“This was nice. I like being with you, Dre. A lot.”
“I like being with you, too. We should do this more often, to make sure it’s always that great.”
Sammy yawned and chuckled at the same time, which led to a coughing fit. When he was able to talk again, he said: “Yeah. I’d be disappointed if this were a one-time thing.”
“You’re tired, mo grah thu.”
Sammy yawned even louder. “Yes. ’Twas a long day.”
Dre kissed Sammy on the forehead before he pressed him flush against his strong body. “Sleep, mo grah thu. We can talk later.”
* * * *
Sammy was jostled awake by the sound of his alarm going off. It took him a moment to realize that the warm presence behind him wasn’t a hot water bottle but Dre, who had kept him nice and cozy throughout the night. Blindly, he fumbled for the button to shut the blaring sound off. Why on earth had he chosen such an ear-piercing ring to wake up in the morning? Oh, yeah, he slept through anything else. He finally found the right button and hit it with more force than was strictly necessary. When he tried to cuddle back into Dre’s warm embrace, he found his demon lover crouching on the bed, claws out, eyes a deep red, lips pulled back to show his impressive fangs and at least two feet taller than he had been when they’d gone to sleep. Sammy suddenly realized that he hadn’t seen Dre in his demon form yet, though being confronted with it first thing in the morning wasn’t how he had wanted to start his day.
“What was that?”
Even Dre’s voice had changed to a deeper cadence close to a growl, which sent shivers down Sammy’s spine and had his morning wood twitching in interest.
“Uhm, my alarm. You see…getting up in the morning is hard for me—”
“So you’d rather let yourself go deaf? I mean, I’ve heard my fair share of battle cries, but this? I have no words.”
The fangs started receding. Before Sammy knew what he was doing, he leaned forward to touch them. Dre made a strangled noise, a bit like a kitten mewling for its mother. Sammy was fascinated. Dre’s canines were almost as long as his hand, the tips pointed like needles and razor-sharp as he found out when the skin of his right index finger was sliced open. A thin smear of blood coating the fang gave Sammy a shiver. He wanted to withdraw his hand, but Dre grabbed his wrist. His eyes were still a deep red, though darker now and filled with lust.
“Let me kiss it better.”
Sammy watched Dre’s tongue snaking out to lick over the small tear in his skin. Again, he knew he should be afraid. Again, all he felt was arousal and a bone-deep knowledge that he was safe.
“Is this the real you?” With his free hand, Sammy indicated Dre’s huge body. Dre finished licking the blood before he leaned back a bit with an amused glint in his eyes.
“I’m always my real self.”
“Don’t you start quoting Esme Weatherwax on me. You know what I mean.”
Dre chuckled. “I do. You have to admit, though that this was too good an opportunity to pass up.”
Sammy just furrowed his forehead.
“Fine. No, I’m just partially shifted. I have wings and my hair turns into scales. But this is as big as I get.”
“Which is impressive.” Sammy let his eyes wander over Dre’s gorgeous body. He was even more muscular in his shifted form and farther down… Sammy gulped and hurried to look back into Dre’s eyes. He wasn’t ready for what appeared to be a third leg between the demon’s thighs. Dre smirked. Gradually, he shrank back to the huge form Sammy was used to. “Better?”
“I honestly don’t know. You’re beautiful in both forms. I just didn’t expect you to go all demon on me first thing in the morning.”
“Sorry about that. I thought we were being attacked. Is this how you wake up every morning?”
Sammy shrugged. “I’m a sound sleeper.”
“Mm-m, and a cuddler, not that I mind.”
The suggestive gleam in Dre’s eyes had Sammy’s thoughts going in a direction that would do neither of them any good at the moment. Breakfast. They needed breakfast.
“Are you hungry? I think I have the ingredients for scrambled eggs with toast in the fridge.”
Dre reached for Sammy’s waist to pull him flush against his deliciously warm, firm body. “Sounds great. If you don’t want to cook, though, we can always go to Paris. I know this nice little café…”
Sammy slung his arms around Dre as far as they would go and pressed a kiss between his pecs. “That’s so sweet of you. But I think I want to make breakfast for you. Show off my cooking skills—the few I have.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve already fallen for you. There’s no need to impress me anymore.”
The words were spoken in a light tone, but they reminded Sammy of all the baggage that had been dumped in his lap the day before. Dre must have picked up on his change of mood, because he crushed Sammy even tighter to his body.
“Let’s go have breakfast and talk. Okay? Or would you rather have me leave, give you some space?”
Dre was so considerate that it almost made Sammy cry. “No. We’re in this together. What good would me freaking out over it on my own do? Come on. Let’s get going.”
Sammy used the bathroom first and started working on the eggs and toast while Dre took his turn. Once he had their breakfast scooped onto two plates, they sat down with two glasses of milk, only to stare at their food without eating it. Finally, Dre cleared his throat.
“Let’s try to eat before we talk. It would be a shame to let the food go to waste.”
Sammy nodded in agreement. He started shoveling the eggs into his mouth, not really tasting anything. His heart was heavy, and his stomach felt as if he were swallowing lead weights instead of pieces of buttered toast while his thoughts swirled through his head like a flock of disoriented doves. When he had eaten half of his plateful, he put the fork and knife down and simply started talking, letting it all flow out of his mouth without bothering to make it sound plausible, since he figured he’d never be able to do that.
“I like you, Dre. No, I’m sure I love you. I know that we’ve only been on four dates so far and it’s very early, but the things I feel for you and when you’re around, even when you’re not around— What I’m trying to say is, if this isn’t love, then I don’t know what is. To think I might be your mate is both wonderful and terrifying. Last night was—wow, just wow. I feel so in tune with you, I’m not afraid, I just sense being with you is the safest place I can be. And I’m terrified of what will happen to all that once we… Once we find out I’m not it, not your mate. And what if I am? There are just so many ‘what ifs’ and you’re the first good thing happening to me love-wise since my parents died. I can’t lose you, but I also can’t imagine living in limbo for a prolonged time. I want to know, and I don’t want to know. Gosh, I don’t make any sense at all.”
Sammy buried his face in his hands. When he felt Dre’s hand on his shoulder, he slowly looked up. The passion he saw in Dre’s eyes had tears streaming down Sammy’s cheeks.
“It’s fine, mo grah thu. You make perfect sense. It’s essentially what I feel, as well. I’ve been waiting for my mate for so long. The thought of you being it makes my heart beat faster in anticipation, yet, at the same time, I fear what will be if you aren’t. We’re so good together and I don’t want to wait even a second longer. I wish we could just stay like this forever and never have to find out.”