“Because of you.”
He pulled back. “No—”
“Yes. All day, you stood there. You never even sat down. You stood there watching, helping where you could, and most of all…you listened. I never felt threatened in that room. Not even when Abby went all big and bear.”
“You should have been frightened. That situation could have gone bad any number of ways.”
“I know, but that’s the thing. You were there and you’re so solid…” She slid her hand down his shoulder then across his chest. “You don’t fall apart ever. You’re not hampered by ego. You don’t falter when we’re attacked by rabid wolves. You listen with respect to whatever anyone says. And you care.” She spread her fingers open, her eyes going down to where she pressed against his heart. “You know who you are, you listen, and you care. That’s what I saw in that room. That because you were so solid, the rest of us could find our strength. You gave us space to be as we wanted because none of it threatened you, and that kept everybody calm. Even in the midst of chaos, you gave us all strength.”
So many words, such precision in phrasing. God, he loved this woman. What she said may or may not be bullshit. He honestly didn’t know. He felt the resonance in his core, though. And he loved that she saw his strength. But as for quiet…He shook his head.
“I’m terrified all the time now,” he said softly. “Since the moment I met you, I’m terrified you’ll get hurt. That you’ll run from me. That I won’t be able to protect you, help you…” Love you.
She grinned. “Well, I’m not running now, am I? And you’re right here with me.”
Yes, he was. And that meant that right now, he was content. More than content, he was blissfully happy. He was about to kiss her. She was angling her head for just that, and he was leaning in for a taste. Or a lot more than a taste.
But then her stomach rumbled, loud and empty. A sure sound to any shifter that he had neglected his mate. She was hungry. He pulled back and asked a very serious question.
“Will you let me feed you? Cook for you?”
She blinked, obviously startled. Then she burst out in laughter. “That’s like asking me if I want a Nobel prize. Of course, I want that!”
He grinned. “How much food do you have here?”
She blinked. “Um, tap water?”
“Poisoned.”
“Right. So I think I have…um…let me think. Absolutely nothing.”
“Let’s go to the grocery store. There are a few that still have something on the shelves. And then I will make you a feast.”
She laughed. “I don’t care if it’s an expired hot dog. I’m starving.”
He took her to a grocery store. He didn’t let her eat any hot dogs, expired or otherwise. The place was indeed stripped of all the easy foods, but they had Spam left and soups that had been canned outside of Detroit. Bottled water, too, mostly because no one outside of the shifter community believed that the water was tainted. He grabbed a couple jars of spices and some fresh fruit while she snatched up the last granola bars left on the shelf.
They talked the whole time. At the grocery store, while he cooked, and while they ate. He rubbed her feet while she read the data Dennis had sent via email. And then he rubbed her all over, spending extra time on the breasts he had so ignored earlier.
They had intended to watch a movie together, but she was the only thing that interested him. And it turned out that sixty-nine wasn’t the only fun way to experience oral. There were advantages to having a doctor as a lover.
All in all, it was the best night of his life. She was with him, she saw him, and she listened. Not just to his funny stories, but to his tales of the army and of his dead brother. He hadn’t spoken about these things to anyone, but they came out with her. And it felt so good to share them, even as she spoke of her life in school and of being overshadowed by a brilliant father and a domineering mother.
They would have talked all night, but he knew she needed to rest. She needed to tackle the Detroit Flu with fresh eyes tomorrow. So well after midnight, he tucked her against his side and held her quiet until she slept. He drifted off, too, dropping into a deeply relaxed state, one that nourished him far beyond what he was used to. It was because of her. Because she held him as she rested and that made him content at his core.
Bliss.
Which is why he was caught off guard when the werewolves woke them at dawn.
