by Zoe Chant
They clung together, panting, Lainie’s head still spinning with the last waves of her orgasm.
Harrison’s arms tightened around Lainie. “Shit,” he muttered. “Birth control, we didn’t—”
“Don’t worry,” Lainie said quickly. “I’m on the Pill.”
It seemed ridiculous to be having this conversation with him still inside her. She wriggled, enjoying the feeling.
Harrison leaned his forehead against hers. He sighed with pleasure, so deeply Lainie felt his whole body tremor.
“Hey,” she said.
He smiled. “Hey.”
“So…” Lainie traced patterns on his chest. “That was nice.”
Harrison slid his hands down to rest on her ass. “Lainie, I…” He paused. “I don’t want you to think I’m the sort of person who does this a lot.”
Lainie raised her eyebrows, and looked down, to where their bodies joined. “No?” she said innocently. Harrison smiled, shame-faced.
“No.”
Lainie giggled. This is so ridiculous. “I guess that makes me one special lady, then,” she drawled.
“It does.” Harrison sounded entirely serious.
Lainie smiled, and unwound her legs from his waist. He stepped back and she felt that strange emptiness again as he pulled out of her.
“Well, good,” she said facetiously. “I’d hope not all of your round-the-town tours end this way.”
“Only yours.”
Lainie touched his cheek. She’d noticed the laughter lines around his eyes and mouth earlier. They seemed softer, now. Relaxed and content.
She felt the same way. For the first time in… A very long time, she though with a pang.
Sheesh. If I’d known all I needed to get over my stress about this trip was a decent orgasm, I could have taken care of that weeks ago! For the first time, she regretted the fact that she was only staying in Hideaway Cove overnight. But maybe, if things went okay tomorrow, she could come back.
Yeah. That could work.
Harrison showed her to the shower, and helped her wash.
Well. “Helped.”
It was past midnight by the time Lainie pulled her pants and blouse back on. The game of hunt-the-discarded-clothes had brought her back to the front door, past the public area of the workshop.
Good thing none of Harrison’s colleagues are working overtime tonight, Lainie thought as she wound her wet hair into a knot at the back of her head to keep it off her neck. She would tidy it up properly when she got back to the B&B.
Harrison had put his jeans back on. The ones that accentuated his V, and hung low on his hips. Even though she already knew what was under them, Lainie found the sight tantalizing.
“So… should I call you?” she said.
Harrison looked startled. “Call me? You’re not going to stay?”
“I would love to.” Lainie was surprised at how true the clichéd words were. “Really. But I have an early start in the morning. There’s some things I need to sort out beforehand, and…”
She trailed off and shrugged, hoping he would understand. She really did wish she could stay. The idea was tempting—too tempting. She could all too easily see how waking up next to Harrison would lead to a late start.
Harrison met her eyes, his lips quirking into a small smile. “I understand,” he said. “Here—just a sec…”
He raced into the next room. Lainie followed him, watching him tip over the stacks of paper that covered the coffee table, and hunt under the sofa cushions. At last he found what he was looking for. He snatched it up with a shout of victory.
“Your business card?” Lainie raised an eyebrow as he passed it to her. Harrison grinned sheepishly.
“I don’t have much call for them usually. Everyone who wants to hire me already knows my number. Or just comes and knocks on the door.”
“Well, now I feel extra special.” Lainie laughed. “Where did my purse end up—oh, thanks.” She slung it under her arm, and kicked her feet back into her ankle boots.
Now that it was time for her to leave, she definitely didn’t want to. She lingered in front of the door.
“You know, you could stay,” Harrison said. He walked up to her, filthy promises in his eyes.
“Mmm.” Lainie closed her eyes. “That’s tempting. Too tempting.”
She felt Harrison’s breath on her lips, and then he kissed her.
“Tomorrow?” he whispered.
“Tomorrow,” she agreed. I’m sure I can find some way to—don’t think “fit him in”. Too late. Ugh. Some way to make it work.
It would mean leaving Hideaway Cove late and arriving home even later, but she was sure it would be worth it.
“I’ll call you,” she said, and slipped out the door before Harrison could convince her to stay. Or before she convinced herself.
CHAPTER SIX
HARRISON
Harrison woke up with the morning birdsong. He groaned. The birds were gulls, so their style was more drunken karaoke than Church choir.
*Keep it down out there!* he hollered, and heard their answering laughter in his head.
*What’s the matter Mr. Galway? Late night?*
Jools. Of course she’d seen him and Lainie leave the restaurant the night before. She must have told her siblings. Hell, half the town probably knew about it by now.
Harrison rolled over, stretching out as the sun warmed his skin. He hadn’t bothered to pull the curtains when he finally made it to bed last night. He liked to watch the stars as he fell asleep, and wake with the sun. Except from the angle of the light pouring in his window, he’d slept right through sunrise and for several hours longer.
This morning, it wasn’t only the sun that warmed him. Maybe that was why he’d slept in so long. He felt deeply content, in a way he’d never thought possible.
His boss, old Mr. Mackaby, had told him it would be like this when he finally met his mate. Depending on their animal type, different shifters reacted in different ways. No one in town had ever heard of a griffin shifter before Harrison came along, but Mr. Mackaby said that one thing all shifters shared when they finally met their mate was a feeling of great peace. Like everything was right in the world.
Well, Harrison certainly felt that.
What else did the old man say? Harrison thought back. Peace, and protectiveness. That was it.
He thought about Lainie. She’d been happy when she left in the early hours of the morning, he knew that. She’d smiled, and laughed. A complete contrast to how she’d been when he first saw her in the restaurant, closed-off and tense.
Well, she wouldn’t have to be like that again. She deserved to feel safe, and welcome, wherever she went. And she would. He’d make sure of that.
Somehow.
First, he had to convince her that last night wasn’t a one-time thing. If only he wasn’t expecting that other out-of-towner today. The job was meant to take the whole day, which didn’t leave him much time to catch up with Lainie.
Maybe if she stayed in Hideaway a little longer than planned, they could get to know each other better…
His thoughts strayed to Pol, with his abilities to manipulate electronics. No. He wouldn’t ask the other shifter to break Lainie’s car to keep her in town. That would be wrong.
Hadn’t she said she had family in Hideaway? Her grandparents—that was it.
If they’d lived in Hideaway, they must have been shifters. There wasn’t a single human living in the town, after all. And if they were shifters… maybe the conversation ahead of him wouldn’t be so difficult. If Lainie already knew about shifters, she must know about mates, as well.
Harrison racked his brains, trying to remember if he had known any Eaves in the time he’d lived in Hideaway.
Eaves. Why was that name so familiar? He stared out the window. His house was on the south end of the bay, where the land curved around. The view out his window took in a slice of the ocean, as well as the town, and beyond it, Lighthouse Hill. His eyes traced the winding road that climbed
up the side of the hill, up to the rambling, half-derelict old house…
His eyes widened. The old Eaves house? How had he not made the connection before?
But if she was here about her grandparents, and her grandparents were old Mrs. and Mr. Eaves, then that meant…
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Harrison got out of bed and pulled on some clothes, still berating himself for being so thick. He’d been so blown away by Lainie, his brain hadn’t been able to put two and two together.
He took the stairs three at a time. Who was knocking on his door at this hour? Pol and Arlo had their own keys. The only job he had scheduled for today was…
He opened the door, already sure who was behind it.
“Lainie.”
“Hi, again.” Lainie blushed. She held up his business card and flicked it with her fingers. “I probably should have read this last night, huh? Harrison Galway, of Mackaby’s Workshop. It’s named after your old boss, right? That’s why I didn’t recognize the name. I was up at the storage unit just now, and your friend Arlo looked at me as though I’d grown two heads when I said I was looking forward to meeting you.” She groaned and blushed.
Harrison ran his hand through his hair, grinning. He could just imagine Arlo’s reaction. “Damn. I wish I had that sort of excuse,” he said wistfully. She raised one eyebrow, and he explained: “I should have recognized your surname.”
The corner of Lainie’s mouth twitched down. “Oh. Of course.” She played with her purse for a moment, not meeting his eye. “Well, awkward as this is… shall we head up there now? Your car, or mine?”
“We’ll take mine. If you don’t mind?” He waited for her to shake her head. “My gear’s in the back already, in case there’s anything you want me to get onto right away.”
“Oh.” Lainie frowned. “Yes. I hadn’t thought—no, that makes sense.” She shook her head, her mouth tight.
Inside him, Harrison’s griffin became alert. Something was wrong here.
Whatever it is, does it have something to do with her only planning to stay here overnight? For a job that might take days?
He walked her to his truck, and opened the door for her. She stepped up with a smile, brushing past him too close for it to be an accident. Warmth blossomed inside Harrison. That hadn’t changed, at least.
Determination stiffened his spine. She was his mate, and if she was unhappy, it was his duty to help her. Whatever was troubling her, he would do whatever she needed to help make it right.
“Okay,” he said, getting in the driver’s side and starting the engine. “So, you’ve already been to see Arlo about the stuff in the storage unit? He’s the one who—uh, who took down the info when you called last week.”
Harrison winced. Until he had determined whether or not Lainie knew about shifters, he couldn’t go around saying things like He’s the guy who was in dog form last night. Remember, my German Shepherd-Pom cross?
He shook his head. “He said you wanted an evaluation of the house?”
“Yeah… something along those lines.” She pulled a keyring out of her pocket and started to play with it.
Most of the keys on it looked modern, except for two. One was a large house key, but it was the smaller one she paid the most attention to. It was a silver key half the length of her pinky finger, decorated with a complicated filigree. The sort of thing you’d imagine fitting the lock of a jewelry box. She turned it over and over.
“I was hoping to find something in the storage unit, but…oh, it doesn’t matter. So, the house. I don’t know what state it’s in these days, but Arlo said you’re certified to do a safety check, and see how much work needs to be done on it?”
“I can do that, sure. Not a problem.”
Lainie tucked her hair back behind her ears. Harrison watched the road as he drove through town, but he couldn’t help sneaking glances at her. Her eyes flickered across to him, as well. When their eyes met, she blushed.
“Did you sleep well?” Harrison teased.
That made her smile. “Like a log,” she said, relaxing into her seat. “For some reason, I was all worn out.”
“Well. You had a long drive earlier in the day, after all.”
Lainie snorted, and Harrison grinned. He swung off onto the road up Lighthouse Hill, keeping his mate in the corner of his eye.
Her smile faded. Damn it. Whatever’s wrong, her grandparents’ house is right at the middle of it, isn’t it?
The whole truck lurched as he hit a pothole. “Sorry about that! This road isn’t used much anymore.”
“I guess there wouldn’t be any need for people to use it since my Gran went into the home,” Lainie said. She sighed. “That was, what, eight years ago? Time flies.”
Harrison couldn’t miss the hint of bitterness in her voice. “That’d be why I haven’t seen you in town before now. I only moved here around then.”
Lainie shook her head. “You wouldn’t have seen me before then, either. Like I said, I wasn’t close with this side of the family.” She sighed. “And now I’m the only one left, and I get to deal with the rest of the leftovers. Hooray.”
Harrison’s heart sank. If Lainie had never been close to the Eaves, then she might not even know about shifters.
Then again, if she’d inherited her grandparents’ house… well, real estate was a very real connection to a place. Maybe she would end up spending more time in Hideaway after all.
They rounded the final bend, and the old Eaves house came into view.
From what Harrison had heard from people who’d lived in Hideaway longer, the house used to be a lighthouse. Hideaway didn’t need or have a lighthouse these days, and the house had been converted into a family home. The old structure was barely visible under new additions to the building.
He parked in front. The drive had once been gravel, but most of that had been swept away by wind and rain, leaving a surface of dirt and potholes.
A strange sense of foreboding settled in his stomach. Up close, the old house looked even more ramshackle than it did from down in town. At some point in the past, the windows had been shuttered tight against the elements. More recently, most of those shutters had come loose, either hanging from their hinges or disappeared entirely. Harrison could see at least one broken window.
The house had once been painted a bright straw yellow, but after years of neglect almost all of the paint had peeled off, revealing weather-stained wooden siding. Some of the boards were sagging. Harrison’s heart sank.
Lainie swore softly as she got out of the truck. “The place looks like it’s ready to crumble off the edge of the cliff,” she said. She turned to Harrison. “Any idea if your friend the electrician serviced up here recently?”
“I don’t think so,” Harrison said, his heart sinking further. “I’ll get a flashlight.”
When he caught up with Lainie, flashlight in hand, she already had her keys out. She picked out the large, old-fashioned one and turned it in the lock. The mechanism grated, but it opened.
“Here we go.” Lainie’s voice was so soft Harrison could barely hear it.
She stepped inside, and Harrison heard the click-click of a light switch. “Power’s off,” she said, and turned on a flashlight app on her phone. Harrison followed her in with his own flashlight.
They were standing in a large front hall. The two beams of light illuminated clouds of dust that whirled up every time he or Lainie took a step. Inch-thick dust covered the wooden floorboards, and a layer almost as thick seemed to have settled on the walls and windowsills.
Lainie sneezed, and covered her mouth. “Well, that’s one creditor the lawyer can dispute, at least,” she muttered. “There’s no way in hell this place has seen a housekeeper in the last decade.”
They explored further, passing by a sweeping wooden staircase that disappeared up into the gloom. A white concrete wall curved up one side of the stairs, looming like the ghost of some other, older structure. As he stared, Harrison realized that
was exactly what it was: the outside of the old lighthouse, now standing in the center of the Eaves family home.
The empty, broken-down Eaves family home.
Harrison glanced at Lainie. What had this place been like when she was young? And what had happened that it had been left to fall to pieces like this?
He bit his tongue on his questions, and followed her into what looked like a sitting room.
If those windows were open, the room would be flooded with light in the mornings, Harrison thought. Instead, it was pitch black outside the thin beams of their flashlights.
“I’ll see if I can open any of those windows,” he said, and made his way over to them. The floor creaked under him, and he jumped back at one point when the floorboards sagged worryingly under his weight.
He carefully tested the window. The sash had almost rotted through. If he tried to open it, it would only fall shut again—unless the frame had rotted as well, in which case the whole thing might come tumbling down.
He turned to explain to Lainie, and saw her staring back the way they had come. Not at the door they’d come through, but the fireplace beside it.
Her posture changed. She’d looked uncertain when they reached the house, but now, she strode forward angrily, her flashlight pointed above the fireplace.
“That—that should have been in the storage unit!” she cried out.
Her flashlight illuminated a large oil painting. The dust on it was so thick, Harrison could hardly make out what it was. As he walked closer, aiming his own light at it, the image became clear.
It was a portrait of a couple in their early thirties. Harrison saw their resemblance to Lainie immediately: the woman had her blonde hair, pulled back in a sort of fancy roll at the back of her head, and the man had Lainie’s piercing dark eyes. The woman was seated, the man standing behind her with his hand on her shoulder. He was wearing a military uniform; she was all in white, with colorful jewels sparkling at her neck and on her fingers.
“Are they your grandparents?” he asked.
“Yes,” replied Lainie shortly. “And those are the famous Eaves jewels. The ones no one seems to have set eyes on since… ugh. Why didn’t the movers take it away when they stripped the house? They were meant to take everything.”