My knot had deflated while we talked, and now he shimmied backward off the bed and darted to the bathroom. I dosed for a while, waking up to the feel of a warm washcloth scrubbing cum out of my chest hair before dipping lower to clean between my legs.
"You don't have to do that," I mumbled.
"You let me fuck you," he said, his tone filled with awe. "Now let me take care of you."
I was happy to be clean and dry, and even happier we had blasted another of my omega's alpha stereotypes. Win, win.
The next morning,we settled into life like an old married couple. Gabe ordered coffee and croissants from room service. We ate in bed before packing up and checking out at ten.
Too nervous to get to the compound early, I offered to drive him up the coast. It didn't take long to leave the city behind and escape into the pines.
At the turnoff for the state park, I slowed to the fifteen mile-per-hour speed limit, slamming on the brakes for a yappy squirrel who stopped on the paved road to give me a piece of her mind. We pointed at wildlife and took swigs of water each time we could see the ocean through the trees.
At the first picnic area, I pulled over. My SUV was roomy inside, but I never missed a chance to stretch my legs.
My meerkat wanted to frolic in the pine needles, but it wasn't safe. This far from habitation, we could cross paths with mountain lions or bears, and not the fun shifter variety.
We shared anecdotes from our time apart at the wedding while we walked through the trees. The conversation wasn't nearly as important as the warmth of his hand in mine. We reached a peak overlooking the ocean, but I couldn't look away from him. Gabe's blue eyes shimmered in the sunlight as he watched the waves, but then he turned his gaze on me, and I swore he was the sun. I already had it bad for my omega.
The moment we started back toward the SUV, my palms started sweating and my heart rate sped up. Family dinner didn't always make me nervous, but when it did, it was usually warranted.
"Your mom is really cool," Gabe said, trying to put my mind at ease.
"I know, but?—"
"No buts. She's awesome, and you love her."
"Of course I do, but?—"
"So, whatever happens today is done out of love, even if you don't like what she has to say."
I laughed. He already knew her too well. "She got to you!"
He laughed and held up his hands. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You want to move in with her!"
He shook his head so hard it made my neck ache. "I absolutely do not. But the house sounds nice," he said with a squeak.
"The house will be right next to Bruce and Becca's, on a cul-de-sac backed up to woods a lot like these."
He frowned. "Sounds an awful lot like you already said yes."
"What can I say? Mom's super persuasive when she wants to be."
"Which is always?"
"Always," I agreed. "Come on. If we arrive before the rest of the family, she'll tell you all about it. Be prepared to be bored with room sizes and countertop styles."
We climbed back into the SUV, and he reached across the center console to take my hand. "Being mated to me isn't so bad, is it?"
I wanted to kiss his pursed lips, but he needed to hear me say the words. "You're the perfect mate, Gabe. Smart, funny, and the fastest sketch artist I have ever seen."
"Admit it, I'm the only sketch artist you know."
"Well, there was the one time I got mugged. She took forever to get his eyebrows right."
He frowned. "You were not mugged. Shifter alphas don't get mugged."
