Page 9 of Tempered By Flames

He reverently touched his fingers to the pages. He already had his favorite one, and he didn’t have to think. “This one,” he said, brushing his fingertips over it.

Ethan nodded. “All right. I’ll start sketching, and if you leave me your number, I’ll send you the results when I have them. You’ll be able to make changes.”

Liam nodded, still staring at the sketchpad. That was probably the only reason he noticed the scales on Ethan’s arm.

Ethan had pushed up his sleeves when he’d started drawing. His forearms were covered in tattoos, which wasn’t a surprise. The scales were, though. Dragon shifters didn’t have scales in their human form. They didn’t have anything dragon in their human form.

Ethan did.

Liam desperately wanted to ask, but he didn’t because he knew what would happen if he did. He’d spook Ethan, and that was the last thing he wanted. No, Liam wanted to know more, and the only way to obtain that was to let Ethan come to him.

So that was what he’d do.

* * * *

WHEN ETHAN WALKED INTO Jonathan’s apartment, he was greeted by the smell of garlic and oregano, as well as the laughter of his friends and their loud voices. He smiled, his shoulders relaxing without him meaning to. He wasn’t in his apartment, but this was as close to home as he was when he wasn’t there.

Jonathan popped out of the kitchen, smiling when he saw Ethan. “Finally.”

Ethan took off his shoes and abandoned them by the door. “It’s not my fault that my last customer took so long.”

“You should have told her to come back another day. She was late.”

Ethan shrugged. “Yeah, but I didn’t want to waste the evening. Besides, it only took me an hour.”

“At least you’re not late for dinner.”

Ethan tried to never be late for their weekly family dinner. Jonathan would have something to say about it if he was, but more than that, this was the one time during the week they had time to all be together. Even Austin and West came when they weren’t on shift, and Ethan could hear them laughing in the kitchen, so he knew they were here.

For some reason, that made him a little nervous. It didn’t have anything to do with them. He was fine with their presence now that he knew them, but having them here made him think about Liam. Liam made him nervous. Ethan hadn’t figured out what kind of person he was, even though he seemed nice. Austin and West didn’t know Liam much better than Ethan, but they spent long hours with him, so maybe they could tell Ethan about him. He just wasn’t sure how to ask, though.

It turned out that he didn’t have to. When he walked into the kitchen after saying hello to Caleb, Dani, Christy, and her boyfriend, John—who were squeezed on the couch talking—it was to find Austin and West chatting. West was at the stove, using a wooden spoon to stir something in a pot. Ethan’s stomach grumbled. Jonathan had managed to find himself a man who could cook, which was great for these family dinners.

“Hey, Ethan,” Austin said when he saw Ethan.

He sometimes reminded Ethan of a big puppy. For some reason, he was always happy to see Ethan, even when Ethan was grumpy. He’d never let Ethan’s mistrust of him change the way he behaved, and Ethan didn’t think he ever would. Austin was persistent, but he knew when to give people space. That was probably why he hadn’t outright asked Ethan about his shifted form.

“Liam came to the shop today,” Ethan announced for some reason. Okay, he did want to talk about Liam, but he hadn’t meant to start with that. He could have kept things smooth and easygoing for a little while, but now, West, Austin, and Jonathan were staring at him as if he’d grown a second head.

Ethan felt his cheeks flush and eyed the window. Would they try to stop him if he tried to climb out? Austin and West probably would be able to. Still, it was tempting.

“When?” Jonathan asked. He was frowning. “I didn’t see him.”

“You were tattooing that guy’s back.”

Jonathan grimaced. “That took me hours. My back still hurts.”

“He wants me to cover a scar,” Ethan continued. He wasn’t going to tell them anything else, especially not what Liam had told him about his family. That was Liam’s story to tell if he wanted to.

“What do you think of him?” Austin asked.

“I’m not sure. He seems nice.”

“He is nice. Maybe a little bit too nice sometimes. The other day, this lady kept trying to grope him, but he wouldn’t tell her to fuck off to her face.”

West grunted. “That’s because he’s not supposed to tell anyone to fuck off.”

“Maybe not, but he could’ve told Taylor or any one of us. There was no need for him to keep fending her off, especially because she seemed to have eight arms. She always managed to find a spot to touch.”