and focused on Michelle, who was trying not to look at me.
I inhaled deeply as I neared the steps. Her interest in me was sweet and heavy. I leapt onto the porch, playing with her. She backed up, her flush spreading to her tempting neck.
“Do you have a phone with a data plan or a computer with internet?” she asked in a rush.
Her pleading eyes stopped me. Despite her obvious interest in me, she wasn’t yet ready to play stalk and chase. Too bad. It could have been fun.
I shook my head to answer her question just as Winifred stepped out with a tray of sandwiches.
“Emmitt, go get the boys. Michelle, will you fetch a hand towel?”
Michelle ran inside.
“Behave, Emmitt. No matter how she reacts to you, she isn’t ready.”
Deciding no response was the best response, I went to carry Liam on my shoulders.
We all ate on the porch. Jim was trying to steal Aden’s food while loudly recalling when they first arrived and were more willing to feed him. Aden and Liam giggled as they ate. Michelle nibbled at her sandwich quietly, still smelling of interest and driving me crazy.
When we finished, I went inside and changed into jeans and put on a shirt. Spending the afternoon with Michelle would tempt me too much. But maybe I could do something for her that would make her happy and win me some extra points.
Telling everyone I’d be back later, I got on my bike and headed into town. Technology wasn’t really a werewolf’s friend. As much as Mom preached that we needed to integrate to survive, most human gadgets were just annoying. Vehicles polluted the air with their noxious fumes. Electronics had continuous high frequency squeals and buzzes that humans couldn’t hear. Come to think of it, I couldn’t think of a gadget I really liked. The bike was great, but only because it allowed me to go fast without turning heads. And the wind in my face was pretty sweet, too. I’d rather run on my own four feet, though, if I could.
Still, Michelle’s question told me I hadn’t adapted enough. We needed electronics. Well, she did. And, someday, her brothers would too.
Those thoughts had me standing for three hours in a store filled with a cacophony of high squeals emitting from numerous displayed devices. While the sales clerk went on about each product’s merits, I shopped by ear.
I ended up with a handheld computer. The man called it a tablet. I’d considered getting us phones too, just in case Jim got any bright ideas again, but I’d already been gone longer than I’d intended.
By the time I’d left the city limits behind, the sun was kissing the tree tops. It’d be dark by the time I got home. Opening the throttle, I hoped I’d catch Michelle before she went to bed.
* * * *
The light from the third floor shown through the tree branches as I eased the bike down the driveway. She was sitting on her side of the porch, a welcoming sight. I pulled the bike into the garage, cut the engine, and grabbed the box from my saddle bag.
She lifted her hand in greeting when I stepped from the garage. Such a simple gesture, yet it set my heart racing. Inside, I ditched the box and paperwork at Jim’s before I sped up the steps. Her door was ajar, another sign of her growing comfort and trust.
She had the balcony doors open, probably so she’d hear her brothers, and had pulled the crappy office chair from the back bedroom out onto the porch. It couldn’t be very comfortable.
“Nice chair,” I said.
She set her book in her lap and glanced back at me with a cheeky grin.
“It’s my new office.”
“Then you might need this.” I handed her the tablet.
She reached for it in a stunned kind of silence. I hoped that was a good thing.
“The guy at the store said you should be able to surf the internet, even out here.”
She took it from my hands and hugged it.
“Thank you, Emmitt. I’ll try to pay you back.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s a gift.”
I didn’t want payback; I wanted appreciation. A hug would work. More would be very welcome but probably wouldn’t happen.
She was staring at the device with an unreadable expression. Her scent wasn’t giving hints, either. I stepped out onto the porch and moved to lean against the wall. She glanced at me then up at the stars. I wondered what was on her mind.