Feral Northern Shifters 2

finally Bram appeared in the hallway, just outside the kitchen, as if waiting for permission to enter.
Ethan waved him in. “Hungry?” he asked while trying not to stare because Bram had evidently borrowed Ethan’s shaver. He was clean shaven and his hair buzzed short.
The shy look Bram cast him made Ethan’s heart turn over.
“Okay, silly question. Of course you’re hungry. Sit down. I’ve got cereal to tide you over while I make bacon and eggs.”
“Cereal’s fine,” protested Bram, not sitting, but at least he was hovering by the table instead of outside the kitchen.
So Ethan pointed to the cereal boxes on the shelves for Bram to grab, then retrieved juice, milk, eggs and bacon from the fridge.
After cracking the eggs and getting them cooking, he turned to see that while Bram had poured himself cereal, he was waiting. Ethan hoped it was extraordinary good manners and not some kind of weird pack dynamic about eating order. Lila had mentioned that once.
He walked over and raised his hand slowly, making sure his next move was obvious before he skimmed a palm over Bram’s short dark hair.
“You gave yourself a haircut.” Ethan bussed Bram’s newly smooth cheek. “Eat. You’re starving and I know it. Don’t make me a bad host.”
Bram frowned as if Ethan had suggested he were an elephant or something. “Of course not.”
“Come on.” Ethan rubbed Bram’s bare nape and to his relief, the wolf, despite the slight tremor in his body, moved into that touch. “You know I’m glad you’re here. You know you need to eat.”
He went back to the eggs to turn them over and Bram dug in.
Ethan suddenly realized what Trey had meant when he said go easy on Bram. Trey hadn’t expected Ethan to be harsh or cruel. He’d been referring to something else—desire. Ethan needed to not rush the wolf. Ethan wanted Bram, but before he could do anything about it Bram had to want Ethan back.

Chapter Seventeen
    Bram didn’t know what to do with himself. It was odd, the on-the-surface normality of it all. Ethan had gone food shopping while Bram napped. And now he waited after wandering the house. At the compound there’d always been work to do, since Bram had basically been Doug’s gopher.
    He turned on the computer that Ethan had offhandedly mentioned he was welcome to use. Reading up on the news offered some distraction, though Bram couldn’t help listening for Ethan’s return.
When the engine rumbled into the driveway, Bram was up and at the front door. He stopped for a moment, embarrassed by his eagerness and tension. If he didn’t figure out a way to relax in front of Ethan soon, the cat was going to think he was hopeless.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the door to call out, “Can I help bring in the bags?”
Ethan hefted four of them from the trunk and walked towards him in a thin T-shirt and worn jeans. The ethereal look was gone, replaced by a sturdy frame and a strong face.
“Sure.” He tilted his head towards the car. “I’ll put the groceries away if you bring the rest in.”
Bram got out of his way as Ethan entered the house, then fetched the rest of the bags. They ate and, after lunch, the rest of the day was all mundane stuff. But the mundane—cooking dinner, doing laundry, cutting the grass—reassured Bram who thought he wasn’t quite as stressed as he had been. At least Ethan’s brow wasn’t constantly creasing in concern whenever he looked Bram’s way.
How had Ethan described him to Trey that morning on the phone: skittish . Yeah. Well.
Eventually Ethan brought up that conversation, explaining that Trey had called that morning. “You probably heard.”
Bram nodded.
“He doesn’t want you to worry about Doug. He’s apparently keeping a close watch on your former alpha.”
Bram met Ethan’s hazel gaze. His eyes were wide spaced and beautiful, the lashes a light brown, matching the color of his irises.
“He doesn’t know about us—” Face heating, Bram broke off, embarrassed to have made them sound like a couple. “I mean, where we are. He doesn’t know where we are, right? That’s the most important thing. Because I doubt Trey can stop Doug if he decides to run. Well, unless Doug is imprisoned in some way, but that’s unlikely.”
Ethan’s mouth twisted. “Only cats get imprisoned?”
“That’s correct.”
“Not you?”
Bram found he couldn’t look away, though he wanted to. He could scent Ethan’s attraction and he longed for it, even if he didn’t deserve it. “It