“We don’t call him an asshole,” Roman said, following in Lucas’s footsteps.
“Sometimes we do,” Lucas said.
“And this is why a Panther was making every effort to be heard, instead of silencing his approach,” Remi said.
“What is why?” Lucas asked.
“You two. He was narrowing my focus to his approach, so I wouldn’t notice the two of you coming from the other direction.”
Lucas and Roman grinned at him. “Did it work?”
“Just a bit. I knew you two were out there somewhere, just didn’t know exactly where. I’d heard you go for a run, but wasn’tsure when you came back. I was too busy listening to Lazarus coming this way.”
“So it worked!” Lucas said.
“More or less,” Remi said.
The door opened and Lazarus walked back outside, holding the six-pack of beer he’d found in Remi’s fridge. He tossed a can to Lucas, and another to Roman.
Lucas popped the top and started drinking it.
Roman looked at it, then looked at the bottle Remi was drinking. His nose flared as he scented the air. “Is that apple?” he asked.
Remi looked at him. “It is. You want one?”
“Yeah,” Roman said.
“Inside, in the fridge. Help yourself.”
“I’ll just put this back, too,” Roman said, letting himself in the house. Minutes later he was back with a bottle of apple soda and a chair he’d brought from the kitchen. He put it near Remi’s and Lazarus’ chairs. He took a long drink of the apple soda, then turned the bottle to get a good look at the label. “This is good,” he said.
“It is,” Remi agreed.
“I gotta get me some of this,” Roman said.
“I’m guessing you’re Roman, and you,” Remi said, pointing his bottle at Lucas, “ are Lucas.”
“Guilty,” Lucas said.
“That’d be me,” Roman said.
“So, I got a question,” Lazarus said, in his typical gravelly voice.
“Shoot,” Remi said, taking another sip of his soda.
“Why haven’t you done anything to make the place yours?”
Remi looked over at him. “What do you mean?”
“First thing any of us did when we got our new place was go buy shit to make it our own. Yours looks like it did the dayyou moved in, except for the family picture on the entertainment center. You planning on only being here temporarily?”
Remi mulled his answer over for a few seconds. “Honestly, I’m not sure where I’ll be in a few weeks. My plan was to be here permanently. Earn Cristie’s forgiveness. Make things work out for the two of us and then ask what she wanted. That’s what we’d do.”
“She wants to be Alpha here,” Lucas said.
“That’s true,” Roman said.
“I’m sure it is. Thing is, I’m not so sure I can earn her forgiveness. So, I’m here for a while, at least until she gives me a definitive no.”
