“Yes,” he admitted. “I…I’ve been wrong before.”
He still wasn’t ready to talk about Alec. Scott wasn’t sure when he would tell Quintus about the man, he’d once considered his mate, even when hadn’t been. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to tell Quintus how deeply lost, he’d felt when Alec died.
“Okay,” Quintus said.
Scott’s knot receded, and his cock slipped from Quintus’s hole. “I should get us cleaned up.” He was about to move.
“Not yet.” Quintus reached back, grabbing his hips. “Stay. I like having your weight on me. It’s comforting.”
Scott looked down at the man who was starting to be his everything, and all it had taken was a few days for him to become an essential part of his life.
“As you wish,” he said laying back down on top of his mate, holding his hand.
“Will you tell me about him one day?”
The question shocked Scott, and he was glad Quintus couldn’t see his face. He was going to move, but again Quintus stopped him. It also made him wonder what his mate knew about Alec.
“I…”
“I don’t know anything about him. I just know you loved someone deep enough you almost gave up believing in mates. And I hope one day you will love me just as deeply, if not more. I’m kind of jealous he was able to see a part of you that I might never get to see. But I want us to have our own memories together.” Quintus sighed and tightened his hold on Scott’s hand. “This is not my declaration of love. I know we need more time for that to develop. But on the day, you tell me you love me, I don’t want you to feel guilty for saying it because of how you felt about your past lover. I want to be able to hear your words of declaration and believe them.”
Scott couldn’t respond. Quintus was making his intentions known as to what he wanted in the future. It was one of the things he liked about the cheetah. Quintus didn’t back away from saying what he was feeling or what he wanted.
“Okay,” Scott responded, kissing the mating mark on his neck
“Good.” Quintus shivered and pushed his ass back. “Don’t try to distract me,” he said. “You know what your kisses do to me.”
“I’m not trying to change the subject,” Scott told him. “I was thinking about how lucky I am to have you in my life.”
“You’re damn right, you’re lucky.”
“Now who’s being cocky,” Scott said, chuckling. “And you have every right to say what you feel. But let me clear one thing up, I don’t make declarations of love and not mean it. I promise, when I’m ready, I’ll tell you about him. But for now, let’s concentrate on us.”
“If you’re thinking about sex, forget it,” Quintus grumbled. “I don’t think I can cum anymore tonight.”
Scott smiled. “How about I hold you until you fall asleep?”
“Sound’s good,” Quintus yawned.
Scott listened to his mate’s calm breathing as Quintus drifted off to sleep. One day he would tell him about Alec, but right after their mating wasn’t the right time. He nuzzled Quintus’s neck and let the man’s soft breathing lull him to sleep.
* * *
Quintus groanedas he rolled over onto his back and felt around for Scott, only to find that the man wasn’t in bed. He opened his eyes and sat up, slowly looking around the room. The first thing he noticed was the sheets on the bed had been changed. The other thing he noticed was that he was clean—no crusted cum or blood was on his skin.
How did he clean up everything without me not waking up?
“Because you’re a heavy sleeper.”
Quintus looked towards the door when he heard Scott’s voice. He smiled, seeing his mate as he admired his shirtless chest. Scott sat down on the bed beside him, then pulled him into a kiss. He then peppered kisses down Quintus’s neck and shoulder, before moving back up to his mouth.
“Good morning,” Quintus whispered against his lips.
“More like afternoon,” Scott told him, leaning back. Quintus noticed Scott seemed a bit worried about something, but figured it had something to do with what they talked about the night before.
The man worries too much.
“What? I can’t believe I slept all day,” Quintus said, deciding not to bring up the subject again. “The last time I slept past noon was high school.”
