Chapter Nine
George wasn't telling Leon everything, and they both knew. Leon couldn't help but wonder if some of it had to do with this morning and what had happened between them. George had seemed a little squirrelly from the get-go, but this was something else.
He was avoiding eye contact, and that was driving Leon crazy. He didn't want to talk to the top of George's head or the side of his face. He wanted to talk directly to George. Of course, he'd like an actual conversation, but George had pretty much slipped down to one-syllable answers.
Leon didn't know a lot about mating a shifter, and he only believed about half of what he'd heard over the years. That left him questioning what had occurred between him and George this morning.
The sex had been phenomenal. Leon wasn't a slut, but he wasn't a virgin either. He'd had his share of relationships and one-night stands. He'd never had sex like he'd had with George. No man had ever made him ache just by walking across the room.
That was one thing Leon didn't understand. He'd seen better looking men before, sexier men. Men who made a normal gay man weep. He'd never met anyone who affected him as much as George did. Everything about the man called to him.
Leon did not understand that, and he wasn't sure he wanted to. Trying to figure it out simply made him more confused than he already was. He had a hundred questions, but now was neither the time nor did he believe George would be very forthcoming with the answers. The simple fact was, George was cutting him out, tuning him out, and downright ignoring him.
That might be pissing him off more than anything. He hated being ignored. He especially hated being ignored by someone he'd been intimate with.
Leon glanced at the GPS on the center console. They had another couple of blocks to go before they reached the bank so George could grab the winning ticket. He looked up to the rearview mirror to the two men sitting in the backseat.
"Mr. Carver, was your lawyer able to get the papers George needs to stay anonymous?"
Allan Carver nodded. "While George has to actually be there to sign the papers, the news release will have the money going to a trust we set up for him."
"You know that won't last, right?" Leon had no doubt this topic of conversation had been brought up numerous times. "Eventually, someone will find out who George is."
Allan nodded. "We just want to give George the time he needs to figure out what he's going to do."
Made sense. George had a lot he needed to do before the world discovered who the big lottery winner was.
When they reached the bank, Leon parked directly in front. He turned off the engine then turned in his seat to face Allan and Ford. "Why don't you stay here? We'll go inside and get his ticket. If you see anything suspicious, call me."
After giving Allan his cell phone number, Leon fit his Bluetooth to his ear, grabbed his cell phone, then climbed out of the car. George and Ford were waiting for him on the sidewalk when he walked around the car.
George looked as nervous as hell. He was licking his lips, his shoulders were slumped forward, and if his head dipped any lower, his chin would be on his chest.
"Hey, George." Leon reached over and grabbed George's hand. "It's going to be okay. We're just going to go into the bank and get the ticket. It's as easy as that."
"I just feel like something is going to go wrong."
"Okay, what's making you feel that way?"
George shook his head as he raised his head. "I don't know."
"How about this." Leon nodded toward the front doors of the bank building. "We take this one thing at a time. Right now, we're simply going to walk into that bank, then we'll decide what to do next. Okay?"
"Okay."
Leon smiled. "Good man." He glanced at Ford. "You can stay in the car if you want."
"I can't actually," Ford replied. "It takes both of us to get into the safety deposit box."
Leon's eyebrows raised. "You put Ford's name on it?"
"We figured if it took two of us to get into the box, it would lessen the chance of others getting to it."
"Huh. That was actually a pretty smart move."
He kept a tight hold of George's hand as they walked into the bank. If the man squeezed his hand a little too tightly, Leon ignored it.
Leon scanned the interior of the bank for any signs of trouble. When he didn't see any, he tugged on George's hand and led him to the teller counter. Leon smiled at the woman sitting there. "Hi, we're here to access a safety deposit box."
