“No.” I glare at him.
Nick’s lips twitch. “Mhhm.”
“Shut up and pet your opossum.” I narrow my eyes.
His face drops, his glare pointed at me. “It’s your fucking rat. The only reason I’m holding it is so it doesn’t hurt itself, because if that happened, I’d never stop hearing you bitch and complain,” he growls.
I bite my lip, trying but failing to hold back a smirk. When the vet handed Petunia over with her newly casted leg, she was immediately stressed in my arms, trying to claw at me. Nick, in what I think was his way of trying to protect me, grabbed her from me, and she instantly settled in his hold and curled into his chest.
The vet said it was crucial that she stayed calm during her healing, and right now, Nick seems to be the only person she relaxes with. I’m trying not to be offended because hello, I’m the one who saved her, and this is the thanks I’m getting?
But honestly, it’s pretty damn cute how much she likes him, and he can’t fucking stand her. It’s like I’ve gained someone else to join me on the ‘piss off Nick’ parade. It’s fun.
“Sure, sure. Whatever you need to tell yourself, big guy.” I pat his head mockingly.
A growl rumbles in his throat, eyes filled with murder, but fuck if it doesn’t have me clenching my thighs together.
Just to push a little more, I ignore his growl and reach up, running my finger through his smooth blond locks. “Tell me, Saint Nick,” I murmur, my nails scraping against his scalp. His face softens, and his eyes close with a low groan. I swear he startsto purr at my touch.Oh, I like this.“Are you going to cuddle with me again tonight like a good boy, or will there be another battle of wills?” I bite the inside of my cheek.
His eyes snap open, and his glare is back on me. “Fuck. Off,” he growls, turning around in his seat.
I sit back laughing, but it wanes when I see that we have pulled up to a gate. I watch in awe as it opens, revealing a driveway with a fair-sized house at the end of it. Beyond it, the bright moon, its light sparkling on the ocean’s water. “Whoa,” I say, nearly breathless.
“Pretty awesome, right?” Ian asks, parking the truck. “Just wait until you see the inside.”
Nick throws his door open, removes Petunia from his lap, and places her on the seat. I watch as he storms towards the house, leaving us behind. “Rude,” I mutter, getting out and going to the front to grab Petunia. She hisses at me, and I frown. “Enough of that. It’s either you let me bring you inside, or you stay out here. Your choice.” She hisses at me again but doesn’t struggle. I take it as a win.
“I got Duchess,” Ian says, opening up the back door and grabbing the cat carrier.
“Do you think these two will get along?” I ask Ian as we walk side by side to the house.
“Give it a few days, and I’m sure they will be best friends. They have mutual hardships to bond over. That's always something that connects people.”
“True,” I agree, looking up at him. “What are your hardships?”
He blinks down at me. “Other than an abusive father and a mother who left me there to grow up with him? Not much.” He shrugs, and my heart breaks with how casually he says it.
My mother might not have been the best mother, but she wasn’t so bad before my dad died.Andshe stuck around.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He smiles. “I had my big brothers, and they raised me pretty damn well. I’m only slightly deranged, so there's that."
We pause before we reach the front door. I cock my head to the side, looking up at the Alpha looming over me. “Will hinted at something, and I’ve been curious about it ever since.”
“And what might that be, my Little Doe?” Ian murmurs, lifting his hand to brush his fingers along my face. Butterflies erupt inside my belly. I’m really not sure if I’m ever going to get used to a man treating me with this kind of affection. It’s foreign to me, but I like it. Maybe too much.
Trying not to let my damn libido run the show, again, I focus on what I’m about to ask him. This is probably not the best time or place, but it’s been on my mind since Will brought it up. And, if I’m going to be living under a roof with more than one killer, I’d like to know.
“Have you killed people before?” He blinks at me, like he’s not surprised by my question.
“The truth?” he asks, his lips twitching.
“Nah, lie to me. I love that.” I joke back.
He chuckles. “I have.”
“Because of the life you used to live?”
