Page 38 of The Healer and the Wolf: Part Two

“Yeah. If you want, I can cut it for you. But if you’re growing it out, I like it.”

“You know how to cut hair?”

“I’m a shifter. Of course, I do.”

I furrowed my brow at that, trying to recall if there was a tidbit of data I’d been told and was currently forgetting. “I don’t understand the correlation.”

“Our hair grows incredibly fast. Probably two or three times faster than a human’s, so frequent haircuts are a necessity, especially if we’re interacting with the human world. I’m not amazing or anywhere near hairdresser level, but I kept mine, Ricky’s, and even Andromeda’s hair presentable for quite a while after the usurper took out most of our parents.”

That was a lot to digest. I knew Leo had become alpha quite early, and that there was a lot of strife in his pack when he was younger, but it made it so much more real to hear how he’d had to resort to cutting his and his friends’ hair so any humans they’d had to interact with didn’t get suspicious about so many young people running around with obviously no one to take care of them. I couldn’t imagine being in their shoes. Yeah, my home life hadn’t been great, with my aunt making it clear what she thought of me, but at least I’d had ahome.I was never worried about some rival alpha coming and killing everyone I loved.

Though that was probably because everyone I loved was already dead.

“If that’s the case, I wouldn’t mind it at all. A trim would be nice. But I do wanna grow it out. Now that I don’t have work stressing me out so much, I have a bit more time to take care of my hair.”

“I’m really glad you were able to take a step back from that place. I know I’m one to talk, considering I’ve never had a job in the human world, but it did seem especially awful.”

“Oh, it was. Is. But, yeah, I’m glad, too.”

We sat there for quite a while, returning to our previous position of his arms around my waist and chin on my shoulder. It was so warm, so secure, that all traces of that awful nightmare left my mind. I was safe. I was cared for.

There was silence between us, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. No, it was the epitome of peace. Enough so that I nearly jumped out of my own skin when someone gently knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” Leo asked in a tone that told whoever was on the other side this interruption better be damn important.

It was Ricky, who sounded quite enthused.

“I’ll make it quick, boss. I’ve organized a run for most of our visitors here, so the house will be pretty empty, and those who are sticking around have some tasks they’re going to do outside. Just thought you might want to know that you’ll have this place to yourself for a little while.”

The subtext of what he was saying was so blatantly clear I had to hang my head and breathe through my nose to keep myself from breaking into hysterics. What a good wingman. No wonder Leo trusted the guy so much as his beta. Not only did they know each other incredibly well, but they looked after each other. Maybe one day, I’d have a friend like that, too. One who wouldn’t move to Europe, end up in a whirlwind romance, and forget to reply to my text messages.

“That’s good to know, Ricky. Thank you.” Although Leo’s tone was still quite serious, I didn’t miss how the corner of his lip quirked up.

“No problem. See you guys later. Hope you feel better, Ven.”

“Thanks. I’m sure I will.”

That time, Leo did actually choke on the laugh, and I was grinning like a Cheshire cat as Ricky’s footsteps faded.

“You know,” Leo said after swallowing a few times, trying to shake off the laughter. While it wasn’t the most hilarious thing that had ever happened, it was pretty amusing that his bestfriend basically kicked everyone out of my house so we could hook up. I supposed some things were consistent across species. “We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to. I’m fine staying like this.”

I thought about it for a moment. I didn’t want to rush into anything just because we had the time and privacy. But I desperately missed the intimacy Leo and I had shared before, and it would be silly to waste an opportunity now. Besides, being close to Leo always made me so acutely aware of his body and how physically attracted I was to him. It was pretty rare for me to swoon over someone’s personality, their mind, their heart, and their looks, but Leo had aces in every category.

I tilted my head back, looking up at him with the best doe eyes I could muster.

“But what if I want to?”

That was apparently therightthing to say.

Abruptly, Leo spun me around, which was a physical feat that happened so fast I had a visceral reaction to it. I’d never realized that I enjoyed being manhandled so much, but, God, when Leo did it, it turned me on. I didn’t know if it was the display of strength or because it made me feel petite like other women, but whatever the reason, it definitely got me going in the best way possible.

“Then, I think we’re on the same page,” Leo growled.

God, I loved when his voice got like that. It gave me legitimate goosebumps and made me feel so incredibly desired. Crazy how a simple change in octave could do that.

And then he kissed me.

It wasn’t anything like those sweet, romantic pecks we sometimes shared, or the stolen, lingering kisses we tried to make time for whenever we had a spare moment of privacy. This kiss was all heat and passion. A ravenous desire that made me want to squeeze my thighs together, but they were on either sideof Leo’s hips, making me all too aware of the strength in his legs and the heat radiating from him.

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