Etienne (The Shifters of Shotgun Row Book 1)(38)

“Asshat. She’s a fucking lady,” Loic countered with a wink just as I peeked from behind Etienne. “She was probably gonna say penis.”

“Will you jackholes shut the eff up?” And that was when I noticed the twitch in Etienne’s side. He was about to laugh, too. “I’m losing my boner.”

“No.” I snaked my hand around to the front of his jeans. “He’s not.” Who was I, and what had I done with the girl who was all shy about naked time. Something about Etienne had my filters for what was appropriate for a woman to do when completely gone. He also had my engines revving at all times. It was the mate thing. It had to be because it was so not a Tansy thing.

Etienne made that sound, the sound I knew was his gator. “Just sayin’.” I sort of kind of apologized as I came around to be at his side.

“When did you get so sassy?” He spoke in my ear, for only me. Sassy. I’d never been described that way before, but something about the way he said it sounded all compliment blended with sexy.

“Gonna tell us what you were gonna say so we can go on our way?” Justice. Of course it was Justice.

“I was gonna say nothing.” I stuck my tongue out in victory. “I knew he was gonna stop me.” Or I had hoped, because as much as I felt comfortable around the guys, more than I had around anyone other than Meemaw in pretty much ever, I wasn’t going to refer to Etienne’s junk by name in front of them.

“Little liar,” Callum called me out. “One day you’re gonna tell us.”

They bid their goodbyes in the form of talking about their own junk as they walked away, each of them sure he had the best and biggest. Men. After Loic suggested a tape measure, Etienne slammed the door shut before gently placing my back to it and removing all space between our bodies. A girl could get used to that.

“I’m waiting,” he breathed into my ear before placing a kiss just below it, followed by a tiny nip.

I reached down, in response. Who was I to turn down an invitation, especially now that our bond was growing so strong. It wasn’t like with Dante. No, that was all being controlled and manipulated into thinking it was what I wanted. This was real. I could feel it in my bones, and Meemaw always said feeling something in your bones and ignoring it was the biggest mistake anyone could ever make. Your bones know.

“No.” He took my hand and wrapped it around his neck. “Not that. For an answer.”

An answer? What was the question? I inhaled deeply, his bacony scent just as scrumptious as it was that first day we met, when I thought him a yeti. And why wasn’t I mortified at the misunderstanding? Because I wanted it. That was why. The realization was so freeing.

“It’s hard to think about what you just said with you all pressed against me, and you want me to remember a question from five minutes ago?” True story. His erection was pressed into my belly, and all I could think was it was too far away. If I hadn’t known about the mates and shifters and such, I’d be sure I was losing it. No one falls this head over heels this fast, except I did.

“I asked when you got so sassy.”

“I’m not sassy.” Seriously, that was why he stopped me? It sure wasn’t out of like because his body was shouting out his desire for more touching.

“Bad choice of words.” He took a step back, my body instantly missing his warmth. “But you’re different, now.”

He wasn’t saying it in a negative way, and he wasn’t wrong. I had changed. Not who I was, but what part of me I let him see. For the first time in as long as I could remember, I was able to be myself around someone who wasn’t family. At least not biologically. I had a feeling these guys were going to become every bit as much family to me as Etienne was, and fate doesn’t lie.

“You know my secrets.” I shrugged. “No reason to hide.”

“Feels bigger than that.” He tipped my chin up, making sure I looked him in the eye.

“Because I know your secret, too.”

“I don’t want to know what that bastard did, do I?”

The last thing I wanted to do was talk about Dante, but he was the final thing between us, and while it wasn’t in the same way as when we met, he was still there.

“Probably not, but I’ll tell you if you want.” I took his hand and gave it a squeeze.

“I’d never pressure you to.” Which wasn’t the same as “don’t tell me,” but somehow more powerful. He wanted to know, his eyes holding mine, watching for what, I wasn’t sure. I owed him an answer. It would be good for us both.

“I didn’t leave culinary school to help Meemaw.”

“I guessed as much.”

“I was having—my boyfriend was a professor.” Or I thought the rat-loser was my boyfriend at the time. I was so naive. “I got expelled.”

“For dating a professor? Shouldn’t he be the one facing consequences?” He should, but not for the reasons Etienne was suggesting.

“Calm yourself.” I slid my hand under his shirt, hoping my warmth would comfort him. “It was for the best ’cause I came here and met you.”

“You settled my gator.” He was almost shocked. It had been instinctual at the time, or so I thought. Maybe it was more, not that it mattered. What mattered was I had a connection with him so strong I could help both man and gator. “Damn, woman, you’re made of magic.”