Chapter 63
Jonah’s lips twitched.
Donovan’s eyes lit up.
TJ ignored them both. He grabbed a tube of ointment from a drawer, along with a vial of medication and a syringe.
“Oh, boy. This is gonna be a doozy.” Donovan took a step back. “Just so you know, he won’t even give you a lollipop afterwards.”
Jonah arched an eyebrow. “Do I really want to know?”
“Nope.” TJ drew up the medication and jabbed Jonah in the arm. After disposing of the syringe, he picked up the ointment and spread it over the wound. “Donovan, I need a large Band-Aid looking dressing from that nearest cabinet.”
Donovan found it, opened it, and passed it over.
“Thanks.” TJ placed it over the wound, running his hands over the edges to make sure it was sealed good. “There you go.”
Jonah stood up, tossed the trash from his meal into a nearby can, and pulled on his clothes. “How much do I owe you?”
“Nothing.” TJ cleaned up his area. “You know that.”
The creak of the front door opening drew TJ’s attention. Immediately, he recognized the scent of the Filberts, and something else.
“She made oatmeal raisin cookies. Bless that woman.” Jonah hopped down from the table and strode out of the room, this time without a limp.
TJ shook his head. Shifters healed fast, but not that fast. Jonah was an entirely different species than most, both in attitude, abilities, and the way he clicked. No one really knew how or why. And Jonah wasn’t talking.
Donovan wrapped his arms around TJ from behind and kissed his nape.
TJ spun around and smiled at Donovan. “What was that for?”
“Because it’s been way too long since I’ve had the chance. Because it’s been one hell of a day. Because I’m so proud of you and your skills as a doctor.” He paused and grinned. “And, because I just…wanted to.”
He had distinct impression that Donovan wanted to say something else. Perhaps something a bit deeper and along the lines of TJ’s feelings.
Voices carried to him and the door opened again.
TJ gazed into Donovan’s eyes, soaked up the beautiful sparks, and promised to revisit where they’d just left off in the near future.
Relief and happiness replaced the tension, worry, and dark clouds still lingering over TJ’s emotions. “I’ve missed this, too. And, you.” He sealed the declaration with a kiss. What started to be a quick peck turned into something resembling a fiery inferno of passion. He plundered, diving deep for a taste, and a little tongue wrestling along the way.
“Company’s here, guys. If you can pry yourselves apart long enough to join us?” Jonah’s tart reminder made TJ step back, breaking the embrace.
Donovan dropped his hands, but didn’t appear the least bit sheepish at getting caught in the act. In fact, his knowing grin set off even more butterflies in TJ’s stomach. His arousal would just have to be put on simmer for a while. But, later, much later, they just might break the bed.
“Shall we?”
Donovan nodded and led the way to the front waiting area. Familiar faces met them. Rigby. Mrs. and Mr. Filbert. Jonah. Miller. Even a couple of the others from the previous meeting that he hadn’t known their names. He now knew them as Garner and Jackson. The only one absent was Trent and his father. Presumably, they were still in the Cheyenne hospital. At least that was the latest information he’d heard.
Mrs. Filbert played hostess, passing a couple of trays of cookies around. She and her husband were up there in years, definitely in the senior division, but they hadn’t lost a step. They’d been one of the first to welcome TJ to the town and he’d never forgotten it.
“I’ve eliminated the hunter,” Jonah stated. “And before you bombard me with questions…he was a human who carried just a tiny bit of shifter blood. Just enough to allow him to sense another shifter. No, I don’t know his motive but figured it really didn’t matter that much. And, yes, he worked alone.” He looked around the room. “We’re safe, but need to take a lesson from this. Any future activity, no matter how small, should be shared information between all of us.” He leveled his gaze, checking each person there off.
TJ gave a small nod of acknowledgement. The others did as well.
“In the spirit of transparency, I might as well tell you about my stalker likely to show up.” Donovan found an empty seat and sat.
“What stalker?” Miller asked.
TJ remained standing. As much as he didn’t want to hear about the threat to Donovan again, he knew it was the right thing to do. He didn’t want special treatment or an army camped at their door, but he needed to continue building the wall of trust between them. The different species of shifters lived their own lives as long as he’d been in Forgotten. Now, in response to a crisis, they’d learned a hard lesson about togetherness for a common good.