The aroma of the food was downright divine as I descended the stairs after my shower. It would seem my mate was anexcellent cook, as were all of the men who’d been raised at Cascia House. Ethan had told me domestic chores were everyone’s responsibility at a group home. The men had no qualms about taking care of any kind of domestic labor because they’d been doing it since childhood. That was something I greatly appreciated because my skills in the kitchen were rudimentary at best, and I’d mostly been living off premade meals from the freezer aisle since my dad had passed.
“It smells amazing down here!” I complimented, sniffing all the rich spices wafting about the pleasantly warm kitchen.
Ethan snagged me by the arm and pulled me close. “Not half as good as you smell, mate.” Nipping my neck, he began to snuggle me against his chest, rubbing his hips against mine in a familiar, heated way.
My insides went as warm as my cheeks as I absorbed the heartfelt compliment. Forgetting the food, and our company, I laced my arms around his neck, lifted onto my tiptoes, and told the man exactly how I felt about him with my lips.
“Alright, that’s enough of that,” Flint objected, as he began to pile spaghetti onto his plate. “Unless, of course, I’m invited to participate. Then, by all means, please continue.”
The men all groaned at Flint’s bad joke and Ethan and I reluctantly separated. Loading up our own plates, we took our seats at the table and began to dig in.
“This homemade bread is amazing,” I complimented, each buttery, garlicky bite hitting the spot just right.
“I’m glad you like it. Gavin made it,” Ethan returned, putting another roll on my plate. “Take another. There’s plenty to go around.”
I wasn’t going to say no. Bread fucking rocked and I was starving.
Trying to draw the bashful Gavin out of his shell, I turned to him and said, “Is this your own recipe?”
The young man blushed and nodded. “Yeah. The boys back home loved my garlic bread, but Ethan made the rest.”
Garlic bread and fried chicken were a carby match made in heaven. I took another mouthwatering bite and let the pairing ignite the tastebuds on my tongue. I’m not sure if it was because I was becoming a ware or not, but all of my senses, including my taste buds, not to mention my crazy sex cravings, had suddenly gone into overdrive.
“Give her another helping of pasta, Ethan. She’s going to need the extra energy tonight,” Flint cavalierly added.
I shot Ethan a speculative glance. Was that a sexual jab or something? I swear, Flint wasn’t right in the head.
“What my brother meant to say was,” Ethan interrupted, after observing how confused by the comment I was, “we’re going for a run in the woods later. You’ll need the fuel for that run.”
“A run?” I didn’t know how to break it to these guys, but I wasn’t much of a runner. “I don’t have the build or the shoes for it.”
The men at the table chuckled at my innocent response.
“It’s a four-legged run,” Flint clarified. “If you catch our drift. No shoes required.”
Ethan set down his fork and proudly proclaimed, “We’re going for a run together as a group later tonight, Millie. We want you to come with us and see if that helps with your first shift.”
CHAPTER 11
Millie
“You want me to shift with you all?” I was both touched and scared shitless by this benevolent offer.
I didn’t have the first clue about how this change thing worked, but I wanted it more than anything. I’d been fighting my true nature for so long, the chance to actually embrace it now made me want to weep with joy.
That realization practically slapped me across the face with its intensity, but it was the truth. I needed to belong to my mate’s family in more than just name. I needed to belong in spirit and body, as well.
I looked around the table at all the nodding, smiling faces and nearly lost it. Tears filled my eyes and threatened to spill over at their collective sincerity. It had been so long since I’d had a family, since I’d truly belonged somewhere. I wastouched deep down into my very soul by their magnanimous offer.
“Well, if you guys are willing to help me, I’m willing to give it a try,” I offered as Ethan smiled wide and placed another scoop of rich, saucy pasta onto my plate.
“Just relax,” Ethan encouraged, as he began to pull off his shirt, dropping it carelessly onto the frosted grass at our feet.
The sight of his beautiful, striated muscles gleaming in the moonlight wasn’t helping to relax me any. It was only working me up. When Ethan reached for his belt buckle, and fed the stiff leather quickly through the loop before dropping his jeans, the tattoo of my treacherous heart picked up to dangerous levels.
Smiling knowingly, my mate said, “There’s nothing to fear, Millie. I’m here with you. Just breathe and clear your mind of all thoughts and worries. I like to feel the earth at my feet. To ground myself with my toes in the dirt. To let the peace and tranquility of the woods organically guide me through my change step by step.”
I let Ethan remove my jacket and help me strip down to my bare skin after he did the same. Ignoring my body’s obvious reaction to his, I closed my eyes and drew in the clean air all around us.
