Marcus’s pupils dilated and his irises began to glow. “Fuck, I love when your eyes do that.”
Marcus bit his lip but couldn’t hide his smile. “I used to have much better control, you know.”
“I know. That’s what makes it so hot.” Robson gave him a slow, sweet kiss, sucking lightly on his bottom lip before pulling away. “I love that you can’t control yourself when it comes to me.”
“I couldn’t from the beginning.”
“I remember. You stared at me so hard at that crime scene I thought you were the one who dumped the body.” At Marcus’s flat look, Robson had to press his lips together to hold back his laugh. “I’m kidding. Sort of.”
Marcus tried to hold his unimpressed look but ended up smiling and digging his fingers into the small of Robson’s back. “When you say ‘finish our mating’…”
Grinning, Robson slipped from Marcus’s hold and dragged him into the kitchen. “I mean, where’s that tea so we can exchange bites while you knot me?” The soft thump and curse from Marcus had him chuckling. “Did my shifter mate just trip over his own feet?”
There was a pause, and then he whispered, “Maybe.”
“So adorable,” he muttered, stopping and scanning the counters but not seeing the jar. He threw a raised eyebrow at his mate, who managed to still blush as he scooted past Robson and dug into a cupboard. Even after weeks of Robson saying and doing dirty, delicious things to his mate, that blush kept coming back.
Robson hoped it never went away.
Marcus cleared his throat as he filled his kettle and set it on the stove. “Damien said we could steep the herbs in warm water from the tap, but that it’d be more… potent if we used boiling water and let it sit for at least ten minutes before you drink it.”
Nodding, Robson stepped back and pulled his shirt off over his head, pretending not to notice the sharpening of his mate’s stare on his exposed chest. “Okay, I’m going to go get the shower ready. Once you get the tea steeping, come join me.”
He winked and turned away, hustling up the stairs as his mate called after him that he was being a tease. And maybe he was, a little, but he also really needed to shower after spending hours galivanting through the woods and napping on the ground with a bunch of mud-splattered animals.
By the time Marcus was slipping into the shower stall behind him, Robson was nearly done, giving his body one final rinse. He smiled, though, when Marcus wrapped his arms around him from behind and peppered kisses across Robson’s shoulders.
“What took you so long?” he murmured, leaning back and letting Marcus support most of his weight.
Body vibrating with silent laughter, Marcus’s arms tightened. “Water takes a few minutes to start boiling.”
“Hm.” They stood there for several long minutes, letting the hot water rain down on them. The silent, peaceful moments they managed to carve out together were some of Robson’s favorites, filling a space in his chest that had been aching for connection, for family since he’d shipped off to the army. As much as he loved his mom and siblings, having someone that was just for him, his perfect match, gave him purpose and filled his life with meaning.
Just as he was considering suggesting they move things into the bedroom, Marcus shifted behind him. Robson sucked in a breath as one of Marcus’s hands skimmed down his front, sparking electricity in its wake. Robson’s cock was only just starting to take interest, but as soon as Marcus’s fingers wrapped around him, he groaned and tipped his head back onto Marcus’s shoulder. His mate’s long, talented fingers could drive him crazy so easily.
“Are you sure about this?” Marcus whispered, squeezing and stroking Robson’s cock and pressing a sweet kiss to the junction of his neck and shoulder.
Shivering, Robson stretched his head to the side, offering more fully that sweet spot he knew his mate wanted. “One hundred percent positive.”
Marcus’s hand tightened on the base of Robson’s erection, and he let out a soft growl that made Robson’s balls tingle. “Let’s dry off then. The tea’s probably ready.”
Twisting around, Robson threaded his fingers into Marcus’s hair and took his mouth in a quick, hard kiss. “Let’s do this.”
He turned the water off, and they tumbled out of the shower stall, hindering more than helping each other with the drying-off process. Laughing, he finally ended up getting most of the excess water off and then