Page 5 of Same Thing
Maybe she’d left. He knocked again. Or maybe she didn’t answer the door because Stalker Boy clearly bothered her.
“Hey lady? It’s the guy from the mailbox? You left your mail down there.” He slapped the envelopes against the open palm of his hand a few times, thinking. “I’ll leave your mail at the office for you,” he called, and turned to leave.
The door opened with a creaking sound, and he turned back around to find the woman standing there. Whoa, she was prettier than he remembered.
She had pulled her brunette hair back into a ponytail, but some of the shorter strands that framed her face had fallen out of her hairband. She had vibrant green eyes that were round as dinner plates and trained uncertainly on him. She was petite, maybe five foot three, but she had curves in all the right places. He could tell because of the skin-tight leggings she wore under her t-shirt. She had little flip flops on her feet, and her toenails were painted a burgundy color. She smelled like coconut shampoo and some kind of cherry scented lotion, and inside her home it smelled like she was cooking something delicious. He loved the unexpected combination of smells.
In her hands, she carried two food containers.
“Were you just leaving?” he asked, pointing toward the stairs. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I was just bringing you the mail you left at the mailboxes.”
She didn’t move and didn’t say a single word. She just stood there like a little garden gnome, staring at him with those big pretty green eyes.
“I uhhh…” He frowned. “I didn’t want Stalker Boy to get ahold of your mail. He feels off, just so you know. I could tell he was making you uncomfortable. So…” He handed her the mail, and she fumbled for it, and nearly dropped the food containers.
Liam reached forward too fast, and caught them, and her eyes went even wider as they stood there staring at each other.
Shit. If she hadn’t guessed he was a werewolf before, that little move would make her suspicious.
He cleared his throat and tried to hand the food back. “I should go.”
“That’s for you!” she said in a rush, and disappeared inside with her mail, and slammed the door closed.
Shocked, he just stood there like a bump on a log. Liam looked down at the food and pried open the corner, took a sniff, and oh God. It was beef stew. And from a quick peek at the other container, it was stew and cornbread, and it smelled and looked homemade.
For him? Well, this was against the rules.
“Hey lady,” he called, knocking again. “I can’t accept this.” Although literally every cell in his body disagreed. He hadn’t had stew and cornbread since he was a pup, and his mouth was watering.
The door opened suddenly, and she plopped a plastic baggie on top of the containers in his hands. It looked like she’d given him a spoon and a napkin. She flashed him with a tense smile and then closed the door again.
He bit back a smile. Okay, this girl was so fuckin’ cute. Submissive as hell, he could tell, but interesting.
The rules, the rules, the rules…
“I’m going to set this next to your door,” he called. “I’m not supposed to accept gifts.”
The door opened again. “I can make you a second portion for your girlfriend. Or fiancé. Or wife? I can meet her too if you want so she doesn’t feel threatened by me.” The woman was rambling. “I mean, not that anyone would ever feel threatened by me. I can barely string two sentences together in public.” She was staring at his shoes while she blabbed. “I have shyness problems. And I stammer when I’m nervous.”
“You’re talking just fine now.”
“Right. Probably because I know I’ll never talk to you again. Thank you for what you did at the mailbox. I was going to bring this down to you but…I’m…a wuss. Okay, I’m going to get you some more food for your girlfriend, wait right there, okay bye.”
She moved to close the door again, but he said quickly, “I don’t have a girlfriend.” He lifted the food in his hands and said, “Thank you for this. It smells delicious.” Fuck the rules. Who was going to find out he accepted a gift from a female human? No one. The wolves didn’t come around these parts unless they had to. It seemed to mean something to her that he accept her food, so okay. Dinner was stew and cornbread tonight.
“Oh.” Her smile stretched across her face and reached her eyes, and God, she was a stunner. “I’m happy. Nory! I’m Nory. Nory Hunter.” She offered her hand for a shake but then retracted it immediately. “You can’t shake my hand. You have food in yours.” And then she did something that made him laugh. She grabbed her own two hands and shook them.
What an odd little human. Pretty name for a pretty girl though.
“Hello Nory. I’m Liam. Liam Northman.” He balanced the food in one hand and offered his other.
And that little human slid her warm hand into his and shook it so gently, her hand was almost limp.
“You can do better than that,” he uttered.
“W-what do you mean?” she asked, still shaking his hand.
He adjusted their grasp on each other, and told her, “Shake it firmly. If you give a limp-handed shake to a man, you’ll be seen as prey.”