Page 27 of Can’t Help Growling in Love (Harmony Glen #9)
Chapter
Eighteen
JUNE
“You smell like sex.”
Tia’s voice is a low murmur as she corners me in the locker room, but I still flap my hand at her to shush her. It’s two minutes until the start of our shift, and I’m wrestling with my scrubs, hurrying to change and get ready before we take over from the daytime nurses.
“No time,” I remind her. “And I did shower, I promise. Your nose is just incredibly sensitive.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “I want details later. You won’t escape me.”
I watch my best friend’s back as she walks out of the room, somehow wearing her scrubs like they’re high fashion. I sigh, check my reflection in the mirror, and decide that I’m as decent as I can make myself in the minute that I have left.
My mind wanders to how it felt like to wake up in Asher’s arms, warm and cozy and incredible , at least until I saw the time on his phone. That must be what Tia smelled on me—the happy hormones my body created while snuggled up to my new boyfriend.
Then I push all thoughts of Asher from my mind because I can’t afford to be distracted at work, no matter how much I want to play through every hour we’ve spent together.
A hand grabs me as I walk past the nurses’ station, and I find myself facing Tia and Peter, sitting in the rolling chairs, matching expressions of interest on their faces.
I stifle a sigh and sink into the third chair.
I knew this was coming, and this is as good a time as any—my appendicitis patient is out of surgery, resting on the ward, and the kid whose parents brought him in with a high fever has had a dose of antibiotics and Tylenol, so I’ll be back to observe him in fifteen minutes unless something changes.
“Spill,” Tia demands, leaning her elbows on her knees. “Tell Auntie Tia everything.”
I press my lips together, wondering where to begin. Then I blurt, “Well, my basement flooded.”
She raises her eyebrows. “We know. Does this have to do with the hickey on your neck?”
I gasp, turning toward the glass wall behind me to check if it’s visible to everyone.
“It’s fine, it’s under your collar.” Tia puts me out of my misery, her voice amused. “I wouldn’t have let you walk out of the changing room like that.”
“Thank you.” I face them again. “I’ve been seeing a guy.”
Taking a deep breath, I explain things from the start, right to my current living situation.
“You’re hooking up with Asher Summers ? Our favorite radio show host?” Peter covers his mouth with his hand. “You’ve been holding out on us. Have you ever dated a supernatural before?”
“Yeah, one of my exes is a ghoul,” I admit, choosing the easiest of his questions.
“But Asher is completely different. He treats me so well. He made me breakfast this morning, he drives me to work when it rains, and he’s super sweet.
I think he might be the best boyfriend I’ve ever had.
And I like him. I really, really like him. ”
My cheeks heat at the admission, but it’s such a relief to say it out loud.
But he’s still squinting at me suspiciously. “You’ve been together for how long?”
“Um, we started chatting a few weeks ago.” I count through the days, eyes widening at the realization of how quickly we’ve progressed. “I mean, when the relationship feels right, it’s doesn’t make sense to hold back?”
My voice rises at the end, making the statement a question. Am I rushing things? I don’t want to push Asher too far, too fast, only to have him spook and run from me. I’d rather take things slow and make sure we’re both on the same page.
Tia glances at Peter, then back at me. “You do know the full moon is coming up in three days, yeah?”
I frown at the wall calendar behind her. “Right. Well, it’ll be all hands on deck as usual.”
“No, babe.” She shakes her head. “I meant—Asher is a werewolf . He’ll be shifting and…”
She stops herself, a fang sinking into her lower lip.
I frown, a little annoyed that she’s clearly keeping something from me. I’m about to demand an explanation, but it’s Peter who leans forward and pins me, his gaze stern.
“Listen. A werewolf on a full moon.” He swallows, then lifts his gaze to the ceiling, his ears turning a bright red.
When he speaks again, his words flow faster than before.
“Okay, so I never told you about this, but a couple of years ago, I was, um, invited to participate in a full moon run. With a couple of unmated wolves.”
Tia swivels on her chair to face him. “A couple of wolves?”
He clears his throat. “Yeah. It was…educational. Easily the best sex of my life. But that’s not the point.”
I stare at him. “How is that not the point?”
“We’re discussing your love life, not mine,” he retorts, sending me a dirty glare. “I wouldn’t share this unless it was important, okay?”
This severe attitude is so unlike him, I nod meekly and motion at him to continue.
“Well, after all was said and done,” he goes on, voice slightly strangled, “the guys told me about scent mates.”
Tia nods, leaning back in her chair. “Yeah, I was thinking the same based on June’s description. Could be what we’re dealing with here.”
I glance from one to the other. “Wait, what?”
“I’m not saying it’s a fact,” she says slowly, “but have you ever had a guy obsess over you like that?”
“No,” I admit. “But that doesn’t mean?—”
“Maybe not,” Peter interrupts. “But if you are his mate, there’s things you need to know. And if he hasn’t talked to you about it with the full moon only three days away, that could be a problem.”
“Okay.” I press my hands on top of my knees to calm my nerves. “Tell me.”
He stares at me for a short moment, then launches back into the explanation.
“The first full moon is intense for a newly bonded couple. Like, they can’t stay away from each other.
Sometimes, the frenzy will last longer than a day.
They’ll bite each other, and the sex is supposed to be out of this world. ”
I squeeze my legs together at the memory of Asher’s lips on my neck. He’s been obsessed with smelling and licking me there—was that because he’s been holding back the urge to bite?
“So June should stay well away if she’s not sure she wants to be bitten?” Tia sends a worried glance my way. “Biting is a serious business.”
“But I might not be able to spend the night with him,” I interrupt, still staring at Peter. “I’m supposed to be here, at the hospital. What will happen if we stay away from each other?”
He pushes his fingers through his short hair.
“This is all hearsay. Neither one of the guys who told me about this had gone through that, right? But they said that spending the full moon apart from your mate is supposed to be brutal. I don’t know if it’s the same for every wolf, but maybe it’s something to discuss with your man? ”
My mind buzzes with the new information. “Yeah,” I breathe. “For sure.”
Tia pats my arm. “Let us know if you need any help. If you need a place to crash…”
I shake my head. Tia shares her tiny apartment with her sister, and I don’t want to butt in on their lives.
“I’ll figure it out,” I promise. Then I glance up at Peter and add, “Thanks for the info. I didn’t know any of that. But if you think you’re off the hook for telling us about those guys, you’re mistaken, my friend.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He motions at the clock. “You’re due for your rounds. Let me know if I can do anything to help.”
I want to stay and discuss this further, but my job is too important to do it half-assed.
I slam the walls down on any Asher-related issues and focus on my patients instead, checking on the kid.
Then I give a set of stitches to an orc woman who cut herself while chopping wood, and I chat with her to keep her mind off the sting of the needle.
Slowly, I relax back into the routine of a busy shift.
It’s past midnight when I find a moment to duck into the staff bathroom and check my phone.
This guy was recommended to me by two different people. He’s supposed to do decent work, and his prices are reasonable. Maybe give him a call?
Asher has shared a contact from a contractor named Gabric Duval, so I save the number and send off a quick text explaining my situation, hoping he’s not the kind of person who keeps their phone notifications on overnight.
I heart Asher’s message and tell him thank you, but put the phone away before I can type something stupid like “Am I your mate? Will you go mad without me on the full moon?”
It’s not a thing we can talk about via text.
I’ll have to wait until the end of my shift or maybe even later, since I’ll need to drop by the house to check on things.
Even if this Duval guy proves to be as good as Asher’s contacts say he is, I’ll do whatever I can on my own to bring down the cost of renovations.
But every time I pass the nurses’ station and see that calendar on the wall, I’m reminded of the conversation I had with my friends.
If I am Asher’s mate, and he’ll want to bite me on the night of the full moon, will I let him?
We’ve known each other for such a short time, it should be crazy to even entertain the idea.
No matter what I decide, I’ll need to do it soon. It wouldn’t be fair to Asher to drag out the issue.
I just don’t know if either one of us is ready for such a big next step.