Marcus talk to you about the call he got from Councilman Kincaid?”
Kincaid? As in Rick Kincaid? “Not yet. We talked about some other things, then he needed some furry time, so we got in bed and he fell asleep.”
There was silence for a long moment from the other end of the line, and then Bennett cleared his throat. “Furry time?”
“Yeah.” He realized that could mean something totally different and started laughing, covering his mouth to try and muffle it. “As in his wolf form, dude.”
“Just checking,” B said, voice dry, making Robson laugh harder. “Well, I’m glad he’s doing okay.”
“Yeah, I got him,” Robson said absently, suddenly remembering he’d wanted to talk to Bennett. “Hey, can I ask you something?”
“Of course.” No hesitation, no joke. It was subtle, but in that moment, Robson could completely understand why Bennett was second-in-command of the pack. Robson wasn’t even technically a member and the man was already there for him, no questions asked.
“The way shifters react to their mates… is it like extra intense?” It wasn’t exactly what he wanted to ask, but he also didn’t want to embarrass Marcus if he found out about the conversation.
“What do you mean?”
“Well…” Sighing, he set his glass down and rubbed at his face. So much for subtlety. “Okay, so when Marcus and I are… together, it seems like he’s almost overwhelmed sometimes. Is that because of his inexperience or because I’m his mate?”
Bennett didn’t say anything for a minute, then asked, “Does it matter?”
He stilled, then lowered his hand, squinting at the counter in front of him. “I mean… I guess not. I just… I feel things for him I’ve never felt before, right? But it seems even more intense for him. And don’t get me wrong, I like it. I love how he reacts to me, but sometimes I wonder… is it me, or is it his instincts reacting to me being his mate.”
B chuckled softly. “Those are the same thing. You are what his instincts are reacting to.”
“But would he feel the same way if some random goddess or whatever hadn’t decided we’d be a good fit?” He was getting almost frustrated, and he wasn’t sure why. He knew how he’d ended up with Marcus wasn’t as important as the fact that he did and they were destined for each other.
“Would you have given him a second glance if the universe hadn’t kept throwing you together?”
He wanted to say yes, but Marcus wasn’t his usual type, so would he really have? The idea of maybe missing out on something as beautiful as their mating had his stomach dropping and his feet moving for the stairs. “I don’t know,” he finally whispered hoarsely.
B made a sort of agreeing noise but didn’t say anything else as Robson climbed the stairs, intent on putting eyes on his mate for some reason.
As he reached the doorway and saw that Marcus had shifted back to human and was snuggling with a pillow with a frown on his face, Bennett said, “I will say the intensity of feelings I have for Kieran drastically outweighs anything I’ve ever felt before. To me, it doesn’t matter that some higher power chose him for me. All I know is that I’m damned grateful every day that they did.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Marcus hadn’t actually thought he’d fall asleep, but the warmth and darkness under the blankets combined with his mate’s comforting scent had lulled him into unconsciousness rather quickly. By the time he woke up, he’d shifted back into his human form and twisted around so his head was up by Robson’s, sharing his pillow. They were pressed so close together, Robson’s front to his back, that Marcus could feel a trickle of sweat rolling across the small of his back from all the heat they were generating.
Grumbling but not opening his eyes, he shoved at the covers to get some cool air flowing over them. Robson murmured something and tightened his arms around Marcus’s chest, but Marcus didn’t think he was awake yet. Which wasn’t too surprising considering how little sleep he’d gotten that morning.
Marcus knew he should feel bad for disrupting his mate’s sleep, but he couldn’t help but smile and wiggle in happiness at the memory. His movement seemed to help wake up a certain part of Robson’s body, his erection nestling between Marcus’s cheeks.
Holding his breath, he arched just a little, pressing his ass more firmly against his mate, and bit his lower lip when Robson thrust against him in return,