Page 210 of Secret Shifters Next Door

She put her hands on her cheeks and winced. “Oh shit. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m such an ass.”

I waved it off, thankful that she’d apologized. It made me feel better that I wasn’t in the wrong. “It’s fine. I know you’re only trying to help.”

“Okay, good. Why don’t we have brunch or something later this week?”

“That would be nice. Let’s do it.” My nerves had calmed. I did not do well in uncomfortable situations, and having the conversation switch to something more banal was a huge relief.

“Speaking of nice, what are your plans for Thanksgiving?” Felicity asked.

I’d totally forgotten the holidays were about to start. Growing up the way I did, holidays like that weren’t really a big deal. I shook my head. “I don’t have any.”

“Seriously? Neither do I. We usually get together at my parents’ house in the city, but Mom and Dad decided to take a month-long trip to Europe as an early Christmas gift to each other. We can have dinner at their place. How about that? That way, you can check out the city over the long weekend.”

It actually sounded appealing. I’d realized on the excursion with Miles that I hadn’t really explored the area as much as I probably should have. Who knew what I was missing out on? If the state park was any indication, I could really use more time out and about.

“Sure. Let’s do it. We’ll talk about what we want to eat later.”

“Cool. I need to get going, though. Talk to you soon?”

I agreed and walked her to the door. As soon as I opened it, I saw Miles standing between my apartment and his. I jerked in surprise. Felicity seemed unconcerned to see him there. Miles visibly stiffened when he saw Felicity. He practically glared at her as she walked past him to the stairs. At least I was confident there wasn’t any kind of sexual connection between them. If Miles had looked at me the way he looked at Felicity, I’d have curled into the fetal position and wept. The way he acted around her was weird. It was also a little disheartening that the only man who’d ever shown any desire to be with me seemed to hate the only woman who’d ever befriended me.

Once Felicity was gone, I waved shyly at Miles. “Hey again.”

“Can I come in?”

“Sure.” I stood aside and let him inside, closing the door behind him.

Miles walked into the living room and looked at me. “What do you know about Felicity?”

I didn’t understand the question. “What do you mean?”

His jaw clenched. I’d never seen him look so on edge. He wiped a hand across his face. “There’s something about her. Ican’t explain it, but I have a bad feeling. Like she might not be the best person, that’s all.”

I crossed my arms. I wasn’t sure what had brought this on, but I wasn’t really excited to be having two intense conversations on the same day––in the same freaking hour no less.

“Felicity said something similar about you.”

Miles shook his head. “What? Me? What did she say?”

“That you might end up hurting me because”—I glanced away from him, unable to look him in the eyes—“I’m not very experienced. You might take advantage or something.”

Miles clenched his jaw. “Do you believe her?”

I considered the question for a minute, and deep down, I knew I didn’t. Since the moment I met him, Miles had been nothing but a complete gentleman. He’d been sweet, patient, and calm. I shook my head.

He visibly relaxed. It was almost like he’d been dreading the answer. As if whatever I said actually mattered to him. It was a strange thing to see. I couldn’t remember ever feeling as though something I did could make or break someone.

He waved me over toward my couch. “Sit down. Are your legs still sore from the hike?”

The ache in my legs was getting worse by the hour. I nodded as I walked over to the couch. He knelt on the floor and took my left thigh in his hands as I sat down. “Can I try and work some of the stiffness out of your legs?”

“That would be great, actually. I don’t really get a ton of exercise. I’m gonna be really sore tomorrow.”

“Let me see what I can do.”

He rubbed at my legs through my jeans for a few seconds. It felt great, but he stopped and stood after only a few seconds.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

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