Page 39 of Found Objects

“Nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. Spit it out.”

“I just thought, when you said all that about never feeling that way, that maybe you meant you’d never felt like that about a man before, so I was wondering.”

The look I got in response made me laugh.

“I’ve been gay my whole life,” he explained. “I’ve only ever been with men and only want to be with men, so clearly, I was referring to having a different feeling for you specifically.”

“Ah.”

“What the hell?”

“Well, come on, how in the world was I supposed to know that?”

After a moment, he shrugged. “Fine. So, what are you doing for Thanksgiving? Narah wanted me to invite you out to the house, and I want you there as well.”

“You don’t dance around things, do you?”

“No.” He held my gaze. “I’m interested in you, Merritt Baker, and I’m fairly certain you feel the same.”

“Attraction means nothing,” I murmured. “Eat your omelet.”

“Attraction is a great jumping-off point,” he countered, smiling at me as he took another few bites. “It can lead to so much more.”

“You’re very good at flirting.”

“I’m not flirting with you; I’m telling you straight up that I want to spend time with you.”

I exhaled sharply. “It’s not a good idea.”

“It’s a great idea, actually, and at Thanksgiving, there’s another pack coming—not to hunt, just to visit and eat and see if maybe there’s an alliance to be made.”

“I’ll pass, but thank you for the invitation.”

“I wouldn’t want you to be alone.”

I scoffed.

“Oh? You’re busy, are you?”

“Last year I went to eight houses.” I shuddered. “I told everyone that was it, that it could absolutely never happen again, and that I could feed my damn self.”

He was smiling at me again.

“What?”

“I brought you food and coffee; maybe I could have a kiss for the effort.”

I squinted at him.

“It’s because you’re out of my league, right? I’m just a lowly contractor, and you already have a beautiful house and a great business, so what do you need me for?”

“That’s not it, and you know it.”

He leaned forward and stared at me. “Who did all this glasswork for you? Because it’s sort of defying the laws of physics just a bit.”

“It is not,” I rumbled. “It’s quite common.”