I gape at him, then raise a hand to my mouth, giggling. “What the fuck?”
“Seemed like the most reasonable explanation.” He looks proud of his outlandish guess.
Though he’s not far off. Ididmeet a homeless guy, and he fucked my brains out. I didn’t have to clean him up, though. Cade is fine as fuck, still having that seventies flair about him with his wavy hair and thick eyebrows.
I lower my hand, then fiddle with my fingers. “I mean…kinda?”
“Shit, Mav, are you crazy?” he shrieks, making my co-workers look over at us with a question on their faces.
Cheeks burning, I grab Sawyer and drag him into my shoebox office, shutting the door behind us. “Look, it’s best if I explain everything. But again, open mind, okay?.”
“Yeah, okay. Though I reserve the right to throttle you if I think this is dangerous.”
“Fine.” I offer him a seat and he takes it, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.
Pulling in a deep breath, I let it out and begin to tell Sawyer about Cade. I tell him about Cade being a shifter, how my cum had to release him from a curse and that he shifted in front of me. I tell him how Cade says I’m his fated mate, which is the only way I was able to release him from said spell. I tell him that, even though Cade’s dick is way bigger than Walt’s, I was able totake every inch without pain and how hard Cade made me come when he fucked me a few days ago. I also tell him I can’t wait to do it again.
Sawyer and I don’t care about TMI anymore.
When I finish explaining our physical relationship, I tell him how Cade is still learning how the world works in the twenty-first century, how he has to learn how to use stuff that’s old hat to us, and how smart and eager to learn he is.
By the time I’m done, Sawyer’s mouth is wide open, a mixture of shock and disbelief on his face. He stares at me.
And stares.
And stares.
And stares.
“Say something,” I murmur, pushing off the door to pace the small space in front of me.
“I call bullshit,” he blurts out, making me laugh.
“You know, I said the same thing. That’s when he fucking shifted in front of me.”
“A…recliner…shifter. Mav, I love you, but I think you might be a little delulu here. That’s not possible. Katrina reads those books with like werewolves and shit that can shift, but that’s fiction. And not a piece of fucking furniture.”
I throw my hands in the air. “I know it doesn’t sound believable. If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I’d react the same as you. But Ididsee it. Cade is my recliner. The same recliner you helped me bring into my house. Remember how I felt a connection to it, how I had to have that recliner?” Sawyer nods. “Cade says it’s because he’s my mate and we had to be together.”
“Without consent?” he asks, looking angry on my behalf.
“It’s not like that. I can send him away if I want.” I stop pacing and face my best friend. “But I don’t want to. It’s fast and doesn’t make sense, but I can’t see my life without him. I go home every day, happy to know he’s waiting for me. I likesleeping in his arms and waking up to his loud snoring. I like the questions he asks me and how he wants to learn about everything around him. I like how he makes me feel. He’s…perfect. If I had the choice of my mate, someone to spend my life with, it would be Cade.”
“Whoa,” Sawyer says, looking blown away. “You didn’t even talk about Walt like that.” He nods and stands up. “Okay, I want to meet him. Now. And I want to see him be a fucking recliner or I’m checking you into an institution.”
I snort but agree. Since I finished my order of turnovers, Grady says I can knock off early and tells Sawyer to keep me out of trouble. He even offers Sawyer one of his turnovers, so his wife doesn’t get on him for snacking too much.
Sawyer, the bottomless pit that he is, takes it without question. I’m surprised he doesn’t come in here more often to mooch off my kitchen.
After I hang up my apron and finish tidying up my workstation, I head out with Sawyer. The drive to my place only takes a few minutes, long enough for my heart to almost thump out of my chest.
What if Sawyer gets too freaked out and doesn’t want anything to do with Cade? That would hurt, because I want to be with Cade, but I don’t want to lose my best friend. What if Cade thinks that Sawyer takes too much of my time and treats him how Walt did? I couldn’t take that either.
God, I just want this to go right. I want my best friend and my…boyfriend?…mate?…to get along. I want to keep both of them.
When we pull up, before we get out of the car, I take Sawyer’s hand, squeezing it gently. “He really wants you to like him. So…be nice, okay?”
Sawyer gives me a gentle look. “He’s making you happy, happier than I’ve seen you in a while, so off that alone, I’ll benice. I want to like your boyfriends, Mav. We’re best friends. I’d respect your relationship, of course, but I don’t want to lose you.”
