Page 13 of Shifted Desire
And even that guy thinks I’m gross.
Wonderful.
Maybe I’ll voluntarily go to my room so I can hide from that grim reality. Claim I have a headache and remove myself from dinner so everyone else can enjoy their evening without me harshing the vibe.
If I choose to be alone, then maybe being so fucking lonely in a house full of people won’t hurt as much.
“Don’t mind Sam, she’s cranky because I told her I don’t want to go to Vegas for my bachelor party,” Max says, jabbing me in the side with his elbow and giving me a look that says “quit being a dick.”
I sigh dramatically, appreciating him redirecting my morose thoughts. “Sorry, yeah, I’m still not done grieving that. Didn’t mean to take it out on you.”
Nathan’s smile is strained. “What are you thinking of doing, if not a weekend of debauchery in Sin City?”
Has his voice always been that gravelly? Because the way he says debauchery gave me tingles.
The thought makes cringe internally.
Nope. No way. Not thinking about him like that.
I’ve done so well the past few times I’ve seen Nathan. I refuse to let the annoying crush I had on the admittedly very handsome werewolf rekindle.
I spent my entire twenties secretly pining for a man who is old enough to be my father. Embarrassing myself by wearing increasingly slutty outfits to the annual Samhain gatherings in an attempt to catch his eye.
It infuriated me at the time, but now I begrudgingly respect it. There was never even an inkling of desire coming from Nathan when he looked at me. No sign of him being a creep perving on his best friend’s daughter.
Even if I really wanted him to.
Gods, I can only imagine how fucked things would’ve been if he’d reciprocated. I already spend half the time worrying everyone secretly hates me. If anyone in my family actually hated me, I think I’d crawl into a hole and die.
Max chuckles, clearly not affected at all by Nathan’s stupid sexy rasp. “I was thinking maybe a game night. Something casual. I don’t have any interest in debauchery.”
“Unless it involves Mona, right?” I say, elbowing him back.
My brother scowls at me, and it helps lighten my mood a bit. I can always count on teasing Max to cheer me up.
Nathan chuckles, and ugh, my damn body really likes that sound.
“When is the wedding?” Nathan asks.
Max tenses. “Shit, I didn’t…I’m sorry, I just…”
Nathan places a hand on Max’s shoulder in a very avuncular manner, which helps remind me to shove any attraction to him in the garbage where it belongs. “I didn’t mean it like that, Max, I swear. I understand why you wouldn’t think to invite me. It’s not like I’ve shown up for any other events.”
The melancholy in Nathan’s eyes as he speaks takes me aback. I always assumed he was too busy with his very serious corporate career on the other side of the country to worry about showing up outside the yearly ritual, but there’s genuine regret there.
Max surely senses it too, with his empathic abilities. “We’d love to have you there. Please come if you can. If you give me your new address, I’ll get your official invite in the mail ASAP.”
Nathan nods. “I’ll be there.”
“I haven’t even told you the date yet,” Max chuckles.
“Doesn’t matter. I’m here and I’m not going to miss the important things anymore.” His voice is solemn, as if he’s making an oath to himself more than anyone else.
“Ugh, does that mean we’ll be seeing more of you?” I keep my tone light, even as my damn stomach does a flip at the prospect.
“Yep. I plan to be around so much you’ll all get sick of me.” Nathan doesn’t look at me as he replies, instead glancing over at my dad.
Of course he does. He’s probably going to use his new proximity to make a move on Dad, and then I’ll get kicked out of the house because it’ll be too awkward for me to be around while my parents integrate him into their relationship. They’re always joking about looking for a third and Mom cuckolding Dad, so I know they’d do it if he asked.
