Page 34 of Wonder
“Good. I feel better about us abandoning you.” Greg crossed his arms over his chest.
I kicked him in the shin. “Don’t be a dumbass. You need to get Cal and yourself out of harm’s way.” I pointed at Shane. “Same goes for you. Don’t feel guilty about leaving. Pia is your priority.”
He sighed. “Yeah, that’s easy to say, but....” He shrugged. “I still feel guilty. I asked Nicky if he wanted to come to Houston with me, and he said no.”
“He must stay here.” Jackson picked up the last cracker off the tray Simon had made and put it in their mouth.
The back door opened, and Simon carried Nicky inside right as Cal came out of the guest room. We all said our goodbyes, and then it was only me, Simon, Jackson, and Nicky.
“Okay, I have to go take a shower. Anyone need anything right now?” They all shook their heads, so I retreated to my room for some desperately needed alone time.
Fuck, today had been a lot. Simon wanting me to be his mate, Nicky, the fight, Cal getting injured, Meg almost being killed. And now our best hope of finding the vampires was Cal calling a vision from beyond any Seer’s range.
Unless by some miracle I had a vision in my sleep. I’d never had one manifest while I was awake.
I let the hot water beat down on my neck and back, loosening the tight muscles. My brain helpfully supplied an image of Simon standing behind me, also naked and rubbing my back. I fought down an erection, because I wasn’t sure my attempts at blocking our connection were working. I didn’t want him to find out I was attracted to him and then get his hopes up that I might give him a chance.
I wished there was a way for Simon and me to have sex without any strings, because I’d been having a long dry spell. Between the Wonders demanding my attention at all hours and my PI jobs, I didn’t have a lot of free time to find a hookup. And when I did make an effort to look on an app, the whole process seemed too time-consuming, and I ended up just jerking off.
But Simon wanted a mate. Hell, if he wasn’t already connected to me, he wouldn’t have any trouble finding someone else. Someone who wanted to settle down and had time to devote to a partner.
A partner. Wouldn’t that be nice? Too bad what I needed a partner for wasn’t even close to what Simon had to be picturing. I needed what amounted to a business partner. Someone to share the load of the District Monitor duties. Someone to help me attract clients for my PI business and split the late hours.
It was a pipe dream. The best I could hope for would be that one day a new DM would show up and resonate with this District. Then I’d only have the one job, and at least my late-night stakeouts wouldn’t be constantly interrupted with texts and Discord messages.
I continued my pity party of one as I dried off and got dressed, but I put on a pleasant smile when I returned to the living room.
Nicky and Jackson were watching an episode ofDoctor Who, and Simon was coming through the front door carrying a plastic tub and a duffel bag.
“Hey, do you need help?”
“No, thanks.” He nudged the door closed with his hip. He’d changed clothes, and his hair was up in a bun. It was unfairlyattractive. “But, FYI, there are two Hunters outside. They’re going to be here in shifts in case theluchd-òl folafind us.”
“Yeah, Greg warned me.” I briefly considered following Dominic’s request for us to relocate to a hotel, but the thought of those vampires in a building full of NPCs was horrifying.
I got Nicky and Jackson more snacks—caramel popcorn, pretzels, and chips this time. Both of them could use the empty calories. Nicky was acting more than a little withdrawn, but he did nibble on the food when I handed it to him. In addition to being tired, he was probably worried about the escaped vampires. All of us were, but it was a lot more personal and triggering for him.
I needed to write up a report to my client, but doing it in my study seemed antisocial, so I set up my laptop on the kitchen table and began to make notes and go through all the photos I’d taken the night before last. My phone buzzed occasionally, but I ignored it. They all knew to call if it was an emergency.
“May I sit here?” Simon stood at the other end of the table holding the plastic tub he’d brought in from his minivan.
“Sure, of course.” Though, to Simon, I could understand why he wouldn’t believe there was anyof courseabout sitting near me. Shit, I needed to make an effort to be friendlier to him.
He got a glass of water from the kitchen then sat down and opened the tub, pulling out a heavy knitted blanket. The cream-colored yarn appeared soft and cozy. He reached in again and produced a pair of knitting needles.
“Youknit?” I couldn’t keep the incredulity from my tone.
He looked up, his cheeks darkening a bit. Fuck, I’d embarrassed him.
I waved a hand as if to erase what I’d said. “Not that I think there’s anything wrong with knitting. It’s just... unexpected.”
He made a complicated series of expressions I had no hope of deciphering. “I live out of my van most of the time. I get bored.”
I’d put my foot in it again. “Understandable.” I cleared my throat. “Look, Simon, I wanted to apologize for earlier. I?—”
He held a hand up. I was grateful he wasn’t pointing his knitting needle at me. “I don’t want to talk about any of that tonight. I’m too tired. We can talk if you like, but I’m not discussing our connection or our mating. Okay?”
I grimaced. I wanted to apologize, but this wasn’t about me, and I wasn’t a big enough asshole to push it when he’d asked me not to. “Okay.”
