Dex liked the message. Would he tell Ollie he’d canceled because he was with Luc? Before he could worry about Ollie’s reaction, a message from last night caught his eye.
Onyx:
Hope you had fun.
At least it was a private message and not in the group chat. Dex still frowned. Did Onyx mean at the club or with Luc?
He quickly replied, saying he had a great night, leaving things as vague as Onyx had.
“Is everything all right?” Luc asked.
“Yeah, I’m meeting Ollie later, and, um, your brother messaged me.”
Luc’s brows rose. “I heard you tell him what we were doing.”
Dex’s face heated. “He seemed happy about it.”
“I’m not surprised.”
Maybe Onyx had some idea of Luc’s preferences, but knowing Luc was the kind of man to hunt a lover through a club didn’t explain why Onyx had seemed happy to see him with Luc. Nothing but being Luc’s mate explained it.
Did everyone think they were mates? Was that why Ollie had encouraged Dex to talk to Luc?
Dexfeltlike Luc’s mate. How he knew what mates felt like, he couldn’t say, other than his connection with Luc was tangible, almost physical, as it drew them together. Not a physical attraction to Luc’s appearance, but something more solid.
“I’ve got clothes for you.” Luc stood from the bed, naked, back fully covered with tattooed wings, and headed for the dresser. His red tail hung over his ass, the thick base resting along his crack. The tip flicked back and forth near his ankles.
Dex’s insides tightened. Who’d have thought tails were hot? Damn.
Luc turned, holding a pair of shorts and a pair of jeans. “Which one?”
Dex pointed to the jeans. Luc put the shorts away and tossed the jeans on the bed, along with a pair of black boxer briefs.
Luc had gone out and bought Dex underwear. He’d done all this knowing he planned to rip Dex’s clothes to shreds. It was sexy, but also made Dex’s heart ache.
He climbed out of bed and pulled on the underwear and pants. Luc handed him a soft T-shirt, and he slipped into it. “Thanks for all this.”
Luc cupped his cheek. “You’re welcome.”
Dex sat on the bed and watched Luc dress. His tail disappeared, becoming a tattoo wrapped around his hips, the tiptrailing down his left ass cheek. Dex’s fingers itched to trace the ink.
Luc pulled on underwear and a pair of dark gray slacks. He never seemed to wear anything casual. Another soft-looking sweater was unearthed from a drawer, and Luc pulled it over his head, catching it on a horn along the way.
As Luc emerged, Dex realized that his red lips probably weren’t due to cosmetics—he hadn’t put anything on and the color hadn’t smudged or faded—it had to be natural.
Dex rubbed his chest as an empty feeling opened inside him. Waiting for someone to get dressed the morning after sex wasn’t something he’d done since his early college days, before his parents’ deaths. Before everything had changed.
Even as he was in the middle of it, Dex missed this kind of intimacy. He hadn’t over the years, but now, looking back, he wished he hadn’t gone without it. If only Luc had found him years ago.
Dex had told himself to focus solely on sex, but after exploring his true desires, he wanted more. Could he have Luc as a boyfriend? As a mate? He didn’t want to lose this achy feeling or hide from connection, even if the two of them were doomed, and he couldn’t have forever the way the other mates could.
Luc ran a hand through his hair, his smile faltering. “What is it?”
Dex gripped the edge of the mattress. “Am I your mate?”
Luc’s eyes crinkled around the edges, and his smile returned in a brittle contrast to what it had been. He closed the distance between them and kneeled before Dex, pulling his hands from the mattress to cup them in his.
“Yes, Dex. You are my mate.”
