Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 54305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 272(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 272(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Please. He wasn’t stupid. Why would he miss out on a chance to be in Ryder’s arms? When was this likely to happen again?
The ride to their new home was far too short. Gideon unloaded the bags they’d tucked in the rear while Ryder carried the trunk to his place first to empty the books. He hefted the monster up to the second floor for Gideon.
With a nod, Ryder left. That was it. No hug or sweet dreams. No good-bye kiss. No, let’s do it all over again sometime but naked and in bed.
Okay, he hadn’t expected the last one, but it would have been nice.
Sighing, Gideon flopped onto his new overstuffed and comfortable green couch and pulled his phone out of his pocket to find a text from Ethan waiting for him.
Rather than texting, he called. If Ethan wasn’t busy locking lips—or other body parts—with his mate, he’d answer.
“Since you’re calling, I take it the night didn’t go as you’d hoped,” Ethan said as a greeting.
“We got shopping done, which wasn’t bad. I found an amazing trunk at the thrift store. He carried me from his truck. We—”
“He carried you? Why? Did you get hurt?” Ethan interrupted.
Gideon rolled his eyes. Why was everyone always assuming that he was going to get hurt? “It was romantic. The parking lot was all slushy and dirty. He didn’t want my feet to get dirty, so he carried me.”
“Yeah, okay. That’s romantic. I totally love it when Marcus carries me around,” Ethan quickly agreed. “So, and…you were in his arms…?”
“Nothing.”
“What?” Ethan shrieked. “How? How is that even possible?”
“We almost kissed, but someone shouted from a passing car and that pissed him off. Mood ruined.” Gideon groaned. “I thought once we got home I could spark the mood and at least get a good-night kiss, but he just dropped off the trunk and left. Practically ran from my place.”
“You’re playing too hard to get,” Ethan said flatly.
Gideon bolted upright, clenching his phone in his fist. “Too hard to get! Are you out of your mind? What do you want me to do? Show up on his doorstep naked with whipped cream and a cherry on my dick? Ask him if he’s feeling hungry?”
“It’s a start.”
“You’ve been reading romance novels again,” Gideon accused.
“So what? I’ve been helping Marcus transcribe and annotate old clan meeting notes into a digital format. My brain is tired, and it needs something happy. Romance has a happy ending. Plus, there are some good ideas in those books.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I’m serious! Ryder is a natural caretaker with you. He needs an excuse to take care of you. What if the knob on your shower happened to break and you run to his place dripping wet in only a towel, begging for help and shivering from the cold air?”
Gideon chuckled. “You are an evil, evil vampire. I don’t know how Marcus manages you.”
“We manage each other quite well, thank you very much,” Ethan said primly. “I gotta run. You think about it.”
“I’m not doing the shower thing,” Gideon replied.
“Pfft. Coward. Call me when you’ve got a better idea.”
Ethan hung up, and Gideon glared at his phone. The problem was that Ethan’s idea wasn’t all that bad, and Gideon didn’t have a better one.
Chapter 4
Ryder
Near dawn, Ryder put aside the book he’d been pretending to read and shut off the new reading light Gideon had picked out for him tonight. His condo was now half-furnished, thanks to his neighbor’s immense efforts, but he had to face the fact that he couldn’t keep dragging his feet. The little vampire was good at decorating a place, even if Ryder couldn’t or wouldn’t offer any input.
It would take only one more shopping trip, and he would have everything he needed.
Fuck. He was pretty sure he already had way more than he needed. He’d never had so many possessions as a vampire. Now his new couch and extra-big chair that could accommodate him and even Gideon, if he were bold enough to pull the smaller vamp into his lap, would arrive in two days. He had a proper bed off the floor, with a sturdy frame and a nice wood headboard. His kitchen was full of dishes, pots, pans, and cutlery that he would probably never use. He had the fluffiest towels, the softest sheets, and several blankets identical to Gideon’s. All his books lined the new shelves. It appeared as if he might need another bookshelf after tonight’s haul, though.
In short, he was going to need another reason to keep interacting with Gideon during their free time, so he couldn’t go out searching for some stranger to date.
He’d thought this decorating thing was going to take much longer.
No, his real problem was that he should have kissed Gideon. They’d come so close in the parking lot until that asshole had distracted him. How dare anyone say something so vulgar to Gideon?