintstones ?”

Flame laughs out loud. “That hadn’t even occurred to me, but I definitely have to tell George.”

“She was Pebbles,” Perry corrects. “With an s . But no. George tried using Stone once, and I called him Pebble as a joke. He got sick of hearing it.”

I bite my lip to hold in the laugh. I don’t want it getting back to George that I laughed at him—my first impression has to be the best possible, since I’m already kind of hooking up with his friend. Although, is it hooking up if all I’ve done is hold his hand and lean into him? Technically, I suppose no, but he passed me my sandwich. And I’m planning to do a lot more with him later.

“Fair enough,” I concede when I can speak with a straight face. “Do you think he’d be open to a discussion about a screen name, though? Because those seem to get a lot of engagement on your socials. The posts about George don’t have the same reach.”

Zephyr huffs. “That’s because all he talks about is rocks. The only people who like rocks in adulthood are geologists. Can we stop changing the subject yet? I want to tell Storm everything about me.”

Bran sighs. “Of course you do.”

“That’s an excellent idea,” Aether adds. “We should tell Storm everything.”

Perry whimpers. “Really? Today? It’s his first day, and I don’t want to interview more people when he runs screaming in the opposite direction.”

For the first time all day, Aether’s face settles into serious lines. “That won’t happen. Trust me. This is how it’s supposed to be.”