Filed To Story: Secret Shifters Next Door Series PDF Free
gone by. I cleaned the entire house, paying special attention to the bathroom. The last thing I wanted was for him to go pee and find a dirty toilet. That wouldn’t be a good look.
Once the hamburger had thawed, I was able to make the meatloaf stuffing for the peppers and put those in the oven, but that would take an hour to bake. I busied myself with slicing the potatoes that would go with it and sprinkling them with butter and salt, sliding them into the oven. I still had
tons of time until Blayne came over.
The best thing I could do to pass the time was make sure I didn’t stink. I went to my room and undressed. Once I was in the shower, I sat there, letting the water stream down across my shoulders. The spray cascaded down my back and across my breasts while I stared at the tile wall. What was I going to wear? Why did I give a shit? Why would he care what I was wearing as long as the food was good? Right?
The way he’d looked at me at the store kept creeping into my mind. I continued to try to shake that thought, and the thoughts that came with it. Nothing was there. I’d imagined it. Just my imagination. Nothing else. Absolutely nothing else.
But what if there was something there? Could I possibly go there?
My hand drifted across my chest, a thumb gently circling my nipple. It hardened quickly and sent a small sliver of heat pulsing between my legs. Yanking my hand away, I huffed out a breath and shut the water off, having not even soaped my body. I had to get out of there before I did something and fantasized about something I didn’t want to.
But as I dried off, my mind went back to Blayne. If he’d had a change of heart and was starting to warm to the idea of me as a mate, what would that mean for me? He was Liam’s brother. I couldn’t pursue that. Could I? But then again, was there any real reason why I couldn’t?
SEVENTEEN
BLAYNE
My watch said it was exactly seven-thirty. I was standing on her front porch, but had yet to knock. I’d spent the day contemplating what was going on. The feelings I was starting to have for Ava were getting more intense, but even after hours and days of thought and internal argument, I couldn’t figure out if it was all fueled by my panther or if I shared his feelings.
I barely got angry now when I thought of her family. Not since learning Liam hadn’t been forced to do the dangerous stuff he’d gotten killed doing. He’d wanted it. I still resented them for enticing him in the first place, but could you really be mad when you knew they’d done all they could to get him to stop? I wasn’t sure I could.
Gio had given me and the guys all the resources he’d said he would. He’d done all that without any required repayment; it had all been given on behalf of Liam’s memory. That was the craziest part of this situation. The Francis family had no real reason to honor some long-dead soldier of theirs, but they were. Did that mean Gio had been honest when he said he’d viewed Liam as a son? As much as I didn’t want to admit it, the thought made me respect the man and his family a bit, as dirty as they were.
I’d never been so confused in my life. The only thing I was positive about was that Ava was doing something to me. She soothed my panther, which in turn soothed me. Maybe something good could come of this? It was difficult to believe. Especially when I thought back on the anger I’d experienced when I’d caught sight of her in the cemetery. And now? I was about to have dinner with her in her home.
Not wanting to drag this out any longer, I knocked three quick raps, then did my best to stand there as nonchalantly as I possibly could. I’d dressed as nicely as I thought was appropriate. The realization that I’d worn what I thought she would like was a thought I shoved to the back of my mind.
The door opened, and my panther sent a low, hungry purr through my mind. I couldn’t deny that she looked gorgeous.
“You look beautiful,” I blurted before I could stop myself.
Ava’s eyes widened in surprise, but then a cute little embarrassed smile spread across her face. “Um, thanks. You look nice, too.”
We stood there for several awkward seconds. Me on the porch, her holding the door open. Finally, Ava blinked as though waking from a dream. “Oh, damn. Sorry.” Her face went red. “Come in, come in.”
I stepped through the threshold, and she closed the door behind me. I followed her to the dining room, the delicious scent of the food tempting my hunger.
“Jeez, that smells good.”
“Thanks. It should be ready in a bit. I made a salad, if you want to start on that?”
I grinned at her. “Nah, I think I can control myself. For a few minutes anyway.”
Once the words were out of my mouth, I realized they could have a double meaning, and embarrassment swamped me.
Ava, not picking up on it, pointed to the table. “Okay. Well, make yourself useful and set the table.”
I laughed. “Do you always put your dinner guests to work like this?”
She shook her head and hit me with a deadpan stare. “Only the ones who invite themselves over.”
Another chuckle escaped me. “Okay, okay. Fair enough. Where are the plates and silverware?”
“Plates are in that cabinet, silverware in that drawer,” she said, pointing at each.
I grabbed the silverware and placed them on the table. When I turned back to grab the plates, Ava had moved to right below the cabinet. She was shredding cheese into the bowl with the salad. Rather than ask her to move, I reached around to pull the plates out of the cabinet. My chest brushed, then pressed against her back and shoulder. My shifter hearing picked up on the catch of her breath, her heart rate speeding up.
I grabbed two dinner plates and two salad bowls. When I pulled away, I let myself inhale the scent of her hair. I stepped back as if I’d been electrocuted.
At the store, I’d thought something was there. Was Ava attracted to me? I’d shoved that thought aside as asinine and childish. She’d probably been afraid of me, and that had presented as desire. But right then? When I sniffed her hair?
Pheromones didn’t lie. She was attracted to me.
What did I do with that information? In my mind, she was still Liam’s girl. The woman he’d loved and wanted to spend his life with. Those arguments and refusals swirled in my head as I set the plates down. A glance at Ava sent a new pulse of desire through me. My panther fueled it, but now that I could look at things with a clear head, I thought that maybe I felt it as well.
As for Liam? He was gone. Had been for a long time.