Page 81 of Twisted Shadows
Reece settled into the seat as they drove down the dark highway, the more sparsely populated marshy area just before the explosion of Vancouver. “The boyfriend thing was an inspired touch.”
That sounded casual, didn’t it? And not like he was still a bit giddy over it?
“To be honest, I wasn’t sure I was gonna pull it off,” Grayson said. “Been a while since I’ve been anyone’s boyfriend.”
You looking to be one again, by any chance? Ready for someone to take you off the market?Reece cleared his throat. “I thought you were really convincing,” he said. “I mean, you’re calling Theo baby, waking him up all sweet—I bet León’s got him smitten.”
“I bet León wouldn’t know Celsius from centimeters, but he drove all the way up here from Texas in December,” Grayson said. “Theo’s definitely his baby.”
“See?” Reece said. “Very convincing boyfriend. Bad driving boyfriend, on both sides of the border, but convincing.”
Grayson glanced at him. “Whatbad driving?”
“That speed limit sign you just blew past was for eightykilometersan hour. Not miles.”
There was a pause.
“We’re in Canada for five whole minutes and you already forgot which part of your speedometer to watch?” Reece said. “Or does Evan not know Celsius from centimeters either?”
“Hush,” Grayson muttered, as the truck slowed.
CHAPTER TWENTY
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The dark highwaysoon turned to city outskirts, and then the busy traffic and streets of the southern suburbs. Grayson found his way to a store that sold outdoorsy clothes and gear, a brand he’d seen other empaths wear, and pulled into the parking lot. “We’ve got eighteen minutes until they close.”
Reece hesitated. “I should put on my—”
“Undercover,” Grayson reminded him. “There are not enough empaths in this area for you to go running around broadcasting it to the world.”
“But—”
“We’re down to seventeen minutes and we both gotta grab what we need. Come on.”
Reece frowned. “But I know this store. This is really quality stuff. As in, too nice for my budget.”
“This store offsets its carbon footprint, only sells fair trade products, and I’m gonna expense it all to Stone Solutions. Either you pick out clothes or I will, and if it’s me, everything is gonna have bears on it.”
“Well played,” Reece muttered, opening the truck door.
Inside, Reece immediately disappeared into the hoodie racks. Grayson browsed the camping gear, picking up a pair of travel grooming kits—whether Reece would ever use the comb or brush remained to be seen—as well as a pair of backpacks. They had an expansive selection of winter hats, and he got a new one for himself that would actually fit his head, along with a scarf and a hat for Reece that he hid at the bottom of the stack and hopefully wouldn’t get noticed until it was too late and had already been bought.
Fourteen minutes later they met in the middle of the store. Reece’s face was barely visible behind his stack of fleece and flannel, his cheeks more flushed than usual and his hair sticking up, like he’d tried on something with a hood. He was smiling almost shyly. “The fabrics in here feel really nice.”
Because he always wore his gloves, so he never got to touch things.
Just like he never got to touch people.
Grayson stood still for a moment, gaze on that shy smile, the messy hair. Then he blinked. “You get everything you need?”
Reece nodded, then jerked his head toward the register. “Come on. That cashier has probably been on her feet for eight hours and is desperately hoping we’re going to check out in the next two minutes so she can close up on time.”
The cashier was probably around thirty, a short woman with a soft, curvy build and glasses. She didn’t look annoyed with them, though; in fact, she was smiling as Reece put his stuff on her register counter. “We’re getting out of your hair, I promise,” he said to her.
“You’re fine,” she said, still smiling as she began to ring clothes up. Her gaze kept going to Reece, like a magnet. “How is your night going?”
