Page 28 of Christopher

They didn’t have to be here, teasing Chris. They didn’t have to work on their friendship. They might be doing this for Drake, but Chris knew that if he allowed it, they could build a strong friendship.

And he wanted it. He was surprised, because he always thought of himself as a loner, but maybe he’d been alone by necessity rather than by choice.

Either way, there was no getting rid of Jacob, Taylor, and the others, which meant that Chris would have to learn how to live with having them in his life.

“Oh, there you are,” someone said.

Chris looked up to see Liam, the alpha mate, stepping into the living room. For a moment, he thought Liam had been looking for Jacob or Taylor, but instead, the man moved to sit in front of him on the coffee table. He reached out and gently patted Chris’s knee, smiling gently at him. “It’s nothing bad, so you can wipe that worried expression off your face,” he said. “I was just looking for you because I wanted to ask how you’re settling in.”

Jacob snorted loudly. “He’s not settling in. Can you believe that we almost had to tie him to the armchair to get him to stay and spend time with us? We’re Drake’s best friends.”

“I don’t see any rope,” Liam said with an arched brow.

“That’s why we didn’t tie him,” Jacob pointed out. “We didn’t have rope. There’s still time to find some, though.”

Chris decided to view those words as a threat since they sounded so much like one. He glanced at the alpha mate, wondering what he’d have to say about one of his pride members threatening to tie someone up.

Liam was smiling and kept looking from Chris to the other two. “I feel that you’re making friends,” he told Chris.

“Not by choice,” Chris grumbled even though, yeah, hewasbecoming friends with these two.

It felt weird, but since they were in Drake’s life and weren’t going anywhere, and neither was Chris, Chris had decided he might as well do this. It was better than keeping his distance and making Drake sad, and Chris was starting to realize that he’d do pretty much anything for his mate, even though they hadn’t met that long ago.

He’d known Drake was it for him as soon as he’d smelled him. He’d been frightened, and he still was, but he was starting to realize that there was no need for him to be afraid.

He and Drake belonged together, and that was never going to change. Everything else could, but not their bond.

* * * *

Drake needed to get a grip. So far, Chris hadn’t said anything, but he still didn’t realize how bad Drake could get. Drake had slipped up a few times during their date, but not so badly that Chris would have noticed. He had to be careful, because if he wasn’t, Chris would realize that he was a needy dork, and he wouldn’t want anything to do with him anymore.

That was how it always went. Once Drake was relaxed enough in his relationship to be himself, the guys he dated ran. When they saw just how needy he was and how much time they had to dedicate to him to make him happy, they weren’t willing to put in the work. Drake couldn’t blame them. He was a lot, even for himself sometimes.

But Chris wasn’t just a guy. He was Drake’s mate, which, in theory, meant that he would love all of him, including his neediness.

Right?

Drake didn’t know for sure, and he wasn’t willing to risk it. If he had to, he’d hide his true self for the rest of his life. As long as Chris was happy, Drake was sure he would be, too.

Maybe if he kept telling himself that, he’d eventually believe it.

“How was your date?” Dennis asked.

He and Kyle had both come to the coffee shop today. Eddie was there, too, although he’d been mostly silent until now while Kyle and Dennis chatted. Drake had expected Dennis to turn his attention to him eventually, and he wasn’t surprised the time had come.

“It was fine,” he said.

Kyle arched a brow. “Just fine? Do I need to have a talk with my brother?”

“Haven’t you already taught him about the birds and the bees?” Eddie asked.

Kyle narrowed his eyes. “Why are we friends again?”

“Oh, we’re not really friends. You tolerate me because of Dennis.”

“Right. Well, you’d better be careful, because I might not tolerate you for much longer.”

“Children,” Dennis intervened, sounding serene. He was used to separating bickering idiots. Eddie was usually the quiet type and didn’t bicker with anyone, but it seemed he’d found a friend in Kyle.

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