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I’ve also grown increasingly jealous of anyone who gets his full attention—particularly girls at school. It’s an unfair feeling, considering I’m involved with the others, and it’s an ironic feeling as well considering his jealousy is what keeps us apart. I promised to be patient, so I’m keeping all these thoughts and feelings to myself, but it’s difficult. The memory of his kiss still lingers on my lips, and it left a yearning inside me that only he can sate. Each of the guys carry a piece of me, some more literally than others, and I only feel whole with the six of us together. This line of thinking makes me wish Felix was here. It feels wrong to be without him. Granted, having another one of them half naked wouldn’t do my overactive hormones any favors.
“Staring at them will not get them any more naked,” Mei comments, startling me out of my thoughts.
“What?” I squawk, placing a hand over my thundering heart. It’s like she blinked into existence next to me, even though, as far as I’m aware, that’s not an ability witches have. “I don’t want—”
“You were undressing them with your eyes in front of everyone.” She shakes her head in mock judgment. “Really, Callie, there’s a time and place for these things. In the middle of a remodel is not the time for your sexcapades.”
Connor chokes on air, and Nolan presses a fist to his mouth, their super hearing catching the entire conversation, even over the sounds of demolition. If they heard it, so did the entire house full of wolf shifters—likely including Connor’s mother. That’s it. I’m finding the mole people and demanding they give me sanctuary… after I murder Mei.
“We don’t… I mean, it’s not like that… We haven’t…” I sputter, my face flaming.
“Really? Nothing? Even after reading the books?” she questions, her eyebrows rising to new heights. “Huh. I figured with four boyfriends, you’d get up to something.” Her gaze flicks to the guys, and then in a terrible stage whisper, she asks, “Is it because you’re waiting for the whole set? He’ll come around once he realizes what he’s missing out on.” This statement is followed by an awkward wink where one eye closes and the other squints.
“You sound like my nan,” I grumble, pushing damp strands of hair that escaped my bun out of my face.
“She’s a smart lady.” Mei nods like she’s full of sage wisdom. “No reason to hold back on his account.”
“I’m not… We’re not… It’s not…” I take a deep breath and whisper, “We’re taking our time and…” My words drop to a low mumble as the blush from my cheeks burns down the rest of my body. “I didn’t say we haven’t done anything.”
A Cheshire cat grin crawls over her lips. “Oh, really?”
“I’m not going into details in a house full of shifters with super hearing,” I insist, adjusting the strap on my shoulder. Bottles of water aren’t light, and I wonder if I can make the cooler float without also making everything and everyone else float too. I probably shouldn’t risk it.
“Sounds like we need one-on-one bestie time,” Mei suggests, redoing her ponytail so it sits higher on her head. “I must know everything. It’s in the bestie code.”
Shifting my weight to my back foot, I grip the underside of the cooler and lift it a bit to alleviate some of the weight on my shoulder. “I’m surprised you’d want the details considering…”
“I’m ace?” she supplies, unperturbed by my insinuation. “Some would be, but the ace umbrella is huge with all kinds of variations. From what I can tell, I’m aegosexual. I want to hear about it, read it, all those kinds of things. I just don’t want to do it.”
“Ah,” I reply, now understanding why she’s so invested in the intricacies of my love life. It’s all the juicy details without having to experience it herself. I really am her favorite soap opera. Since I’m no longer ogling my guys, I motion for Mei to follow me while I head to one of the rooms I’ve yet to deliver water to. “What about Rand?”
“What about him?” she questions, suddenly engrossed with the dirt under her fingernails.
Handing over a bottle of water to a woman we pass in the hallway, I comment, “I see the way you look at him.”
“He’s pretty to look at,” Mei states, her nonchalant delivery doing little to hide that there’s something more there.
“Bestie code,” I remind her as we plaster ourselves to the wall to let a man with his arms full of discarded wood go by. “No secrets. We tell each other everything.”
“Fine,” she hisses, and then she grabs my wrist to drag me into one of the few rooms not being demolished, slamming the door behind us.
It’s not currently occupied, but it’s definitely someone’s bedroom—a male someone if the decor is to be trusted. It makes me realize I haven’t really bothered to explore this house. It has so many bad memories for Connor that I haven’t been tempted to ask for a full tour. Hopefully, the renovation will help with that.
Mei paces back and forth, chewing on her thumbnail. “It isn’t what you think.”
“And what’s that?” I ask, trying to emulate the way Mildred leads me through confusing feelings. She has a way of being a calm presence while I feel jumbled.
Stopping in her tracks, she gives me a meaningful look. “I’m very ace, like no questions about it. One hundred percent do not feel sexual attraction.”
“I believe you,” I answer, pulling the cooler off my shoulder and putting it on the ground next to me.
She squints at me as if trying to decide whether I actually believe her or if I’m simply humoring her. “Just because I’m ace, that doesn’t mean I don’t have eyes. I can enjoy looking at attractive people without wanting to have sex with them.”
Reaching out to place my hands on her shoulders, I give her a gentle squeeze. “Mei, you don’t have to convince me. Have I said or done anything to make you believe otherwise?”
“No.” She sighs while shaking her head. “It’s just… It’s complicated. Rand is normal, and I’m not.”
“He’s a teenage boy who turns into a giant wolf,” I deadpan. “He isn’t normal.”
