A few guests looked up from where they sat on cozy loveseats and deep-cushioned chairs. I smiled and swept the room, heading for the dining area in search of Easton—and maybe more coffee while I waited.
“One cup of dark roast, extra creamer.”
I stopped in front of Easton, surprised to see him already down here and waiting.
“Hi,” I said, drinking in the sight of him in athletic pants and a tee that showed off the very defined biceps he’d developed.
Ten years had been way too nice to him.
Damn.
He offered me one of the mugs he held, and it took all my concentration to take it without spilling the contents.
“How’d you know I liked extra creamer?” I asked, breathless.
“I guessed.” His eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Wait. You’re not some kind of psycho who likes her coffee black, are you?”
I laughed. “No. I’ll take it with the full treatment. Thanks.”
I held the mug to my lips, fully aware of East’s gaze on me as I sipped. He smelled like soap with a hint of pine. It was the signature scent of Nicole’s complimentary shower products, but on East, it smelled unique. Like no one else could make that scent quite so lust-inducing.
I really needed to stop this.
“Crowded today,” I said, searching frantically for neutral conversation. Experience told me he hadn’t missed my racing pulse, but I wasn’t about to let him call me on it either.
“Would you like to sit outside with these?”
I nodded and let him lead the way to the back of the house. Outside was perfect. More space between us. Less of a chance his wolf would notice my reaction to him.
At the end of the long hall, East opened the back door and held it for me. My ass tingled in a way that made it obvious he was checking me out behind my back. Heat rose to my cheeks. Not embarrassment, though. Mostly, it was pleasure at knowing Rudy’s outfit help had paid off. I kept my gaze averted until the fresh air helped to steady me again.
Finally, I looked up at the backyard sprawling to the fence line. A wall of green greeted me just off the porch. Ivy climbed along over railings, and large shrubs made a natural wall, shielding the space from the main road on the other side.
It felt private in a way that left me suddenly nervous.
East gestured to a couple of Adirondacks, and we sat, sipping in silence for a few minutes.
“I forgot how clean everything smells here,” he said finally.
“We had a pretty mild summer. Fall air arrived early.”
Why was I talking about the weather? Lame.
“I remember autumn being your favorite.”
“You remember that?”
He shrugged. “I remember everything, Cat.”
I couldn’t help the dark thoughts that followed his words. “Even the way you ghosted me on graduation night?”
He frowned but didn’t buckle under the pressure. Meeting my eyes, he said, “Especially that.” I didn’t miss the pain in his eyes as he said it.
But I wasn’t going to feel bad about it either. He was the one who had run away, not me.
“Nicole’s is busier than ever,” I said when the silence stretched. Again, with the small talk. I was terrible at this.
He looked around appreciatively. “I can see why. Place looks good.”
“I still remember my mom giving you all those compliments over the remodel,” I said, smiling in spite of everything. The memory was a warm one, and East smiled too.
“She recognized talent when she saw it,” he said, and I laughed.
“Right. That’s why she only gave you the easy stuff at our house like mowing and weeding. Angus did the construction if I remember correctly.”
“Angus had a crush on your mom. I was doing him a solid.”
My eyes widened. “He did not.”
“Older women get him every time.”
I shook my head. “I don’t believe it.”
“Yes, you do. I know for a fact he dated Vicki Hagerston a couple years back, and she’s eight years older than him.”
My lips twitched because I knew damn well he was right, but I wasn’t about to admit it.
“Well, my mom was a catch,” I said finally, and he laughed, eyes twinkling.
“Apple didn’t fall far.”
I ducked my head at the compliment, suddenly off balance again.
“You must have had a steady stream of girlfriends over the years,” I said, too afraid to look up. “Anyone special?”
“A steady stream, huh? I’d maybe call it a trickle.” He snorted. “But no, no one special.” He waited a beat and then added, “Especially not when I compared them all to you.”
I looked up sharply, ready to throw my coffee on him if he was screwing with me. But his expression was completely serious—and authentic.
“You’re a hard act to follow, Cat.”
“If you’d stayed, you wouldn’t have had to find another act, to begin with.”
The words were out before I could think them through, or soften them. Whatever. Passive-aggressive was well-deserved at this point.
East didn’t answer, and the silence stretched into something strange between us.
“What about you?” he asked. “Anyone special on your end?”
My throat tightened because part of me desperately wanted to say yes if only to hurt him like he’d hurt me. But ten years later, I could rise above that shit—as tempting as it was to offer a low blow.
“No,” I said simply—and firmly enough that East didn’t press it.
After a few minutes, I took another sip of coffee and looked up to find East watching me again.
“What?” I asked.
“You’re different than I remember.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Not at all.” His words didn’t match his expression though. Like he was confused by it. By me. “For one thing, your hair is longer. I don’t remember ever seeing you wear it down.”
My hair?
Ten years, and he wanted to comment on my hair?
Ugh.
“You’re different, too,” I said, eyes narrowing.
His flash of a grin made my stomach flip. “More handsome, you mean.”
“Ha. Well, your head’s bigger than I remember.”
He smirked. “It’s not the only thing.”
I pressed my lips
