Page 53 of She Wolf

“Yep, it did. I just blew my goddamn load, fully clothed like a fucking virgin teenager,” he mutters.

My humiliationwanes and turns into amusement just as my phone lights up with a message from Anna saying the food is here.

We take a minute to compose ourselves and I have to splash water over my face, but nothing is covering up this glow.

My Gunner glow.

Chapter Twelve

Coralie

As hoped, Otto and Ellen contacted me to say they had left yesterday and that Jack

and I were free to move in any time over the weekend. It’s been a busy morning so far but we’ve managed to get a lot done.

I stop unwrapping the new kitchen utensils I bought to take in the noisy scene. Lydia is fighting over the build instructions of the TV unit with Knox. Casey and Anna are busy helping Jack unpack his boxes in his room. Chloe is in the kitchen with me and Farrah sorting the cupboards while Callan, Adam, and Rex are still unloading the bulkier furniture.

I may not have wanted Case to spend another cent on me—hence no movers—but I still took all the stuff from my room at his. That bed is like sleeping on a cloud.

Fearing Lydia is about to start a fight I make my way over.

“Sis, she’s a fuckin’ nightmare, give her another job!” Knox cries.

“It’s like talking to a kid. Give him another job!” Lydia adds as they whine over one another.

“That is not true!” They both shout at the same time.

“Holy shit there’s two of them,” Rex shakes his head. And he couldn’t be more right. They’re two peas in a pod that’s for sure.

“Calm down. You can work together on this.” I try to soothe. Then I lay it on thick trying to diffuse the impending situation between my stubborn younger brother and Lydia, who is almost as willful as he is.

“I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you would give up your Sunday to help me and Jack get settled.”

Both their eyes soften and it's comical to watch. “Now hop to it. The food gets here in two hours.”

A flash of plaid catches my eye through the window, and I make my way outside just as I hear Knox and Lydia start up again.

“Whatcha doing out here?” I ask Gunner, just as he rids himself of the flannel, leaving a plain white tank stretched across his impressive chest. He’s a little sweaty from being in the sun and his corded neck glistens as he starts climbing the ladder.

“Installing a camera.”

“What?” I ask, my eyes bugging out.

“You’re out of your mind if you think we’re gonna leave you here without a security system. It’s through the same company I use.”

He sends me a look that tells me it’s pointless to argue, so I don’t. What I do do however, is watch the muscles in his back scrunch together and his biceps bulge as he drives the drill through the brickwork.

Wowzers.

“Want me to take my shirt off for ya?” he asks with a cocky grin, calling me out on my blatant staring. Mesmerized and without shame, I nod, making him laugh.

“Later, Peaches. Later.”

I love how I can finally openly admire him now. It was only ever secret looks and wanting. Always wanting. Now we finally get to explore these feelings that have been building since we first met.

“Mooooooom. Come see what we did.” Jack comes bounding out onto the narrow little porch. His eyes shine bright, and he hasn’t stopped helping out since we got here. Which is a relief seeing as two days ago he'd panicked again about how far away from everything that's important to him we would be.

I let him use my phone as a stopwatch and drove the routes from Casey's to here, and then to the school and the rink. It had settled his nerves and ever since he's been determined to help out like everyone else.

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