“Hesnuck out? Ugh, heisstupid. I’m going to give him so much hell, just wait until tonight.”
“What?”
“Nothing. Listen, his stupidity aside: how did it make you feel?”
“I… I don’t know, man. Good, I guess? The sex was good.” His face flamed, and he regretted calling Ira at all. This was embarrassing. He should’ve just put it in a box and buried it in the back of his head like a good little Christian. “But it’s dangerous. It’s stupid. I should be glad he left this morning without saying anything.”
Ira snorted.
“What? Why are you laughing?”
“You sound like we did, that’s all.”
Nathan fought the urge to hit something. It would be the coffeemaker, and he couldn’t afford a new one. “I don’t want that!”
“Then don’t see him again.”
Like it was so simple. “You guys made him my point of contact.”
“That was just because Talon was being a dick about letting you near any of the humans. He’s over it now.”
“Oh.” So that was it, then? He didn’t have to talk to Storm again? He could just go around him and do what he needed to do and… forget about it. Forget about how safe he’d made him feel. Forget about Storm’s reassuring warmth as he fell asleep.
“Is that what you want?”
It felt like a leading question. He didn’t know how to answer it.
Ira sighed through the line. “I won’t tell you what to do, Nate. All I’ll tell you is that things will fall into place as they’re meant to.”
“Is that how you’re so Zen all the time? ‘What will be will be?’” He opened the cabinet over the coffeemaker and grabbed a travel mug.
“Something like that. When I’m not scared shitless.”
Nathan snorted. He found it hard to picture Ira as anything other than mysteriously knowing and cool-headed, but he supposed he was still only human.
“Look, if you don’t want to deal with Storm for a bit, you can call me. You know where the Rink is, and you’re welcome any time. Take all the time you need to figure things out. I know it can be overwhelming when you’re first starting out.”
“First starting out,” he repeated dumbly.
“With a demon.”
Nathan’s head fell back in despair. “I’m not…witha demon. It was one time. It won’t happen again.”
There was a pause. “Right. Listen, I should go, Wolf is grumping at me. Take all the time you need, okay? And I’ll talk to Storm about what a monumental jackass he was.”
Nathan opened his mouth to tell him not to bother, because it didn’t matter, because he wasn’t repeating last night again, because it had been a mistake. But… it didn’t matter, right? Nathan wouldn’t have to see him again after today. Ira could say whatever he wanted to Storm. Nathan didn’t care.
“Sure. Okay, bye.” He hung up, feeling discomfited.
He poured his coffee, took a bitter sip, and tried not to flush when he turned toward the door and felt his ass twinge. It didn’t matter. He just had to keep telling himself that.
Chapter9
Storm
Storm’s phonerang as he was pulling into the parking lot outside the main entrance of the hospital where the morgue was located. He hoped it was Nathan, and a sharp pang of disappointment hit him when he saw Ira’s name instead. With a sigh, he parked and answered, glaring at the cheerful sunlight beaming in through his windshield.
“What’s up?”
