Read Online The Altered by Annabelle Jacobs - Free Book Online Page B

coughed
and looked away quickly. “So, um, that seemed better.”
    Jordan grinned
obnoxiously and sat back in his seat. At least he hadn’t been the
only one obviously affected this time.
    “Oh, stop
looking so smug.” Daniel crossed his arms over his chest. “I can’t
help the fact that my biology is messed up. You’re still a
dick.”
    Jordan’s grin
got bigger. “A dick that you like, though.”
    Daniel was
momentarily lost for words, and Jordan silently congratulated
himself on finally shutting him up.
    “You wish,”
Daniel mumbled eventually, pushing his chair back and standing.
    And the odd
thing was, Jordan did kind of wish, and despite the
annoyance coming off Daniel in waves, he could tell he wasn’t
alone.
    Daniel must
have realised this at the same time as Jordan, because his
shoulders stiffened and he glared at Jordan as if daring him to
mention it.
    “Look, I’m
sorry for what I said at the library,” Jordan tried instead,
enjoying the confused look now on Daniel’s face. “I shouldn’t have
threatened you.”
    He hoped
Daniel appreciated how rare an occurrence this was. Jordan could
count on one hand the number of apologies he’d made since the
change. But they needed to clear the air if they were going to keep
meeting up and not arguing all the time.
    He would have
carried out his threat without hesitation if Daniel had gone to the
authorities—not that Jordan was going to mention that. But Daniel
had given him no cause to think he would, and it had been wrong for
Jordan to assume.
    “No, you
shouldn’t,” Daniel replied eventually. “If we’re going to give this
a shot… friends , I mean,” he added quickly, “then I suggest
we start over again.”
    “Okay.”
    “Okay.”
    They stood
facing each other, neither of them moving to leave, and Jordan was
at a loss as to what to do next. He’d never been in this situation
before. Making new friends wasn’t something he did. Not since
meeting Keira and Charlie, anyway.
    “Oh, for
fuck’s sake. Come on.” Daniel turned and walked toward the door,
leading Jordan outside. He stopped once they were a few feet away
from the coffee shop, pulled his phone out of his pocket and thrust
it at Jordan. “Here. Put your number in, then send yourself a
text.”
    For once
Jordan did as he was told without arguing. He handed the phone back
to Daniel and felt his own phone vibrate in his back pocket.
    “I work Monday
to Friday, but I get an hour for lunch if you fancy meeting for a
coffee again?” Daniel was busy putting his phone away, so Jordan
hoped he’d missed the way his breath caught.
    The animosity
had gone from Daniel’s scent completely, replaced by something warm
and inviting, and Jordan felt a little off balance by the abrupt
change. “Yeah, okay,” he managed. “I’ll be in touch when I know my
hours at the gym.”
    They stood
there facing each other again, and Jordan hadn’t felt this awkward
in years. His instincts were crying out for him to reach out and
pull Daniel to him, and what the hell, it wasn’t as if Daniel
didn’t know what Jordan was. He must be used to how tactile
shifters were.
    He snagged
Daniel’s arm, not giving himself chance to change his mind, and
drew him into a hug. Daniel stiffened in his arms, and Jordan was
seconds away from stepping back and letting him go, but then Daniel
let his head rest on Jordan’s shoulder. His breath came out in a
long sigh, and Jordan’s skin tickled where the warm gust washed
over his neck.
    Daniel wrapped
his arms around Jordan’s waist, holding fast to the back of his
coat. He was surprisingly strong for someone who looked that slim,
and Jordan liked it. They were almost the same height too—Jordan
maybe had an inch on him—and that made what he wanted to do next,
so much easier. He turned his head to the side, giving up on being
subtle, and rubbed his cheek against the side of Daniel’s
throat.
    Daniel
laughed, the sound muffled by Jordan’s coat. He pulled back