Page 181 of Secret Shifters Next Door

Blayne craved a family. If I had to guess, deep down, when he’d heard about the curse, a small part of him had been excited. As far as we knew, there hadn’t been a female panther shifter in the US in over a decade. His mom very well may have been the last one. One night after way too many beers, Blayne had confided in me that he’d resigned himself to seeing his kind go extinct.

I huffed a breath out and reached over, yanking the phone from his hand. He protested and tried to grab it back. “Nope,” I said, pulling it out of reach. “If I’m next, it’ll be over quick. Then, hopefully, you can find your person. It shouldn’t take more than a day or two for the curse to figure out that I’m not mate material. For anyone.”

Blayne sank into his chair and rolled his eyes. “Bro? Way to be melodramatic.” He put the back of his hand to his forehead. “Woe is me, how will I ever survive being so unlovable?”

Steff snorted, and Tate put a hand over his mouth to cover a grin.

Blayne looked me dead in the eye. “I can’t wait to watch this curse bring you a mate. It’s going to knock you flat on your ass, and it’ll be glorious.”

“Yeah, right.” As the guys burst out in laughter, I stood. “I need to get home. I’m tired, and it’s almost noon. Plus, I haven’t had any real good sleep in days.”

Tate nodded. “Sounds like a plan. It’s good to have you back, man.”

I smiled as I headed to my car. Usually being home was a chore. The only enjoyment I really got was hanging out with my guys. This time? Home felt right. For the first time in a long time, I was truly happy to be home.

THREE

CELINA

After nearly two weeks in my new apartment, I finally decided to do a big grocery run. I’d spent the last half month running to the store for this and that. As much as I enjoyed it, it was getting a little tiresome. I kind of wanted to be able to get whatever food or snacks I wanted without getting into the car and driving to the store.

I glanced at my neighbor’s door. Two weeks and not a peep. I was almost a hundred percent sure it was vacant. At first, I’d assumed they were on vacation, but who goes on vacation for two weeks or longer? Other than depressed novelists with writer’s block, that is.

Even though there was no movement next door, my daily daydreams continued. Was he a hitman for the mob, trying to get out of that life and find love? Or maybe he was an escaped soldier who’d joined a secret test group, and could now read people’s minds and move stuff with his mind. Was the government trying to catch him and bring him back? Or—my favorite one, since I never saw anyone during the day—he was a vampire. A sexy one, not sparkly. The classic, sensual vampire. Sexy eyes, gorgeous lips, and…well, I guess my imagination was getting the best of me.

At the store, I bought most of the items I really wanted—hummus and carrots, hot chocolate mix since it was chilly outside, and salted almonds. I was trying not to gain twelve pounds while I was here, but I still splurged and got a small container of ice cream, American cheese, and bread for grilled cheese. It was November. It was cold. I wanted comfort food. Enough said.

By the time I checked out, the cart was way fuller than I thought it would be. It didn’t dawn on me until I got home that I’d have to lug the bags all the way up the stairs to my apartment. I stared at the outdoor flights of stairs and frowned. Did I make two trips? Or did I load up my arms and do it in one trip?

The hot chocolate and grilled cheese were really calling my name. And the frigid breeze blowing up my back helped make my mind up. I grabbed all four paper bags and got them loaded into my arms, then thumped the car door closed with my butt. The first flight of stairs was easy, and I thought I’d made a great choice. On the second flight, though, one of the bags started to slip, and I cursed the cute little grocery store and its lack of plastic bags with handles.

By the third set of stairs, anyone looking would think I was fighting for my life. Two bags were clenched in my right arm, the third was clutched in my left, and the fourth was making a slow, slipping descent down my chest and stomach while I––valiantly I might say––tried to keep hold of it with what little finger-hand-wrist-arm I had left to hold it. I sighed with relief when I made it to the top of the stairs and rounded the corner to my apartment. Now, all I had to do was get my stuff into the kitchen.

My resolve faltered when I realized my keys were on a band that held all my keys, and that band was around my wrist. There was no way to set the bags down without dropping the eggs. The little white Styrofoam box had been staring at me in demented glee all the way up the stairs, waiting for me to bust all dozen ofthe damned things on the concrete floor. Not being one to give up, I pressed the bag against the wall with my stomach and had just about managed to get my keys spun around to my fingers when one of the bags in my right hand began an inexorable slide to the ground.

I was too preoccupied to hear the footsteps trotting up the stairs. In my haze of panic and struggle, the deep voice calling out startled me. I yelped and finally dropped one of the bags and juggled the others to the floor with what little grace remained in me. A man jogged forward and caught the bag with my pint of ice cream before it could hit the floor.

“That was close,” he said, setting the bag on the ground.

I ignored him, checking to see if my eggs had broken. A few cans and other items had slipped from the bags, and I grabbed them as fast as I could. This was not how I wanted to meet my new neighbor.Hi, my name is Celina. I’m a klutz, nice to meet you.

“Didn’t mean to scare you. I saw the bag falling and wanted to help,” the stranger said.

I nodded as I put things back in the bag. “Thanks. Sorry for the trouble.” I winced inwardly at my habit of always apologizing even when things weren’t my fault.

“I’m Miles. Your new neighbor, I guess. When did you move in?”

I sighed and stood, turning my face to meet him. Then I froze. Like…stone statue frozen. My cheeks went red, and a shiver ran up my spine. He was, without a doubt, the most beautiful man I’d ever seen in my life. Was I hallucinating? Maybe I wasn’t actually here. Maybe I was taking a nap on my couch, and one of my daydreams had become a full-fledged REM fantasy. How could any real live man look like this? Muscles rippled under his polo shirt, and the sleeves made his massive biceps look even bigger than they already were. My God, I couldalmost see his abs through the shirt’s fabric. And that face? Those eyes? Holy shit.

He tilted his head and frowned slightly. “Um…are you okay?”

There was a flicker of something in his eyes. Not recognition, but something similar. I knew for certain that I didn’t know him. Nothing about this guy was forgettable, that was for sure. He took a small step back, almost as though he was afraid of me, then in less than three seconds, he was back to normal. I’d have thought it was strange had I not still been frozen and mute and taking in the Adonis that he was.

“Thanks,” I stammered. “The bag. That’s nice.”

I was dying inside. What garbled shit was coming out of my mouth?That’s nice?What the fuck did that even mean?

He handed me the bag of groceries he’d been holding and nodded. The man was a saint for not laughing in my face. The intensity of his gaze made me uncomfortable after a few seconds of eye contact, yet he kept staring. Averting my eyes, I quickly unlocked my door.

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