“I find that hard to believe.”
“You know what’s funny? Darryl was kinda like you. The difference between you and him is, he knew when to take risks, and he also knew when to have fun. Yer too afraid to do either, and that’s why yer so crabby all the time.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. I’m comfortable not taking risks, and I’ll have fun when we’re not running from someone or trying not to be homeless.”
“Did you have fun driving?” he asked.
“It was okay.”
Roscoe raised an eyebrow.
“It was a little fun, yes. I can’t believe I did it.”
“You said you only take risks when yer back’s against a wall. Think about how much better this experience would have been if you made the choice on yer own terms instead of me forcing you? Think about all the times life forced you to take action, and now imagine doing those things because you wanted to experience something new. Yeah, maybe your life would have turned out the same, but the journey would have been fun instead of traumatic.”
“It’s never fun, Roscoe. I’m always worried. Even when I make big choices, there are so many awful scenarios that play out in my head.”
“You got me for now,” Roscoe said, leaning in, but stopping shy of my lips. “No one goes it alone forever. Sometimes, the biggest risk we take is trusting someone else to do the worryin’ for us.”
“You’d do that?” I asked. “Why?”
“Why not?”
“You’re like, four times my age. Why did you even follow me home?”
“Because you act like yer four times my age, and that’s kinda hot.”
Our lips met as we slipped into a longer kiss. I was always comfortable with him. I even started sleeping better at night, wrapped up in his arms.
I pulled away. “You know that’s bullshit. You pretend to be all stupid and immature, but then you say stuff like this.”
“That’s why we work.”
“I thought that was just because you piss me off and I insult you.”
His eyes shifted to the right. “Wanna do something else risky?”
I opened my mouth to protest, but all that came out was a sigh. “That depends.”
“Let’s take a walk on the wild side,” he said, hopping out of the truck. He took a few steps toward the woods and waved me toward him. “C’mon.”
I climbed out of the driver’s seat and followed. “We’re not supposed to go in there.”
“Who’s gonna know?” He looked around. “There’s trees on both sides of the road, and there hasn’t been a single car since we pulled over. Let’s be real werewolves and fuck in the woods.”
Some of the mayor’s warning echoed strongly. Roscoe was Whasha at one point in his life, and he had seemed more interested in the woods when I’d brought up Norwich at Darryl’s.
“There are pine needles everywhere. Sand was one thing, but pine needles are where I draw the line.”
“I’ll let you be on top.”
“Are you suggesting—”
“We ain’t tried that yet.” He grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the trees. “Think yer man enough?”
“That’s the problem. I’m still basically human. This is going to be awkward.”
“You’ve got a big dick fer a human, though. Kinda scary thinkin’ about what that monster might look like when you turn.”
