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“You don’t, Sheppard.” He absolutely purred my name and, while that was impossible for a bear, I couldn’t think of another way to describe it. “The coaching sounds promising. You’ve been there. You know what it takes and how hard you have to work to get to your goals. Who was your coach?”
“I had two.” The memory warmed me. “My fathers.”
“I take it they weren’t hard on you.”
“They didn’t have to be. I was hard on myself. They were fantastic coaches. Both of them. Are you close to your family?”
Locke stopped rocking. “My parents passed away. About three years ago. I was an only child.”
He sounded so sad. I wanted to get up and wrap my arms around him despite yearning to be in his embrace since the moment I first laid eyes on him. “I’m sorry.”
Locke smiled but it didn’t reach those warm eyes of his. “Thank you. I’m glad you have family. It’s important. I didn’t realize how important until I was left without one.”
We rocked for a long time in silence. His breaths were steady. His heartbeat strong, a rhythm that soothed me more than the movement of the chair against the porch. More than the wind or the scents of fall.
Then my brain got in the way.
I was falling for this trap. I came here, hopeful for an alpha, and here I was ready to ask him for my mating mark, along with anything else of mine he wanted, but I didn’t really know him.
I opened my mouth to speak, to come up with something to make him respond so I could hear that voice again but as I did, he rose to his feet. “It’s getting late. How about that walk in the morning?”
“A walk sounds great. After breakfast?” I stood and almost fell. My knees were weak when I was around this man. He caught me with his hand on my waist, and I nearly tipped forward and pressed my lips to his. It took every bit of restraint I had not to.
Chapter Nine
Locke
I slept well.
Considering my bear’s uproar since he got a look through my eyes at the rabbit he called his mate, I had not expected to rest at all. But a hot shower in the nicely appointed en suite followed by a cup of the herbal tea left outside my door, and my head barely touched the pillow before I fell into dreamland.
Usually, I woke before dawn to work out in the gym in my building before heading to the office, but this morning I did not open my eyes until well after sunrise, and a glance at my phone told me eight o’clock had come and gone.
I stretched and lay there in comfort for a couple of minutes before I remembered where I was and what my plans were for the day. A certain omega and I were going to take a walk somewhere. The thought had my bear back awake and chanting, and I was right there with him. My plans for rest were going well, but it had been a long time since I’d been so excited to wake up and do anything social.
Hell, it had been a long time since I actually had done anything social. Sure, I went out for lunches and dinners, cocktails, even played racquetball or, once recently pickleball, but those were all business-related occasions. This morning’s plans were unlikely to result in any monetary gain. That sure sounded fun.
Another shower, toothbrushing, and all the rest of the grooming took me a fast fifteen minutes, and after donning a pair of jeans, a polo shirt, and one of my favorite pairs of sneakers, I grabbed a light jacket and headed for the door.
When I opened it, I found Sheppard just leaving his room, and my heart sped up at the sight. If he’d looked great last night, standing here with the scattered stained glass light coloring his face, he looked like the subject of a medieval painting. “Good morning, Locke.”
“Sheppard. You slept in, too?”
“Yes. After having to be up at five or earlier for years to get all the pool time I needed, I never rise before seven now.”
“It’s after eight.”
He grinned. “Isn’t it wonderful? I just slept so much better than usual, I didn’t want to wake up, I guess.”
“I’m very glad you slept well. It must be this place because I did, too.” We fell into step together going down the stairs, and just that small act made me happy. “I think I smell bacon.” Sheppard gave a little skip and almost missed a step, but I grabbed his arm and steadied him. “Thank you.” He giggled. “It’s just that bacon was not on the training table at our house, and I’ve missed it.”
“It does smell amazing, doesn’t it? I don’t eat it often, either. I wonder what else Franklin has for us?”
The old gentleman himself waited in the dining room doorway. “I hope you two are hungry.”
I had never let go of Sheppard’s arm, and I didn’t want to now, but it would have been awkward to squeeze through the doorway side by side, so I released him and allowed him to precede me into the room.
The table was laid for us, but only two places were set this time.
