Chapter one
James
James watched Camelia talking to the movers outside the house, tapping his fingers as they smiled at her a little too warmly for his tastes. His instincts raged, telling him to go down and drag her back into the house and never let her leave again, but he forced himself to look away and to pace around his room some more.
He wasn't going to admit it to Evan, but he had been missing Camelia...almost unbearably. The week that she had been there, the week that she had been in heat, it had unlocked something...a little softer inside of him. Something not quite so vicious, or aggressive. Something that wasn't constantly looking for a fight. He had always attributed his violent tendencies towards his Alpha presentation and his father's less-than-parental child rearing, but maybe it had been more than that.
The thought of his father made him grimace, and James ran a hand through his hair before blowing out a breath and pulling out his phone.
Better to get this conversation over with.
The phone rang three times after he dialed the number before his father answered with a gruff, "What do you need, James?"
James grimaced. That short tone already told him this conversation wasn’t going to be quick or easy. “Hi, Dad.”
There was a pause, then Drake made an impatient sound. “Did you call me for a reason?”
James bit back the urge to say something snarky, running a hand through his hair again. “There’s been some news. I wanted to call and let you know that Evan invited someone to come live in the spare room in the condo.” He paused, and then, “A woman.”
Drakehissed, and James was so stunned by the sound that it actually made him stumble a little. “You cannot have a woman living in your home, James. Tell Evan to kick her out.”
Anger flared in James’ chest, and his mouth was open in a snarl before he could stop himself. “I’ll do no such fucking thing. It’s his house, he’s well within his right to fill the spare bedroom with whoever he sees fit.”
Drake growled right back, and James’ heart sped up a little as a trickle of fear made its way past the spitting anger. “Then you’ll move out. I’ll make arrangements immediately.”
Anxiety made James’ heart thump faster, and it took everything in him to keep his voice steady as he responded, “I won’t do that either, Dad.” He swallowed, then continued, watching Camelia lean into the van to retrieve something. He was almost distracted by the curve of her hips and ass sticking out of the moving van, but he managed to keep his thoughts straight as he bit out, “I’m not going to find somewhere else to live in the middle of the semester, especially when Evan is not kicking me out. I’m sorry if you have a problem with him inviting a woman to live here, but it wasn’t my decision.”Lie. “She’s not a distraction to me, if that’s what you’re worried about.”Lie. “I’mgoing to keep focusing on my studies and make it through the rest of the semester, and then if you really want me to move at that point, we can have a conversation.”
It was a tiny olive branch, the smallest thing that James could think to offer that would get his father off his back. Downstairs, Camelia brushed back a loose lock of hair that had escaped from her bun as she lifted a box and started heading into the house, and James couldn’t stop himself from licking his lower lip at the subtle sheen of sweat that he saw on her forehead.
Drake didn’t say anything for a long moment, so long that James was almost positive that he had hung up. The line was still open, though, and James waited, barely allowing himself to breathe before his father finally said, “Fine.”
He hung up before James could respond, and James sighed as he tossed his phone onto his bed.
That had gone…just about as well as he had expected it might.
Fuck.
James peeked outside again. He couldn’t see Camelia anymore, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t feel her presence like a living thing in every corner of the house.
He couldn't ignore her. Couldn't get her out of his mind. How the hell was he supposed to do anything else while she was there, in his home with that sweet smell and her pheromones driving his instinctscrazy?
He barely heard his bedroom door open, and Evan's heavy hand landed on his shoulder comfortingly. "Your dad?"
His voice was quiet, as if James were a bomb and if he spoke too loudly, he would go off. Unfortunately, not an unapt metaphor.
James nodded. "He’s not happy about Camelia. Told me to move out.”
Evan didn’t say anything, stepping close and wrapping his arm around James’ waist. His warmth against James’ back was acomfort, and James let out a slow breath. “I told him to fuck off and that I wouldn’t leave.
Evan chuckled a little, resting his cheek against James’ shoulder. “I’m sure he liked that.”
James sighed, linking his and Evan’s fingers together as they looked out the window. "I want her so fucking badly, Ev," he said quietly, a vulnerable moment as the two of them watched their new housemate go back out to the van. The leggings she wore clung to her ass and hips snugly, and James' fingers itched to grab and touch and hold andscent."She makes me...a little less angry."
Evan nodded, pressing a kiss to James’ shoulder before releasing him. "I know." He squeezed James' shoulder tightly, the grip grounding him as he released a shuddering breath.
"We need to keep an eye on her," James said quietly. Her scent was already permeating the house again, sweet and spicy, and James knew Evan could sense her coming heat, just like him. "She only has a week or two more before she's going to be a walking red flag for the bulls."
Evan pressed his lips tightly together, his eyes flashing in anger at the implied threat. Outside, Camelia stopped and ran her hand through her dark hair, the slight sheen of sweat on her forehead catching the fall sunlight. "I know," he said, equally quietly. His fingers dug harder into James' shoulder. "We'll keep her safe, James."
