Focus Madison!Right now, I need to get this guy—my mate,O M G—some medical attention, clothes, and then, hopefully, figure out who he is.
Now that we’re out of the sea cave, I can see him better.His skin is smooth and pale, as if it’s never seen the sun. In fact, there isn’t a single tan line on his entire body. Who doesn’t even have a little farmer’s tan? The thought flees my head as I peruse him more. His luscious blue locks are his most shocking feature, the strands falling just past his shoulders. Seriously, women pay hundreds at a salon to get color like that!
“Okay, what’s your name?” I say, trying again even though he hasn’t responded to anything else I’ve said. I’m decent with languages, so I try three other common tongues, but he gives me the same blank stare.
Could he have amnesia or something? He doesn’t look injured beyond the minor scrape on his knee, but he’s a little wobbly on his feet.
Maybe I should take him to the hospital.
“Do you have somewhere to go? Someone I should call?” I say the words slowly, miming the phone symbol with my hand and holding it to my ear, but he just shakes his head with a confused look.
He makes gestures with his hands, but doesn’t try to speak. Maybe he’s signing? I don’t know much about sign language, so I guess it’s possible.
We stare at each other for what feels like the longest forty-five seconds of my life. He’s still holding my wrist. My palm tingles, and my skin heats from the contact. Not like before, but with a comforting warmth that makes me want to curl into him. With a smirk, he pulls me closer, and I know what’s about to happen a second before his lips meet mine.
I turn my head so he gets my cheek again. “None of that.”
I feel a little bad avoiding his kiss a second time after Ifelt how disappointed he looked before, but we really shouldn’t be making out right now. And I know if he kisses me again, it’ll be too easy to get swept away. I’ve never had a break-through heat spike like the one I just experienced, but I don’t want to risk it happening again. “We need to figure out if you’re alright. I need to get you help or… something.”
What does one do in this situation?
I look him up and down once more. His injuries really aren’t that bad. My roommate, Evelyn, should be home by now, and she’s in med school. Surely she can check him out first to see if he’s okay? Something about taking him to the hospital makes me uneasy deep in my gut.
Decided, I reach out to the man and grab his hand. When he comes toward me, I start walking, tugging him along until he’s following me back up the sand to where I parked just above Seaman’s Cove. There’s a path to the university from the other side of the cove, but since I wanted to explore the caves on this side, I drove and parked in the lot for the public beach.
I manage to get him to my car, which he looks at warily. When I hit the unlock button, the lights flash and the car makes its littlebeep-beepnoise. The man’s hand rips from mine as he springs in front of me into what I can only describe as a defensive pose.
“Whoa! Whoa. It’s ok.” I hold my hands up in an attempt to soothe him. “It’s just a car. A… uh… carriage? Vehicle? Look, it’s totally safe.” I step around him to open the door, causing him to flinch, but then I quickly sit in the passenger seat, and wave down my body. “See? You just sit. Nothing will happen. You try.”
It takes me a few tries and lots of coaxing to get himinto the seat. I would buckle his seat belt, but I don’t have the energy to go through this whole rigmarole again if he’s scared of that too. If he’s this jumpy, he might not like being constrained, and we’re not going far.
He’s calmer now, but he still flinches when I start the car, and again when I accelerate for the first time. After a couple of minutes, though, his anxiety seems to clear enough that he becomes curious. He flips the lock on and off, rolls the window up and down, and jumps when pushing a button on the console turns on the radio.
I can’t help the giggle that escapes. It’s like he’s a kid discovering things for the first time. It’s endearing, but worrisome, too.
At the sound of my laughter, he turns to me and smiles, my heart taking flight in my chest. I can feel his wonder and awe in the bond. I know it’s possible to close off our connection, to keep things from a mate, but I don’t know how yet. Maybe he doesn’t either because he’s wide open. Every feeling flies from him to me and back again.
That’s probably why I feel so comfortable taking him home. There’s no malice or anything else alarming in his emotions, and his soul is so bright and open, like sunlight on water. I feel safe with him. Happy in a way I’ve never felt before. Almost giddy.
By the time we get back to my apartment, he’s calmed down while I’m the exact opposite. The entire ride home, he’s been touching my thigh, leaning over and burying his nose in my neck, lapping at his bond mark. I’m about ready to jump him, stranger or not. He’s my scent match after all. And we’re already bonded.
No, I need to take care of him, make sure he’s okay. Not grope him. Not yet anyway.
Shaking some sense into myself, I drag my ass out of the car, walking around to the other side to let him out.
His towel has loosened and nearly falls off completely when he stands, but I dive down to catch it before he flashes the whole complex. As I’m securing it back in place, I suddenly realize my face is level with his crotch, where a not-so-subtle bulge is forming, accompanied by a surge of lust in the bond.
“Ohmigod!” I spin, face heated. “Okay. Come on.” My voice is a little squeaky, but luckily he follows me.
I live on the first floor, so no pesky stairs or elevators to coax him up. Fitting the key into the lock, I open my apartment door and usher him inside. As I thought, Evelyn is home making herself a snack, which is a huge relief.
“Hey, Evie!” I call out to get her attention.
“Hey, yo—” She turns from the stove and immediately drops her spatula. Her jaw isn’t far behind. Evie looks at my guest appreciatively, dragging her gaze down his abs to the bulge under his towel.
A low growl sounds, and it takes me a moment to realize it’s me. I’m growling because another omega is checking out what's mine. My bonded mate.
Strong arms wrap around me and a purr vibrates against my skin. The tension eases, though Evelyn is still staring at me with wide, concerned eyes. Her gaze drops to my neck. “What thefuck?!”
