Page 6

Chapter six

Noah

“ H oly shit, I’m hungry,” Ray said as he launched into his cheesesteak like he’d never eaten a meal in his life. Granted, my stomach rumbled pretty hard too. I’d been working like a beast today, and even with the cooler autumn temps, I’d still sweated like a fiend. And my boss, Brandon, kept adding extra tasks to my workload. I was supposed to hit Declan’s house last, and that was the sole thing energizing me.

Because the time with him at Rory’s party last weekend was the closest I’d come to him in years.

The closest I’d gotten to reaching across the divide that had built between us.

I bit into my cheesesteak. Sal’s made decent ones, though my favorite steak shops were still the old mom-and-pop shops that had been around for fifty-plus years. The flavors of meat, cheese, and grease exploded on my tongue, and I bit back the moan. Yeah, fucking worth the stop .

“Thanks again for covering for me the other day,” Ray said around a mouthful of cheesesteak. “Brandon and I had our concert to get to, and we would never have made it otherwise.”

Irritation prickled through me fast and fierce. While I was happy I’d gotten the job at Declan’s house, this wasn’t the first time Brandon pulled strings. I’d missed a volunteer shift with Petie the other week just to accommodate and probably for some trivial bullshit. I was getting so damn sick of having a boss who abused the fact that I pitched in. I needed to start looking somewhere else, something I’d been meaning to do for a long while. But I ended up paralyzed by not wanting to disappoint people, over and over. And it didn’t help that Brandon and I had graduated together.

Instead of responding, I took another bite of my cheesesteak, and the delicious taste did lift my mood a little bit. Honestly, until the last few months, I’d been content coasting. I loved my family, and I had enough social invites to keep me distracted.

However, this past year, I’d started to feel scraped away at the edges. Like if someone peeled back my mask, they’d find…nothing. As if I’d given pieces and pieces of myself but never replaced them.

Very grimdark thoughts while eating a cheesesteak in the middle of the fucking day at Sal’s.

“Right, I better get to my next house,” Ray said. “I’ll give the quote and clear the fuck out. Those storm clouds don’t look promising.”

“Psh, storm clouds.” I shook my head. “I’ll deal with it if an actual storm shows up.”

“You say that now…” Ray hopped from his seat, clapped me on the shoulder, and strode toward the door. I stared at my cheesesteak. As much as I could eat more, I’d save it for later. Finding out Brandon had used me again soured my stomach .

Luckily for me, with a little time to spare before the next job, I knew the best place to go.

I ditched Sal’s, tossed my wrapped-up cheesesteak in the passenger’s seat, and peeled onto the highway. A few minutes later, I slowed and pulled into an all-too-familiar parking lot. Pets and More had been around for an eternity, the red lettering on the sign a bit faded by the sun. They’d painted a goldfish on the window, and while the types of animals they had varied weekly, I knew they had the endorphin boost I needed right now.

When I entered, the scent of pine shaving tickled my nose. I made a beeline to where the rotating rescue animals were kept. The barks and meows beckoned me. I loved cats, but dogs had held a special place in my heart since I was a kid. We’d had a few growing up, but once my sisters and I moved out, my parents hadn’t adopted more.

And I severely missed having a pet in my life.

Fuck getting a guy. I needed a dog.

I rounded the shelving, and a thrill shot through me at the sight of the pups. Little fumbling husky pups, tiny furry friends.

I dropped to the ground and put my hand near the crate. The little black-eared ball of fluff I’d had my eye on came rushing over.

“You wanted to see Petie again, didn’t you?” a familiar voice asked. I glanced up. Carmen, one of the other volunteers for Furever Homes, which was the place I volunteered at once in a while. Taking the dogs for adoption on walks or playing in the park with them was no hardship. The owner, Bette, had been trying to get me to take home a dog for ages, and fuck, I wished I spent enough time around my house to swing it.

“Guilty,” I said, pushing up to stand. Carmen leaned forward and unlatched the cage. Fuck yes .

She lifted out Petie, who gave a happy little yap. The second she lowered the wriggling ball of fluff into my arms, sheer joy shot through me. Petie looked up at me with those pretty blue eyes, and then he licked my chin. I was pretty sure I’d fallen in love at first sight, and if only my dating life, or lack thereof, could work so smoothly.

Granted, it had, in a way.

I’d been smitten with Declan since high school, and for years, I’d tried to find someone who matched that level of chemistry. So far, I was batting zero.

“So, when are you going to take him home?” she teased, even though she knew my answer.

“Let me stow him in my car. He can work the next job with me. Get his tiny little paw prints on the masonry I’ve got to repair.” Petie licked my face again, and I let him scramble onto my shoulder, where he gnawed at my hair, even though my hands still circled him in a firm grip. This little fucker was mischievous, and I liked the hell out of that.

“Can that be a thing? Pups with Contractors?” A grin curved her lips. “The lot of you can take them for rides in trucks all day. They’d be thrilled.”

“I’ll pitch it around,” I said. A slight twinge of anxiousness at the thought of bringing up the idea at work rippled through me. Brandon sure as fuck wouldn’t be solid with it. Yet so many dogs loved riding in trucks with the windows rolled down, and if I headed to a quote or short job where they wouldn’t interfere…damn, I liked the concept too much.

Petie licked my face again as if he could tell I dwelled on work. Goodest boy ever. Clearly, I needed to smuggle him home and rearrange my life to make sure I could keep him.

My phone buzzed, and I juggled Petie so I held him with the one arm as he squirmed all over me. My nose wrinkled on automatic at the weather alert. Severe thunderstorm warning. Ugh. I’d have to hold off on pouring the concrete today, but if I got to Declan’s soon, I could at least get the basics sorted out.

Petie wriggled out of my arms and leaped to the ground.

Not again.

“There he goes,” Carmen warned, but of course she made no move to go get him.

This clever little fucker loved to play Houdini, and in taking him out, I accepted the task of having to find him.

However, I knew a few of his favorite spots. He might be good at escaping but not so much at hiding. Petie’s tail wagged from the other side of the shelf in the back, where he hid. Thing was, he wanted to be found too because he loved the game. I stalked down the aisle, watching the swish, swish, swish of his tail. My heart warmed. As much as I’d been feeling stretched too thin, moments like these filled me right up.

I might not know who I was, but his little guy made me feel like enough.

I’d only ever experienced that around one other person…who was prickly as a pinecone, confusing as fuck, and captivating as hell.

Petie’s wagging tail gave him away, and I crept up nice and slow as his excited pants grew louder. I lunged forward but then did an immediate reroute, backtracked around the shelves, and swung around the other side. He was running forward and ended up colliding right into me. I wrapped him in my arms, covered his fluffy head in kisses, and carried him over to Carmen. He licked my face a few times before I handed him over, which got harder to do whenever I came and played with him .

“You know he doesn’t act like this with anyone else, right?” Carmen arched a brow as she dropped Petie in the cage with the other husky pups.

I squeezed my nape and avoided looking down into Petie’s yearning eyes. Because yeah, I wanted to take him home too. “Rude of you to employ my greatest weakness, the guilt trip.”

“I’m well aware,” Carmen said. “And I get it. I want to take them all home too. It just sucks you’re not in a place to have a dog cos the connection you have with this little guy is special.”

I gave her a nod and shoved my hands into my pockets. “Trust me, I feel that. I’ll see you around.” With that, I started for the exit.

“Hope you don’t get stuck in the storm,” she called. “It’s supposed to be a doozy.”

“It’s just a little rain.” I slipped out through the door and hopped into my truck. The engine rumbled to life, and I set to my destination: Declan Brannon’s. The one concern I did have with the approaching storm was the ramshackle state of his walls and how much water would likely get inside with heavy rain. Because the man who came from a family full of contractors had left calling a contractor too late.

The puffy white clouds from earlier grayed around the edges, and the air rolling in through my open window had a telltale thickness to it. My heart thumped a little faster on reflex, even though storms didn’t stress me out. I’d driven through pretty wicked ones, and unless these winds were hurricane levels, I wouldn’t worry.

I turned onto Declan’s street, and his house popped into view, a few down the road. Adrenaline coursed through my veins. From the impending storm or the sight of his house, who knew? I’d done a good job distracting myself for years. It wasn’t hard with how busy I usually was, and I only ran into him a few times a year .

However, the resurgence of Declan Brannon in my life these past few weeks had brought my crush back in a full frenzy. It was hopeless and out of control, and I had a better chance of becoming a five-time salsa dancing champion than getting Declan to notice me like that.

However, maybe I was a bit of a masochist because I kept pressing the bruise.

I pulled up his driveway, and his front door swung open. Declan emerged a second later, and I idled in my car, soaking in the sight.

He was barefoot, wearing jeans and a red shirt that fit his slender frame far too well. His thick black glasses offset his gorgeous deep eyes, and his chestnut hair was tousled. It looked intentional, but it wasn’t. Saliva pooled in my mouth, which was a me problem. But goddamn, he was hot as fuck.

Something about distracted, smartass, brilliant guys did me in.

I hopped out of the car and strode up to him. “No work today?”

Declan readjusted his glasses as he leaned against the railing along his front steps. “I worked from home today. Figured it’d make life easier for when you showed up to begin the project on…this.” He gestured at his house.

“Such esteem you have for your home,” I teased.

Declan shrugged. “I just need it to be functional.”

“I’m shocked your walls weren’t bare bones.” I shoved my hands into my pockets, restraining the itch to reach out and touch him. Being in his proximity drove me insane.

A slight smile tilted his lips. “That was Rory. No one expects it of him, but he’s got a talent for interior decorating.”

“I wouldn’t have guessed.” I settled onto the railing opposite him. “I liked setting my place up. Even though I’m not as great with figuring out paintings, picking out the colors, and updating the fixtures, all of it is a blast. Besides, what’s the point in having a home if you don’t care where you’re returning to?”

Ouch, I’d hurt my feelings there. For as much work as I’d put in my house, I barely spent time in it.

“Well, I do care about where I’m returning to,” Declan said. “My room’s comfortable, and I know where everything is situated. I just don’t give a damn about the color of the walls.”

“I can tell by your alligator-green kitchen,” I teased.

Declan leveled me with a flat look. “Did you come to fix my masonry or critique the decor of my house?”

I snorted. “I did, but I’m going to be limited with what I can achieve today. I planned on getting the area prepped, since there’s a storm coming. Once the rain hits, I won’t be able to do much.”

Declan wrinkled his nose as he glanced up to the sky. “How much time do you need on that?”

In the short time from driving here to getting out, the clouds now looked like charred marshmallows. The air all but vibrated with the tension of the oncoming storm, and disappointment flooded me. This was the job I’d been looking forward to all day, but I hadn’t managed to beat the storm.

“I could try—” I said, but then the winds swept in.

With each passing second, the world grew darker, and an intense breeze whipped around, scattering stray leaves and sticks. Well, apparently, it would be a pretty hefty storm coming our way.

A few droplets of rain smacked me in the cheek, right as the wind increased.

“The rain’s arrived.” Declan put his hand out as if to collect the water.

“Mm, I’m pretty aware of that,” I returned in a deadpan voice.

“So, work today…” Declan hedged. “Delayed, I presume? ”

“I’m sorry,” I said, my shoulders dipping inward with my hunch. Disappointment thumped in my chest a bit harder.

“Why? You can’t control the weather.” Declan’s matter-of-fact tone and the complete lack of judgment were a relief, which was one of the reasons being around him soothed my soul. I was a perpetual worshipper at the Anxiety Temple, and being around someone who viewed the world in such a clear, logical way offered a balm I didn’t realize how badly I needed.

“So you think,” I said. “Except that’s my mutant power.”

“Out of all the choices, you’d pick Storm’s?” Declan asked, even as the rain started to leave drops on his glasses.

“We all know you like Gambit best,” I teased. “Unless that’s changed?”

“His molecular acceleration abilities are some of the most unique.” Declan’s smile crept out, and I wanted to keep that in my pocket. “Plus, he had a fun attitude.”

The winds whined around us. I stood straighter and looked around. The tension in the air increased a thousandfold, and the droplets of rain not only increased but smacked with a stinging intensity. A swooping feeling rushed through me, a prickling sensation caused by nature’s raw malevolence. Of power and force with a level of chaos found in the wild.

“I should get out of here.” I took a step toward my car.

The whine increased.

A crack of lightning burst through the air, blinding and tumultuous.

As if in slow motion, a tree in Declan’s front yard teetered forward and crashed to the ground with a loud creak and splintering boom.

Right in front of his driveway .

The lights in his house and the ones along the road flickered and then snapped out.

The rain, which had been lighter despite the intense shearing winds, morphed into a torrential downpour.

Declan’s gaze locked on mine. “Come on in.”

I swallowed hard and walked in behind him.

So much for “just a storm.”