Gray wondered what else Simon’s books failed to mention, and how he was going to get the information he needed to not only protect his pack but to also help his son.
5
Simon forced himself to stand still and face Gray. He didn’t know what it was about this man that sent his thoughts flying in a thousand different directions, but he found it incredibly hard to focus with Gray’s clear blue eyes watching every movement.
He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth while he thought and watched as Gray’s eyes dropped to his mouth. Simon’s breath caught in his chest, and he licked his lips again. Gray’s tongue mimicked the action. A little trail of dampness glistened on Gray’s lips in the bright sunlight.
Focus, he told himself.This is not the time for flirting.
Simon broke his gaze from Gray and crossed the yard to his patch of herbs. He plucked a sprig of lemongrass from its overflowing terra-cotta pot and stuck it between his teeth. The tangy citrus flavor helped him regain control of himself.
“Are you eating grass?” Gray asked.
The horrified look on his face made Simon laugh. “Well, in a way. Here, try some.” He pulled another piece from the plant and handed it to Gray.
Gray eyed it curiously before putting it in his mouth. “That’s… odd. Smells familiar, though.”
“It’s lemongrass.” Simon shrugged and felt himself start to blush. “It helps keep me calm.”
Gray worked the blade of grass between his teeth for a moment before taking it back out. “It doesn’t taste bad.”
“Nope. It makes good tea. And Thai food. Um, if you like that kind of thing.”
“I do.”
“Good.” Simon laughed. “This is ridiculous. I wish I wasn’t so nervous around you.”
“You don’t have any reason to be, Simon.”
“But that’s the thing. I do. You have to know that our circles stay separated for a reason. If I’m caught spending time with you, I will most likely lose my apprenticeship.”
Gray tossed his lemongrass aside and stepped closer. “I don’t want to get you in trouble, but you have to know that I need answers. That thing took my son, our cubs.”
“I understand, and I’m going to try my best to help. Maybe I could just call you?” Gray stared at him again so intently that Simon’s stomach fluttered.
“We can start there.” Gray pulled his cell phone from the front pocket of his jeans. “Number?”
Simon recited the digits and ran inside for a piece of paper and a pen. When he returned, Gray jotted his number down and handed the pad back to him.
“I’ll try to find something in my books. I don’t know what’s going on, and I can’t exactly ask anyone without getting in trouble.”
“Just do your best.”
“I will.”
Gray reached up and brushed his thumb over Simon’s lower lip. “You take care of yourself, Simon. Call if you need anything.”
Simon watched him leave and let out a long breath. He went inside for a cold drink and sat at the kitchen table with a few of his books. His concentration had been scattered since he had first heard the frightened werecubs in his mind days before.
Now he had anothersource of distraction in the form of a large alpha werewolf determined to get the answers he needed.
Problem was, Simon wasn’t sure he was the mage for the job. He clearly wasn’t as educated as he liked to believe, no matter that he’d spent hours poring through the books his master provided him. He had other resources, the books his grandfather had collected over his years of study, and they were all just steps away inside his cabin.
Technically, it was against the rules for him to study them without his master’s permission, and Simon knew he’d never receive it. Until he reached full mage status, his studies were focused on what he needed to progress. These were special circumstances, though. Weren’t they?
Especially when the circumstances involved an alpha werewolf who evoked such a strong physical response in him. Even Simon recognized the flaw in that argument, but when Gray had looked at him earlier, the heat in his gaze had burned all the way to Simon’s toes.
He pushed the books aside in frustration. He’d looked through them already and knew they wouldn’t help. Instead, he went back outside and attempted to center his energies for the third time that day.
