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“We did the security for the set. I got friendly with a couple of the leads, and so they invited me over for the premiere.”
Her jaw dropped low. “Whoa. You are so cool.”
His heart skipped a beat. Never … but, really, neverever… had Canaan ever been called anything remotely close tocoolin his life. “Yeah?” He cleared his throat, the tight embarrassment easing with each passing second. “I can show you a few more cool things from the set if you like ….”
“I’d love that.” She beamed. “Okay, maybe you’re not gonna kill me and wear my head as a hat. No one who isthismuch intoFantasy Warriorswould speak the vow without meaning it.”
He chortled. “Wow. I didn’t think you were that scared of me.”
“I wasn’t. Not really. But a girl has got to be careful. I did get jacked by my boyfriend.”
“Fair enough,” he nodded. “Let me show you my computer bay. I think you’ll like it.”
“Bay?” she asked, following behind him.
He called it the bay for a reason. “I considered putting all of this in the basement, but why would I hide away down there? I’m a grown man, and I can play video games in my own damn house without any guilt. Might as well do it where I can see the scenery.”
The bay was basically most of the left wing of the house. It would be the office, library, or living room in other homes, but he had stuck with a very open concept to house a bunch of computer screens. Each cluster of screens had its own purpose.
Another part of the room had a big screen TV with the most comfortable couch he could find set before it. The walls were painted a soft sea foam color that perfectly matched the forest backdrop from the windows. There were more pictures ofFantasy Warriorsand even more replicas.
The action figures were one of the things his siblings razzed him about, but Elizabeth oohed and ahhed like a fan. “This is better than going to a museum,” she whispered.
“I’m really glad you like it.”
She is so perfect for us. You should just tell her that she’s our mate. Right now. Why waste time? We can do it right here.
Canaan ignored his wolf. Elizabeth was dealing with enough. She didn’t need him drooling all over her. “This is where I work and game,” he explained. “Basically, this is where I spend about ninety percent of my time.”
Elizabeth’s mouth hung open in a large O. She blinked at all the screens before her eyes caught the large terrarium. “You have a pet turtle.”
Canaan grinned. “Yup. That’s Myrtle.”
“Myrtle the Turtle?” Elizabeth stifled a laugh. “Original.”
“Don’t laugh. She’s great, but don’t get too close to her terrarium. She’s shy, and when she’s anxious …” He shrugged. “Well, Myrtle is a common musk turtle. They’re also called stinkpots because of the odor they release when they’re scared or aggravated. It’s why Mel doesn’t like her. They had a bit of a run-in when I first built this place, and Mel never forgave Myrtle.”
Elizabeth shook her head in disbelief. “I really don’t understand what my life is anymore. I get dumped by my boss after my boyfriend steals my intellectual property, and just when I get fired for something I didn’t do, I meet you. A buff gamer with an obsession with the world’s best video game and a skunk-turtle pet.”
He threw his head back with a laugh.Buff gamer?He would take it. He had been called worse things.
If Elizabeth looked at him and saw muscles on a gamer, he would take it. He couldn’t point that out without being too flirty. She was definitely skittish about being all alone in his compound, far away from civilization and everything she knew.
He erred on a safer topic. “Skunk-turtle? I think that should be Myrtle's superhero name.” He gently took Myrtle out of her habitat and stroked her chin just as she liked. “Yeah, she’s super down with that.” He carefully placed her back into her tank, and Myrtle stared at Elizabeth. “I think she likes you.”
“I can’t see how that’s true.”
“I get a sense for these things.”
“This isnotwhat I was expecting when I passed through the gate. This doesn’t give off compound vibes at all.”
He chuckled. “That’s my brother Ryland’s idea of a joke. The sign, I mean. He was being a dick, but now, I don’t mind it so much.”
“Fully leaning into it, huh?”
He shrugged. “He hates that I own it now. Took the fun right out of teasing me.”
“You must be the youngest,” she guessed.
