Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 85616 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85616 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
All I wanted was to be his good boy.
That’s why I didn’t hesitate when I got that text asking me on a date. I pushed through the guilt of not listening to Chris and now found myself sitting across from Miles, who was telling me exactly what I needed to hear to make me feel like we were solid.
“Thank you,” I said, unable to tamp down my smile even if I tried. “I didn’t want things to be hidden. I’m a bad actor, anyway. The guys were already starting to put some pieces together.”
Miles arched his brow. “Like what?”
“Soren mentioned something the other day about me needing some extra time with the trainer. Gabe jumped in and teased me some more. Eli elbowed him to shut up. That’s when I kind of thought the snakes were officially on the train.”
Miles cocked his head and threaded his fingers so that they formed a loose fist in front of his mouth. I could still see him smiling. “Then I should definitely talk to Coach sooner rather than later. I’d rather him find out from me.”
“Want me to go with you?”
“No, no. I’ll handle it.”
There wasn’t a big age difference between us at all, him being twenty-nine to my twenty-seven, but his tone in how he said handle it definitely gave me daddy vibes. And honestly? I didn’t mind it.
Miles clapped his hands. The grin still on his face. “Ready for the main course?”
I took a final bite of the delicious salad and nodded. Miles cleared the table and disappeared into his house. He had made his backyard feel like the patio to a cozy, high-end restaurant. He’d strung the lights up all along the tall fence, wrapped them around the willow tree that stood like a guard in the corner. The night air was chilly but nothing that required jackets or coats. Shifters usually ran hot. There were days even during the dead of winter where I felt comfortable enough to go out in shorts and a shirt, but I also didn’t want to raise any questions so I learned to dress the part.
I smelled the steak before Miles even brought it out. My mouth watered as he placed the juicy piece of meat in front of me. It was glazed with a thick sauce, a long stem of an herb I didn’t recognize sitting on top of it.
“It’s a filet mignon with a homemade garlic truffle glaze.”
It only took one bite for me to fall in love. “Holy shit, that’s really fucking good.”
“Thank you. I’ve got to cook for you more often.”
“You definitely do. And I’ll give you more massages in return.”
Miles looked up at that, a flicker in his hazel eyes. “I’d love that.”
“Good,” I said confidently. “So where’d you learn to cook?”
“My dad,” Miles said proudly. “He had to handle everything, being a single dad. One of the things he’s great at is cooking. I shadowed him in the kitchen all the time.”
“You mentioned your dad not being a shifter. How was that?” I asked. It was only one of a thousand questions I wanted to ask Miles.
“It was fine. He already knew about us because his grandmother was a shifter. She was a hawk shifter. He didn’t know if I’d follow suit until he went into my bedroom when I was five and found a wolf cub curled up in the bed. At that age, you know, we don’t stay shifted for long. So an hour later I was up and asking for a bowl of cereal. He sat me down and explained it as best he could to a five-year-old. He talked about being different and how I have to make sure I keep this special trait as close to my chest as possible. I had one accidental shift at a grocery store once, a couple months after that. He hid me in the bathroom until I turned back, and from then on, I always had better control. I think it was the fear I saw in his eyes that convinced me I had to keep it a secret. How about you?”
That all sounded similar to my own experience with a few key differences. “My father’s a shifter,” I said. “He told my mom before they had me. Showed her by shifting into his wolf form. So when they had me, they were on high alert. I had a couple more accidental shifts than you. I was five when my shifter traits kicked in. It happened on the playground once, but my Mom had a blanket and covered me. The other parents and kids thought I passed out from the sun.” I shook my head at the memory. “Crazy. But it did help that my dad was a shifter himself. I learned a lot from him, before he turned into a complete fucking sleazebag douche nozzle shifter asshole.”