Page 45 of Secret Shifters Next Door

Emily made a face that said it was no problem. “My pleasure. Hopefully, you’d help me out if I needed it.”

“Yeah. How are things going with your grandma’s place?” I asked.

She shrugged. “It’s going. I’ve got all the final stuff together for the sale. I think I’m going to do an estate sale first, see what I can get rid of before renting a dumpster. I tell you, the worst part of selling a house is getting all the shit out of it.” She put a hand on my thigh as we turned onto the main road. “Sorry I haven’t been in touch the last day or two, it’s been crazy getting all that stuff ready.”

“Emily, seriously, it’s fine. Do you want to grab dinner before we pick up my car? It’s a little early, but I thought it might be nice.”

“Oh, we can grab the early bird specials.” Emily laughed.

“Exactly,” I said.

We pulled into the diner down the street from the garage and sat down for dinner. I was having a hard time deciding what to eat. My adult brain pushed me toward grilled chicken or a salad, but the baby growing in my belly was urging me to order the chili cheese burger or the fried pickles.

“So,” Emily said. “How are things with the guy?”

I put the menu down and blushed, all thoughts of food evaporated for the moment. “I’d say it’s going pretty good. I told you about Monday night, right?”

Emily rolled her eyes. “Uh, yeah. How have things been since then?”

“I guess I’m a little conflicted. I’m really starting to like him, but it’s hard to open up to him completely. I’m worried that if I bring him fully into my life, things might go wrong. It wouldhurt me, and it would break the girls’ hearts. They’ve really taken to him, and I don’t know if I could live with myself if they had to lose someone they were starting to care for. I keep thinking maybe I should leave things as they are. Not go any deeper, you know?”

Emily reached across the table and took my hand. “You’ve got to try. It seems like this might be something special. I really think you guys can make it work. You just have to open up and let him in. Really show him how amazing you are. Tate probably sees that anyway, and he knows what he’s missing out on. It’s probably why he’s pursuing you now more than before.”

I sighed, uncertain. “Maybe, but shouldn’t I try to take things slow… uh… slower. I don’t want us to start humping our brains out before truly getting to know each other.”

“Take it from me, the fastest way to get to know someone is in bed. That’s my personal experience. You should give it a shot. Next time you two are alone, just go to town. Surprise the shit out of him. Yank his pants down and suck on that big cock before he even knows what is happening.”

I burst out laughing, my face flaming. Emily made a compelling argument. The mental image of me sliding him into my mouth sent a hot jolt through my body. She really seemed to want me to make a go of it with Tate. She seemed almost desperate to see me with him. It made me wonder how lonely she might be.

“Speaking of…” Emily said, leaning close to whisper, “…let’s hear about the sex.”

My eyes widened in surprise, and I glanced around to see if anyone had heard. “What do you mean?”

She rolled her eyes. “Spill it, sister. I heard about the tongue action, but you haven’t really gone into detail about that night in New York. What was it like?”

“Oh geez, uh, it was a few months ago?—”

“Sweetie, you know as well as I do that women don’t forget things like this. Was it hot and heavy? Did he like… growl or bite during sex? Animalistic stuff like that?”

Her questions were getting a little weird. I wasn’t sure how to answer them. “Um, well, there’s been no biting. I guess when he does get really worked up, there’s some kind of growling sound he makes.”

“What kind of growl? Can you describe it?”

She was making me uncomfortable. I held my hand up. “Emily, what the hell? You’re getting super personal.”

She seemed to realize she’d pushed a little too much. She blushed and leaned back. “I’m sorry. I’ve been going through a dry patch the last few months. Well… a year and a half actually. I can’t help but be jealous and wanted to know all the dirty details. The closest I’ve had to a sexual relationship is naming my vibrator. His name is David, by the way.”

I chuckled, still a little uneasy about her line of questioning. I told her it wasn’t a problem. Though even after the waitress took our order and brought out our food, I couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d been trying to dig some other information out of me. It left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I tried to play it off, but when she dropped me off at the auto shop, I was a little relieved to be away from her. Once she was gone, though, I felt pretty stupid for thinking that. She probably was just horny and wanted to live vicariously through a friend. I told myself to forget about it as I walked into the garage.

“Mrs. King?” the attendant asked as I walked up to the counter.

“Yes. I had the car that…” I trailed off, not knowing how to finish.You know, the car my psycho ex had trashed. I’m sure you remember, it’s the one that had the word whore spray painted on it.

He nodded, and I didn’t have to finish what I had been about to say. Thank God. “I gotcha. Mr. Mills came by to check on it earlier. I have you all set up.”

He came around the counter with my keys. “It’s in the lot out back.”

I followed him through the garage and out the back bay door. He walked me to my car, and I was surprised at how good it looked. The entire exterior had been repainted. You couldn’t even tell anything had happened. The attendant unlocked the door and opened it. My jaw dropped. The interior had been detailed. The carpets and upholstery looked like they’d been shampooed, and there wasn’t a speck of dust or dirt anywhere inside. The whole car, literally, looked brand new.

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