Page 198 of Secret Shifters Next Door

Hearing him say that about her caused my hair to rise, and my wolf growled. Instead of scaring him, Blayne only laughed harder. I groaned and shook my head. “I’m sorry. That’s not like me.”

Blayne wiped his eyes and got himself under control. He patted me on the shoulder. “This is your mate. It’s expected you’d be really protective. What’s your next move?”

“I invited her over for dinner. I’m going to cook for her. It seems like she’s not a huge fan of crowds. Very introverted, so going to a restaurant doesn’t sound like the best plan. I thought dinner at my place would work best.”

Blayne looked at me and put a hand to his mouth dramatically. “Aww, you are so thoughtful.”

I snatched a napkin off the counter, crushed it into a ball, then threw it at my best friend’s face. He chuckled. “For real, though. I know this is hard for you, but I’m proud of you for pursuing something with this woman. It’s a big step.”

“I have no idea what I’m doing here, Blayne. Picking up a girl for a random hookup is easy—I’ve done enough of that. Trying to truly pursue someone? I haven’t done that since I was a kid.”

“Just be yourself,” Blayne said. “Do that, and everything will fall into place. Make sure she knows she’ll be safe with you. After that, it should be easy.”

“If you say so. We’ll see. Hopefully, you’re right.”

After finishing my coffee, I headed to the door to get started on dinner. Before I got out the door, April came in, almost running me over.

“Oh, jeez. Sorry Miles. I should have watched where I was going.”

I laughed and stepped out of the way. “No problem. I was getting ready to head to the store.”

She raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Now that I’ve got you, who was that cute woman I saw you talking to today?”

Rolling my eyes, I sighed. “You guys will meet her eventually. Trust me.”

April leaned in close so no one else would hear. “Is it happening to you?” She glanced around again. “The curse?”

I nodded.

April huffed out a breath and crossed her arms. “You know, I’m going to be happy once all this is over. I mean, I’m happy it ended with me and Steff together, but it’s too crazy. Witches and hunters and curses? The sooner it’s over, the sooner we can all get on with our lives.” She placed a hand on my arm. “Keep your mate safe. If the way things went with Harley and me are any example, I’m afraid trouble is on the way. Hopefully not, but better to be ready.”

April’s words echoed through my head the whole way to the store. I tried to get the thoughts of danger out of my head by deciding on what to make. Celina had shared some of her heritage with me by making a meal from where her family was from. I figured I could do the same. My family had roots in Italy, so one of my mom’s recipes sounded perfect. Every New Year’s Eve, my mother would make this fantastic pasta carbonara.

I pushed my cart around the store as the thought of my mom took my excitement down a notch. I missed her and my father so much. I grabbed bacon, eggs, all the stuff to make homemade pasta, and all the other accouterments. By the time I got tothe checkout line, I was stuck reliving nostalgic memories and feeling pretty down. There was a little stand by the register that had a display of postcards, and I took it as a sign. The postcards were so old-fashioned, but exactly what I needed. It had been months since I’d sent my parents one. I snatched one up and set it on the conveyor belt with the rest of my stuff.

Back in my car, I scribbled out a note to my parents on the back of the postcard. I told them I was safe, that I loved them and missed them. Since I always kept a book of stamps in my car, I swung by the post office on my way home to send the card out. Knowing that in a couple days my parents would receive the postcard lifted my spirits a bit, and by the time I got home, my excitement at having Celina over for dinner had returned.

Celina had really enjoyed the wine the night before, so I grabbed another bottle and set it on the counter, then started working on the pasta. As I worked, I was transported into the past, back into my childhood kitchen with Mom stirring the eggs into the flour. In no time, I had dozens and dozens of strands of pasta hanging around the kitchen to dry. It wasn’t until I was halfway into mixing the dough that I realized I didn’t have a pasta drying rack, like my mother and grandmother had. So, I draped the pasta over coat hangers and scattered them around the apartment. It looked ridiculous, but I was pretty proud of my quick thinking. With that done, I cleaned up the kitchen before making the salad for the night.

Halfway through chopping the romaine lettuce, I remembered I never told Celina what time to come over. A glance at the clock showed it was five. Would it be weird to go tell her now? I didn’t want her showing up when my place looked like a disaster. I sighed and washed my hands, wiping them on my pants before heading out the door.

I knocked on Celina’s door three times, but there was no answer. Was she out somewhere? I couldn’t remember hearingher leave. I was about to walk around the stairwell and see if her car was there, when I heard the door latch snap open. I smiled and turned back to the door. Then I froze. My eyes widened, and I had to stop my jaw from dropping.

Celina must have been in the shower when I knocked. She was wrapping a towel around her hair and wearing what looked like a silk robe. It was short, and I could see her legs up beyond mid-thigh—toned and gorgeous. Not wanting to stare, I yanked my eyes up, but then caught myself staring at her chest. The silk was thin enough for me to see the outline of her nipples through the fabric. My wolf lusted for her, and my body started to respond to the magnificent sight before me. The robe itself was tied loosely, which left very little to the imagination.

I was rock hard when she spoke. “Oh, hey. Sorry…uh…oh shit.” She glanced down, then pulled her robe tighter around her body. All that did was cause her nipples and breasts to stand out more as the fabric tightened around her torso. I swallowed hard and forced my eyes up to meet hers.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to bother you.” I cleared my throat and fought back a hungry growl. “I only wanted to let you know to come over at seven if that works for you. Is that okay?”

Celina smiled shyly. “That works, yeah.” I could tell she was getting self-conscious standing there half naked, and I certainly wasn’t helping matters by staring at her like a horny thirteen-year-old boy.

“Okay, cool. See you then.” I nodded and did my best to give her a smile, then turned and went back to my apartment. I closed the door and leaned against it, looking down at the throbbing bulge between my legs.

God, it was like I was back in junior high again.

ELEVEN

CELINA

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