Page 32 of Something Handsome This Way Comes

Grievance nuzzled his head into his mate’s neck.

He didn’t need instinct to tell him that.

He already knew.

CHAPTER FIVE

milo

Grievance went into a sort of trance after his knot locked them together. Milo supposed he did, too. They just sat there, connected in both mind and body. Just… breathing. Listening to the fire slowly die, the pops of wood growing quieter and less frequent.

Milo wasn’t sure if they fell asleep like that, or maybe it was just the incredibly soothing way Grievance’s hands seemed to unconsciously roam up and down Milo’s body. Save for the occasional whimper or twitch, Grievance was like a hulking statue. Or maybe more like a bear—deep in hibernation. Whatever the spell of calm was that descended over the Chimera, Milo was glad for it.

He’d always thought he’d like to be fucked to near unconsciousness, but now that he’d experienced it—well, yeah. He still wanted it. But fuck.

That was intense.

Almost too much.

Almost.

Milo was roused when Grievance finally softened. The Kava cock slipped free of him, slapping wetly onto the Chimera’s thigh. Milo couldn’t help but cringe at the feeling of being suddenly so… empty. It was almost as painful as being penetrated in the beginning.

And it was as though he sensed Milo through some invisible connection between them—one Milo couldn’t understand, but Grievance felt instinctively, recognizing his pain and seeking to soothe it. Grievance worked three fingers back inside Milo, easing him down slowly as his body readjusted to the empty sensation.

Milo let out a relieved sigh, relaxing into his mate’s touch. Grievance massaged Milo’s hole gently, coaxing him down. Caring for him in the afterglow of their mating. Milo smiled, placing a kiss on his mate’s hairy chest.

Slowly, Milo felt his mate shrink under him. His tricolored coat receded, and soon he was regular Grievance once more.

“Are you feeling better?” Milo asked, hoping the effects of the drug were over.

His mate didn’t respond. Just sniffed Milo’s hair, then purred.

“Grievance?”

Milo leaned back, looking into those familiar peridot-flecked eyes.

“Are you okay?”

Grievance just… blinked at him. Like he was content to sit there and stare at Milo, as though he were the center of the world.

“My love, you’re making me nervous. Say something.”

Still, Grievance didn’t speak, but a concerned expression twisted his face, and he nuzzled into Milo’s neck, offering a gentle, reassuring growl.

“Oh, my poor monster,” Milo said with a sigh, running his hand down his mate’s long, thick hair.

The drug in that muffin had obviously returned Grievance to his more primal state of being. He would likely stay that way until the effects wore off.

“When I get my hands on Rowen, I’m going to beat him senseless.”

Grievance stiffened under him, and a threatening growl rose from his chest. Milo couldn’t help but grin. Even as a beast, he didn’t like the baker.

“Shshsh,” Milo said, soothing his monster. “Nobody is here. It’s just you and me.”

And without prompting, Grievance lifted Milo in his arms, standing easily as though Milo weighed no more than a feather. Silently, he laid Milo onto the bed before sliding onto him like a living blanket, using Milo’s chest as a pillow. Milo smiled and began playing with his mate’s hair until the Chimera’s breath grew slow and even.

“Good night, my love,” Milo said, the pain from their mating mark still pulsing.