Page 40 of Flint's Arrow
“Sir, if we could head back to the lot…”
Arrow ignored him, taking the Silverado through its paces on the rough terrain. Flint hid a smile. He had a feeling he was seeing the true Arrow - someone without any corporate polish who was focused, but who didn’t give a damn what the salesman thought of him.
Finally, Arrow turned them back toward the dealership. “I’ll take it,” he said as he pulled into the parking space.
Derek practically fell out of the back seat. “That’s wonderful. Let’s head inside and discuss financing options…”
“We’re paying cash,” Flint said. “Well, half cash. Split between us.”
Derek’s eyebrows climbed toward his hairline. “Cash? That’s…”
“Is that a problem?” Arrow’s voice had gone flat, his wolf close to the surface.
“No, no problem at all.” Derek recovered quickly, dollar signs probably dancing in his eyes. “Let me get the paperwork started. If you’ll just follow me...”
The negotiation took longer than the test drive. Derek tried several times to upsell them on extended warranties and protection packages, but Arrow shut him down the same way as he probably did with white-collar criminals.
They walked out an hour later, Arrow holding the keys to his new - well, new to him - Silverado.
“Are you going to drive it home?” Flint asked.
Arrow jingled the keys, expression thoughtful. “You know what? Yeah. I am.”
Standing there, between their two trucks, Flint could feel how happy Arrow was, but this time it was showing on his face as well.Probably a first for him, making a decision entirely for himself.
“Thank you,” Arrow said quietly. “For pushing back on the whole mating gift thing. I needed that.”
“You would’ve done the same for me.” Flint stepped closer, close enough to catch Arrow’s scent. “We’re partners, Arrow.Equal partners. That means calling each other on our bullshit sometimes.”
Arrow’s smile was slightly rueful. “I’m pretty sure I’ve got more bullshit to work through than you do.”
“We’ll figure it out together.” Flint rose up on his toes, pressing a quick kiss to Arrow’s mouth. “Now let’s get these trucks home before Storm starts texting me death threats about how I’m neglecting my strawberries.”
Arrow laughed. “I’ll race you back?”
“You’re on.”
They climbed into their respective vehicles, and Flint watched in his rearview mirror as Arrow pulled out of the lot behind him, grinning like a kid with his first car.
Yeah,Flint’s snake said smugly.He’s going to work out just fine.
Chapter Fourteen
Arrow held the small piece of wood between his thumb and forefinger, squinting at the crude shape that was supposed to resemble a wolf’s head. If he tilted his head and ignored half the details, it almost looked right. The other half looked like he’d attacked it with his teeth instead of the whittling knife.
“You’re getting better,” Calvin said from across the workshop table, not looking up from the intricate chair leg he was carving.
“You’re a terrible liar.” Arrow set the piece down and flexed his fingers. He’d nicked himself twice already today.
Levi snorted from the other end of the workshop where he was sanding a cabinet door. “Give him some credit, Cal. That one only looks half-melted instead of fully melted.”
“Thanks.” Arrow picked up the knife again. “Your encouragement means everything to me.”
The three of them worked in companionable silence, punctuated by the rasp of sandpaper and the occasional curse when Arrow’s knife slipped again. Being in the old sawmill had become Arrow’s favorite part of the day - well, aside from the nights curled up with Flint, and the mornings waking up to his mate’s scent, and the afternoons in the greenhouse watching Flint fuss over his strawberry plants.
Okay, fine. Every part of the day is my favorite.
He’d been living in the Alley for three weeks, and Arrow still couldn’t quite believe how much his life had changed. There were no alarm clocks or commutes to worry about. He didn’t have to spend hours creating or studying reports, and most of all, he didn’t have to worry about Patterson breathing down his neck about case closure rates.
