Page 36 of Can’t Help Growling in Love (Harmony Glen #9)

Chapter

Twenty-Four

ASHER

I wake to the shrill tones of an unfamiliar alarm. Something warm stirs in front of me, and it takes me a few moments to realize it’s June, reaching for her phone. She smells like me, which feels weird until I pry my eyes open and find her sitting up, wearing my t-shirt.

I frown at her, confused. “What time is it?”

“Six thirty p.m.” She puts the phone away and lies on her side, facing me. “My shift starts at seven-thirty.”

Dragging a hand over my face, I think back on everything that happened before we fell asleep. “Wait. Did I—? You went to shower, and I…”

“Yep.” June grins at me. “You fell asleep while I was in the bathroom. Don’t worry, I checked the locks. We’re safe.”

I bury my head under the pillow. “Gods, I’m sorry. We fucked for the first time, and I fell asleep. I can’t believe it.”

She yanks on the pillow and wins the tug-of-war after a few seconds. She’s freakishly alert considering she just woke up, and I don’t have the strength to resist her.

“Don’t you dare feel bad about this,” she admonishes, frowning down at me. “Last night was amazing. You were exhausted, so you fell asleep, that’s it.”

I can’t help but grin at her bossiness. “Yes, ma’am.”

She shivers lightly at this, her nipples pebbling under my t-shirt. “I don’t hate it when you call me that.”

“Nice.” I roll over her and kiss her, loving how soft and pliant she is underneath me.

But the phone alarm blares again, pulling us from the kiss.

“I can’t be late,” she murmurs. “I barely made it on time yesterday.”

Groaning, I push myself off her. “Sorry. You’re right. I need to grab a shower first, and then we’ll make breakfast.”

June watches me walk away from the bed. Then she sits up, her eyebrows drawing together in a frown.

“Crap, I just remembered. I’m on shift for the night of the full moon.

It’s usually all hands on deck because of how much it affects the supernatural community, plus humans always blame it for the stupid things they do.

” She takes her phone and starts typing something, still scowling fiercely.

“I’ll write and ask if I could take the night off.

It’s short notice, but maybe someone needs an extra shift.

Are you okay with me explaining why I’m suddenly unavailable? ”

She lifts her gaze to me, and I nod, dazed.

“Yeah, but you don’t have to,” I tell her. “We can figure out something else.”

June pins me with a look. “Asher. You’ll literally be howling at the moon from sunset to sunrise if I’m not with you, right? So if I can make this work, I’m going to do it.”

“Okay.” I walk over to her, cup the back of her neck, and kiss her again. “Thank you for trying. It means a lot.”

She pats my naked hip. “Of course. Now get in the shower. I’m starving.”

I grin at her but hustle into the bathroom because my mate is hungry, and I need to fix that.

I walk out of my bedroom, my sweats clinging to my still-damp fur, to discover that June has launched a full-scale operation in the kitchen. She’s still only wearing my t-shirt, and the sight of her naked legs sears itself into my brain.

“What’s all this?” I lift the cover off a pan. “It smells great.”

June swats my hand away. “An omelet with bell peppers. You said you needed to eat more veggies. But I also added bacon.”

The coffee machine dings, announcing it’s come to temperature, and she whirls away from me to froth the milk for our lattes. She’s also put some bread in the toaster and plugged in my phone, which is fully charged by now.

She turns to me with two mugs of coffee in her hands. I take them from her and set them on the counter, then pull her into my arms.

“I love you.”

I stare down at her, wanting her to know I’m completely serious.

She parts her lips, eyes widening in surprise. “Asher…”

“I want to say this now, because I sure as fuck won’t be able to keep it in the next time I’m inside you,” I tell her, my voice gruffer than before. “And I don’t want you to think I’m only saying it because you make me come so hard, I lose my mind.”

“Oh God.” She presses her forehead to the center of my chest, giggling. “I wouldn’t think that!”

“No?” I take her shoulders and move her back to see her face. “Well, now you know.”

Embarrassment floods through me, and I start to turn away, but June grabs my waist and holds on to me, a human-shaped barnacle.

“Where do you think you’re going?” she demands. “When you tell someone you love them, you have to give them time to say it back.”

“Oh.” I stop moving, my heart thudding hard. “Right.”

“I love you, too.” She smiles up at me. “And I will say it to you when you’re inside me, just for the record.”

My cock twitches, stiffening in my pants. June glances down between us, then up at me, her expression conflicted.

“I really want to, but the omelet will be ruined if we fuck now, and my shift…”

She looks so damn crestfallen, I laugh, then kiss her nose and step away from her. “You’re not obligated to react every time I get hard around you. If we fucked the moment I do, we’d be doing that almost exclusively.”

Her cheeks are now flaming red, and the smell of her arousal blooms in the kitchen. “You have to stop saying things like that.”

I pat her ass, deliberately leaning over her to grab a glass from the cabinet above her. “It’s the truth. But I’m serious. Your job is important, as is mine, and we’ll be very mindful of when and where we give in to our needs, all right?”

She purses her lips, then turns to the stove to serve the omelet. “Deal. But I think this will be harder than you think.”

“Oh, I know just how hard I am, thanks.” I dodge theatrically to avoid a jab of the spatula aimed half-heartedly in my direction. “Peace, peace. I’ll be good. No more dick jokes, I promise.”

June grins at me. “You can joke all you want, but maybe not after I’ve just been denied your dick, even if it was my decision. It’s cruel.”

“I understand.” I press a hand over my heart, then lean in for a quick kiss to her cheek. “No more dick jokes unless said dick is readily available to you for your pleasure.”

We sit down to eat, and the first mouthful of the omelet has me closing my eyes in appreciation.

“This is amazing.” I put my hand on June’s and squeeze her fingers. “Thank you for making me breakfast.”

She lifts one shoulder in a shrug. “I guess I like taking care of you, too. Maybe some of your wolfishness is rubbing off on me.”

“You take care of people every day,” I tell her. “I didn’t do a thing to make you an amazing person.”

Her eyes light up at my words. “True, but seeing you enjoy this is still a great feeling.”

“Maybe we can make a deal,” I suggest. “I’ll cook the meaty meals, and you do the vegetables. My doc will definitely appreciate it.”

June reaches across the table, offering me her hand. “Deal.”

I almost don’t recognize the emotion that spreads through me as I watch her put away her breakfast at my dining table. Then it hits me. It’s contentment, an elusive sensation I haven’t experienced often.

I rub the center of my chest, trying to chase away the tension that follows immediately after.

She’s here now, and she said that she’ll stay with me for the full moon, but we haven’t discussed the rest of the issues yet.

“Do you have any of those to-go coffee mugs?” June asks, oblivious to my sudden discomfort. “I think I’ll take it to go. I need to get ready, and I don’t want it to get cold.”

“Sure.” I stuff the last corner of my toast in my mouth and stand, collecting our plates. “Go, I’ve got this.”

She gives me a brilliant smile and rushes back toward the bedroom. I pour her coffee into an insulated mug and screw on the top, then lean my hands on the countertop and hunch my back, growling low in my throat.

Letting June go is getting more difficult the closer we get to the full moon.

Tomorrow evening, the moon will rise just before seven.

It won’t reach its peak until almost midnight, but if its pull is this strong with more than twenty-four hours to go, I know it’ll completely take over my instincts by nightfall.

If I had it my way, we’d remain in bed all day, fucking and sleeping in preparation for tomorrow. I always schedule my free days for the full moon, but now I wish I’d taken today off as well. I’ll be useless in the studio.

Or maybe it’s good that I’ll have something to distract me tonight. The sense of obligation toward the Monster Tunes station and Stella will keep me from stalking around the hospital in my wolf form, trying to get a glimpse of June through the front door.

I shake myself and rummage around the kitchen to scrounge up two lunches’ worth of food and pack it for us. I’ll drop June off at the hospital, then run to the store for some essentials so we’ll have enough to eat over the next few days.

When June appears in the hallway, I’m dressed and decent, though I’ve given up on trying to force myself into my human form.

I need the more sensitive nose and ears of my half form to follow every change in my mate’s scent and breathing.

If it’s freaky that I’m monitoring her heartbeat, I don’t even care anymore.

I only want to make sure that she’s still into this, still ready for tomorrow.

My worries disappear as she walks right up to me and puts her arms around my waist. She buries her face in my hoodie and squeezes me tight, her sweet scent mellowing out.

“You okay?” I cup the back of her neck and tip her head up so I can see her face. “Your scent changed just now.”

She grimaces. “I don’t know how I’ll make it through my shift today. I can’t get distracted while I’m helping people!”

“Shit, and here I was, worrying over fucking up my lines when I’m reading out the Nightly News.” I press a kiss to her forehead. “Now I feel like a fool.”

June’s frown deepens. “Your work is important, Asher. Don’t talk like it isn’t.

” She pokes me in the center of my chest. “Do you know how many difficult moments you make easier for people? Your program cheers up everyone at the hospital. Mrs. Marino—this lovely seventy-four-year-old lady—asked us last week if we’d play your show during her gallbladder removal.

She said that your voice calms her and figured it would work even if she was under anesthesia. ”

I blink in surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Her eyes are suspiciously bright now, and she sniffles before tugging me into another hug. “And I listened to the audiobooks you narrated during some pretty tough times, too. So don’t talk like your job doesn’t matter, okay?”

I exhale, letting myself relax against her. “Thank you for telling me that.”

A beautiful autumn evening greets us as we step out of the front door. It’s getting dark, and the stars are coming out, but the sky still holds some color in the west.

June shivers as a gust of wind blows in from the lake.

“I used to love this time of year. Halloween, especially. Now I’m a nurse, I just see the aftermath of it, and it’s kind of lost its magic.

” She glances toward me. “At least I’m not on rotation for that this year because I did both the Labor Day weekend and Fourth of July.

And I don’t have to worry about heating my house this time around. ”

I pause, an idea taking shape in my mind. “Hey, we’re ripping up the carpet after work, right?”

She climbs in the car and presses the seat warmer button. “You don’t have to help, but yeah, I’ll go work on the house for a couple of hours for sure. Gabe texted to say that he’ll be able to start working on the house soon, so I want to get as many of those tasks done as I can.”

I back out of my driveway and turn toward the hospital.

“Of course I’m coming with you. Can you meet me at the station after work?

I’m on until seven, so you’ll be done before me.

” I look at the starry sky again. “If the weather holds. Text me if it’s raining, and I’ll come get you at the hospital, okay? ”

June beams at me. “Deal.”

By the time we arrive at the hospital, the moon is rising, almost round and clearly visible as it crests the treetops in the east. A shudder goes through me, and I grip the steering wheel tight to keep from reaching for June.

“Asher?”

Her tentative voice has me glancing up. June’s eyes are wide.

“You’re growling,” she murmurs, reaching out for me. “Are you okay? Do you want me to call in sick? I can stay with you if you need me.”

She cups my cheek with her warm palm and strokes the soft pad of her thumb over my cheek.

So fucking tempting .

But I shake my head, pulling back. I can’t compromise her like that. Just because she’s agreed to be with me, I can’t take over her entire life without warning.

“I’ll be fine. I’ll distract myself with work, and I’ll see you soon.”

She bites the inside of her cheek, her hands folded in her lap. “I won’t kiss you goodbye, but please know I really want to. We’ll figure this out.”

“I know.” I manage a smile because I don’t want her to think she’s done anything wrong. “If I kissed you right now, we’d probably both face public indecency charges.”

June’s eyes sparkle with mischief. “Another time, I wouldn’t necessarily mind the risk.”

She’s out of the car before I can fully process her words. I groan, sinking deeper into my seat. She blows me a kiss through the window and hurries toward the back entrance of the hospital, the evil woman.

Now I’m imagining her riding me in the back seat like she did yesterday. My cock, which has been half hard since the moment we woke up, stiffens fully, and my knot pulses. I inhale June’s lingering scent.

Just one more night .

I grit my teeth and put the car into reverse.

One more night, and the moon will have a hold on me.

If June can’t switch shifts, it’ll mean another night locked in my basement, only this time, I’ll have to stay there with the full knowledge that my mate is somewhere out there, without my bite.

Just the thought of it is enough to send my wolf snarling, so I clamp down on it, forcing it out of my mind.

I have errands to run, and I need to be coherent and bipedal for that.

I only have a day to prepare for the full moon and make sure my mate enjoys it like she’s meant to.