Page 300 of Secret Shifters Next Door

“Uh…maybe seven thirty? I…uh…need time for the meat to thaw.”

He grinned, and when he did, I almost melted into the pavement. He was so handsome when he wasn’t looking at me like he wanted to kill me. It was a surprising revelation, and one that had my body doing things I thought impossible an hour ago.

He patted the top of my car and nodded. “Seven thirty it is.”

Blayne walked away with his small bag of groceries, and I watched him go. At first wondering what had happened, but then having to chastise myself when I realized I was checking out his butt and hips as he swaggered toward his truck. I closed my eyes and cursed myself before getting into my car and driving away.

I barely remembered driving home. What in the name of God had happened back there? My heart had nearly banged right through my chest when Blayne had moved in close to me. Heat had trickled from my face to my chest, and even lower. Dangerously low.

Did I see a flicker of desire in his eyes? That had to be my imagination. Surely. Unless his panther had somehow taken over that part of his brain? Was that possible? My brain couldn’t compute the fact that the desire he’d shown could possibly be focused on me, much less the reciprocal desire that had simmered in my own chest.

I tried to put my head down and just get to work on dinner. I put the hamburger out to thaw and prepped the veggies for the stuffed peppers, but all that was done in less than fifteen minutes. I looked at the clock. It was barely noon. What the hell was I going to do with myself for the next few hours? Jesus, I’d go crazy.

The hours passed in weird flux. In some ways, it seemed like time was going so slowly it was actually reversing, but other times I’d glance at my watch and almost gasp at how much hadgone by. I cleaned the entire house, paying special attention to the bathroom. The last thing I wanted was for him to go pee and find a dirty toilet. That wouldn’t be a good look.

Once the hamburger had thawed, I was able to make the meatloaf stuffing for the peppers and put those in the oven, but that would take an hour to bake. I busied myself with slicing the potatoes that would go with it and sprinkling them with butter and salt, sliding them into the oven. I still hadtonsof time until Blayne came over.

The best thing I could do to pass the time was make sure I didn’t stink. I went to my room and undressed. Once I was in the shower, I sat there, letting the water stream down across my shoulders. The spray cascaded down my back and across my breasts while I stared at the tile wall. What was I going to wear? Why did I give a shit? Why would he care what I was wearing as long as the food was good? Right?

The way he’d looked at me at the store kept creeping into my mind. I continued to try to shake that thought, and the thoughts that came with it. Nothing was there. I’d imagined it. Just my imagination. Nothing else. Absolutely nothing else.

But what if there was something there? Could I possibly go there?

My hand drifted across my chest, a thumb gently circling my nipple. It hardened quickly and sent a small sliver of heat pulsing between my legs. Yanking my hand away, I huffed out a breath and shut the water off, having not even soaped my body. I had to get out of there before I did something and fantasized about something I didn’t want to.

But as I dried off, my mind went back to Blayne. If he’d had a change of heart and was starting to warm to the idea of me as a mate, what would that mean for me? He was Liam’s brother. I couldn’t pursue that. Could I? But then again, was there any real reason why I couldn’t?

SEVENTEEN

BLAYNE

My watch said it was exactly seven-thirty. I was standing on her front porch, but had yet to knock. I’d spent the day contemplating what was going on. The feelings I was starting to have for Ava were getting more intense, but even after hours and days of thought and internal argument, I couldn’t figure out if it was all fueled by my panther or if I shared his feelings.

I barely got angry now when I thought of her family. Not since learning Liam hadn’t been forced to do the dangerous stuff he’d gotten killed doing. He’d wanted it. I still resented them for enticing him in the first place, but could you really be mad when you knew they’d done all they could to get him to stop? I wasn’t sure I could.

Gio had given me and the guys all the resources he’d said he would. He’d done all that without any required repayment; it had all been given on behalf of Liam’s memory. That was the craziest part of this situation. The Francis family had no real reason to honor some long-dead soldier of theirs, but they were. Did that mean Gio had been honest when he said he’d viewed Liam as a son? As much as I didn’t want to admit it, the thought made me respect the man and his family a bit, as dirty as they were.

I’d never been so confused in my life. The only thing I was positive about was that Ava was doing something to me. She soothed my panther, which in turn soothed me. Maybe something good could come of this? It was difficult to believe. Especially when I thought back on the anger I’d experienced when I’d caught sight of her in the cemetery. And now? I was about to have dinner with her in her home.

Not wanting to drag this out any longer, I knocked three quick raps, then did my best to stand there as nonchalantly as I possibly could. I’d dressed as nicely as I thought was appropriate. The realization that I’d worn what I thought she would like was a thought I shoved to the back of my mind.

The door opened, and my panther sent a low, hungry purr through my mind. I couldn’t deny that she looked gorgeous.

“You look beautiful,” I blurted before I could stop myself.

Ava’s eyes widened in surprise, but then a cute little embarrassed smile spread across her face. “Um, thanks. You look nice, too.”

We stood there for several awkward seconds. Me on the porch, her holding the door open. Finally, Ava blinked as though waking from a dream. “Oh, damn. Sorry.” Her face went red. “Come in, come in.”

I stepped through the threshold, and she closed the door behind me. I followed her to the dining room, the delicious scent of the food tempting my hunger.

“Jeez, that smells good.”

“Thanks. It should be ready in a bit. I made a salad, if you want to start on that?”

I grinned at her. “Nah, I think I can control myself. For a few minutes anyway.”

Once the words were out of my mouth, I realized they could have a double meaning, and embarrassment swamped me.

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