Filed To Story: Secret Shifters Next Door Series PDF Free
behind. Was I the only one stuck in the past? It was starting to seem like it.
Later that night, after pulling back into my driveway, my phone rang. Still thinking about everything that Kris and Kellan had said, I pulled it out and glanced at the screen. It was Ryland. I stared at it as I got out of the car, letting it ring. I wasn’t in the mood to talk to him, but hit the green button on the fifth ring anyway.
“Hi, Ryland. How are you?”
“Hey, April. Uh, I’m sorry it took so long for me to get back to you. How’s your weekend going?”
“It’s fine. Had a cookout with my family. I actually just got home.”
“Oh, nice. That sounds fun. Listen, I really hate how our last date went. It’s part of why it took me so long to call you. I really wasn’t very sure about where your head was. I’d really like a do-over and…”
Ryland’s voice faded slowly into the background. My mind was unable to make sense of or even hear his words because my attention was solely focused on the truck that had pulled into the driveway next to mine.
Steff hopped out of his truck and walked around the front of his hood. As he rounded it, his eyes locked on to me. My heart rate spiked, sending flutters through my chest. A wave of warmth spread across my arms and legs. The back of my hand tingled as my mind went back to that moment in the pizzeria. His thumb gently caressing the back of my hand. His skin on mine, and the way I’d craved his touch for so long.
Steff stopped staring and walked straight toward me. A shock of fear rushed through me. Why was he coming this way? What was he going to do? What would I say? It was like I was in a daze.
“…April? Did I lose you?”
I flinched, realizing Ryland had been talking the entire time I was watching Steff. I’d completely tuned him out. I was a little embarrassed but that was the least of my emotions at the moment. Steff stepped up to me. Less than two feet from my body. I could almost feel the heat radiating off him. In one fluid motion, his right hand flashed out and gently pulled the phone from my hand and placed it to his own ear.
“Hey? Oh, it’s you. Sorry, April’s busy.” He ended the call without another word.
My eyes widened in surprise. “Why did you do that? I was talking to him.”
He raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Looked more like you were staring at me. I didn’t hear a whole lot of talking.”
“Well… that… uh?—“
“I still want you to know that I wasn’t joking when I said that guy was bad news. Have you eaten?”
My head was spinning. He was bouncing between topics too fast. I felt drunk, even though all I’d had at Kellan’s house was lemonade. The question still stood, though. Yes, I was hungry. I’d barely eaten anything at the cookout. I’d been too busy trying to understand Kris’s and Kellan’s change of heart regarding Steff. My stomach growled.
The sound must have carried, because Steff glanced at my tummy and grinned. “I’ll take that as a no. Come on.” He took my hand and led me to his truck.
“What are you doing?” I asked dumbly.
“I’m feeding you. What does it look like?”
We stopped at the passenger door of his truck. He opened it and pulled out what looked like to-go containers in a big plastic bag. He turned back and said, “I was hoping to catch you home. I wanted to invite you over for dinner.”
I frowned but let him lead me to his house. My mind was one big glob of emotions and thoughts. I couldn’t begin to
understand anything that was happening. Part of me was still thinking about what Kellan had said. Another was trying to come up with a way to apologize to Ryland the next time I saw him. Another was trying to figure out what the hell Steff was thinking. Every part of me followed him into his house, though. I didn’t even try to put up a fight.
I stood in his foyer, watching him gather plates and cups and pull containers from the bag. While he worked, I glanced around his house. It was… beautiful. The paint and artwork? The furniture and lighting? It was like a professional had decorated the place.
“Did you,” I swept a hand around the room, “you know.”
It took him a minute to get what I meant. “Oh, you mean my décor? I hired a lady out of Denver to come take care of it. I told her a little about what I was looking for, and she did everything else. You like it?”
I did. And, secretly, I was more than happy that an old girlfriend hadn’t decorated it. That would have been strange and disheartening. It was silly. I didn’t get to have a say in who decorated his place. If it had been an ex, what would I have said? Oh, no. I can’t be in here. The ex-girlfriend of my ex-boyfriend had her hands all over this place. It made no sense.
Steff emerged from the kitchen carrying a glass of wine. He brought it to me, and I accepted. For me, things were awkward. Being here inside his house. Drinking wine and talking about home décor. It was crazy. And as crazy as I felt, Steff looked completely cool and calm. It was like he had me over for dinner every night. Like this was an everyday occurrence.
“Come on. Let’s eat.” He guided me back to the table.
I sat and saw that he’d picked up Thai food. It looked delicious. I picked up the fork, yet as hungry as I was, I only picked at the food.
Steff looked at my plate. “If you have something you want to say, you can say it.”
I dropped my fork and looked at him. “What are we doing here, Steff?”
“Looks like we’re eating dinner.”
“Ugh, no. Not what I mean, and you know it.”
He grinned at me, and my heart skipped a beat. I’d always loved his smile, and I was pissed that it still had that kind of effect on me. You’d think after all these years something would have changed. Apparently not.