He grunted. “What?”
“You know how people always ask,does the carpet match the drapes?”I asked, fiddling with a strand of my hair.
Barrett blinked. “You—what?”
I pointed at his hair. “Your hair is the same color as your fur.”
“Yeah. That’s kind of how it works.” He thrust his hands in his hair—and gods, they were big—and tugged at the ends. “So, do you want me to—” He gestured downthere.
Oh my goddess.I turned around, hearing him get up off the bed. “Right. I’ll leave you alone. If you want to shower, there’s towels in there. In the meantime, I’ll…” I turned to look at him and lost my train of thought.
He wastall. Definitely over six foot, and that shouldn’t have surprised me, given how massive his wolf form was. But I was still mesmerized. Struck stupid. Dumfounded.
Unable to make a single cohesive word come out of my mouth.
“Wow.”Shit, had I just said that out loud?
Barrett kept the pillow over his waist, but his thighs were thick, corded with muscle, and my mouth was dry.
“Um. There’s probably a pair of old sweats in my closet you could wear,” I squeaked. They were way too big on me, so I had no idea why I’d kept them all these years, only that they were cozy in the cold winter months.
He made a grumbling sound. “Don’t look at me like that,” he said, still holding the pillow in place. His voice was rough—like gravel, and it scraped over my skin.
I tried to ignore the way my nipples pebbled at the command.
Sure, he was attractive, but it wasn’t like I was actually going toacton that attraction, right? Even if he was hot as sin, and he’d had his erection pressed up against me this morning. I was trying not to think about what it felt like, howbighe was.
“I’m gonna go.” I needed to get out of here before I did something stupid. “I’ll be back with… clothes.” I grabbed a baseball cap from my closet, pulling it over my hair, as well as a pair of jeans and a baggy sweater. Grabbing a pair of socks and my favorite boots, I hustled it out of there, needing some air.
Fanning at my warm cheeks as I stood on my front porch, I was grateful for the cool air to aid me in cooling off.
I pulled out my phone, thinking about my options. I really only had one, unless I called a friend and asked them to bring me their brother—or boyfriend’s—clothes. And the thought of doing that was mortifying.
Even more mortifying than buying men’s clothes from Dark Moon Fashions—the biggest clothing boutique in town.
But I could pull my big girl panties on and go find him something.
“And you hadnoidea?” Rina asked, blinking as we thumbed through the racks at Dark Moon an hour later.
I’d just finished summarizing what all had happened with the wolf—Barrett—to them. Well, I’d left out a few key details, including waking up to him wrapped around me,naked,and the very generous package he was, um, packing. Also that I’d gotten attached to said wolf enough to let him sleep in my bed. They’d definitely think I was pathetic and lonely if I revealed that.
“Of course not,” I said, letting out a huff as I pulled a jacket off the rack, inspecting it. So far, we’d found a few pairs of pants I was pretty sure would fit him—though I was really guessing at the size. “You think I was caring for an injured wolf because I knew he was actually ashifter?”I whispered the last word, though it still came out louder than I intended.
“She’s got a point, Rin,” Wendy said, nudging Rina out of the way as she pulled out a soft gray henley. “We were there that night. He really did seem like a wolf.” Wendy was wearing a sports bra and matching leggings, like she’d come right fromthe yoga studio. She always looked put together, even after a workout, which was much better than the sweaty mess I became.
I bit my lip. “Mostly. He certainly had some… quirks.” Like following me around like a dog. And the way he whined at me, but growled at Rina and Wendy that night. “Either way, I need to get him clothes, and then I’m going to take him back to wherever he was staying, help him get his stuff, and then send him on his way. After that, he’s not my problem anymore. Clearly he’s all healed now.” Saying the words felt almost cruel.
There was part of me, however small, that felt bonded to the wolf I’d spent night after night caring for. The one I’d checked on just to make sure he was still breathing. It hurt to think that I was just going to kick him out and send him back out there.
What if whatever had come after him did again?
But he wasn’t from here.
Our little town had enough drama last year after Willow and Luna had revealed that they’d fallen in love with two demon princes. If everyone discovered that there was more than we knew outside, who knew what sort of cataclysmic reactions it would set off?
I thought about his comment about the wards. Maybe everything we knew was a lie.
But was it my job to expose that?No. Though the little voice in my head couldn’t quite agree.
