Page 6 of Tested
We put it off for two nights, maybe three, giving Connor time to recover from the injuries he denies having. He doesn’t have obvious damage, but he still moves like everything hurt. I occupied myself with convincing Lawsuit Lawyer that he’d be better off spending his time harassing other small business owners. His blood tasted the way cell phones smell – and they don’t – so he tasted like nothing. I also planted a thought that I hoped would lead him toward more socially conscious choices, and I took his card so I’d remember his name if he turned up in the news for helping an old lady save her home from Big Business.
David uses the time to shop for Connor’s next car.
“Hey, Connor. This place is open till ten.” David points at the laptop screen from his perch on the end of the big sofa. Beyond him the window shows the last fading dregs of sunset smeared across the horizon. Connor sits on the couch’s opposite end, while I have a chair furthest back from the window.
Connor leans over to take a look at David’s laptop. “Really not sure how practical a Porsche would be.” He settles back into the sofa cushion. “I’m looking for something electric.”
“Tesla, here we come!” David laughs at his own joke and starts tapping the keyboard.
Connor catches my eye and groans, and I chuckle, too. The energy between us is calm, comfortable.
So, I toss a grenade into the room. “If we’re close enough to choose each other’s cars, maybe we should figure out what we’re not comfortable with.”
Straightening slowly, Connor gives me an appraising look. David’s eyes are wide and his hands freeze on the keyboard.
“I mean”—if vampires could blush, I’d be doing it now—“the other night I needed blood, and since you weren’t home, David and I…”
David is blushing hard enough for both of us. “I was going to tell you, but you’d wrecked your car and I figured that was enough drama for one night.”
Connor shifts his gaze from me to David. “It doesn’t upset me if Trajan feeds from you without my supervision.”
Damn. I cross my arms, ready for battle. “Sarcasm makes it sound like you do mind.”
“Okay, it does bother me that you waited three days to say something.”
David rounds on him. “Did you hear what I just said? You’d totaled your car, and since then you’ve been walking around here like a strong breeze would knock you down. Forgive me for not adding to the burden you’re obviously carrying.”
That’s my saucy wolf. “And we’re telling you now.”
Connor closes his eyes, hands fisted in his lap. “Okay.” He shakes himself, as if letting go of whatever bad humor has had hold of him. “You’re right. I appreciate that you gave me time to get my head out of my ass. I do mean it, though.” He gives me a meaningful glance. “If you’re hungry and I’m not around, it won’t bother me if you feed from David.”
“Would it bother you if I had sex with David?”
The wolf in question gives a little squeak.
Connor’s expression relaxes. “Would it bother you?”
Suddenly on the spot, I drop my gaze and do my best to consider the question honestly. “I don’t think so. You’re both important to me and I want you to be happy.”
David clears his throat. “I don’t think it would bother me, either. You both have done so much for me – aredoingso much for me – that I don’t have room to complain.”
Connor and I both protest that. “You absolutely have a right to how you feel about this,” Connor says.
“Besides, a youngster like you shouldn’t be trapped by two old geezers like us.” Somehow putting those words together makes me more nervous than talking about who sleeps with who.
“Aw, Tray, come on. You’re not a geezer, and neither is Connor.” David’s smile is tinged with sadness. “Without you two, I’d be dead.”
Again we pelt him with a chorus of protests.
“I’m serious, though.” He shouts us down. “And even if you hadn’t stepped up to be my de facto pack, I’m old enough to know what I want.” He clears his throat as if he’s nervous. “And what I want is you, both of you, for as long as you’ll have me.”
We’re all silent, David’s words wrapping around us, filling me with warmth. It’s Connor who breaks the spell.
“It’s going to take work, this relationship,” he says. “Circumstances are going to change, and feelings are going to change. We’ll have to be honest with each other, maybe more honest than we’ve ever been.”
It crosses my mind that I could challenge his honesty by asking what had really happened the night he wrecked his Prius. Instead, I take a different route. “So here’s something I’ve been wondering about for a while.”
“Oh yeah?” His smile shades to something with more tension.
