Page 9 of Deadly Promise
“Everything’s casual at home.” Aiden talked around a mouthful of eggs. “Well, except when Zeppelin’s cooking. Then it’s serious business. Man guards his grill like it’s made of gold.”
Small talk filled the kitchen while they ate. Hayden dominated the conversation, asking about the town, good hiking spots, and which grocery store had the best produce. Teagan stayed quieter, but Liam noticed how he catalogued everything, each answer filed away, probably building a mental map of their new home.
“These pancakes are incredible.” Aiden reached for thirds. “Where’d you learn to cook?”
“Teagan.” Hayden started gathering plates. “His grandmother taught him all the basics a guy would need to survive on his own. He can even darn socks and wield a mean pair of scissors when clipping a thousand coupons. Our grocery bill is half of what it should be.”
A look passed between them, Hayden’s eyes flicking to Teagan then away just as quickly, leaving Liam with the distinct impression there was more to that grandmother’s story than he was hearing.
“Let me help.” Liam stood, but Teagan practically snatched the plate from his hands.
“We’ve got it.”
That careful distance again. His wolf wanted to press, to understand his mate, but pushing would only make Teagan retreat farther.
“The barbeque starts at four,” Liam said instead. “I can pick you up if you want.”
“We have a working car now, remember?” Teagan’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “We’ll find it.”
Another polite dismissal. Another step back when all Liam wanted was to step forward.
“Great.” He wrote down the address and directions before handing it off to Hayden. Teagan might burn it in the backyard.
Liam headed for the door before his wolf decided to do something stupid, like pin Teagan against the counter and kiss that suspicious frown away. “See you there.”
Outside, Aiden waited until they were in the truck before laughing. “Man, you’ve got your work cut out for you. One mate who can’t stop eye-fucking you and another who looks at you like you might be planning to murder them both.”
“Teagan’s not scared of me.” Liam started the engine harder than necessary.
“No,” Aiden agreed. “He’s scared of something though. The way he keeps track of everything, like he’s calculating the cost of every interaction? That’s learned behavior.”
Liam’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. Someone had taught Teagan that kindness came with a price. Someone had made both of them lie about their relationship like it was shameful. His wolf wanted to rip that person apart.
“They’ll come around,” Aiden continued. “Once they realize you’re not whatever they’re running from.”
Running from. Yeah, that felt right. The boxes, the wariness, the way they’d shown up in a new town with a broken car and desperation in their eyes. They were definitely running from something.
Question was, how long before it caught up to them?
Chapter Three
Teagan shut the door with a soft click, his hand lingering on the knob. Liam’s scent still hung in the air—something wild that made his stomach flip in ways he couldn’t afford. He’d been so cold to the man, practically snatching plates from those large, gentle hands. Of course, he felt horrible. But he felt even worse at the overwhelming attraction toward Liam. Hayden was his entire world, and Teagan wasn’t going to let some gorgeous, sweet, rugged man come between them.
When he turned, Hayden stood with his jaw set at that familiar angle, eyes narrowed to slits. That look didn’t bode well. Crap.
“Whatever lecture you’re brewing,” Teagan said, folding his arms tight across his chest, “save it.”
Hayden leaned against the kitchen counter, coffee mug steaming in his grip, the bitter aroma cutting through the lingering scent of bacon grease from breakfast. “Why the hell were you so rude to them? They fixed our car for free, and you acted as if they’d stolen it instead.”
Outside, birds chattered in the overgrown bushes, their noise filtering through the thin window glass like unwanted commentary on Teagan’s behavior. Sweat already beaded along his hairline from the rising heat, and the faint woodsy smell from Liam’s presence lingered on the air he was breathing in.
Teagan wiped at his forehead, buying a moment before responding. “Because you’re too trusting, that’s why. Strangers show up out of nowhere, offering rides and repairs, and you just invite them in like we’re running a bed and breakfast for potential serial killers.”
Laughter bubbled up from Hayden, but it carried an edge, sharp enough to cut through the stuffy air. “Serial killers? Come on, they’re just nice guys helping out. Not everyone’s out to hurt us.”
“Excuse me?” He stared wide-eyed at his boyfriend. “Just last week you were scrubbing slurs off our car! Now you’re all friendly to complete strangers like none of that happened!”
Staring at the counter, Hayden shrugged, tracing his fingertip over the surface. “I prefer not to live in a world where everyone is seen as an enemy, Teag. Some people are genuinely nice without having some kind motive.”
