Chapter 472 Chapter 472
Calum handed Blair the window. “I feel like one of us is the topic of conversation.” He said it quietly and looked past Noah to the backyard.
Noah was standing outside the window as they replaced the weather strips in the small house and worked inside. He glanced over his shoulder to see Shaelan, Kobie, and Emersyn with a bunch of the little ones on the slide and swings. When he looked over, Emersyn turned and looked right at him, she smiled and then turned back to the women and put her hand over her mouth. Was she smiling at him or something they said?
“Pretty sure it’s the scary one they’re discussing,” Blair said.
Noah turned to ask why when he closed the window. With a smirk on his face, Blair flipped the lock on top of it. Scowling at him through the glass, he turned and went to the next window.
Both men stood on the other side of it grinning at him, taking their time unlocking it and opening it. As soon as the wood cleared the bottom, he helped to shove it up to the top. “What do you mean?”
Blair smirked and glanced at Calum as he pulled the window out. “We’re old news now, no need for the girl huddle over there.”
Noah unrolled some of the strips and glanced over his shoulder again before running it along the edge as Blair peeled off the old. “I, uh,” he scowled when it started to stick to itself, “told her to move in here last night.”
“Alone?” Blair looked at him as he pulled the last side off.
Noah shook his head, “no, Aspyn too.”
“Wait,” Calum looked from Blair and then at him, “you told her to move out here with her little girl? What about you?”
“I’m going with you guys in two days.” He made sure the last piece was good and stuck.
Calum lined the window back up and started to slide it in place.
“But you’re moving in too, right?”
Calum closed the window and locked it before Noah could answer. Glaring at their grins, he turned around to go to the other side of the house. He paused at the corner and glanced over at the women. Shaelan was telling Emersyn something, and he didn’t know what was being said, but even Kobie was laughing. He cocked one eyebrow at them and then stomped to the other side.
He waited until the window was opened to look at Calum, “I’m not sure what she’s telling them, but your mate has the other women almost doubled over laughing.”
Calum swore under his breath and then shook his head. “I’m sure there are chains somewhere in the story.”
“Chains?” He watched to see if he was being serious.
Calum sighed and then nodded. “No one told you I was chained to a wall when I met her?”
Noah shook his head; still not completely sure he was telling the truth.
“I’ll tell you on the long drive when we head out.” He pulled the window out and stepped out of Blair’s way.
“So,” Blair gave him a quick glance, “are you?”
Noah fumbled the roll and almost dropped it on the wet ground, he focused on getting the strip started and then flicked his eyes toward him, without really looking at him, “I thought I could take one of the little rooms,” he shrugged a shoulder, “or something.”
“Or something?” Blair stopped and leaned on the window ledge. “I thought with the looks you two have been giving each other something had changed,” he lifted one eyebrow, “between you?”
Noah opened his mouth and then snapped it shut. He didn’t know what to say, or how to ask what he thought he wanted to say—or some shit. “She wanted to bite me—her-her cat.”
Blair cocked his head to the side, then glanced behind him to Calum, “that’s a bad thing?” He said it slowly like he was trying to figure out where Noah’s head was.
Noah stabbed his fingers into the strip to make sure it was secured. He really wanted to stab them into Blair’s eyes right now. “I just—we haven’t,” he shook his head, “I don’t know if we will ever…”
“Can we finish this intellectual conversation when I’m not standing here holding a window that I can’t lean against the wet paint—that you are leaning in, Blair.” Calum grinned.
Blair jumped back and whacked his head on the upper window as he pulled it inside. “Shit.” He looked at the wall below the window, “just place a chair here.” He glanced at Noah and nodded. “Get in here.” He swatted at his pant leg.
Noah heaved a sigh and then turned around to go inside. He ran through what was said last night and in his mind it all made sense. Emersyn hadn’t said otherwise either. Opening the door, he was met by the other two giving him one of those looks. The look that said, ‘you did what?’
He closed the door and stood there.
Blair lifted his hand, “so you told her to move in, without saying you were going to as well, but not as a couple?”
“We both have trouble being in the house with so many people.”
Calum nodded and glanced at Blair. “That part makes sense.”
Blair shrugged, but turned back to Noah, “did you tell her you were moving in too?”
Noah opened his mouth, then winced, “it was implied—I think?”
He blinked, in slow motion at him and then gave him one of those ‘you fucked up, buddy’ smiles, that really wasn’t a smile. “Okay, first, you need to clarify that with her—before we head out with the team.”
Noah put his hands in his pockets and then pulled them out again and crossed his arms over his chest. “I can do that.”
Blair went over to the window and looked out in the direction the women would be. “When did she want to bite you?”
He asked it like he was asking if Noah liked the paint job, just matter of fact. “Last night.” He uncrossed his arms and needed to move. He went over to the counter and turned on the tap, then turned it off. “I had a bad night,” he glanced at him, then turned back and opened a cupboard, “a really bad one, she heard me.” He shouldn’t have to say more than that to Blair, they’d shared a bunkhouse, and he knew how bad it could get. “After—” he shut the door a little too hard, “we were talking and,” he waved his hand around in the air and then leaned down and opened the oven and looked in it, “we kissed a few times.”
Blair snorted, “that’s it?”
Noah turned and looked at him, not sure why he’s said it that way.
Blair grinned at him, “I wished Kobie’s cat had been that easy to get through to.”
“Pretty sure it was the woman and not that cat that time, Blair,” Calum said in his usual level tone.
Blair shrugged, “whatever, but still,” he turned back to Noah, “how do you feel about that?”
Noah leaned back against the counter and looked at the floor.
“Your cat?” Blair asked with a more serious tone, “how does your cat feel?”
Noah scoffed, “you’ve seen how well my cat and I communicate.” He looked over at him.
“You have more control than you think,” Calum offered, “or you’d change fully without warning.”
Noah shook his head, “that will never happen. It’s a lot of work to get him to come out at all,” both men looked surprised at that, “for years if he did, I paid the price, so,” he lifted his hands and decided nothing else was needed to be said.
Blair moved away from the window and then glanced at Calum, “how does that work? If they claim each other without,” he waved his hand around, “more between them?”
Calum lifted one brow at him, “do I look like an elder?”
Blair sputtered for a few seconds.