Page 24 of To Teleport, or Not to Teleport?
His brows pinched as he cocked his head to the side. “When?”
“On one of my recent random teleports, I ended up here.” I splayed my arms to the side, then bent to grab the stone that had gotten my attention before. “This rock? It was in one of my visions from the bakery. I don’t know what will happen with it, but I remember this indent right here and that fracture,” I said, flipping the rock, pointing, and setting it back on the ground. “What does any of this mean?”
Grayson tucked a loose strand of my dark-brown hair behind my ear. “I don’t know, baby. How many times have you come here, and why didn’t I see you?”
“Technically twice but on the same day. I’d ended up down the road and started walking home when I felt the similar buzz in my cells as the time I’d ended up in the bakery. I thought I’d give it another try so I wouldn’t have to walk, and I ended up right here, staring at the porch and noticing the stone.”
“Well, there is nothing we can do about it right now. Let’s get you inside and a mug of hot tea to warm you up, unless you’d like me to make you—”
I pressed a single finger against his soft lips.
Grayson chuckled as he kissed my finger. “Tea it is,” he said as he lowered it and clasped my hand in his larger one.
He guided me inside, and my mouth fell open. Large windows filled the back wall of the open-floor plan. Exposed wood beams had been sanded and were in need of staining. The floors were stained gunstock, the same shade I’d helped Cami pick for her wood floors, and a fresh coat of paint glistened on the walls.
“It’s a work in progress,” he muttered, running his free hand through his hair the way he’d always done when nervous.
“This is beautiful, Grayson.”
“Even the old recliner?” Bear asked from where he’d sat with his feet reclined, his brown eyes twinkling with amusement. He’d shifted into his human form and wore a T-shirt that stretched across his massive barrel chest. His dirty-blond hair was short on the sides and a bit shaggy on the top.
I chuckled. “You seem to be feeling better.”
Bear rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck. “Yeah.”
“Next time you should listen when I tell you tojump,” Kaleb snapped as he joined them.
“How was I supposed to know it was bewitched?” Bear asked.
Kaleb hissed in frustration. “Maybe next time just fucking listen to me.”
I looked from one Shifter to the other. The tension in the room reached a crescendo when Kaleb stomped out the front door. I peered at Grayson, expressing without words how awkward the scene had been for me.
“He’ll be fine once he cools off,” Grayson said. “Come on, Lee, I’ll show you the rest of the house.”
Nodding, I took in the large Shifter one last time. Bear’s attention was on the large window, his mind miles away from them, so I followed Grayson down a hall. The walls were white, no pictures or adornments to be seen anywhere.
He opened one door. “Downstairs bathroom.” Baby-pink-colored tiles that reminded me of Pepto Bismol covered the walls, shower, and countertop. A clear curtain didn’t hide the bottle of men’s body wash.
Feeling Grayson’s eyes on me, I forced a smile. “It’s… nice?”
“You like the changes I made?” Grayson asked.
My eyes widened with horror.
His laughter filled the bathroom as he leaned forward. “I haven’t gotten to remodeling this one yet, but your face was epic.”
I flung my hand out and smacked his arm. “You’re such a butthead.”
I tried my hardest not to notice how his amusement eased the lines in his face, and the tension in his shoulders melted away. I tried… but failed. The Grayson I remembered from childhood stood before me. Old emotions rose to the surface, and memories of our kiss flooded my mind.
My gaze lowered to his mouth, and I craved his taste once again.
“When you look at me like that, it makes me want to do things to you,” he said, all humor from before gone. His thumb ran along my lower lip, jolting both my mind and girly bits.
“Hou-sssse.” I paused and cleared my throat. “House, you were showing me your house.”
“You can keep fighting this, but all you’re doing is prolonging the inevitable,” he said and pressed his lips to my forehead. “Come on, I’ll show you the rest of the rooms.”
