The water was perfectly steamy. I scrubbed myself from head to toe before getting out and brushing my teeth. It was a crappy hotel toothbrush, but I didn’t care. Running water was a treat I now appreciated in a whole new way.
I got dressed in the yoga pants and tank that Beth had loaned me. She was taller and thinner than me, but the clothes fit well enough. I finger-combed my hair and then left it. My body was still too tired to bother with a braid.
When I stepped outside, Adrian was gone. A new tray of food was in his place, with silver covers keeping it warm. I poured myself a cup of coffee, holding it with both hands as I settled into the chair. I pulled my feet up, and sighed. This was the life.
“Feeling better?” Lucas asked.
That was a giant understatement. “There’s not much that coffee and a hot shower can’t fix.” We were quiet for a second, and for the first time it was a little awkward. I wasn’t sure how to be his mate. Or what he expected. And I wasn’t sure what I wanted from him either.
“I didn’t know what you’d want for breakfast, so I got a bunch of things.”
I took a breath, letting go of all that worry.
This was Lucas. My Lucas. I knew him. He was kind and generous and thoughtful.
He still made me nervous, though. No one had right to be so handsome.
I set down my coffee and busied myself with uncovering the dishes. Eggs, bacon, toast, potatoes, roasted tomatoes, yogurt, granola, a bowl of fruit, and a basket of pastries. I laughed. “You really did get everything.”
He shrugged, and if I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought his cheeks had a little more color. But Lucas wouldn’t blush. Would he? “Better safe than sorry,” he said.
I met his gaze. Those twin dark pools. I bit my lip as I considered him. I hadn’t known him long—days really—but he’d hooked me from the beginning. “Thank you.” I took a bite of fruit. “So, what’s next? What did I miss?”
He crossed his arms over his chest, and I couldn’t help but stare at the shirt that was stretched so thin over his biceps, I was half-convinced it’d rip any second. “Your brother is doing better. Adrian has us all booked on an afternoon flight to Texas.”
“You’re coming?” I almost winced. That came out wrong. I wanted him to come, but I wasn’t sure if he wanted to. Or if he was even able to. He had a pack to take care of, and I… Well, I had at least one more fight ahead of me.
“Of course I’m coming.” He frowned. “Do you not want me to come?”
“No. I want you to come, I just thought—you have a pack and responsibilities and I know we’re mated—”
“I was wondering if you caught that.” He grinned, and my cheeks caught fire.
“I did catch that.” I cleared my throat. “But I don’t really know what it is that it means… What you want and everything. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do or what’s expected of me.”
His shoulders relaxed, and I felt his relief through the bond. “Don’t worry. There’s nothing expected except for you to just be you. We jumped into the deep end, and it’s going to take time for us to settle into who we are as a couple.” He grinned and I couldn’t help the blush that spread across my face. “I know I said it before, but we were rushed and I want you to know that I wasn’t planning on doing it this way. I wanted to get to know you. For you to get to know me. To consider your options. But…” He shrugged. “So, now, where you go, I go. We’ll take this as fast or as slow as you want, but as for what I want—I want to be with you.”
Now it was my turn to be relieved. “I want you to be with me, too.”
“Okay, then. So we go to Texas and deal with this lady. And then, we can travel a bit.”
Travel? I had a million questions, starting with where? But I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Not yet. “What about your pack?”
“The pack is fine.”
“But what about those mages?”
“The pack is taking care of it. Don’t worry.”
But I was worrying. I’d done so many things wrong, and I wanted to make sure that I got this right. “But you have—”
“I’d give the pack up if I thought it was a problem.”
I snapped my mouth shut. He would?
“I’ve been the Alpha there for a very, very long time. I’ve got a good second, and he’ll keep things going. I haven’t had time for myself in… Well, let’s just say it’s due. So, I’m taking time with my new mate. Honeymoons are traditional for humans. We’ll just take a long one. Maybe a few years. Okay?”
Years? That sounded crazy, but also pretty amazing. “Okay. But what about work?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You want to work? Doing what?”
I started fidgeting with my napkin. “Not me. You. Don’t you have a job, or…?”
His smile was back. “Haven’t for a very long time. I don’t need to work. I have lots of sound investments.”
I opened and closed my mouth a few times, unsure of what to say to that. “So, we travel?”
He tilted his head to the side as he stared at me. “Where do you want to go?”