Page 16 of Rescued By the Beast
"Ethan's right, they say having a pet helps relieve stress..."
"You know what will relieve my stress? You two stopping bothering me," I grumble, rolling my eyes.
He raises his hands in a gesture of surrender, but can't contain the laugh that escapes him.
"Are we going to get drunk or not?" Ethan asks, pulling an already cold beer from the cooler. "You only turn thirty-five once in your life!"
"Sure thing," Ted replies, opening the caps with his claws and offering me a bottle. "and you're going to sing the bloody happy birthday song, make a wish and blow out the candles."
I roll my eyes and let out a long sigh.
"That's asking too much."
Chapter 5
Sandra
“Sorry for keeping you waiting.”
“Don’t worry about it...” Luther says as soon as I get into his car. “Wait, were you crying?”
I lower my head to hide my reddened eyes, but he holds my chin and forces me to look at him.
“Char didn't give me an advance, but that's okay, I'll manage.”
“How much do you need?”
"No, Luther. I'm not going to take your money."
"Think of it as a loan, then. Pay me back when you can."
I bite my lip, I'm so desperate that I'm going to accept his offer.
"Eighty," I murmur, ashamed, humiliated.
"That’s it?" he says, and I feel even worse. It may not seem like much, but to me it's a lot. He takes the tips he has saved in his trouser pocket, removes a few notes and hands them to me. "Here."
"Thank you," I whisper, embarrassed.
"You're welcome."
Luther then starts driving, the journey from the tavern to my house is shrouded in a thick silence, heavy with tension, while I avoid his gaze.
I get out of the car, and he accompanies me. We walk side by side, the flickering lampposts casting long, distorted shadows on the asphalt, until we stop in front of the gate.
"This neighbourhood isn't safe," he breaks the silence, his deep voice laden with a concern I can't ignore.
I shrug, trying to downplay the importance of his words.
"It's not like I can choose anything better right now."
"Yes, you do. You can stay at my place."
I almost choke on my saliva.
"And sleep where, on your tiny sofa?" I wrinkle my nose. "Only if I turn into a cat to fit there." I try to be funny to hide my burning embarrassment.
"Then don't sleep on the sofa." He gives me a crooked, amused smile. "You can sleep in my bed."
