Connor’s smile widened. “I’d like to try that again sometime. Kissing like that, I mean. Not…not everything. But the kissing felt good.”
“Anytime you want.” Leyden traced Connor’s jaw with his thumb. “We have all the time in the world.”
“You mean that.”
“I do.” Leyden pressed their foreheads together. “Although I might need to disappear into the bathroom for about thirty seconds in a minute.”
Connor laughed, the sound bright and genuine. “Thirty seconds? That’s optimistic.”
“I’m a man possessed.” Leyden grinned. “You drive me crazy, mate.”
“In a good way?”
“In the best way.” Leyden kissed his nose. “Now get off my lap before I embarrass myself.”
Connor shifted away, settling on the bed beside him. His hand found Leyden’s, threading their fingers together.
Leyden studied their joined hands, marveling at how natural it looked now. Four weeks ago, Connor flinched from casual touch. Now he initiated it, sought it out, used it to ground himself.
Progress came in small steps. Leyden reminded himself of that every time his body screamed for more.
“Even though it’s the middle of the day,” Connor said slowly, “maybe we could take a nap?”
Leyden raised an eyebrow. “A nap?”
“Everything with the pack meeting drained me.” Connor’s thumb traced circles on the back of Leyden’s hand. “And I thought maybe after, we could get food somewhere. Away from pack house. Just the two of us.”
“You want to ignore pack business for the afternoon.”
“Is that terrible?” Connor worried his lip. “I know you have responsibilities…”
“I think that’s a brilliant idea.” Leyden kicked off his shoes. “The pack can survive without us for a few hours. They’ll probably appreciate the breathing room after that meeting anyway.”
Relief flooded their bond. Connor toed off his own shoes and crawled under the covers, fully dressed. Leyden followed, pulling his mate against his chest.
Connor settled with his head on Leyden’s shoulder, one arm draped across Leyden’s torso. The position was intimate, comfortable, exactly what Leyden craved.
“Your dad would hate this,” Connor murmured.
“My dad can shove his opinions somewhere anatomically improbable.” Leyden ran his fingers through Connor’s hair. “This is perfect.”
“We’re not having sex. We’re just sleeping.”
“Exactly. Perfect.”
Connor tilted his head back to study Leyden’s face. “You really don’t care that we’re basically going to nap instead of dealing with pack stuff?”
“Pack stuff will still be there in three hours. You won’t always be this relaxed and willing to cuddle.” Leyden dropped a kiss on Connor’s forehead. “I’m choosing you.”
Connor’s eyes softened. “I love you.”
The words still hit Leyden like a freight train every time. “I love you too.”
“Even though I’m high maintenance and make you defend me to the entire pack?”
“Especially because of that.” Leyden tucked Connor closer. “You’re worth defending. Worth choosing. Worth everything.”
Connor’s breath hitched. “I’m starting to believe you.”
