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But how could Ryder fix it?
Sighing, he sat on the mattress and scrubbed a hand through his hair, shoving it from his eyes. Caroline would have known how to fix this.
Ryder closed his eyes, a ghost of a smile passing over his lips. It had been decades since he’d last thought of his wife. Hishumanwife.
She’d done an amazing job of creating a home for their family. The place had always felt warm and inviting, a relief when he returned at the end of a long day at work. He didn’t know how she’d done it with the colors and the curtains and the pretty China tea set, but it was home.
He missed her.
But she was gone and never coming back. He’d made his peace with that years ago.
It was just…why couldn’t she be here now to explain to him how anyone could walk into a store with millions of options and know how to pick out therightthing?
With a groan, Ryder flopped onto the mattress and stared up at the dark ceiling. He wasn’t asking Rafe for help. The man would start laughing and wouldn’t stop until the end of time. Lola wasn’t any better. Philippe would help, but Ryder wasn’t comfortable asking him for something so personal.
Gideon enjoyed this stuff, but if he asked him, wouldn’t Gideon think he was a total loser? That wasn’t helpful in the least.
Unless Gideon did love decorating and shopping. Then, if Gideon helped him decorate his place, Ryder could make sure that he got things that Gideon enjoyed. Soft, comfy things that would make him want to be in Ryder’s apartment. Plus, if they went shopping, they could spend more time together.
Yes, this could be an excellent plan.
And if it was just the two of them, maybe he’d get more comfortable talking to Gideon.
Wait. Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.
But it was a good start to a plan.
Ryder was attempting to formulate how he would broach the topic with Gideon when a smoke alarm began blaring…in Gideon’s condo.
He was on his feet in a second and up the private back stairs that connected their places. He burst through the door, expecting to see flames. Not Gideon frantically waving his T-shirt in front of the smoke detector. His thin, pale chest seemed to glow in the bright overhead light. Blond hair stood up in every direction as if he’d pulled at it. The young vampire turned wide eyes on him and his expression said,Oh, shit!
“It’s okay! Everything is okay! Nothing is on fire!” Gideon claimed, words pouring out of him in a rush as he continued to wildly wave his shirt in the air. He’d barely finished speaking when the smoke detector stopped screaming, leaving them in an almost deafening silence broken only by Gideon’s panting.
Clutching his shirt to his chest, Gideon winced as he stared up at Ryder. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to bother you.”
“What happened?”
Gideon sighed, and his expression became even more pained. “When Fox and River were here earlier, they ordered pizza. Fox said you can’t move without pizza. It’s like a human rule, but I don’t remember that one. Anyway, they left me some, and I wanted to heat it up to eat while I unpack boxes. And well…that happened.” He waved toward the singed, slightly smoking cardboard box on the stovetop.
First, Ryder was stunned there were leftovers. He’d seen the werewolf eat; he was a bottomless pit. And the witch wasn’t much better. Maybe it was something like a weird housewarming gift?
He stepped closer to Gideon, fighting the urge to wrap him up in a tight hug. That bare chest and slumped shoulders demanded he cuddle the little vampire. He made do with a hand on the top of his head, gently stroking his hair. “I think it might be best to put the pizza on one of those metal cooking pans instead of heating cardboard.”
Gideon tipped his head up, giving Ryder some serious side-eye. “Yeah. Kinda figured that one out after it started smoking.”
Ryder pressed his lips together to stop his grin. Gideon wouldn’t appreciate that. “I think there’s something about pizza stones that helps with cooking them, but I don’t know if these are special stones or just any old rocks.”
Gideon’s eyes immediately widened. “Oooh! I’ll have to look that up and get some!”
Pinching some of his hair between his thumb and forefinger, Ryder gave it a small tug. “Gideon, if you’re feeling hungry, I’m here for you. I’m happy to provide for you.”
Happy was the understatement of this and the next century. Giving Gideon blood was the best thing in his entire world. It was the one way he felt truly close to him as he listened to the soft noises of pleasure he made or got lost in the feel of his fingers holding him so tightly, as if he were afraid Ryder would push him away.
The younger vampire twisted and jumped away from him, waving his hands at Ryder. “No! I’m not that kind of hungry. I wanted something to nibble on while I worked. To make the moving feel more official.” He clutched his shirt in both hands. “Besides, I don’t want you to be a crutch for me. It’s important that I’m comfortable hunting on my own, or Rafe will take this away.”
Ryder fisted his hands at his sides and nodded, his eyes dropping to the floor. Gideon was right. As much as he wanted to be the one who always supplied Gideon with blood, there might be times when he wasn’t around, and Gideon needed to be strong enough to take care of himself.
“Mn. You’re right,” he mumbled.
