Page 46 of Instant Bond

“I trust you completely, too.”

Later, as we scarfed down Chinese food in our underwear on the leather couch in his living room, he gave me an inquisitive look like he had something to say. I was starting to recognize his expressions and quirks, just like I was pretty sure he was starting to get used to mine, too.

“I didn’t get to finish explaining why you should move in with me.”

“You’re the one who totally distracted me,” I said after swallowing a mouthful of flavorful noodles. My nerves sparked a bit at his words, but not too much. I’d been waiting for him to bring it up again.

He smirked a bit, plucking out a piece of fried pork from the paper takeout container between us before popping it into his mouth. He was using chopsticks flawlessly. I had to use a fork. Chopsticks were a little bit outside my level of hand-eye coordination.

“The empty room would be Ty’s,” he said. “It’s bigger than his room now so fitting his stuff in there shouldn’t be a problem.” Of course it was bigger than his room now. Everything here was bigger than everything in my current apartment. TheCPS people would like seeing him in a bigger space, I was sure. Not that it sounded like I was at risk of losing him anymore, but still I didn’t want to do anything to piss them off.

“My building is in the same district as yours, so he wouldn’t need to change schools,” Karter went on. “There are children that go to the school that live here, so the bus already stops right in front.”

“You checked that?” I asked, unbelievably touched.

“Of course. I knew that would be important to you.” He paused, watching me for a moment as I slurped more noodles up into my mouth. “I can understand why you’d be hesitant, but you should consider the fact that if it doesn’t seem to be working out, it doesn’t have to be permanent. But you could at least be comfortable and safe while you’re trying to find something.”

Everything he was saying was perfectly reasonable and logical. Like we weren’t two people who’d met less than a month ago in a random donut-related freak accident.

“Where would I sleep?” The apartment only had 2 bedrooms, very obviously meant for a single person and not a family.

“You could sleep out here on the couch.” I was used to that, anyway. And this one was way bigger and way more comfy than what I’d been sleeping on. “Or you could sleep in my room,” he added, just a little too casually. “Whatever would feel most comfortable for you.”

“You didn’t even have to think about that, did you?” I asked, not-so-subtly calling him out on his insanity.

“No.” Apparently he didn’t mind being called out on it. On the contrary, it almost seemed like he was a little proud of it. “Now tell me your concerns and objections, so I can counter them.”

Inhaling deeply, I slowly blew out a breath. “I don’t think I have any.”

“Really?” He asked, eyebrows quirking up to show his excitement.

I shook my head. “I’m probably crazy for saying this, but it does make the most sense. It just feels like the right thing to do. But I have to talk to Ty first.”

“Of course,” he responded, giving me a firm nod. “I wanted to ask about him, anyway. He’s getting dropped back off in about two hours, right?”

“Right.”

“Am I safe to assume you won’t be sick of me by then?”

I laughed, squirting soy sauce onto the big pile of rice I’d scooped onto my plate. I needed carbs to recover from all the energy we’d spent fucking.

“Um, not likely.”

“Then you won’t mind if I stick around until he goes to bed?”

“You want to hang out with Ty?”

“I haven’t gotten to see him since Tuesday. And our last episode of Epic Power Squad ended on a cliffhanger, you know.”

“I’m sure you’ve been dying of suspense,” I said dryly, but only to try and mask the emotion in my voice.

“You could say that,” he answered lightly.

My heart trembled in my chest before bursting like an over-inflated balloon. An alpha wanted to spend time with my kid. An alpha that I really, really liked. An alpha that really, really liked me. And Ty hadn’t stopped asking about him since the other night.

It was a weird time to say anything real or important. We weren’t in bed together anymore. We were in our underwear, devouring food like starving cavemen. And there was a cheesy sitcom on in the background neither of us were paying the slightest bit of attention to. But the words grew and grew inside me until they couldn’t be contained.

“Karter, I…” I paused, huffing out a breath. “I think I’m falling for you.”

---