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“Yes,” she said hoarsely. “I will.”
“Good.” Althea gave her fingers another squeeze before dropping her hand and picking up her fork. She ate a bite of noodles, dropping one at her feet for Alfie to eagerly eat. “And this way, you won’t have to sneak into his room after you think I’m asleep.”
Hedra closed her eyes and released a heavy sigh. “Shit, you know.”
“Of course I do,” Nan said. “I’m old and maybe a little deaf, but I’m not an idiot. Not sure why you felt the need to hide it anyway. Sex is a biological need we all have.”
“Because I don’t want you thinking less of me,” Hedra said. “I was hired to be your nurse, not to sleep with your grandson.”
“Well, unless Boone is giving you a bonus on your paycheque every time you bone him, you’re still being paid to be my nurse, not his lover,” Althea said.
Hedra’s mouth dropped open, and Althea cackled. “Oh God, the look on your face, human.”
She ate some more noodles before saying, “Whether or not you’re sleeping with my grandson doesn’t change the fact that you’re a damn good nurse, Hedra. Without you, I wouldn’t be doing as well as I am.”
Her throat tight again, Hedra said, “Thank you, Althea.”
“Ayuh,” she said again. She paused before giving Hedra another piercing stare. “Take care of my boy tonight, sweetheart.”
“I will,” Hedra said. “I promise.”
* * *
Boone slipped into the house and locked the door behind him. It was almost ten, and the house was quiet and dark. Hedra and Nan must have already gone to bed, and he tried not to be hurt. Nan would assume he was falling down drunk and in no condition to talk, and Hedra had no idea how difficult this day was for him.
Because you won’t talk to her. Please talk to her.
He couldn’t. They hadn’t been dating long enough for him to put that kind of grief on Hedra and expect her to carry its weight for him. Besides, he knew from experience that girlfriends grew tired of how he talked about Derek. They were understanding at first, sympathetic and happy to listen to his many Derek stories, but eventually, they all reached the same level of exasperation and exhaustion.
Camilla, in particular, had become especially sensitive to even the mention of Derek’s name. He couldn’t blame her. He could hardly bear the weight of his grief, and it had been horribly unfair of him to expect her to shoulder some of it, too. But her anger and her jealousy over Derek, despite him never admitting the truth to her, had driven another wedge between them that had never fully healed.
He’d tried to talk less about Derek with subsequent girlfriends but found it nearly impossible. Not that there had been that many girlfriends. Until Hedra, he hadn’t found anyone he could picture spending the rest of his life with. Not when he’d already had his chance and lost it.
He kicked off his shoes and headed toward his bedroom. He wasn’t drunk. For the first time since Derek’s death, none of them had gotten drunk. He’d had a beer with dinner, not that he could eat much of it, and he had tried his best to participate in the good memories of Derek that the others shared, but all he’d wanted was to be with Hedra. Normally, Grayson, Cooper, and Wesley were the only ones who could comfort him today, but the need to be with Hedra was a constant drumbeat in his head that was almost impossible to ignore.
He paused outside his door, staring down the hallway at Hedra’s closed bedroom door. He suspected she’d started to sleep with it open because of his habit of sleepwalking into her bedroom in his tiger form. The closed door meant he’d really fucked up with her. He shouldn’t have withdrawn from her this week, shouldn’t have let Derek’s death anniversary fuck him up so much, but his usual grief was now mixed with a soft layer of guilt. He loved Hedra, and despite knowing Derek would be happy for him, it still felt like a betrayal. So, he’d withdrawn and avoided Hedra, and now she was pissed at him on the very day he needed her the most, and he had no one to fucking blame but himself.
He couldn’t even take comfort from his tiger. The beast found this day even harder than Boone, and he’d done what he always did - retreat until Boone could barely feel him. It made Boone’s loneliness and grief even more intense, but he couldn’t be angry with his tiger. He had the right to grieve however he needed to. But fuck, it hurt Boone to the core when his tiger retreated like this.
With a sigh, he shoved his bedroom door open. He really should have just gotten shitfaced, that would have -
He caught Hedra’s scent in his room, stronger than it should have been, and turned toward the bed. He stared wide-eyed at Hedra sitting in his bed, her back propped against the headboard and a book in her hand. His tiger came forward eagerly, purring and trilling to their mate, and Hedra smiled at the sound.
“Hi, Boone.”
“Hello, Hedra.” His voice was hoarse.
“Your nan is at Jerry’s tonight,” she said.
That was all he needed to know. He yanked his shirt over his head and hurried to the bed, nearly pouncing on Hedra. He kissed her hard, his fingers skating over the hem of her cotton pajama shirt. She returned his kiss but tugged his hands away when he tried to pull off her shirt.
“Boone, stop,” she said.
“I need you, please,” he muttered against her mouth. He felt frantic and out of control with his need for her. “Please, baby.”
“Shh,” she said, cupping the back of his neck with one cool hand and resting her forehead against his. “Just take a breath, honey.”
He took a breath and then another, growling softly when Hedra eased away from him. “I know I’ve been a dick all week, and I’m sorry, but I need you tonight. Okay?”
