She nodded against his chest. This just might be the most ridiculous decision she’d ever made, but letting him walk away felt like it would tear her apart too. Finally, she tipped her head back. “Let’s go inside.”
“Lead the way.”
She slid her hand into his and took the steps up to the deck, aiming for the sliding glass doors that led into the kitchen. When they stepped into Marge’s cheery, though ancient, kitchen, Layla cocked her head to one side to see if she could hear Elena or Caleb.
“They’re upstairs,” Hunter stated. “Maybe even farther than that. Is there an attic?”
She turned around to face him. “How the hell do you know that?”
He shrugged. “Babe, I can sense things, and my nose works far better than yours.”
“That’s just weird.”
“It’s a simple fact. I can scent things I’d rather not know too.” He lifted his brows.
She gasped, her eyes going wide. “Please tell me you can’t tell if they are having sex? And for the love of God, Elena is way too sensible to have sex with someone she met yesterday, so I wouldn’t believe you.”
He chuckled. “If you must know, they haven’t had sex, though this is the very last time we are going to discuss someone else’s sex life. That’s beyond TMI.”
She swatted at his chest. “Why should you get to know by default and not tell me?”
He grabbed her fingers and held them against his pecs. His damn fine pecs. “Because I’m going to ignore it and focus on you at all times. It’s not our business.”
She narrowed her gaze. This was fascinating. If not freakishly beyond comprehension. “Can you smell her arousal like you can mine?”
“Yes.”
“Jesus. That’s just wrong.”
“It’s a shifter thing. It’s not that strange to us. We’re used to it. Half the people in the bar last night were horny. It’s just something we know. It’s natural.”
She shuddered and shook her head. “So not natural. My God. So if you approach a woman, you already know she’s interested in you?”
“Usually. Though that doesn’t mean I can’t convince her after she gets to know me.”
She glared at him. “So you do control people’s minds.”
He shook his head and laughed. “No. Babe, I don’t control anyone’s mind. Any time I’ve been out in the past, whoever I’ve dated was not my mate. So, all my dating until yesterday was just that, dating. I’m just saying I don’t have to use stupid pick-up lines or make a fool out of myself. If I start talking to a woman, shifter or human, and she isn’t into me, I can tell. I can back away with my dignity intact.”
Layla tried to take all of that in. “You’re very complex.”
“Not really. You’re just not used to my ways.”
“And don’t forget you did in fact use a cheesy pick-up line on me last night. ‘I already know you can run. Can you dance?’” She used a mocking tone of voice that was as cute as all her other voices.
He laughed again. “Hmm. I guess I did. And you fell for it.”
She groaned. “Is there anything else pressing or important I need to know?”
He sighed. “Yes, but you’ve heard enough for now. Can we address more later?”
She watched his face, trying to read him. It was impossible. She started to pressure him before deciding he was right. She didn’t think she could take more. “Sure.”
He blew out a relieved breath and glanced around the room. “I haven’t been in this kitchen for a while. I forgot about Marge’s obsession with roosters.”
He wasn’t wrong. The kitchen was painted a bright yellow with a red and yellow rooster wallpaper border running around the center of the room. The cabinets were also painted red. The tile on the floor was white with an occasional red square in between. That was color commitment.
“Yeah, let’s start in another room. I know Elena is probably going to explore this house from top to bottom because that’s her style. She’s inquisitive. She’ll probably write a book about it or something. But I don’t mind digging around a bit and getting to know Marge.”
“Seems like an adventure.”
“I hope she doesn’t have sex toys stashed anywhere,” Layla murmured as she tugged Hunter across the kitchen floor, unwilling to release his hand. “Not sure I could take that.”
He chuckled. “People own them. Probably most people. I’d almost feel sad if we didn’t find anything.”
Layla cringed. “Not gonna lie. I’ve sometimes had that morbid thought. What if I died suddenly and someone had to go through my stuff?”
Hunter pulled her short just as she reached the door that led to the basement. He wrapped his arm around her middle and pulled her back against his chest. His lips landed on her ear. “Don’t do that to me, woman.”
“Do what?” she teased, her pulse picking up. God, she loved the way he held her. Every time.
“Imp. How many sex toys do you own, and where do you keep them? I think you owe me that much after teasing me.”
She giggled, unable to stop the goofy feeling. “Not sure. I haven’t counted them, but they’re in my bedside drawer. Or, uh, they were.” She suddenly remembered she’d moved out. Left Los Angeles. She still hadn’t told Elena that.
He gripped her tighter, his voice lower and deeper when he spoke again, still tickling her ear with every vibration. “Too many to count? That makes me so fucking hard. Now all I’m going to picture is you masturbating with those toys.”
She didn’t think it would be prudent to point out his assumption. He was right. She did use them alone, but it was awfully presumptive to assume she didn’t have partners she used them with.
“And what do you mean were? Did you move them?” He groaned. “Did you bring them with you?”
“Maybe…” Vague was best for now. Let him think. She absolutely couldn’t tell Hunter about her total failure in California before she spoke to Elena.
His groan deepened. “You’re going to kill me.”
“I hope not. That would ruin all the fun.”
Hunter reached past her and jerked the basement door open. “Move, woman. Stop tempting me before I lose my restraint.”
He released her, and she scrambled down the stairs.
“Why, exactly, are we starting in the basement?” he asked when they hit the damp concrete floor.
“It’s the only place I haven’t been yet. Basements can be spooky. I don’t feel as freaked out with you here.”
“I see.” He stalked toward her again.
She backed up. “Plus, if you think Elena and Caleb are in the attic, then this is as much distance as we could put between us. It’s weird enough that you can scent them. For the love of God, please don’t tell me if Elena has sex before me.”
He chuckled. “Got it.”
She narrowed her gaze, thinking. “Wait. That means Caleb can smell me too.”
“Yes.”
“Then he’s probably telling Elena we haven’t sealed the deal either.”
Hunter rolled his eyes. “Sealed the deal? Babe, this isn’t a deal. This is our lives. It’s a commitment. A super powerful one. Far more powerful than a marriage.”