Page 52 of Can't Help Growling in Love
At the front desk, I return the books and pay the fee to a handsome gorgon man whose snakes hiss softly at my overdue stack.
“Sorry,” I murmur, half to them and half to him. “But I need your help finding some books.”
He pushes his black-framed glasses up his nose. “Sure. Do you know the topic?”
My face flames with heat as I try to formulate the request as politely as possible. “Yeah, it’s werewolves. Specifically anything about the full moon and how it affects them. And, um, mates. If you have anything about scent mates, that would be great.”
“All right, let’s see what we have.”He doesn’t even flinch at my words, only types several inquiries into his computer and scribbles something on a sticky note. Then he’s out of his chair and striding toward the shelves.”Follow me.”
He leads me deeper between the stacks and picks the first book from a shelf. “This one is written by a human, so take everything with a grain of salt. I’ve seen decent reviews for it, though, so it’s supposed to be educational.” Another book joins the first. “This author is a werewolf, but his style is horrible. I tried reading that one, and it honestly needs another edit.Thisone is the best reference source you’ll find at our library. A werewolf author again, with much better writing skills. She’s quite active as a lecturer, too. I’m hoping to get her to speak at our library someday, if we can get on her schedule.”
The librarian is rambling, but I don’t stop him—this is exactly what I need. Information, and more information. Anything that might help me understand what’s going on with Asher.
When I’m holding six books in a heavy stack, he pauses and clears his throat. “I guess that’s a good start. I do have some other sources if you want. There’s a magazine that covers a lotof the issues that human-monster relationships face, but it’s less scientific, more popular advice, you know?”
“I’ll go through these, and if I still need help, I’ll come back.” I carry the books to the checkout desk and watch him scan the codes for each one. “Thank you for your help.”
He gives me a nod. “Thanks for stopping by.”
His snakes hiss softly as I walk away, a tiny reminder that I really shouldn’t be late with my books again.
The stack barely fits in my basket, so I drive carefully on the way back to the house. Then I make a cup of tea in the cool kitchen and sit down to read.
Thirty minutes later, the doorbell startles me from a deep dive into werewolves. I’ve read all about their anatomy, including the knot, which is apparently very sensitive, more than the tip.
I rush to open the door and push the thought of werewolf penises out of my mind in case it’s the contractor who rang the bell.
But it’s Asher standing on my front porch, human-shaped and wearing the sweatpants I left outside for him. He must have just shifted because he’s still barefoot and more than a little dirty.
“Asher. Come in.”
I reach for him before I can stop myself, wrapping my arms around his neck. He pulls me into a hug and curls himself over me, burying his nose in my hair. We stand on the threshold for long moments, just holding each other, and some of the anxiety from this morning melts away from me.
He’s here, I’ve got the books that will hopefully help me understand him better, and we’re together. That’s the most important part. Everything else can wait.
“Sorry for running away,” he mumbles against my neck. “Couldn’t hold it together.”
I dig my fingers in the short hair on his nape and scratch lightly with my nails. “Don’t apologize. We’ll get through whatever it is. I’m here, okay?”
He nods, then lifts his head and grimaces as he looks down at himself. “I should shower.”
I glance over my shoulder at the bathroom door down the hallway. “There’s no hot water.”
“Even better,” he says grimly. He releases me and steps past me into the house. “Can I borrow a towel?”
“Sure.” I close the door and show him where to find them. “I’ll be in the kitchen, okay?”
He trudges off, and I return to the kitchen, both relieved and worried. He seemed better than before, but not back to normal. I haven’t reached the full moon madness part of the first book yet, but I need to find out if that’s what’s causing his issues.
Then it hits me—what if he dislikes that I went to get these? I don’t want him to feel uncomfortable, like I’m prying into his private life.
But I’ve already borrowed the books, and I can’t exactly hide the whole stack or return it without him noticing. Besides, that wouldn’t be right. I don’t want any secrets between us.
Swallowing down my anxiety, I follow the sounds of the running water and tap on the bathroom door. “Asher? Can I come in?”
“Yeah,” comes a muffled reply.
I step inside and he peers at me from behind the shower curtain.
