“Wow. That’s… that’s incredible. The kindness they showed you and your father. I’m so glad you had these little havens.” She shook her head. “The internet has been a great way for me to find acceptance and escape, but you didn’t exactly have access to that in, uh…”
“Nineteen-thirteen.”
“Right, nineteen-thirteen, you old geezer.”
That did startle a bark of laughter out of me, and I pulled her closer so I could kiss her forehead. I breathed in as I did, inhaling all her lovely scents. “Downright decrepit.”
We shared a chuckle at that before Naomi let out a truly egregious yawn.
“I’ll have to leave the bed just before dawn, but if you’d like, you’re more than welcome to crash here and see yourself out in the morning. Just make sure to lock the door behind you.”
“You know what?” Naomi murmured, snuggling right back into my side like she was made to fit there. “That sounds like a great idea.”
And that was how we stayed, curled together and enjoying the solace we found in each other’s presence. We were on the precipice of something that would truly change our lives, and I was more than ready to take that leap of faith.
Together, of course.
FOURTEEN
NAOMI
A (Boy)Friend in Need is a (Boy)Friend Indeed!
Walk of shame? Nah, I was doing a slut strut to my car. On the way home, I stopped to treat myself to an overly expensive and overly sweet coffee. But whatever, I’d earned it. It wasn’t every day I got cracked like a glowstick and connected with someone on a spiritual level. And yes, it was that deep. Deeper than Rowan’s impressive cock had been inside me. Although he’d definitely stretched me to capacity, that part of his anatomy hadn’t reached my heart.
But he definitely did, as a person.
I practically skipped all the way from the café back to my car, then from my parking spot at home to my apartment, and right to the shower to ease my gloriously aching muscles and tame my sex hair.
Once I was all squeaky clean and wrapped in a bathrobe, I DMed Tweety.
Call! Now!
Her response was almost immediate, the program lighting up and the ringing notification practically blowing out my eardrums. I kept telling myself to lower that setting, but I always forgot until the next time it blasted my ears.
“Girl, please tell me that the fact that you went out last night and didn’t hop online at all means exactly what I think it means.”
I flushed as the memories of the night before replayed through my head. That was definitely going to be in my spank bank for the foreseeable future. I’d thought I’d had fun sex plenty of times in my life, but I had been surviving on dregs, and I hadn’t even known it.
“If you think my brain is leaking out of my ears right now because I got dicked down good, then yes, it means exactly what you think it means.”
Tweety let out a squeal that overloaded the noise filter on our call, her side of the line temporarily going quiet until she returned to a more suitable register. While some people would call our conversation filthy, I just called it girl talk, and it was much-needed after everything that had happened.
Also, it was about time I could finally give my friend,my best friend, some good news instead of another dating horror story.
“I’m so happy for you! What happened? Give me all the deets!”
Believe me, the deets were indeed shared. I told her about the great food, the delicious tension, and even about my brothers showing up at the restaurant. Of course, I had to play up the big reveal, so I buried the lede a little. All those theater kids had rubbed off on me more than I thought.
“You’rekiddingme! He jumped out as a full wolf? What was he thinking?”
“I guarantee you the idiot wasn’t thinking. I basically broke my handbag beating him over the head with it while yelling all sorts of things. That was long overdue, believe me, but I wouldhave preferred if all that family drama wasn’t right in front of my date.”
“Yeah, you two really do have some poor luck.” She paused and I could almost hear the realization hit her across the line. “Wait! Rowan saw a shifter! How did he react? Do you think the cleaners will come after him? Actually, double-wait! You said you two slept together so things… went well, I guess? Girl, give me the details faster!”
“Then stop interrupting, Gossip Girl,” I teased.
“Gotcha, lips are sealed.”
