Joe had grown up.
And somehow, I hadn’t really seen it until it was on full display. Right in front of me.
He must have seen me out of the corner of his eye. He turned and grinned at me, and it was Joe, but it was Joe.
So, naturally, that’s when I walked into the side of the house. The tomatoes in my hands crushed against me. My head hit the wood siding and I thought, Oh shit.
I stepped back from the house. Bits of tomato fell onto the grass.
Dammit.
I felt my face flushing as I looked back at the Bennett brothers. They all stood there, watching me with concerned expressions on their faces.
“What the hell?” Carter asked. “You know there is a house right there? It’s been there. Pretty much for forever.”
“Uh,” I said, my voice dropping lower. I couldn’t even stop it. “Hey. Guys. What’s up? Just… picking tomatoes.” I crossed my arms over my chest and got tomato on them. I went to lean against the house, but I was farther away than I thought and fell into the house.
“What is even happening right now?” Kelly said.
Joe took a step toward me, and his stomach muscles were flexing and the low base heat of want roared through me and I remembered werewolves could smell it and I took a step back in absolute horror. “Hey,” I said and my voice was breaking. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Hey. So. There’s a. Thing. That I have to look at. In my house. Before dinner.”
Now they were all looking at me weird. They couldn’t smell my immoral raging lust yet. Or whatever it was. My feelings. That I couldn’t be having.
Joe took another step toward me and he had pecs. He had a chest that was just… it was just very nice and it gave me ideas and I said, “Whoa there, cowboy,” and kicked myself internally for such bullshit.
“What’s at your house?” Joe asked, and that motherfucker started sniffing the air.
“Ox,” Carter said. “Your heartbeat is going crazy.”
Stupid fucking werewolves. And Joe was standing right there. With muscles.
“To change!” I shouted and all three took a step back. I lowered my voice. “I have to… change. My shirt.” I pointed at it. “Tomatoes and houses don’t mix. Ha-ha-ha.”
“I still have no idea what is happening,” Kelly said.
So I said, “I’ll be right back,” and turned the opposite way, trying to stop myself from running.
“Uh, Ox?”
I stopped. “Yeah, Joe?”
“Your house is the other way.”
“So it is.” But instead of walking past them so they could smell me, I walked the long way around the house. When I came into view again, they were standing in the same spot, watching me.
I went inside and locked the door.
“What happened to your shirt?” Mom asked.
“Tomatoes,” I said.
“You look flushed,” she said. “Your face is bright red.”
“It’s hot out.”
“Ox. Did something happen?”
“Nope. Not a single thing.”