Page 30 of Love in Unexpected Places

Sullivan grinned and raised Matty’s hand to kiss his knuckles.“Let’s go, then.I thought we could have dinner and maybe go to the park after that.I’m curious about your bear.”

Matty blinked.“You want me to shift?”

Sullivan kissed Matty’s knuckles again just because he could.“Unless you don’t want to?”

“Oh, I’m fine with shifting.I’m just not sure why you want me to.”

“I want to see all of you, Matty.I’ve always been in awe of shifters.You have magic, too.It just manifests in different ways, and I find it fascinating.The fact that it’s you makes it even better.”Sullivan wouldn’t push Matty if he didn’t want to do it, but he hoped his boyfriend would.He hadn’t been lying when he’d said that he wanted to know all of Matty.

Matty wasn’t human.He was a shifter, which meant that knowing all of him meant knowing his bear, too.

* * * *

Matty hadn’t thoughtthat Sullivan would dislike that he was a shifter.Sullivan had known from the beginning that Matty was one, and he’d seemed accepting.He’d even asked Matty what kind of shifter he was, and they’d briefly talked about the fact that being a bear shifter didn’t mean that Matty felt any more at home with the pack than anyone else in his family.

Matty hadn’t realized just how fascinated Sullivan was, though.He’d never really thought about how shifting worked—he hadn’t had the energy when he’d been focused on surviving—but now that he did, he wondered.Wasit magic?It had to be.He couldn’t think of any other explanation, and since mages had magic, it made sense that shifters also had it.

There was also the fact that Sullivan wanted to get to know all of Matty.No one ever had, and while Matty’s chosen family knew him better than anyone else in the world, this was different.Sullivan wasn’t a friend or a brother.He was Matty’s boyfriend, and while opening himself up that way to someone he didn’t know well was scary, Matty wanted to do it.He knew that Sullivan wouldn’t use what he said against him.He just wanted to get to know him, and Matty wanted the same.

“I can shift,” he confirmed.

It was dark in the car, but Matty could see Sullivan smile as if Matty had promised him the moon.

Matty didn’t understand that.He and Sullivan barely knew each other.Why was Sullivan so eager to get to know him and spend time with him?

Probably for the same reason that Matty wanted to spend time with him.He could tell that if they gave each other a chance, they could have a relationship that not many people had.They could have love, friendship, and support.

If they both survived the upcoming fight.

But Matty didn’t want to think about that, and neither did Sullivan.

“Let’s go and get something to eat, then,” Sullivan said before opening his door.He rushed around the car like he had earlier, but Matty beat him to it, sliding out before Sullivan got there.Sullivan shook his head, amused, and Matty grinned at him.

“You don’t have to open doors for me.I’m not a damsel in distress.”

Sullivan hooked a hand around the back of Matty’s neck and pulled him close.“I never thought you were.I was just trying to make you feel cared for.”

Matty sucked in a breath.He hadn’t told Sullivan that was what he wanted, so he wasn’t sure how Sullivan had guessed.Maybe Matty was obvious?Not that it mattered.Sullivan seemed to enjoy taking care of him, and Matty liked being taken care of.They were well-matched.

“You do,” Matty told him as he pressed forward and kissed his boyfriend.“And if you want to continue opening doors for me, I won’t say no.”

Sullivan smacked a kiss on the tip of Matty’s nose.“Good.Now, come on.I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”

Matty was hungry, too.He’d been so nervous that he’d barely eaten anything for lunch, and while his stomach still churned almost unpleasantly, he was starting to relax.Sullivan was behaving the way he had during the road trip.He seemed interested in Matty, never hesitated to tell Matty how he felt, and seemed intent on taking care of him.There was nothing more Matty could want or need.How could he be nervous when it was so clear that Sullivan was the right man for him?

“Where are we going?”he asked.

“Well, there’s not much choice in town, and considering the circumstances, I didn’t want to be too far away from pack territory.”

Sullivan didn’t have to say why.Matty could guess that he wanted to be close in case they were attacked and needed help.He probably felt safer here, where almost everyone who lived in town belonged to the pack or was in some way linked to it.The coven could still do a lot of damage, but Sullivan and Matty would be protected.Matty hated that they had to think like that, but there was no way around it.

He didn’t want to stop living his life just because the coven might attack and hurt him.It was even more dangerous for Sullivan because he lived with the coven, but he was here and seemed intent on having a good time.The least Matty could do was give him that.

“That’s fine with me.As long as we’re spending time together, I don’t care where we are,” Matty said as Sullivan stepped away and linked their fingers together.

He used that hold to pull Matty down the sidewalk.Matty followed without hesitation.

“Good, because I was thinking we could go to the diner.”

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