Page 11 of Saving Nevin
I blushed and gripped the clothing to my chest. “Thanks. I’ll…uh… Be right back,” I mumbled before darting off down the hall once more. Maybe I’d feel a little more human in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.
Maybe.
10
KACE
I watchedNevin take the bags and scurry off down the hall like a skittish little mouse, and my stomach did a somersault. He wasn’t the only one who was anxious. I could feel nerves building, bouncing around inside of me like jumping beans. I took a deep breath to steady myself. It would be okay. Ithadto be okay. He was my mate, I was sure of it.
So I busied myself with setting the table for breakfast. I’d stopped at Bob Evans on my way home, since it was right around the corner. I knew Nevin would probably be hungry. I opened the foam containers and doled out the food, until our plates were piled high with fluffy scrambled eggs and strips of crispy bacon.
I was just finishing up by pouring two glasses of orange juice when movement caught my eye. I glanced up to see Nevin peeking into the kitchen, wearing a pair of rainbow leopard-print leggings and a soft gray sweatshirt. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Xan’s fashion sense was something else, but for some reason, it looked good on the Omega.
Borrowed clothing aside, Nevin was possibly the most beautiful person I’d ever met. A wintry beauty with a fretful heart. His white-blond hair fringed over his eyes, hiding them from my sight. I had so many questions I wanted to ask, but I also didn’t want to overwhelm him.
Not that staring at him was much better. His cheeks turned pink as he ducked his head, stuffing his hands deeper into the pockets of the hoodie.
I laughed softly, offering up a sheepish smile in return. “Sorry. Are you hungry? I brought breakfast.” As much as I wanted to stand there and pour over his fragile beauty, my stomach gurgled in demand for food. I carried our glasses over to the table and sat them down, before taking my usual spot.
Nevin hesitated, but only for a moment before joining me. The chair legs scraped softly over the floorboards as he scooted himself closer to the table. His smile was uncertain, but damn if it didn’t make my heart stumble all over itself.
I bit off a chunk of bacon and chewed, but I could hardly taste it. I was too wrapped up in watching Nevin fiddle with the little container the sausage gravy had come in. He peeled off the flimsy lid and set it aside before scraping the creamy goop out onto his biscuits. The gravy formed a puddle on his plate. He licked his fingers clean and his eyes darted up to meet mine.
He smiled shyly, soft pink lips curling up at the corners. “…Hi.”
I grinned a dopey grin right back. “Hi.”
He bit his lip and my heart swooped again, beating so hard and fast against my ribcage, I feared it might take flight. Damn. This wasreal. Fate had finally answered my pleas for a mate. He was real, and he was sitting right in front of me…and for some reason, I couldn’t quite stop staring at him.
“Sorry. I’m making this awkward, aren’t I?” I shoved the rest of the piece of bacon in my mouth, turning my attention to my nearly overflowing plate.
“I-It’s okay, I’m just…not used to having such a rapt audience while I eat breakfast.” Nevin laughed, his voice soft and a little raspy, probably because he’d been locked away in his wolf form for weeks on end. “Though I guess it’s payback for watching you get ready for bed every night.”
“Right,” I joked back. “Well, I guess if we’re even, I probably shouldn’t bombard you with questions while you eat.” Even though I really wanted to. Ireally, really wanted to.
His face flushed pink, but he hunched his shoulders in a quick shrug. “I can’t really fault you for that. If you wanna ask me questions, it’s okay. Really. I, um…” He cut himself off, shaking his head, almost like he was shaking a thought. “Ask away.”
As much as I was dying to learn all about him, I hesitated. “You sure?” I didn’t want to push him into anything he wasn’t comfortable with. Even though he’d spent the last month or so living with me, I knew literally nothing about him.
Nevin nodded slowly. “Y-Yeah.”
“What’s your full name?” I asked, and it must’ve surprised him, because he blinked owlishly up at me. I smiled and shrugged. “I’m curious, that’s all.”
“Nevin Aster Moore.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-five. Um... My birthday is in October, if that was going to be your next question.”
I raised a brow and took a big bite of my eggs. “October what? Are you a scorpio or a libra?”
His laughter pleased me. “Are you one of those astrology nerds?”
I scoffed. “Hardly. Just curious. So damn curious. I have a ton more questions, but I figured we’d get the easy ones out of the way first. So?”
“So…?” he repeated, slower.
“Scorpio or libra?” I insisted, which made his smile shine a little bit brighter—which was exactly what I was aiming for. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.” I waggled my brows suggestively, and he burst out laughing.
