Page 38 of The Jorogumo

"Yeah?"

"How did you know you were ready to move in with Khush? To live here?"

Dustin stared at me, eyes wide with surprise. "You want Liam to move in with you?"

"I do. I'm worried it would be too fast for him. We've only known each other for a few months, and dated for much less. I don't want to scare him away by pushing too hard."

"Has he mentioned anything about moving?"

I shook my head, then raised a brow at him. "How did you decide?"

Dustin made a face. "Ah, I didn't actually. Khush was over the day my landlord evicted me, and he asked me to move in."

"Oh." Since Liam lived above the shop, I doubted that would happen for me.

"Yeah." Dustin gave me a soft smile. "I know it's probably not what you want to hear, but maybe you should let him bring it up? We humans tend to have a lot of rules and timelines when it comes to dating."

"I can do that." And I would. If there was anything I wanted more than for Liam to move in with me, it was for him to be happy.

"Thanks for talking it through with me, Dustin."

He grinned, eyes shining brightly as he waved me off. "Nah, it was my pleasure."

Slowly, he got to his feet, and I grabbed his elbow when he seemed to waver a little. Shooting me a smile of thanks, he patted my arm, and I let go, though I kept a watchful eye on him, and not just because I knew Khush would kill meand probably destroy the whole Sanctuary if Dustin got hurt. Dustin was my friend, and I didn't want him or his baby to get hurt either.

Once Dustin was safely inside his cabin, I headed back to mine as I mulled over my thoughts.

Moving might not be the right choice for now, but there was another milestone I could cross, something new I could explore with my mate.

That evening, I invited Liam over, promising that I'd set an early alarm for the next day so he could open his store on time, at which point he reminded me that it wasn'thisstore and he was just the manager.

Liam's name might not be on the ownership papers, but it was very much his store.

I grinned as I opened the door to Liam just as the sun was starting to set—the headmaster had synced the Sanctuary's time with the human area outside our main doors, that was, Liam's town, though the weather stayed much the same, only affected by the landscape of different areas—and pulled him in, closing the door behind him and then pressing him against it.

"Hi," I murmured, my lips hovering close to his.

"Hi," he whispered back, his dark eyes peering into mine as his plush lips curved upward. "Did you miss me?"

"Every single moment," I answered honestly, then kissed him before he could comment on my mushiness.

I moaned into the kiss, humming as I tasted bitter coffee and sweet chocolate on his tongue. He'd been to the bakery.

"You taste sweet."

Liam's lips curved up at my observation, and something smacked against my thigh. "Got you some."

Grinning, I pulled back, meeting his eyes properly and just taking a moment to look at him.

Liam was dressed in a navy blue-button down today with tiny eye-masks printed all over in white, paired with off-white jeans that clung to his thick thighs, and black boots that made a soft thunk whenever he moved.

"You look really handsome," I told him, smiling when his cheeks went pink.

"You don't look so bad yourself," he said after a moment, making me chuckle.

I was in a loose pink button-down that was two sizes too big for me, just the way I liked it.

I still didn't understand how Liam could like me—and even be attracted to me—in my true form, but he did. I could feel his arousal every time we were together, and it left no room for doubt.

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