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“Yeah, I do.” Cocking his head, Noah had an idea. “Say, why don’t we go for a walk before dinner? You can let your wolf out for a run and I can tag along, get some exercise.”
“Sounds fun, but are you sure you’re up to it?”
“Positive. Let’s go!”
“All right, but not for too long. I don’t want you to wear yourself out when you’re supposed to be recovering.”
“Hey, if I get worn out it’ll be for only the best of reasons.” His wink was met with a genuine laugh as they slid from the bed and got dressed.
All the way outside, it was all he could do to watch where he was walking when all he wanted to do was ogle Nix.
Now he understood his man so much better. His heart wept for what Nix had been through growing up with such a horrible father, and how it was hurting him even now. Well, Noah was going to do his best to change that. To help his mate get over his fears, show him how awesome life could be with the right person.
* * *
Nix decided to take his mate to the spot by the stream where he’d run the day before. Perhaps this time he wouldn’t need to perform solo. The idea had a smile forming on his face.
Me and a guy. Bondmates. And not just any guy, but Noah. A hot little number who’s as sweet as he is sexy. Who would’ve thought?
Sure, like he’d told Noah, he’d been with a few men. He’d known the very first time he’d given in to temptation why being with women had never quite done it for him. But those had been one-night stands. Furtive and fleeting, so no one—especially his father—would ever find out. He never expected to have a real relationship, out in the open, much less something permanent. Could he actually take that final step, sinking his teeth into his mate and binding them forever?
The knowledge of what his father would do if he found out chilled him to the bone. Every word he’d said to his mate was true—his father would take great pleasure in torturing Noah slowly before he granted him death.
Shaking himself, he pushed that image away and forced himself to focus on the positive. Noah filled a space inside Nix that he hadn’t even realized was desolate until they’d met. As much as he tried to rationalize his feelings as sheer lust, what they’d just done wasn’t fucking.
They’d made love.
Never had he experienced such deep satisfaction with another person. He could only imagine how much greater the gratification would be once they were true Bondmates.
Happiness was right there, his for the taking. Just a little longer, and he’d beat the fears that had dogged him since his adolescence. If only Noah would be patient a while longer.
As they crossed the expanse of lawn on the compound, before they reached the edge of the forest, Nix took his mate’s hand twining their fingers together. Weird, holding a man’s hand . . . but nice. Nix knew this was a big step for him, and from the look of surprise Noah shot him, his face flushing with pleasure, he knew it too. Such a small thing, and yet everything.
For the first time, it really hit Nix that sex and intimacy were two completely different things. Holding hands, showing Noah he cared, was more intimate than a base sexual act.
He made a mental note to get better at the small things. Noah deserved happiness.
On the end of that thought, he realized he knew little of Noah’s background. “What about you?” he asked as they headed into the forest and down the trail. “What were your growing-up years like?”
“A little lonely,” he answered wistfully, sadness flitting across his face. “Pretty stereotypical for a gay kid in a small, conservative town. My parents weren’t like your dad, at least not to that extreme. They didn’t push me to do sports or anything; they were fine with my being the brainiac nerd type, winning blue ribbons for my science fair projects—as long as I ended up being a doctor, married to an equally successful woman, and producing several little Noahs to carry on the family name.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Imagine their surprise when their future doctor decided to be a nurse, and they came home early one day to find him doing his best to get Jay Thompson pregnant?”
Nix couldn’t help it—he laughed out loud. “Oh, shit!”
His mate snorted. “Right? The image kind of bleaches your brain, doesn’t it? Anyway, my parents were the type whose love was conditional. I’ll love you if only you live your life exactly as I envision it, and follow my dreams. When they found me with Jay, I was just starting nursing school. That was the final blow, and they threw me out and disowned me. I haven’t seen them since. Don’t know if they’re alive, don’t care.”
Something in his tone said he did care but didn’t want to. Nix didn’t push. Instead, he asked, “How did you manage?”
“I went to live with Jay’s family, finished school. He and I never went beyond friends with benefits, but he and his folks got me through a rough time. I’m grateful to them for that, though I didn’t keep in touch with any of them.”
Nix was selfishly glad his mate wasn’t still talking to his old fuck buddy. His wolf might have to rip out the man’s throat. “Then you ended up here?”
“Not quite. I got a job working at a big hospital in Atlanta. That’s actually where I met Melina.”
“You’re kidding?” They’d started walking again, still holding hands, and Nix shot him a look of surprise. “I had no idea you two knew each other before.”
