Page 38 of Knotting Autumn

For a while, I watched Thorne and Sawyer pass dishes between them as they washed and dried, but the idea of being with both of them had worked its way into my consciousness, and I couldn’t help imaging them passing me back and forth, and it was making me way too horny. Not to mention, being close to Thorne had the fated mate bond going crazy.

To stem the feeling of spontaneous combustion rising in my chest, I slid open our glass door and slipped out, joining Cole. Instantly, I regretted not grabbing a jacket, but the cool air took care of my arousal, at least.

“Autumn?” Cole said. He motioned for me to sit beside him on the small outdoor sofa.

Shivering, I lowered myself, grateful the sofa was small because his hip and arm brushed against mine, lending me warmth. Pale gray eyes flicked over me, and Cole reached up,tugging his hoodie off. My mouth fell open at the slice of pale muscled torso as his shirt rode up.

“Here,” he said, pulling it over my head.

“You really don’t need to,” I said, feeling sheepish as I pushed my hands through the hoodie’s arms.

“I’m a full-blooded werewolf. I run hot,” Cole said.

I bit back an inappropriate comment.

“You need it more than I do.”

“Do you really think I’m half? Like one of my parents was a werewolf?” The question escaped me before I thought better of it.

“Your father,” Cole said, with the tone of someone saying something stupidly obvious.

“What?” I said, pressing my palm to my chest.

“If your mother was one of us, you’d be able to shift.”

“And as far as I know, I’ve never turned into a wolf,” I said, laughing humorlessly. “So why are you out here? Too crowded in our tiny apartment?”

“Yes,” he said. “I’m not a huge fan of being around a lot of people all the time.”

“Introvert?” I asked. “I can leave you alone if you want.”

He laughed sharply. “No. It’s fine. It’s because being around people can trigger a vision, and honestly, they’re not fun. I’m sure you’ll see eventually,” he said dryly.

Cole tipped his head back, his eyes shut. His throat worked.

“Does anything help?”

He exhaled harshly. “It’s fine. The only thing that helps is this,” he said, pulling out a bag from his pocket. “Harder drugs might block them too, but I’m not stupid enough to try. Although if there was ever a time…”

Huffing a laugh at his own joke, he popped the seal and selected a sugar-coated gummy. “Do you want one?”

Frowning, I picked up the bag and read the label. I’d never tried them before, but the idea of relaxing and letting go of the stress of Thorne and the entire situation was appealing. Cole might not be afriendnecessarily, but his bark was definitely worse than his bite. And Thorne obviously trusted him. Besides, Sawyer was right on the other side of the glass door.

“Half of one is the right dose for you. You’re a lightweight.”

Scowling, I squinted at him. “You canseeall of that?”

Another rough laugh, and Cole was shaking his head. “No. It’s just obvious. Am I wrong?”

Pulling my bottom lip through my teeth, I thought it through, and then pinched one of the gummies between my fingers and bit it in half.

Smiling, Cole plucked the other half and popped it in his mouth, followed by two whole ones. As we chewed, he sealed the bag and tucked it away.

“So tell me about being a werewolf,” I said, nestling back into my seat.

His lush mouth curved into another smirk, his onyx hair falling over his brow. “It’sfuckingfantastic. Howl at the moon, run around in the woods naked, eating rabbits and shit.”

Arching an eyebrow, I stared at him. “Are you serious?”