"We'll see."Maybe I should.Being home alone wasn't what it's cracked up to be.Or maybe I need to get used to it again.I always loved to be alone before.
We finish eating, and I tell Ira to get ready for bed.When Boris starts putting the dishes in the dishwasher, I stare at him.
I walk closer."Boris, you don't have to--"
Before I can finish the sentence, he has me pressed up against the counter."Fuck, you smell good."He buries his nose in the crook of my neck, and I stand there, unsure of what to do.
When lips caress my skin, I let out a strangled sound.
"I miss you."His breath is a hot caress when he speaks, and I melt a fraction.It has him stepping closer still.His feet are on the outside of mine, which makes him about the same height, though he gives the impression of being a lot bigger than I am.Stronger.
A shiver goes through me.Big guys have never been my type, though to be honest, I'm not sure I have a type.It's been ages since I so much as looked at a man.
"I don't know if this is a good idea."But I don't move.
Boris hums.His hands are resting on my hips, only to travel up my waist and ribs.Then he kisses a spot behind my ear that sets off another shiver.
"Simon."It's a whispered plea, but I don't know how to respond.
"I need to put Ira to bed.Maybe we should...eh...We'll go deliver the cookies tomorrow.All of us."
He leans back a fraction and meets my gaze."Yeah?You'll come with us to Mom's?"
Shit.To his mom?Nerves dance in my gut, and Boris coos."She'll love you."
"No, she won't.She doesn't know me, and I'm--"
Boris snorts."She'll love you because you're mine.She'll love Ira because he's mine.She's always wanted grandkids."
Oh, God.My stomach threatens to turn.I've done everything I can to keep Ira's grandparents away from him, but how will I protect him from a werewolf, from a pack of werewolves?
Boris wraps his arms around me."Whatever you're thinking right now, don't.They'll die before they let anything happen to Ira.You have nothing to fear.Kids are precious, and you should've seen everyone doting on him today."
"But he's not a werewolf kid."Was it the right term to use?
"He's pack.Kids are few and far between in the pack, and no, he might not ever turn into a wolf, he might not come run with us on Saturdays, but he's still pack."
Running on Saturdays.I look into his eyes.He'd all but told me from the beginning what he was, but I didn't understand what he meant.Of course not.He went running as a wolf on Saturdays.It was how he'd gotten everyone to buy cookies.He'd taken the cookie sheet to the pack, and they'd bought cookies from a child they'd never met because Boris told them to.
Boris brushes his lips over mine and it halts the spiraling in my mind.
"You're safe, and you're cared for.Never worry, love.We have your back."He kisses me one more time before he lets me go.I do nothing but stare as he lets himself out of the house and crosses the street to go to his house.
* * * *
Chapter 29
Boris
I make chili con carne and bake bread to go with it.That way, nothing needs to be prepared, and we can simply heat the food when we get back.Or they can, if Simon is unwilling to invite me in for dinner again.
Small steps.
I don't think I'm about to die anymore.It could change again, I'm well aware, but I held him yesterday, hugged him, snuck in a quick kiss, and while not reciprocating, he didn't object.
If you were opposed, you objected, right?So I'm hopeful.
When Simon goes to get Ira, I wrap the bread in a kitchen towel and place it on top of the Dutch oven I've made the chili in.Then I wait.
