So why the fuck wasn’t I doing it?
Rubbing a hand on the back of my neck, I exhaled slowly. It hadn’t escaped me that not long ago, Reid had been the one struggling to cross a threshold back at the clan house. I liked to think I’d been able to help him out.
There was no question of him helping me tonight. I’d be lucky if he didn’t slam the door in my face.
Straightening my spine, I raised my fist and knocked briskly.
Reid didn’t appear immediately, giving me yet more time to fidget and stress. You couldn’t blame me. Of all the many scenarios I’d imagined over the past few weeks where I might get to speak to Reid again, this definitely wasn’t one of them.
But it wasn’t like I was there with bad news…right? It’d be a shock, for sure. But Reid hated Clyde, and rightly so. Once he’d processed it, he’d be glad he was dead.
Footsteps sounded on the other side of the door and I stood to attention. I could almost hear Brodie taking the piss out of me. If he or Hamish ever saw my behaviour around Reid, I’d never live it down.
The steps stopped on the other side of the door. There was a pause, then I heard Reid curse. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
I winced.
“Yeah, you better fucking wince, Evan. You know you’re not supposed to be here.”
I sighed, shooting a tentative smile at the peephole he was obviously peering through. “It’s an emergency, Reid. I promise. I have news for you.”
“So text it to me.”
“I won’t ask you to trust me, Reid, that’d be unfair. But believe me when I say that this is news you’re going to want to hear face-to-face.”
There was a sigh and then the door swung open. “Fine. Come in and make it quick.”
I didn’t move a muscle. I couldn’t.
Because Reid was wearing nothing but a towel.
It was tucked loosely around his waist, like he’d secured it in a hurry. Rivulets of water dripped down his pale chest, disappearing into the white cotton at his hips. His pink nipples were peaked, likely due to the cold night air rushing in from behind me.
I wonder how responsive they are.
I couldn’t stop looking at him. The planes of his taut stomach with the merest dusting of a happy trail. The long, lean calves that would look so perfect wrapped around my waist.
My mouth had dried out. Fuck, I’d known Reid was hot. After what had happened between us in the club, I’d had many fantasies about seeing him exactly like this.
The reality was so much better.Fuck.
“Are you coming in, or are you just going to ogle me? Because if it’s the latter, you can do that through the window.”
Reid’s question slammed me back into myself. Heat flooded my cheeks as I cleared my throat. “Fuck, I’m sorry. That was incredibly inappropriate of me. I promise, I have no intention of coming on to you or anything like that.”
He nibbled on his lower lip. Seeing his uncertainty had panic rising in me.Shit.What the fuck had I been thinking? He’d made it clear in the club that any advances from me were unwelcome. “I promise, Reid. You’re the last person I’d hit on.”
Reid took a step back, hurt filling his eyes. “Wow. Say it like it is, why don’t you.”
My wolf howled. “No…that’s not what I meant. Fuck, I just meant you’re safe with me, Reid. You don’t need to worry about me trying to steal your virtue or anything.”
Reid’s lips twitched. “Babes, I hate to tell you this, but my virtue was stolen alongtime ago. Probably around the last time anyone actually used that phrase.”
My stomach twisted at the thought of Reid with someone. It was only natural that I found it unsettling. You had to be vulnerable to be intimate. I just wanted Reid to be safe. That was all.
It has to be.
“You might as well come in.” Reid sighed, turning and heading for his sofa. “If you’re going to insist we have aconversation,we may as well be comfortable for it.”
