“What the hell is the matter with you?”
Storm blinked, taking the phone from his ear to double-check that the high-pitched voice screeching at him was indeed Ira. “What? What are you talking about? What’d I do?”
“You had sex with Nate and then left before morning? What are you, stupid?”
“Uh, yes I did, and no, I’m not.”
“Are you sure? Because that sounds like something an asshole would do, not someone who wants demonic dibs on the nice human.”
Storm huffed. “Listen, I didn’t think he’d want me there when he woke up. He said he’d never had sex with a man before, so I figured he’d want to have a nice little freak-out in the morning. It’s not like he invited me to spend the night.” He’d spent the night anyway, of course, but he’d assumed it would be best to make himself scarce when the sun started to rise.
“Ohhh my God, you’re an idiot. He’d never been with—you know what? I can’t even do this. Wolf—Wolf, here, take the phone.”
“What? Why? I don’t want this. Seidhr? Seidhr, where are you going?” Wolf called, his voice gruff with sleep. A moment later, he said into the phone, “What’d you do?”
“I had sex with Nathan, which was apparently a terrible thing to do.” He didn’t like the way his stomach curled with unease. Ira was acting like he’d royally fucked up by leaving, but he’d known before Nathan even fell asleep that he was going to have some complicated feelings about what they’d done in the morning. Wasn’t it better to let him work through them alone?
“Oh, I see. Yeah, you’re a dumbass,” Wolf said.
“What? Why?”
“I don’t know, humans are emotional.”
“Wolf, that’s not helping!” Ira shouted from somewhere farther away, his voice barely audible.
“Take the phone back, then!”
Storm sighed. “Will someone please just tell me what I did wrong?”
There was a sigh, and then Ira, closer again, said, “He’s never slept with a man before, Storm—and I hate that I now know that about him, because it’s way TMI. The thing to do was not to leave him alone to sort through his complicated and upsetting emotions on his own. The thing to do would’ve been to let him wake up with you, show him how much you still want him, and don’t leave him with any doubt about what you want from him. Right now, he thinks that was a one-night stand that he can’t allow to happen again, and you disappearing before morning only reinforces that.”
Shit.
“One night isn’t all you want from him, is it?” Ira asked pointedly.
“No. Of course not.” He wanted everything. Last night proved exactly how good they could be together. He’d never felt such a sense of rightness with another person before. He hadn’t slept at all last night after Nathan drifted off, just held the man and listened to him breathe, drinking in every moment with him that he could. If he’d known leaving would jeopardize that, he’d have stuck to Nathan’s side like glue. Maybe even cooked him breakfast. Sucked him off before they had to leave for the hospital.
Yeah, that was what he should have done.
“You’re gonna have a hell of a time convincing him of that now. He’s decided he can’t let it happen again.”
“Fuck.” He carded his fingers through his hair.
There was a shuffling sound, and then Wolf asked, “Are you still meeting him at the hospital?”
“Yeah. I’m waiting in the parking lot now.”
“Good. There’s your chance to talk to him. And then bring him to the Rink after you get done at the morgue. We all want to know what you find.”
“Yes, good idea,” Ira agreed. “Above all, be honest. Let him know what you want from him. He’s going to be resistant, though, so be patient with him.”
“Make him happy,” Wolf said. “Focus on doing whatever makes him happy. That’s what the rest of us did. If he’s happy, he won’t want to leave.”
“Aww,” Ira simpered. “Is it really?”
“Yep. Worked, didn’t it? Three times now, according to what the others have said about their methods.”
“Okay. Make him happy. I can do that.” How hard could it be?
