Reid pauses on the sidewalk, making me have to slide to a stop to turn back. “It’s that easy?”
“Yeah, whatever you want,” I quickly agree.
Tilting his head, he gives me that predator look again, the one that always unsettles me just a little. Reid sniffs, lifts his chin in the air, then continues on back toward my house. Wewalk the rest of the way in comfortable silence. The guys aren’t in the living room and the house is quiet, but I don’t have the patience to worry about them right now. Reid heads up toward my room like he lives there. Now he does.The caveman inside me practically preens at this turn of events.
I set his bag down on the desk in the corner of my room. When I turn around, Reid is toeing off his boots again. Without a care in the world, he tosses himself on the bed to stare up at the ceiling. I lie down beside him, cheek against the pillow, hand on the comforter between us. My breath catches in my chest as I wait for him to turn on the bed, and when he does I have to bite back a smile.
Reid narrows his eyes at me and tangles our fingers together. “Why do you do that? Why do you bite back your smile?”
“My smile is creepy.”
Reid tuts. “Not your genuine smile. Your fake one yeah, it’s a little… serial killer. But the real smile when something makes you happy? That’s golden. Do it more, please.”
“Okay, but… don’t tell anyone.”
Reid rolls his eyes. “I’ll send it out in my next mass email.”
“No, you won’t.”
He sighs and rolls over to cuddle against my chest. “No, I won’t.”
Reid falls asleep for a little nap, but I’m wide awake. I listen to him breathe for a while, run my fingers through his hair, play with his fingers that are curled softly against the comforter. Watching Reid has quickly become my only obsession. Since that first time I laid eyes on him in the club, it’s felt like he’s mine. Insanity, sure, but it doesn’t make it any less true. I’ll do anything to keep him safe. Anything.
The door opens slowly, only for Hayden to peek his head through.
“Jacob said dinner is ready,” Hayden says with a teasing smirk.
“Could text me that.”
“I’m nosy.”
Hayden closes the door with a little slam, startling Reid awake. He rolls onto his back with a groan and blinks wide eyes up at me. I smile down at him and he tentatively smiles back.
“See, pretty,” Reid says softly.
I kiss him until his stomach is grumbling. Downstairs smells like stew and bread, Jacob’s favorite comfort meal to cook for us. Reid keeps his fingers knotted with mine even as we take our respective seats. Parker and Hayden join us just as Jacob is setting a pot of steaming stew in the middle of the table. Jacob smacks the back of Parker’s head in some sort of twin signal. The next minute Parker is scrambling out of his seat to help set the table while Jacob brings freshly baked bread over to the table.
“Is this what it’s like every night?” Reid asks around a mouthful of biscuit.
I give him a hesitant smile. “Most nights.”
Reid hums thoughtfully, then gently bumps his shoulder into mine. “It’s nice.”
Yeah, yeah it is. Nicer now that he’s here. But I’ll bite my tongue on that one for a bit. We eat dinner quietly, which is par for the course for us. If we aren’t sniping at one another, usually we’re silent, either in our own heads, working on something for Robin, or doing homework. Once we’re done with dinner, I leave Reid at the table while I help Parker dothe dishes. I rinse them, then Parker loads them into the dishwasher.
“You really trust him to tell him all that,” Parker murmurs just after sneaking a look over his shoulder to confirm Reid is occupied.
“We’ve imprinted on one another.”
Parker grunts so loudly that Hayden turns a suspicious eye on us. I make a face and Hayden turns away, so I go back to washing dishes.
“You do have that sort of energy. It’s like… you’ll take anyone… but when the important person comes along, BAM they’re yours.”
“Yes, imprinting.”
“Dante, where did you learn that word?” Parker asks in only the way he can. He’s not saying I’m stupid, he’s just fucking curious.
“Those vampire movies.”
