Graham laughs. “For me, yeah. He was my hero. For him, I think I was a small injured animal he wanted to protect and ended up learning to like.”
“So you didn’t spend a lot of time together? At first, I mean?”
“We did. He invited me to his house the first afternoon. I fell in love with his family. His parents are in a bonded pack. My parents are both alphas and—” He stops, lost in his thoughts.
“And?” I prompt.
He blinks. “Oh yeah, sorry. My parents are… demanding. They mostly just cared that I was good at stuff. School was easy. Sports were never my thing. I think that embarrassed them. There was never the unconditional love that I found with Silas’ family. When I told my dad about what happened at school, he just told me to toughen up and deal with it.”
I suppress a growl. Just barely.
His expression softens, remembering his time with them. “The first time I came over to Silas’, his mom made me an ice cream sundae and asked and tutted when Silas told her about how the boys were treating me in school.”
“So you were always welcomed there?”
He nods. “Oh yeah. They are the ones who taught me what it meant to be a pack. I always wanted what his family had.” His eyes go all dreamy and something turns over low in my stomach.
“Now I have it. With you.”
But does he? This pack isn’t cemented yet. Scent sensitivity isn’t something that’s easy to walk away from, but it’s not a guarantee, either. I swallow, my throat suddenly dry.
“And Saint? He’s younger than you two, right? When did you meet?”
Graham nods. “We didn’t know Saint until later. Silas met him at the gym. Silas knew right away that Saint was ours. Came home and told me all about it.”
“And Saint? Did he know?”
Graham rolls his eyes. “I think you know enough by now to guess that Saint isn’t so great at accepting his feelings.”
I snort.
“He didn’t grow up in a pack and didn’t have plans to be in one. Said the guys on his shift were his pack. It took some convincing to get him here.”
I can see that. Saint seems independent and completely incapable of being vulnerable with others.
“Silas mentioned he’s been off lately. What’s he like under normal circumstances?”
Graham thinks before he speaks. “He’s sharp witted. Funny, but not a clown. Cocky as hell. Obsessive about things, mostly his coffee.”
I open my mouth to ask more questions, but my meeting app rings. Cammie.
“Hey,” I say when her picture pulls up on my computer screen.
“Hey yourself,” she says. She sees Graham’s face behind my shoulder. “Hey there, giant. Like the tats.”
His face heats. “Hi, Cammie.” Then to me he says, “I’m going to put on a shirt and clean up the kitchen. Holler if you need me.”
When he’s out of sight of the camera, Cammie breaks out into gales of laughter. “Gray sweatpants! Damn, girl. How did you even think long enough to answer my call?” Graham’s face turns impossibly red.
“Still in the room, Cammie,” I whisper yell.
She sobers, but only for a minute before bursting out in more peals of laughter. Graham rushes out the door. I wait until he’s further down the hall before I speak again.
“Heishot, right?”
“So hot,” she says.
“And did you get a good look at his tattoos?”
