Page 17 of Midnight Whispers
“Seriously. We’re doing that.” Riley shook his head and sighed. “Fine. But I’ve never had to sneak a boyfriend into my room before. I guess there’s a first time for everything.”
Cass grinned, but it only lasted a moment. “I don’t want you running around town at night. It’s dangerous.”
Riley snorted. “If you think Fortune Falls is dangerous, come to the city.”
Cass grabbed Riley’s wrist at the same time Griffin sat.
Griffin lifted his eyebrows but didn’t comment.
“It is, Riley. You need to be careful.” Cass let him go and met Griffin’s gaze. “You both do.”
“What’s going on? And I’m not talking about whatever the fuck the two of you are doing. I won’t tell Dad, by the way. I wouldn’twant him to die of a heart attack. But holy shit.” Griffin let out a deep sigh. “There. That’s the full extent of my freak-out. Now, what’s this about danger in Fortune Falls?”
“We’re investigating a murder—young guys, like you. We haven’t caught the killer yet. So be careful.”
Riley swallowed. “That’s awful. I hope you catch whoever did it.”
“Me too, baby.” The endearment slipped out.
Griffin shook his head. “Yeah, you don’t have to worry about me telling Dad. The two of you will fuck it up in no time at all.”
“Shut up, Griff.” Cass and Riley said it at the same time. Only Riley didn’t shorten Griffin’s name.
Riley chuckled, which made Cass smile.
Griffin was right about one thing. Cass needed to figure out what he wanted. His best friend and his job or Riley. He had to prepare himself for the eventuality of being unable to have both.
Chapter Nine
Riley couldn’t believe how great Cass was. An hour after lunch, Riley was still thinking about him. His gentleness when he helped Riley hide the mating mark on his hand was the stuff of dreams. Maybe he’d be gentle in other ways, too. He also smiled a lot. And when he smiled, his expression softened, especially his eyes. It didn’t seem to matter that they were canine.
When Riley had first seen Cass, he’d had on dark brown pants. They were part of his deputy uniform. But at the diner, he had on worn denim that hugged his ass. The gun holstered on his belt made him look badass. Not that Riley liked guns, but Cass was a hot guy with a badge on his chest. He totally pulled it off.
The main takeaway was the way the jeans made Cass’s ass look. Riley’s physical reaction to it made him feel like he might be a normal twenty-four-year-old man after all. For the first time in his life, the mental strain didn’t restrict his other needs. Maybe he’d finally gotten out of survival mode.
And he very much did need to touch Cass’s ass. As well as other parts of him.
Griffin sighed so loud it took Riley out of his thoughts. “Wrench. Riley. Come on.”
Riley rolled his eyes and handed over the wrench.
Griffin smirked at him before turning back to the furnace he was fixing. “Why are you so distracted? I can’t even venture a guess.”
Riley chuckled. “Shut up.”
“Not once in my life have I looked at Cass like you do.”
Riley pushed Griffin on the shoulder, which made Griffin laugh. “Don’t start now.”
“He’s more like an uncle. He and Dad have been friends for what? Five years now.” Griffin waved his hand as if dismissing a part of what he’d said. “Well, when Cass joined the sheriff’s department. However long that has been.”
“Well, I’ve never met him before coming to live with Dad.” Riley didn’t have familial feelings for Cass. His feelings were definitely on the more jumping-his-bones side of things. “He should scare me. I mean, he turns into a wolf. At least his eyes do. That alone is enough. But also, he’s way out of my league.”
“I don’t know much about shifters, but from what I’ve seen of Cass when he shifts—”
Riley sucked in a breath. “You’ve seen him shift.”
“Yeah. A couple of times.”
