Page 18 of Fighting Fate (Monsters of London #4)

Vince

Jamie’s puttering around the flat when I drag myself out of my bedroom the next morning. It’s not like I got home late, leaving when I did with Dax, but once I did, I spent the rest of the night thinking of him, lingering on that hug we shared.

Fuck me. There’s something seriously wrong with me if I’m obsessing over a hug .

“Coffee?” Jamie asks, pursing his lips at the state of me. I’ve got a late class tonight—they’re moving later as we get into the summer to accommodate the vampires—so I’ll shower and get ready in a bit.

“Please.”

He grabs another mug, and I lean against the kitchen counter, stifling a yawn as I watch him work. Jamie only moved in with me and Nick a few months ago, after he broke up with his boyfriend. Tim, I think. Funny; they were together a couple of years, all told, but I maybe met the guy twice.

There’s something Jamie’s not told us about all of it. Nick’s talked to me about it, too, so I know I’m not being paranoid. It’s more than just a guy not wanting to talk about his ex—but we’ve both agreed to back off, to make it clear we’re there if Jamie needs us but not to push too hard.

He passes me my coffee and I follow him into the living room. The TV’s off, and Jamie doesn’t move to turn it on when he sits. Instead, he faces me, eyeing me for a moment like I’m the one everyone needs to be concerned about.

“How are the classes going?”

“They’re good.” I had to tell Nick and Jamie about them, of course, though they’re still in the dark regarding the whole werewolves and vampires and magic thing. I quit my job at the gym about a week after we started working on the classes. The packs pay better than the gym did, and besides, I really want to be able to dedicate my time where it’s most useful. “We’re really seeing some progress with most of the students, so that’s nice.”

“Yeah, it is.”

In the end, I told Jamie and Nick that I was working with an organisation Kieran worked for that provided self-defence classes for those who need them. Plenty vague, but neither of them has called me out on it yet, thank fuck.

Wait. Is that what Jamie’s about to do?

“And how’s Dax?”

My stomach clenches. No, okay, the magic secret is under wraps, but Dax…

I take a long drink of my coffee—and scald my mouth in the process—so I can put off answering. Jamie didn’t live with us when Dax and I hooked up, but I told Nick about it at the time. I had to. I’d been gone for two days.

And then Nick told Jamie one night when we were all sitting around, and now…

Now they’re convinced that I’m into him or something. Not that I’m not. But we’re not going to be together.

Especially not after all that talk about mates last night. I’d have to be intentionally obtuse to have missed the big neon sign that says Dax wants to find his mate. And, like he said, wolves know their mates. We hooked up six months ago, so it can’t be me. He’d know.

I don’t want it to be me. I don’t want a relationship like that.

“He’s fine,” I say, aiming for nonchalant and missing by approximately ten miles. “He came to dinner last night.”

“At Kieran’s place?”

“Uh-huh.”

Jamie eyes me for a long moment, then takes a drink of his coffee. He’s cute as a button with his ice-blond hair and big baby blues, but the playful, bubbly side that everyone else sees hides something stone cold beneath.

It’s why me and Nick are so worried about this ex. We’ve never seen Jamie wobble the way he’s been doing. Not that I expect him to never show any emotion, but… Usually, he bounces back.

“You should invite him over one night,” Jamie says. “It’d be cool to hang out with him.”

“We’re not—” I cut myself off. I told Dax last night that we should be friends. This isn’t what I meant.

“So what? You can’t be friends with a guy you fucked?”

I roll my eyes. “How do you think I got half my friends?” It’s not true, and Jamie’s answering scoff tells me he knows it. Possibly because we’ve never fucked. “Fine. Fine! But him hanging out with us doesn’t mean we’re going to end up together.”

“I never said it would.”

“Because that would be the worst idea. I’m not relationship material. We all know that. When have you seen me with the same person twice?”

Not fair. Jamie hasn’t known me since I gave up on relationships—and his glare tells me he’s aware of that fact.

“I haven’t.”

“Right! So I shouldn’t let Dax get too close. That would be a bad idea.”

“Ranting about your not-boyfriend again?”

I whirl around on the sofa, nearly spilling coffee all over my lap. Nick’s leaning in the doorway, his hair neatly styled and wearing a shirt and tie with his pyjama bottoms.

“Fuck off,” I mutter. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

“Just got out of a meeting,” he replies with a grimace. “Was going to see if you both wanted a cuppa, but…”

“It’s too early to drink, right?” Jamie asks, and Nick snickers and nods.

“It’s not funny,” I mutter.

Nick heads into the kitchen and I stew in silence until he returns with a cup of tea. “What’s going on? I thought the classes were going well?”

“They were. They are! I just… I saw Dax at dinner last night.”

“At Kieran’s?”

“Yeah.”

“So?”

I sigh. “So I walked with him to the tube, and we… talked.”

“About what?” Jamie asks.

“Nothing, really, just…” I set my cup down and run a hand through my hair. “We’re going to be working together a lot. He’s really good with everyone. We need to be able to do that.”

“You’re gonna be friends?” Nick says. “Or are you going to give it a go?”

I glare at him. “Friends. Obviously.”

“Not obviously,” Nick says, a little frustration bleeding into his tone. “Fucking hell, Vince. You could give the guy a chance.”

“You don’t even know if he’s still interested,” I snap back.

Except, despite all the mate talk, I think he is. The look Nick gives me tells me he knows it, too.

“Friends might be better,” Jamie says and shrugs when we both look at him. “You said you have to work with him. Friends is less complicated.”

“You think so?” Nick replies. I can’t read his tone, and judging by Jamie’s frown, neither can he. Nick swings his attention back to me. “You’re a professional, aren’t you? If you break up, you break up. What’s the worst that could happen?”

I’m still half looking at Jamie as Nick speaks, so I see the way he goes pale. Nick seems to notice, too. He opens his mouth, then closes it again.

“I need to get ready,” Jamie says and hurries out of the room before either of us can stop him.

Nick groans when he hears Jamie climbing the stairs. “Fuck,” he mutters.

“He’s not getting better,” I say quietly.

Nick shakes his head. Then frowns. “He is, kind of. But I tried asking him a bit last night. He clammed up. Wouldn’t give me anything.”

“We said we wouldn’t—”

“What else am I supposed to do? He came in looking spooked. I don’t know if Tim’s been hanging around his work or what.”

I scowl. “He’d better not have been.” We might not know the specifics about what happened with Jamie and his ex, but neither of us is behind the door. Jamie’s been too edgy.

“We need to take his mind off it,” Nick says. “And yours too, by the looks of things.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not ,” Nick replies and shrugs at my glare. “Wanna go out this weekend? You don’t have classes, right?”

“Nothing on Saturday, but one on Sunday.”

“When? Morning?”

“No,” I say with a snort. Kieran recommended that, but I vetoed it immediately. “Late afternoon. You really think going out is a good idea?”

“We’ll all stick together,” Nick says pointedly. Like I have any intention of hooking up—it’s not lost on me that I haven’t since that weekend with Dax. I haven’t told anyone that, though. “We just need somewhere safe. If Jamie agrees.”

I’m sure he will. He’s trying hard to prove that he’s fine, and he’s always loved a night out.

Somewhere safe… I can’t help my grin, and Nick raises an eyebrow in question.

“I know somewhere we can go.”