“Well, no, but it’s not fair.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’ve just had to experience what I imagine to be your worst nightmare. Let me coddle you a little.”
“That wasn’t my worst nightmare.”
“Oh?”
“No.” He tucked his face into my neck, like he couldn’t cope with looking at me as he spoke. “That would’ve been you getting hurt too.”
I had nothing to say to that. Nothing I was ready to say, anyway. And certainly nothing Reid was ready to hear.
But as drops of rain began to fall from the sky, I didn’t feel a single one. The fire Reid’s words had ignited was enough to burn for a thousand days.
And then a thousand more.
It wasn’t until we stepped out of the trees that a pertinent detail made its way to the forefront of my mind. “Um, you should probably know that I don’t live alone.”
Reid stiffened, gaping up at me in horror. “Oh my god. Are you in a relationship? Did I…did we cheat on someone?”
I couldn’t help it, I burst into laughter. The idea of me being able to see anyone else with Reid in my life was nothing short of hilarious. “No, sweetheart. I’m painfully single. I live with my parents.”
“Oh.” Reid chewed on his bottom lip. “Will they be okaywith me gatecrashing? I know some shifters are funny about having humans in their space.”
I silenced him with another kiss. Seemed that was my new favourite thing to do. “You won’t find a single one of those shifters here, Reid, and certainly not in my home.”
“I’m sorry.” He ducked his head in embarrassment. “I shouldn’t judge others by what my family put me through.”
“It’s natural when you don’t have anything to compare it to, but that’s partially why I want you to stay here. This clan…it’s what a clanshouldbe.”
“Okay. If they think I’m an imposition at all though, I’m happy to go somewhere else.”
“They won’t,” I said firmly, resuming my march towards my childhood home. “If anything, Ma is going to spoil you rotten, and Pa will just be glad of someone new to talk to.”
“Sounds like you have some good parents there.”
My heart clenched at the wistful note in his voice. “Aye, Reid. I do.”
Not wanting to put him down, I kicked the door open. “And, considering they’ve made themselves scarce for our arrival, I can confidently say they are thebest.”
“They didn’t need to do that,” Reid murmured, a blush spreading over his cheekbones once more. “This is their home.”
“And you’ve been through a traumatic experience,” I reminded him. “What you need is peace and quiet to decompress. Ma and Pa know that. They’ll likely come back later when you’re asleep.”
Reid looked like he was going to launch into another protest, so I pre-empted it with another kiss. When I pulled back, he was smiling at me wryly. “You can’t kiss me every time you want me to be quiet.”
I smirked as I headed for the staircase. “Maybe I’m just kissing you because I like it.”
My sensitive ears clocked Reid’s heart rate increasing. “Seems like awfully convenient timing to me.”
“It’s called killing two birds with one stone.” I didn’t stop at the top of the staircase, heading straight for the bathroom. “Speaking of which, why don’t you have a bath? Get clean and relax a little.”
I lowered him to his feet, making sure he was steady before releasing him. I wasn’t able to step away before he grabbed my wrist. “Wait, you’re not leaving, are you?”
Fuck, I shouldn’t love this neediness, but I did. If I had my way, I’d never leave Reid’s side again. “No, sweetheart. I’m going to run your bath and add at least three bath bombs.”
His lips quirked. “Three?”
“Logan keeps us well stocked,” I said wryly, opening the cupboard to show him the various coloured balls. “Ma made one comment about loving a bath bomb a decade ago, and he can’t resist getting her a few every time he goes to town.”
