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“Of course I’m serious. I’m happy to give you a shot of Bro-tein.”

He glanced over his shoulder at me, and his cheeks were alight with embarrassment. I grinned, poking him, which just made his cheeks lighten even further. Squeezing him close and hooking my legs around him, I smacked loud kisses over every inch of skin I could reach. He was so damn cute and so fun to tease.

Releasing him, I slid down his back. Jaxon turned to face me, and I had to look up so our eyes could meet. I tugged on one of his braids until he leaned down and I could slot our lips together. Only after a second, I backed away and playfully jerked on his braid. “I need to fix these.”

“If you want,” he replied with a shrug.

“I do.”

We both showered, one at a time. The school shower wasn’t big enough for us to go together, sadly, though we’d be even later starting our days if I’d been in there with him. A wet, naked Jaxon? Yeah. That was far too much temptation. I was only human, after all. Once we were both done, I rebraided his hair, and then we were off to the cafeteria. It was too late in the day to get a regular breakfast, but we should be able to find something.

Cereal and muffins stuffed in our faces, we parted ways, which made me honestly more upset than I thought possible. I wanted to keep him close. I’d always been protective, but now that feeling was joined by possession, and boy howdy, they really weren’t good companions. It made it hard for me not to be right beside him at all times. So ridiculous. But romance often was. At least in the books I’d read.

I gave him a long, lingering kiss before I darted away toward class. At least I would make sure that he would keep thinking about me the rest of the day. I sure as hell would be thinking about him, so this way it would be mutual. Also, the possessive part of my brain wanted Jaxon not to even think about anyone else. Unhealthy? Most definitely. Something I needed to work on? A big yup. Something I could fix right this second? No. I hoped that in time I would feel more secure.

But we would see.

Putting it out of my head, I went to class. My next class passed without much thought or excitement. But the following class I shared with Aaron. Before this whole thing with Jaxon had changed, I would’ve been scoping Aaron out for him, but now, I was trying not to feel challenged by the massive, hot ogre whom Jaxon originally had liked.

My eyes lingered on Aaron as he came into the classroom, chatting with a sasquatch, Phil, who was on the water polo team. Both athletes, so I guessed it made sense they were friends, though, honestly, Aaron seemed like he was friends with everyone. I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t seem to manage it.

He turned, and our eyes clashed. A toothy smile stretched over his face, and Aaron headed toward me. “Hey, Chris.” He slid into the seat next to me. “I didn’t know you were in this class.”

We were basically halfway into the semester, and he’d just noticed. It wasn’t like I was quiet, but then again, I didn’t pull focus most of the time, which was fine with me. I said, “Hey, Aaron.”

Aaron pulled out his laptop, then began fiddling with the end of his braid—his very neat braid. My eyes roved over his hair. It was always so shiny and well-done. He frowned. “Can I help you with something?”

“Um, this might sound odd, but how do you keep your braids so nice?”

He blinked, then laughed. “Jaxon?”

I nodded. “He’s finally started to let me braid his hair, but he hates waking up early.”

“Silk bonnet,” he replied.

“Excuse me?”

“I sleep in a silk bonnet. It’s better for your hair anyway, but it should help keep his braids neat.”

“Oh! I’d never have thought about that.”

Aaron nodded. “Ogre trick.”

“Really?”

He laughed. “No. My dad’s Black, and he wears one when he sleeps. It helps protect his locs.”

“That makes sense.” I yanked my phone from my pocket. “I appreciate it.”

“Of course, man.” Aaron rested a hand on my arm, making me look at him. He smiled. “I think you and Jaxon are a good couple.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks. “Thanks. I think so too.”

Class started, and I paid very little attention as I scrolled through Tengu, trying to find a good silk bonnet. I wanted to order one right away, so that Jaxon wouldn’t have to suffer me waking him up early too much. Generally, the bird shifters who worked and delivered for Tengu were fast, but still, it was better to act as quickly as possible now that I had a plan of action.

I scrolled and scrolled until I found one that had good reviews, then bought two of them. I figured if I wore one too, it would make Jaxon feel less self-conscious. Besides, it wasn’t like a silk bonnet wouldn’t be good for my hair.

When class ended, I bolted up, practically climbing over Aaron to get out of our row. Jaxon’s class was in the next building over, and he would often wait for me right outside. I ran out of the classroom, ignoring the annoyed calls following me. The second I burst out the door, I skidded to a stop. People behind me got stuck in the doorway and calls for me to move sounded, but I ignored them.