Page 121 of Double Shot

As I went to set my phone down, another text came through.

Holt: Also sorry I said the bowling pin thing.

Bowling pin thing? I could hardly remember anything he’d said when he and Seb showed up at my door mid-rut, so I didn’t directly address that, just gave both messages a thumbs up before discarding my phone on the coffee table and reaching for the TV remote.

I quickly found a dark comedy series about rival vice principals that Klaus and I had both mentioned wanting to watch on one of our dates. I cued up the first episode, ready for when Klaus joined me, then lazed on the couch for a minute or two before I felt too guilty about Klaus being in the bedroom changing the sheets. Ignoring how woozy it made me, I stood to see if he wanted any help.

He shooed me away immediately, demanding I go and rest. I hesitated. I could see that he was almost done anyway, but part of my issue was not wanting to be more than two feet away from him at any time. I was always needy with Klaus, but it was worse right now coming off the tail end of my rut.

Instead of hovering in the doorway like a lovesick puppy, I forced myself to go into the kitchen and pour us each a giant glass of water. I’d been diligent in ensuring Klaus remained hydrated during his heat, but I couldn’t say the same for myself. I drained my glass before refilling it, then drained half of that one too before Klaus emerged from the bedroom and joined me.

He’d brought the blanket we’d ended up using over the last few days, because the duvet had been too hot for both of us. Once he was situated on the couch with the blanket over his lap, I crawled underneath it to sprawl across the cushions beside him and rest my head in his lap. Five minutes of standing up and moving around—barely—and I was exhausted again. Probably because I hadn’t eaten anywhere near enough for several days.

Klaus had put on one of my T-shirts. It was huge on him, sitting comfortably at mid-thigh. A weak but pleased sound rumbled from my chest as I rubbed my face against the fabric, inhaling our combined scents. When he noticed what I’d cued up on the TV for us to watch, he leaned right over to kiss the side of my head and thank me. After pressing play, he threaded his fingers through my hair and stroked my scalp idly, and the touch was so soothing that I went completely limp and boneless.

We were an episode deep and I was drifting off to sleep when the doorbell rang. I insisted on being the one to answer, because I was still feeling a little raw and a little too close to my rut to not get all possessive and weird over anyone else being near Klaus. Besides, he was only in a T-shirt. I didn’t need to be coming down from a rut to be possessive about anyone else seeing him like that.

I shifted into my human form before I opened the door. The same driver had picked up all four of our orders. He was a young human guy with floppy blond hair under a baseball cap, and he gave me a cheerful grin as I took the bags from him.

“Hungry, huh? I wondered at first, but now that I’ve seen you”—he gestured vaguely at my torso—“I get it.”

He chuckled. His tone and expression were friendly, nothing flirty as far as I could tell, but I heard an affronted gasp coming from behind me in the living room. Then the dull thud of heels slamming down onto my hardwood floor, followed by the rapid slap of approaching feet on a very pissed off incubus.

I hurriedly thanked the driver—I’d already tipped him through the app—and closed the door before Klaus could reach us, and when I turned around, I realised I’d been just in time. He was right behind me, his hands balled into fists and his scowling face flushed.

“The nerve of that guy!” He gestured at me. “Can’t he tell you’re taken?”

“Uh…” I glanced down at myself. Was there a way to tell that no one had ever told me about? “I think he was just being friendly.”

Klaus snorted and took some of the bags. “Sweetheart, he was not just being friendly.”

“He wasn’t?” I followed Klaus into the kitchen.

“Of course he wasn’t. Look at you. Besides, concubi just know these things. We can sense it. Trust me, he was flirting. Little huss—Ugh, no, I can’t call him that. I’m not in heat anymore, so I can’t blame it on that now.” He sounded disgruntled about that.

Again, I glanced down at my bare front, but I couldn’t see anything. And then Klaus was unpacking the food, and my stomach squeezed painfully tight in hunger, which made me forget all about it anyway.

I’d ordered us a large pizza, burgers, and a mountain of Chinese food as well as multiple desserts. We loaded up our plates and carried the rest over to the coffee table in case we wanted seconds. I decided to stay in my human form to eat. After much experience across my life, I’d come to the conclusion that pizza was easier to eat and far more enjoyable with a human mouth.

Klaus had, of course, already seen me eat multiple times, and he knew how many calories I generally needed on a day-to-day basis just to maintain my build, but I could tell he was still shocked by the amount I managed to put away. It was like my stomach was a bottomless pit. Or a regular pit with an equally hungry beast at the bottom. It took a long time for me to start feeling full.

Klaus’s sweet tooth had indeed returned, so we shared all the desserts. A stack of lemon and sugar crepes; a fresh waffle covered in strawberries, melted chocolate and whipped cream; a fat slice of chocolate cake; an even fatter slice of baked chocolate and peanut butter cheesecake; and a Madagascan vanilla bun.

I felt a million times better after eating. Still tired and drained, but content now. Peaceful, like my body was finally recovering. Once we’d digested for a little while, we lay down under the blanket together with Klaus tucked into my front so we could both watch the TV. I draped an arm over his waist and rested my chin on the top of his head, occasionally tilting my face down to press a kiss to his curls.

I was dozing off again when Klaus shifted in my arms, jerking me awake. He wriggled around to face me, still tucked up under the blanket, looking so sweet that I couldn’t stop myself from leaning in to kiss him.

When I moved my head back he gave me a little smile, his hand creeping closer so he could play with my fingers.

“Will you say it again?” he asked softly, his voice wistful.

I knew exactly what he meant, and suddenly I was wide awake again as my belly dipped with exhilaration. A grin stretched my mouth, wide and uncontrollable. That part of this whole thing still felt a little like a fever dream.

“I love you,” I told him, my chest aching with overwhelming happiness when I saw the expression those words brought to Klaus’s face. Shy at first, almost uncertain, as if he too wasn’t entirely sure if that conversation had actually happened or if he’d just dreamed it. Then pure, all-encompassing joy. It made his cheeks flush and his eyes water and sparkle brightly.

I couldn’t believe I was the one who was able to bring that expression to this beautiful incubus’s face. Me.

“I love you too,” he whispered, shifting his face closer to mine so our noses nestled together, side by side. His lips brushed the corner of my mouth as he spoke again. “I love you, Brian. I love you.”