Filed To Story: Secret Shifters Next Door Series PDF Free
not get lucky that night.”
Harley almost spit her drink out as she fought back laughter. Once she regained her composure, she patted me on the leg. “I guess even guys like you have to start somewhere.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means not everyone is born a suave, smooth talking, slab of walking testosterone like you.”
“Oh.” I raised my eyebrows. “Is that what I am?”
“Don’t let it go to your head.”
“Well, I’ll do my best to make sure mister Kayden stays the straight and narrow.”
Harley swatted my chest. “Don’t run the boy off. Mariah likes him.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll try my best.”
We sat there, simply enjoying each other’s company for a few more minutes. My dragon was so content it worried me. I’d never been this content or at peace with anyone. Was it just the mating bond? Was it simply the way Harley made me feel? She was depending on me, which stoked my protective nature—the dragon loved being needed. Being able to keep them safe. Even when we didn’t exactly agree, she still listened when I knew what needed to be done. I loved her for that.
My eyes widened in surprise. Harley didn’t notice the sudden stiffness to my body. Love? Had that word really just tickled the edges of my mind? My heart thudded hard against my ribs. Was I really, truly, falling in love with Harley?
I did the best I could to cover my surprise at what I’d been thinking about. We went inside to check on the potatoes. They were getting close, so I pulled the steaks from the fridge while Harley put the salad together.
While I seasoned the meat, Mariah and Kayden came down the stairs. “How’s dinner coming along?” Mariah asked.
“Good. If you want, you can help me cut veggies for the salad,” Harley said. “Kayden, do you want to help Tate cook the steaks?”
Kayden swallowed hard, then, to his credit, he smiled. “Sure.”
The boy and I stepped outside and turned the grill on. “How do you like your steak cooked?”
“Medium rare, a little closer to the rare side.”
I pointed at him with the spatula. “Kid, I think there’s hope for you yet. If you’d said well done, I’d have thrown you out on your ass right then and there.”
He laughed at that, and I decided I actually liked him. Grudgingly, but I did. He seemed like a good kid. He was brave, too. I didn’t know whether I would have gone out on the back porch with a guy that looked like me at that age.
“What do you do at school? Any clubs or sports or anything?” I asked.
He nodded as he handed me the plate of steaks. “I play baseball. Love baseball, actually.”
I frowned, something tickling my memory. Had I heard this kid’s name before?
“Are you the kid that had the walk-off homer in the state finals last year? Won Lilly Valley High the state championship? Didn’t you guys upset the reigning champs?”
He reddened a bit. “They were the four-year running champs. It was a lucky pitch, though. The pitcher had a dead arm. His coach should have pulled him at least an inning before. It was just luck.”
Modest, too? Well, shit. The guy was fucking Prince Charming. “What are your plans for life after school? College? Work?”
His eyes lit up. “I like baseball, and I’m pretty good. There are several pretty big schools offering me scholarships, I want to go to one that has a really good veterinary program. I want to be a vet. That’s the first thing Mariah and I found out we had in common.”
I had no idea Mariah wanted to be a vet. My mind began to spin through scenarios, doing math with my savings accounts and investments I’d made. Both girls would need college funds. I was sure Harley had plans for that. There’d probably been life insurance from when their dad passed. All well and good, but if I
was going to be around, I would make sure the girls didn’t want for anything.
Kayden went on. “Upstairs, all Mariah could talk about was you. Mr. Mills, she really likes you. I thought you should know that. All she could talk about was how happy she was that her mom found you, and that she wasn’t alone anymore.”
Son of a bitch, this kid was freaking awesome. That sealed it. He was all right with me. In fact, I didn’t think Mariah could have done any better. I smiled wryly to myself and thought,
they still needed to leave the door open when they were in her room.
Once the steaks were done, I handed the plate to Kayden to take in. Inside, I closed the door and walked over to Mariah, then kissed the top of her head. She looked at me in surprise, but then smiled when she looked into my eyes. I had a family again. I’d already known it, but looking into Mariah’s eyes really pushed it home. It would take all the hosts of heaven and all the demons of hell to pry me away from these women.
Hours later, after dinner, after Kayden went home, and after the girls were asleep, Harley and I lay in bed, panting and sweaty after another mind-blowing evening of sexual adventures. Teenagers tended to sleep like the dead, but we’d still done our best to be quiet. I wasn’t sure how successful we’d been.
“So?” Harley asked. “Did you and Kayden have a good talk outside? I assume you did, since he looked much less like he was going to piss himself when he came back in.”
I laughed. “I have to say, he’s a good kid. Smart, athletic, polite, the whole nine yards. I’m pretty sure that he knows he’s found a prize with Mariah. We’re good buddies now.”