“I’m not afraid of them.”
“Mm-hmm.” I drew nearer to the sink, shooting Evan an innocent look. “Then you won’t have an issue taking it outside for me, will you?”
Evan blanched. “I…Sure, I guess. I can…”
I couldn’t help it. I dissolved into giggles. The kind that hurt your stomach and made tears well up. How was it that someone immortal and as powerful as Evan was scared of a tiny spider?
Okay, as far as spiders went, it was on the larger size. But still…
“You do know you turn into a deadly predator, right?” I gasped out between giggles.
“I’m aware.” He crossed his arms and scowled. “But it’s not right how they move.”
“Says the supernatural shifter.”
His lips twitched, making his dimple flash. “You’re never going to let me live this down, are you?”
I considered it for a minute. “Probably not.”
My laughter faded. Suddenly, I was acutely aware that this was the first normal conversation Evan and I had had in thirteen years. Well, as normal as it could be considering he was buck-ass naked and cowering from an arachnid.
Clearing my throat, I turned to face the sink to see the spider struggling to find a grip on the porcelain. “Poor thing is stuck.”
“It can stay stuck. Or better yet, turn the tap on and send it down the plughole.”
“Meanie. Besides, he’s too big to fit down the plughole.” Evan groaned at that and I bit my lip to contain another giggle.
Clicking my tongue, I carefully scooped the eight-legged creature out of the sink. “Ignore the grumpy wolf. He’s just jealous that you have twice as many legs as he does.”
“How do you know that I don’t have two arms and two legs as a wolf?”
“I googled it once,” I said distractedly, letting the spider run over one hand and then the other. “Before I was banned from Google, that is. Did you know that these spiders can run up to half a metre a second? And when males find a female, they carefully pluck at her web like a harp to try and woo her.”
“If you’re hoping that’s going to endear them to me, you’re failing there. And what do you mean, banned from Google? Who banned you?”
I glanced up to see deep frown lines on his forehead. “Oh, I banned myself. Had to, because I kept falling down rabbit holes. Hours would pass and I’d have achieved nothing. Now, if I want to know something, I write it on a list on the fridge. If I’m still interested in it a week later, I’m allowed to look it up.”
Evan’s ire vanished. “Huh. I bet that’s one interesting list.”
I was about to offer to show it to him when I remembered the reality of our situation. Evan wasn’t my friend. More than that, he wasn’t even supposed to be here.
I moved to the window, unlatching it and letting the spider crawl out onto the sill. Despite their name, house spiders preferred to live in sheds and dark outdoor corners. Hopefully this not-so-little fella would find somewhere suitable where he wouldn’t be disturbed by screaming blokes. “Why are you here, Ev?”
“Um…” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. I swallowed at how the move made the muscles in his torso ripple. “I heard you scream and thought there was an emergency. That’s what we agreed, right? That you wouldn’t see me unless it was an emergency.”
I closed the window and turned to face him. Without a shirt, I could trace the exact line of where his blush started on his chest. Fuck, I’d have loved to follow it with my tongue.
Behave, Reid. Evan is a shifter, remember?
Like I could forget. My brain didn’t need to worry though. Evan was firmly in thelook-but-don’t-touchcategory.
I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest. “What I mean is, you’re not supposed to be here at all. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you weren’t included on the guard rotation.”
“Well, no, but…” Evan winced. “I may have bribed Logan to let me take over for a few hours.”
“Evan,” I groaned, rubbing at my temples. “You can’t be doing shit like that, okay? I meant what I said about not knowing how to act around you. I can’t cope if I think you’re going to pop up at any second.”
Evan’s bones creaked as he glared at a spot above my head. “Aye. I can understand that.”
