Cade shakes his head. “For other shifters, like wolves and bears, they have something called an omega. They’re usually the ones that get pregnant by what they call an alpha. Both male and female omegas can get pregnant by a male or female alpha. Furniture shifters don’t have that sort of hierarchy, so all of us can get pregnant. We only keep the eggs within us for a month, then we lay them and take care of them until they hatch a month later.”
“Wow,” is all I say as I lie back down.
That’s a nifty trick, being able to lay an egg instead of his body changing like a human woman’s. It’s almost not fair, since humans go through hell to bring people into the world. But shifters are different, I guess.
“Is that too much for you?” Cade asks, his voice low and subdued.
I look up at him and see that his eyes are clouded, as if he’s bracing himself for me to turn him away. I’d never do that. Every part of him is amazing. Hell, he shifted from a person to a recliner, back again. Him being able to lay eggs is just one more amazing thing he can do.
Reaching up, I run my thumb over his cheek. “No, not at all. I don’t understand it, but that doesn’t mean it scares me away. I’m not sure how my body works most of the time and I’ve had it all my life. Learning about your body is pretty fascinating, actually.”
He lets out a long breath and smiles. “Thanks for being so understanding.”
“Of course. This is all new to me, but I love learning about you. I want to know more. Everything there is to know, so we can have a future together.”
Rubbing over my cheek, Cade smiles down at me, those brilliant blue eyes flashing. “I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life getting to know you, Maverick.”
eleven
MAVERICK
“Looks fantastic,”my boss, Grady, says as he looks at the apple turnovers in front of me. It’s not the most complex thing we offer, but they seem to fly off the shelves for breakfast meetings for big companies. My boss sells them online as well, some people preferring to order them in bulk to freeze. “Set one aside for me, yes?”
I grin at him as I begin to box the tasty treats. “Already done. Check your office.”
He sighs and gives me a side hug. “You’re too good to me.” Grady practically skips to his office, ready to snack on a turnover.
As I’m finishing packing up the last box, the bell over the door rings. Instead of the server at the register helping a customer, the door to the back opens and Sawyer strides in.
Sawyer has been a fixture here since I got hired a few years back. Grady allows him to come into the kitchen because he knows Sawyer won’t touch things and I can still work even if Sawyer and I are deep in conversation.
My best friend grins at me, though he looks apologetic. “I’m sorry about yesterday. You sounded beat, but my dickheadboss wouldn’t let me leave since I had some contracts to read through.”
“It’s all good,” I say, going over to the sinks to wash my hands. “I got home in one piece. Did you catch up on your work?”
Sawyer comes over and leans against the large sinks. “Yeah but me taking ten minutes to drive you home wouldn’t have killed him.”
His boss really is a dick. I keep telling Sawyer he should open his own firm, but like me, he doesn’t really like the paperwork aspect of owning his own business. The small bit of office work that Grady is giving me is more than enough. I’d rather not run my own business and keep up with all the taxes and shit. I just wanna bake and be happy.
I wonder if owning a business is something Cade wants to do. So far, he says he just wants to learn the basics, but he’s too smart not to want more. Maybe in a few months, he’ll have the gist of how life works in this century and can broaden his higher learning.
Sawyer pokes me in the cheek, snapping me out of thoughts of Cade.
“You’re smiling. I haven’t seen you grin that big since you introduced me to Walt,” Sawyer says as he crosses his arms over his chest.
“Ugh, don’t remind me of that douchebag,” I grumble, mirroring his pose. “I’m just happy, that’s all.”
“Why?”
I look around, making sure the other two chefs aren’t paying me and Sawyer any attention. They’re busy with their tasks, both with at least one earbud in.
Still, I lean closer to Sawyer and say, “I met someone. Well…I brought them home. He…he was…he turned into…” I pause and meet my best friend’s eyes. “You won’t believe me if I told you.”
His eyebrows shoot up, curiosity dancing in his eyes. “Oh, now I need you to tell me what’s up. You’re not usually like this. Lucky guy has you tongue tied.”
I swat at his arm. “Sorta. Let me tell you about him first, then I’ll tell you how we met. But you have to keep an open mind.”
He stares at me for a few seconds, then gasps. “Did you meet a homeless guy and clean him up, let him fuck your brains out and now you’re whipped?”
