“I know, Dad and I appreciate it.” I replied. “That’s why I called you first.”
“Now that truly makes me happy to hear. Love you, son. You take care of yourself and those mates of yours. See you when you get home.”
“See you then. I love you too. Now go snag those lobsters.”
“You best believe it.”
He ended the call, chuckling, as I stepped into the kitchen to see Leo and Mav, hair sleep-tousled, as they hovered around the coffee pots like vultures, pleading for it to hurry the fuck up and brew. No running, no screaming, no buyer's remorse, just twoextremely beautiful, bare-chested men in sleep pants desperate for coffee, and I was the lucky son of a bitch mated to them both.
Chapter 8
Leo
“Looks like it wasn’t a dream after all,” I said when Briar stepped through the back door with an energy drink can that he promptly pitched into the recycle bin. “Guess you're stuck with me.”
I watched his grin grow as his gaze swept over me, while Maverick hovered around the coffee pot, waiting for it to finish dripping.
“Thank the Goddess for that,” Briar remarked as he stepped into my space, almost hesitantly.
I hoped it was a hug he wanted, because I desperately wanted a moment in his arms the way I’d had in Maverick’s, once I’d gotten him to shift for me.
“How’d you sleep?” He asked, hand raising, then dropping back to his side, fingers worrying the fabric of his sleep pants as he studied me.
“Like I was wrapped in fluff and tickly whiskers,” I replied, flashing Maverick a grin. “It was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in months.”
Since he still hadn’t given me what I wanted, I snagged his hand and gave a gentle tug until he wrapped me in his arms and let out a sigh so deep it sounded like the prelude to a purr. I wasn’t a small guy, but in Briar’s arms I sure as fuck felt that way. He had at least four inches on me, and his chest was solid muscle. Well, to be fair, all of him was. Was it bustling around a bakery kitchen that kept him this fit, or the time he spent shifted and prowling the forest?
Last night, as we’d been on the verge of passing out, he’d mentioned a trail he and Maverick had found during their romp that morning. They hadn’t explored it because they’d been eager for a nap and a meal before they wandered too far, so we’d decided to wander it together once we’d pigged out on the delicious crepes Maverick had promised us.
“Oh yeah, come to papa,” Maverick cooed as the final drop of coffee dripped into his mug.
Clearly a true coffee connoisseur then and a firm believer that every drop was precious. I was so with him in that regard. If the look of utter bliss on his face when he took the first sip was anything like how he appeared when locked in a passionate embrace, then I couldn’t wait until the day when we progressed to that point in the relationship. From the moment I’d heard the word 'mate,'I’d been curious about what being with them would be like. Rough and tumble, I hoped. I’d never been a fan of slow and drawn out. Wild, primal—that’s what I’d found myself dreaming of as I cuddled up next to Maverick’s snow leopard form and felt him nuzzle beneath my chin, lick the juncture between my neck and shoulder, and lightly graze the spot with his teeth.
While neither of us had been in the right headspace for him to take things further, there had been a moment when I’d wished we were. Slightly smaller than me, with a more compact build,he wasn’t quite as muscular as Briar; it was more like he was built for speed.
“I showed Leo my bondmark this morning after he asked me to shift,” Maverick told Briar as he stepped away from the coffee pot, cup clutched in his hands. “We wound up comparing them. They’re a perfect match.”
“I told you it was okay,” Briar said, carefully cupping his face so as to not jostle his coffee, and pressing a kiss to the center of his forehead, then the tip of his nose, and finally, brushing their lips together in a sweet, gentle kiss that left Maverick staring starry-eyed after him.
“Let me get about half of this in me, and then I’ll start the crepes,” Maverick murmured.
“No hurry,” Briar said. “Did Leo tell you about our plans for the day?”
“We have plans for the day?” Maverick asked. “I knew we were doing the Pirates of the Caribbean marathon tonight, but Leo never said anything about what our day was supposed to look like.”
I chuckled as I poured my cup, not feeling the least bit of shame over why I’d gotten so distracted once he was naked and human and lying in the bed pressed up against me.
“The opportunity didn’t arise,” I said as I leaned against the counter and took a sip. “Oh man, that’s good coffee.”
“All coffee is good,” Maverick proclaimed. “Despite what your taste buds might tell you.”
“Yeah, no, you’re on your own on that one,” I declared. “My tongue does not appreciate acrid, bitter, or charred; that’s a hard no right there, but I’ll happily leave it all for you to enjoy at your leisure.”
“There is nothing leisurely about the way he consumes coffee,” Briar pointed out. “He’s scorched more than a few taste buds, not to mention the back of his throat, trying to pound acup of coffee too fast. I keep telling him to get an iced coffee to drink while he waits for his regular one to be cool enough, but do you think he listens to me?”
“Hell no,” Maverick grumbled, and sure as shit, while I was leaning there blowing on my coffee in between sips, he’d already managed to gulp down over a quarter of his cup. “I hate watered-down coffee.”
“Dude, coffee is nothing but water poured through grounds.”
