Page 16 of Christopher

Drake stared. “This is it?”

“It is. He’s probably not going to let you in.”

“Like I said, I don’t need to be let in.” Drake raised his hand and knocked. “Chris? It’s Drake. I’d like to talk to you, and I’d rather do it face-to-face, but if you’re not up for that, we can do it through the door. Just give me a sign, all right?”

Drake held his breath, wondering what that sign would be. He got his answer when Chris swung the door open.

* * * *

Chris’s first instinct when he heard Drake outside his bedroom had been to hide in his bed. If he didn’t answer, Drake would go away, and Chris wouldn’t have to deal with him.

But part of himwantedto deal with him. His wolf yearned to spend time with their mate, maybe even to shift and go for a run with him. It had been too long since Chris had allowed himself to shift and play around, mostly because he didn’t feel secure in his position here. He doubted any pride member would attack him or do anything stupid like that, but he was trying to protect himself.

Maybe he’d been going about this wrong. Maybe instead of protecting himself, he should allow himself to be happy. Was there a chance he’d get hurt? Of course there was. Even though Drake was his mate, they would still fight and yell at each other. Hell, Kyle’s relationship with Dennis had started on shaky legs because of what Kyle had done, yet Dennis had still fallen in lovewith him. At least Chris hadn’t done something stupid like try to take over the pride.

So Chris had taken a chance. He didn’t know how things would end, but they hadn’t even started yet, and it was because of him. He needed to be the one to take that first step. Drake had already taken half a step for him since he was here. He was so close that Chris just had to reach out, and he’d have him.

His bedroom was a mess, but Drake might as well see Chris as he really was. Hopefully, Drake wasn’t a neat freak. Even when Chris felt good and actively kept his living space neat, he was a bit of a mess.

Drake beamed as if Chris was the best thing he’d ever seen. “I wasn’t sure you’d open it,” he said.

Chris shuffled his feet. “I wasn’t sure I’d open it, either.”

Drake nodded seriously, as if he understood.

Maybe he did, but Chris couldn’t know since he didn’t know his mate.

“I get it. It’s overwhelming, isn’t it? One day, you’re on your own, and the next, your mate is thrown at you, and you don’t know what to do with him.”

“Pretty much,” Chris said with a smile.

“There’s also the fact that you just arrived in town. You probably don’t know anyone here. Well, you have the pride, of course, but I can’t imagine that you instantly became best friends with the members. I don’t know about you, but it always takes me a while to warm up to people. Maybe I’d be hiding in my bedroom, too, if I were in your place.”

Like last time, Drake was a mess. Words seemed to spill out of his mouth without any control on his part. Chris had found it slightly annoying when they’d met, but now, he thought it was adorable. It helped him feel more comfortable, especially since Dennis was standing there, his gaze bouncing from one to the other like a ping-pong ball.

“I wasn’t sure I should show him where your room was,” Dennis said slowly.

“It’s fine. He’s fine.”

Drake wiggled his eyebrows. “I am, aren’t I? Can you believe that Karl suggested I needed to lose weight?”

Maybe if Chris focused on beating Karl’s ass, it would be easier for him to leave his bedroom. He wanted to ask the guy what the fuck he was thinking. Drake didn’t need to lose weight. He was perfect just the way he was. “Did he?”

Drake laughed. “He did, but he was an asshole, so I’m not surprised I wasn’t the right person for him. After all, I’m the right person foryou.” He seemed a bit shy as he looked down at his feet, and Chris’s heart stuttered.

This was his mate, the man he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with. He’d been afraid of that, but spending a few minutes with Drake was enough to show Chris that maybe he didn’t need to be.

He stepped to the side. “Why don’t you come in? You’re here to talk, aren’t you?”

Drake’s eyes went wide. “I am, but I don’t have to be in your bedroom to talk to you.”

“Does that mean you don’t want to come in?”

“It means I don’t want you to feel like you have to invite me in just because I’m here. I can stay in the hallway, or we can go downstairs or even leave the house.” Drake’s gaze flickered over Chris’s body. “Although you might want to change if you want to go into town. I like your style, but most people don’t usually wear pajamas to walk around.”

Chris huffed. “I’m wondering if you should have been my sister’s mate. What do you have against comfortable pajamas?”

“Nothing,” Drake said. “They’re just not the height of fashion.”

---