Page 29 of Can’t Help Growling in Love (Harmony Glen #9)
Chapter
Twenty
JUNE
A howl breaks the morning quiet, echoing through the streets. A flock of crows rises from the nearby treetops, cawing loudly, and a window opens somewhere nearby, a woman’s voice asking if anyone else heard that.
I stare after Asher, hoping he’ll return, but it seems I’ve scared him off properly.
Only I have no idea what I did. Or if it even was me. Maybe something happened at work?
Or is it the moon that’s affecting him so badly already?
I lock his truck and put the keys in my purse, then take out my phone.
Seven-fifty. So I have just about an hour before I need to be here to meet Mr. Duval.
That’s an hour I could spend cleaning the basement.
Decluttering the spare room. Painting the porch, even, to make the house look pretty despite its disastrous insides.
Instead, I rush into the house and collect the overdue library books still sitting on my bedside table. I strap on my helmet, put the books in a tote bag, and set them in my bicycle basket. Then I pedal up the road toward the library as fast as I can, hoping Asher won’t return and find me gone.
At the front desk, I return the books and pay the fee to a handsome gorgon man whose snakes hiss softly at my overdue stack.
“Sorry,” I murmur, half to them and half to him. “But I need your help finding some books.”
He pushes his black-framed glasses up his nose. “Sure. Do you know the topic?”
My face flames with heat as I try to formulate the request as politely as possible. “Yeah, it’s werewolves. Specifically anything about the full moon and how it affects them. And, um, mates. If you have anything about scent mates, that would be great.”
“All right, let’s see what we have.”He doesn’t even flinch at my words, only types several inquiries into his computer and scribbles something on a sticky note. Then he’s out of his chair and striding toward the shelves.”Follow me.”
He leads me deeper between the stacks and picks the first book from a shelf.
“This one is written by a human, so take everything with a grain of salt. I’ve seen decent reviews for it, though, so it’s supposed to be educational.
” Another book joins the first. “This author is a werewolf, but his style is horrible. I tried reading that one, and it honestly needs another edit. This one is the best reference source you’ll find at our library.
A werewolf author again, with much better writing skills.
She’s quite active as a lecturer, too. I’m hoping to get her to speak at our library someday, if we can get on her schedule. ”
The librarian is rambling, but I don’t stop him—this is exactly what I need. Information, and more information. Anything that might help me understand what’s going on with Asher.
When I’m holding six books in a heavy stack, he pauses and clears his throat. “I guess that’s a good start. I do have some other sources if you want. There’s a magazine that covers a lot of the issues that human-monster relationships face, but it’s less scientific, more popular advice, you know?”
“I’ll go through these, and if I still need help, I’ll come back.” I carry the books to the checkout desk and watch him scan the codes for each one. “Thank you for your help.”
He gives me a nod. “Thanks for stopping by.”
His snakes hiss softly as I walk away, a tiny reminder that I really shouldn’t be late with my books again.
The stack barely fits in my basket, so I drive carefully on the way back to the house. Then I make a cup of tea in the cool kitchen and sit down to read.
Thirty minutes later, the doorbell startles me from a deep dive into werewolves. I’ve read all about their anatomy, including the knot, which is apparently very sensitive, more than the tip.
I rush to open the door and push the thought of werewolf penises out of my mind in case it’s the contractor who rang the bell.
But it’s Asher standing on my front porch, human-shaped and wearing the sweatpants I left outside for him. He must have just shifted because he’s still barefoot and more than a little dirty.
“Asher. Come in.”
I reach for him before I can stop myself, wrapping my arms around his neck. He pulls me into a hug and curls himself over me, burying his nose in my hair. We stand on the threshold for long moments, just holding each other, and some of the anxiety from this morning melts away from me.
He’s here, I’ve got the books that will hopefully help me understand him better, and we’re together. That’s the most important part. Everything else can wait.
“Sorry for running away,” he mumbles against my neck. “Couldn’t hold it together.”
I dig my fingers in the short hair on his nape and scratch lightly with my nails. “Don’t apologize. We’ll get through whatever it is. I’m here, okay?”
He nods, then lifts his head and grimaces as he looks down at himself. “I should shower.”
I glance over my shoulder at the bathroom door down the hallway. “There’s no hot water.”
“Even better,” he says grimly. He releases me and steps past me into the house. “Can I borrow a towel?”
“Sure.” I close the door and show him where to find them. “I’ll be in the kitchen, okay?”
He trudges off, and I return to the kitchen, both relieved and worried. He seemed better than before, but not back to normal. I haven’t reached the full moon madness part of the first book yet, but I need to find out if that’s what’s causing his issues.
Then it hits me—what if he dislikes that I went to get these? I don’t want him to feel uncomfortable, like I’m prying into his private life.
But I’ve already borrowed the books, and I can’t exactly hide the whole stack or return it without him noticing. Besides, that wouldn’t be right. I don’t want any secrets between us.
Swallowing down my anxiety, I follow the sounds of the running water and tap on the bathroom door. “Asher? Can I come in?”
“Yeah,” comes a muffled reply.
I step inside and he peers at me from behind the shower curtain.
“Sorry,” I say quickly. “I have to tell you something.”
He raises his eyebrows. “Yeah?”
“I went to the library while you were gone.” I clench my hands in front of me, knuckles popping.
“I borrowed some books. About werewolves. I wanted to learn about you because—well, because there are things that don’t make sense, and I wanted to be informed, but now I’ve realized that might have been intrusive, so I came to tell you.
I’ll return them if you hate the idea. I’ve only read a chapter so far, nothing more. ”
Asher stands still, the cold water pouring down on his back. “You borrowed books about werewolves? To learn about me?”
“Yeah.” I drop my gaze to the floor, wincing as I notice a few strands of my hair on the outdated tiles. “I should have asked you first.”
His head disappears behind the curtain, and my stomach plummets. He hates the idea. Maybe he’s angry and doesn’t want to argue with me. My throat closes painfully, and I blink, trying not to cry.
Then the water shuts down, and Asher slides the curtain aside. And there he is, naked and beautiful, staring at me intently. He steps from the bathtub and shakes his head, then towels off with quick, efficient moves.
I can’t look away. I’ve wanted to kiss him ever since I saw him waiting for me in the hospital parking lot, but then he was so distraught, I didn’t want to upset him more.
The moment he’s dry, he shifts back to his half form and closes in on me, his steps slow and deliberate, as if he’s giving me time to run away.
I don’t—I couldn’t possibly. Instead, I step back until my ass hits the door and wait for him, breathless with anticipation.
“You’re stunning,” he murmurs, running his knuckles over my cheek, then down to my neck. “You smell incredible. And now you’re researching werewolves because you want to know me better?”
He cups the back of my neck and tilts my face up, staring at me intently.
“Yeah,” I breathe. “Are you okay with that?”
He runs his nose along my temple, huffing out a breath.
“Oh, I’m okay with that. In fact, I want to show you my appreciation.
I thought maybe I could eat your pussy until you scream.
Or just make you come right here, against the door.
” His other hand lands on my waist, squeezing gently before he moves it up a few inches. “Would that be okay?”
“I didn’t… ohh .” I moan as he rubs one big thumb over my nipple. Even through the fabric of my t-shirt and bra, the contact is electrifying. “I didn’t do that expecting anything from you.”
“I know.” He licks the shell of my ear, then worries it lightly with his sharp teeth. “That’s what makes it even better.”
I dig my fingers into the soft fur on his chest, ready to let him do anything he wants with me, but the ring of the doorbell has us both twitching in place.
“Nooo.” I bury my face in Asher’s chest. “Not now .”
He laughs and presses a kiss to my forehead. “You go on. I need a minute.”
I glance down at where his cock is now hard and straining up, the knot almost fully inflated. “Yeah. I see your point. But we’ll talk later, right?”
“We will.” He steps away from me, hands squeezed into fists by his sides, as if he’s holding back from reaching for me. “I’ll be right there.”