“Same here. But, Sawyer,” I sigh and lean against the headrest, “he’s so amazing. I can’t describe him in a way that makes sense, but it’s like my heart latched onto him and now there’s a space there only for him.”
“Wow, that’s beautiful. I’ll be nice, I promise.”
Sighing, I give his hand one more squeeze. “Thanks. And don’t scream when he shifts. It might scare the neighbors.”
Under his breath, he says, “Ifhe shifts.”
I roll my eyes and head to my front door, my palms sweaty as I grip my keys. Before I step inside, I smell Cade through the door, and I hurry to get the key into the lock so I can be in his arms.
When he sees me, his face breaks into a wide smile and he puts the controller on the couch, rushing over to me. He picks me up off my feet, making me giggle when he spins me around.
He sets me down and kisses my nose. “You look less tired today. I’m glad. I was going to offer my services again if you dragged in here.”
“I might still use them,” I say, cheeks warm. “But the other chef was at work and…Sawyer gave me a ride home.” I step out of Cade’s arms and wave toward Sawyer, who’s standing at the door, assessing Cade. “Sawyer, this is Cade…my recliner.”
Sawyer snorts, then looks at my mate. “Are you in on this, too? Is it like…some kind of thing you tell people to throw them off you being homeless?”
“Sawyer!” I gasp, unable to believe him after hejusttold me he’d be nice.
Cade doesn’t seem to mind. He just smiles and holds his hand out to Sawyer, who surprisingly takes it. “No, I’m really a shifter. You picked me up from Blossom’s.”
Stepping further into the apartment, Sawyer looks at the spot where we placed my recliner…Cade. “Where is it? You couldn’t have lifted that heavy fucking chair on your own. Where did you stash it?”
I wrap my arms around my middle, feeling my bottom lip tremble. “You said you’d be nice,” I whisper.
Sawyer tries to rush over to me, but Cade gets there first. “Hey, it’s okay,” he says, thumbing over my lower lip, then pulling me close. “He’s not being mean,” my mate soothes me. “He’s making sure I’m not taking advantage of you. That’s what good friends do.” I meet his eyes and see that he’s being earnest, not just trying to placate me because I’m sad. “I told you no one believes in shifters because it’s so hard to wrap your head around. But I can show him. Okay?”
“Okay,” I whisper and Cade kisses me lightly. I step out of his arms and walk over to Sawyer, who gives me a side hug.
“He’s right, I’m trying to make sure you’re not being used. I’m sorry for—why are you taking your clothes off?” he asks Cade when he looks up at him.
“Clothes don’t shift with him,” I say, watching every inch of Cade come into view. God, I can’t wait until I have him again. I’ve been too tired the past few nights, but he might get lucky as soon as Sawyer leaves.
Sawyer raises his hand to cover his eyes, not watching as Cade pulls his underwear off. Even soft, his cock is impressive. I still can’t believe I took all of him with barely a whimper. I’ll have to ask him about that, but first, Sawyer needs to see that we’re not making shit up.
“Watch,” I tell Sawyer, bumping his arm.
He groans, but lowers his hand, looking at Cade. “Okay, show me—Jesus fucking Christ!” He shouts as Cade folds and contorts, his tan skin turning mustard yellow as his reclinerlands in front of us with a flash of light and athunk. “What the fuck is that?”
“It’s my mate,” I grin, watching as Cade shifts back into his human form. “Believe us now?”
twelve
CADE
Hand in hand,Maverick and I walk through the park a few blocks from his home. It’s nice and low stress, since I don’t have to figure out any technology.
It’s been hard these past few days, trying to understand the world around me, but I refuse to give up. What’s the alternative? Maverick doing everything for me and I sit as a recliner for the rest of my life because I’m overwhelmed? Absolutely not.
I want to take care of Maverick. He can do that on his own—he’s been doing it for years—but as his mate, I need to make sure I meet all of his needs.
“Do you know a way I can get replacement documents?” I ask. I’m not sure what happened to any of my belongings. I had my wallet in my pocket when Blossom cursed me, so maybe she still has that, but I still need a birth certificate and social security card.
He shakes his head. “No, unfortunately not. I’ve been thinking about that as well. I’ll do some research on it and see what we can do.”
I nod and pull him closer, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “I’d like to make my own money. I don’t want your friends to think I’m using you.”
Though Sawyer apologized for how he reacted to me and seems like a really nice guy, what he said stung. Yes, I was homeless since I was stuck as a recliner for decades and it was one hundred percent my fault. Had I not crossed Blossom, I wouldn’t have met Maverick, yes, but I also wouldn’t be in the situation I’m in now. Maverick told me not to worry about it, but Sawyer’s words have been pinging around my head for the past twenty-four hours.
