Etienne (The Shifters of Shotgun Row Book 1)(22)

“But you didn’t hear the bear,” he clarified as his hand cupped my cheek. I automatically leaned into his touch, receiving strength and the confidence to spit it all out. Powerful man. Smexy man.

“No. But I heard the ghost of someone who knows they are there.”

His hand dropped and, for a split second, I thought all my fears had been realized.

Then he did something I will hold onto for the rest of my days. He wrapped his arm around me, pulling me in, accepting me completely. Sure, he probably thought he was just being affectionate or what have ya, but that moment was so much more. It was everything.

“Let’s go. We can talk somewhere less public.” His lips brushed the top of my head as he waited for me to decide, as if no was an option.

“You believe me.” It wasn’t a question. His acceptance was undeniable. He believed me and was somehow not put off or even shocked by it.

“You’re not lying.”

“No, I’m not.” We just stood there awkwardly before it clicked he was waiting for my response. “Okay let’s go, but not the bakery.”

“Shit, Marie is still there. That explains a shit ton.”

We walked silently through town, to Meemaw’s cottage. One day I hoped to go see his place, but, for this, walking distance won. The entire walk I had felt fear of the bear. That might’ve changed if I saw the blasted thing, but probably not much. I thought back to that day with the gator. If anyone other than Etienne had been there, the result would’ve most likely been soiled britches, but with him, Etienne, I knew I was safe.

As we made our way into my place, my nerves started to kick in. Not about the ghost stuff, not really. He seemed to be less concerned about that than my best-case-scenario Etienne would be. I was nervous about the boy girl gobbledygook. Holy cowzers. I’d made out with him, in public, his desire for me unhidden from the entire town, not that anyone had been out there, but they could’ve, and I hadn’t cared one blessed bit. So now that we were here, were there expectations? No. He wasn’t like that. But, oddly, I kind of was, and all of that hormonal garbage had me jumping into Meemaw mode.

“Tea? Coffee?” Because when you have a guest over, you offer them a hot beverage, not your body. She didn’t say the last part in her set of rules, but it felt needed in that moment.

“You just told me you talk to dead folk and you are offering tea?”

I was all thinking roaming hands and bitey kisses, and there was Etienne thinking about the ghosts, like any other human being on the planet would. Get a grip, Tansy.

“Beer?” I teased. Whiskey was probably better for ghost convos, but beer it was, given I had no whiskey.

“Now that’s more like it.” He winked, and my nerves fell away as if they’d never been there.

Opening the fridge, I grabbed what I thought was the last remaining beer from the back, only to come out with a handful of steak sauce.

“I don’t have beer.” I held it out, giving him the proof or the promise of steak, I wasn’t sure which. My cheeks burned.

“Coffee it is.”

He plopped onto the couch as I put the percolator on and joined him, sitting practically on his lap, which was pretty much where I wanted to be, but, yeah, there were ghosts to discuss. Not that he seemed too concerned.

“Why does this not seem to be freckin’ you the heck out?”

“’Cause I’ve seen crazier than ghosts. And shit.” His eyes widened as if he’d just figured out the solution to a mystery. “This means you weren’t ignoring me but having multiple people come at you at once.”

The man paid closer attention to me than I’d realized. Why did that feel so good?

“You caught that.”

“I was payin’ attention.” He wrapped his arm around me, pulling me onto his lap, my legs across his thighs, his arm, my backrest. Just where I wanted to be.

“I like it when you pay attention.” More like loved it, but there was no way that was coming outta my mouth even if I’d just told him something far more embarrassing or at least potentially so.

“I tried not to.” Then he took my lips in a quick hard kiss. That was more like it. “I sucked at it.”

He sucked at nothing, but that was probably the drunkenness I felt from his kiss talking. For all I knew, there was something he sucked at. Like maybe matching socks or something equally dumb.

“So, who do you see? Your grandma, the one telling you about the bear, anyone else?”

“Star’s twin lives at the pet store. It’s how I ended up with Curtis in the first place. She told me to.” Oddest reason ever for getting a pet, but the little bugger was growin’ on me.

“She’s been gone a long time.” It made sense he’d know her, but the sadness in his eyes reminded me just how small this old town was. “Never found her body, but Star knew she was gone.”

I had a feeling Star knew a lot of things, her cards feeling too gimmicky for her, possibly a means to hide true talent. Maybe she’d open up to me once she found out about her sister because that wasn’t something I was going to be able to hide for long.

“I’m hoping to help her.” I placed my hand on his cheek, loving the warmth of it mixed with the roughness of his whiskers. “Gettin’ her alone is the issue.”