Page 95 of As The Shifter World Turns

He distracted me for ten.

Neil

I volunteered to watch Patch for the day and was beginning to learn that his cuteness came with a side of disgusting. But as gross as that little guy was, Iliked him. He was sweet and snuggly and as long as you didn’t take your eyes off of him, he was pretty darn well behaved. If I did so much as try and sneak into the bathroom, however, I’d come back to a mess.

“Come on, sweet thing.” I grabbed his leash and he jumped off of his little bed, running towards me at warp speed. He did love his walks, or rather the idea of the walks. One day, he’d made it halfway around the block when he decided it was time to be carried. And that was fine. He was good company.

I clipped the leash onto his collar and grabbed my keys. Most people weren’t on their way home from work yet, making it an optimal time to get some air. If I waited another hour, odds were good that I’d get to the corner just as an entire busload of people were unloading.

“Let’s go.” I opened the door and the little stinker sat there, not moving. “I thought you wanted to go for a walk.”

Patch’s little tail was going a mile a minute. I squatted down. “You want to be carried?” He bolted over to me. “Spoiled pup.” I carried him out and went to lock the door only to find myself face to face with Martin.

Everything about Martin was confusing. Every last thing. At first he scared me to the point I ran away from him. Then he was pissed at me. And now…now he saw a part of me most people never did and I was oddly okay with that.

Was he? I thought so, but maybe not. Could you ever get over someone thinking you were a stalking serial killer type? Because I was pretty confident I wouldn’t. But also… I liked him.

Gods, feelings were confusing as fuck.

“Hey, Neil.” He came over to me, but not too close. Probably scared I’d run again.

“I’m taking Patch for a walk.” So much for clever banter. “He’s spoiled.”

“As he should be.” He went to pet him and stopped half way, dropping his hand to his side.

“You can pet him. He lives for it.” Which anyone looking at the pup would know. He was being cautious because of me and not fear of the sweet thing in my arms.

“Okay,” he stepped closer and scratched Patch behind the ears. “It’s sad that he had a rough life. Looks like he got a huge bonus family here, though.”

In a way he was right. We all pitched in when it came to Patch, as did our neighbor. He was the most well-loved dog in the neighborhood, possibly the city.

“This place is like that.” They were my family. That was for sure.

“I’ll let you get to your walk.” He took a step and then looked at me. “I’ve been thinking.”

Good or bad news followed when people said, “I’ve been thinking.” I hugged Patch closer as though he was my armor.

“Maybe if you want, maybe we could, you know, go out for a coffee or even dinner some time?”

His hesitant voice hit me in the gut. He wasn’t an overly confident guy strutting around, but wanted to spend time with me. And he wasn't sure if I’d say yes. So many parts of me wanted to shout, “Yes.” It meant he not only forgave me for my weirdness when we first met and my shitty decision-making skills, but also that he liked me… at least enough to share a meal with me. His shifter scent wafted over me and I liked it.

Then there was the whole eating in a restaurant thing. I could do it. I had done it with Ivor and Archer, but they were my besties. And it took all my energy and there was no fun to be had. Going on a date in a public place wasn’t for me. “I… how about I cook dinner for you instead.”

“Yeah. I’d like that.” Tension disappeared from his shoulders. Patch started to squirm in my arms. “I’ll let you go before he does something you don’t want him to.”

“Oh, right.” I bolted down the stairs. At least this time I wasn’t running away from Martin. I was just running toward somewhere Patch could pee.

35

MOVIE NIGHT

Archer

“It’s time.”

“You ordered pizza, right? “ I said into my phone as I struggled to put on my shoes. “I’ve got Indian food on the way.”

“No, Ivor was doing that.” Neil was taking off his makeup as I chatted to him and Ivor.

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