Page 8 of Ghosted AF
“Caius is my brother. He called me to come over and fix your door.”
I glanced at the giant dent in the bottom of the door, then to the splintered frame before meeting his gaze again. “You’re going to fix it?”
He laughed, easy and carefree. “I’m going to replace it. I just need to get some measurements.”
Okay, yeah, that made more sense. Still, I bit my bottom lip, hesitating before agreeing to the repairs.
“How much is that going to cost?”
“For you? Nothing.” Amber eyes—a shade darker than his brother’s—sparkled with petty glee. “Caius broke it, so he’s footing the bill.”
“Oh, okay.” I mean, it was only good manners since he’d karate kicked my door into another dimension, but I still felt oddly touched by the gesture. “I should probably check with management?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of everything.”
I didn’t have to pay for the repairs,andI didn’t have to deal with administrative bullshit? Sign me the fuck up.
“Thank you.” I jerked a thumb over my shoulder. “Do you want to talk to Caius?”
“Oh, gods, no.”
He laughed again, an infectious chuckle that I couldn’t help but echo.
“I heard that, dumbass.”
My laughter died immediately when the gruff voice resonated behind me, but Lucius responded with the shit-eating grin of a little brother used to getting his way.
A hand landed on my shoulder, and I tensed, an involuntary shiver vibrating through me when a spark of electricity rippled down my spine. My pulse jumped, my heart climbing into mythroat, and my nostrils flared as I tried to breathe through the unfamiliar sensations.
Caius’ touch wasn’t threatening, but it didn’t exactly feel friendly either. It seemed almost…territorial.
That couldn’t be right, though. I barely knew the shifter, and—
Lucius’ gaze flickered to the hand on my shoulder, his eyes narrowed in observation, and his grin widened, stretching to show every one of his teeth.
“Rylee,” he said, though his attention remained on his brother. “You should come with me to pick out a new door.”
Caius’ fingers flexed on my shoulder, his grip tightening briefly before relaxing again. He didn’t comment, but this time, I had no trouble interpreting the gesture.
He clearly hadn’t appreciated the suggestion.
Lucius laughed again, seemingly having the time of his life. “Fuck, why don’t you just whip your dick out and pee a circle around him?”
My eyes widened, and I shook my head quickly as I spun around to face my hired protector. “Please don’t do that.”
To my surprise, Caius barked out a sharp laugh, and the smile that accompanied it transformed his already handsome face into something truly breathtaking. Literally.
My breath caught in my chest, my brain glitched, and I blurted out the first thought that popped into my head. “You’re wearing a shirt.”
A soft black material with a V-neck collar that showed a hint of the tattoo on his chest. It probably didn’t need to be that tight, but it did cover him.
“I do that sometimes.” Still chuckling, he reached out, lightly tapping the underside of my chin with the side of his index finger.
Realizing I’d gone slack-jawed, I shook myself out of my stupor and snapped my lips closed.
“And you,” he continued, pointing the same finger at his brother’s face. “More fixing. Less talking.”
Lucius held both hands up in surrender, though he appeared more amused than intimidated.
