Page 73 of First Kiss with a Mothman

He coughs and asks, “Baby, are you okay?”

“I’m…I’m fine. I should be asking you that. You’re the one who almost burned to death.” I breathe in his scent, allowing the tears to dry on his warm, fuzzy skin.

He laughs and says, “But I didn’t, thanks to you. You saved my life.”

“I was so scared,” I murmur. “I don’t want to lose you. I need you and love you too much.”

He lifts my head up and places his mouth on mine. We hold each other in the sweetest kiss, proof that he’s alive and well. “I love you, and I need you more,” he says after we break apart. I beam at him as the police sirens grow closer.

Minutes later, we’re guided to a paramedic while Clay gives his statement to the cops. The firefighters arrive to battle the flames, and I remain under Mort’s arm until I absolutely have to be checked out alone. I reluctantly let him go, pleading with him to stay nearby. Because in case anyone was unsure, I never want to let this monster go.

Chapter

Twenty-Two

MORT

This has been one long, fucking twenty-four hours. After receiving emergency services, I had to give the police my statement. Since I was kidnapped and almost barbecued, the paramedics insisted I get assessed at Creelin General Hospital. We were in observation for hours before that guy Maverick checked me out. I explained to them that my blood was taken, so they ordered lab tests for diseases in case I was struck with a bad needle. My lungs were deemed clear, my burns were superficial, and my preliminary lab results came back negative for any diseases. By morning, I was ready to sign the paperwork to get out of there. We were both dead tired.

And by we, I mean myself and Arie. Because he didn’t leave my side all night.

After heading back to Alpha Claw Omega House, I briefly informed Caleb that Arie and I went through hell, we’d like privacy, and that we’d eventually explain what went down. Then, Arie and I showered together, too tired to do anything sexy. We made sure to give Reginald extra seeds on his plate outside our door, then we headed to bed.

We spent the day catching up on sleep, casually kissing each other all over, and giving reassurances in bed that yes, the other man is still okay. But with some sleep caught up, our hunger is calling. We haven’t had a proper meal, and it’s almost evening. Arie says he’s calling in a favor for our food as he quietly chats on the phone with someone. An hour later, I hear a knock on my door.

Wearing only my boxers, I get up and open the door to an apologetic Caleb. “Sorry, man. These two said they were told to come up?”

Behind him are the glasses dude, Owen, and the vampire guy. And they’re holding a pizza. “Who likes pepperoni?” Owen asks.

“Hold the garlic,” Clay adds in his surfer-dude accent.

Five minutes later, we’re all seated on my bedroom floor. I insist Caleb stay with us, since he’s my best friend, and he’s going to want to know what happened. Arie recounts the tale, and Owen and Clay nod along, filling in details. I know I should be horrified, but I’m just happy to see Arie alright.

And he’s only wearing my boxers and his glasses. Which, of course, is distracting AF. All that pretty skin on display…

“Damn, man,” Caleb says. “And they took your blood?”

My attention is pulled from my boyfriend’s chest and thighs to my best friend on my right. “Oh, uh, yeah.”

“The police raided your uncle’s house,” Owen adds. “Apparently he’s stolen DNA from other monsters.” I don’t even want to know how Owen got all this information. Owen turns to Arie and his voice grows apologetic. “And they detained your mom, too. Sorry, Arie.”

He shrugs. “It’s fine.”

As he munches on a crust, I ask, “Are you sure?”

“We’ll deal with it. The important thing is you’re alive.” He pats my thigh, and my heart swells.

“Aw,” Caleb says through a mouth full of food.

My cheek gets warmer, so I grab another slice of pizza to focus on something, anything other than Arie’s adorable self. I am so damn smitten by this guy. “It’s hard to believe your cousin was in on it.”

“What happened to Selena?” Arie asks.

Owen winces. “Well, we called the cops on her, too. After we all gave our statements, they took her in. At first they weren’t convinced, but I got her whole confession recorded.”

He grins, and Clay pats his leg. “My man is a genius. With this evidence there’s no way she’s getting away with this with no jail time.”

My smile falls, and I place my hand on Arie’s shoulder. “You…okay with that? She’s still your cousin.”