Page 27 of Briggs
“Yeah. Don’t you? They’re included with the service here on the mountain. Did you not know that?”
Todd sighed. “I didn’t, no. I have a TV, but I actually don’t watch it much. I go to work, then after work, I usually go running with John and Banner. After that, it’s time for supper, and then I try not to think about the night and if I’ll be able to sleep through it or not.”
I gave Todd’s hand a squeeze. “We need to talk about that. Do you not sleep at all or just very little?”
“I sleep. I just don’t always stay that way. Sometimes I wake up because I’ve shifted and it hurts. Others I wake up because something wakes me—usually a dream. Sometimes I just wake up and I’m in my cheetah form. It’s getting better, but it still happens, and I don’t want to hurt Tracy, which is why she doesn’t live with me. John can shift and protect himself. ButTracy isn’t shifting yet. She’s probably getting close, but it might be another year or two.”
We’d arrived at my place, and when I opened the door, Todd stared up at me. He glanced back over his shoulder, then back into my place. “Here we are.”
“You weren’t kidding when you said you didn’t live far from the clinic.”
I shook my head. “Nope. At least not right now. Mated enforcer housing is down by where we took our walk earlier. It’s a little way away, but not too far.” I held my free arm out. “After you.”
Todd walked into where I’d called home since I’d been here, and I wondered how much longer I’d be here. Would we be moving soon, or would Todd need to take things slower? If what Canyon said was true, Todd was going to go into heat in a few days, and then what? Would we be mated by then, or would that be the result of him going into heat? I’d just have to wait and see.
Chapter 10
Todd
Iwas nervous. I had obviously had sex before, and I’d been talking as if I was all right with all of this, but now that I was in Briggs’s house, I was a bit anxious. And it wasn’t about the actual act. I hadn’t been at all interested in sex since I’d been rescued, and rightly so. But Briggs changed that. My body was responding to being near him, and that was such a wonderful feeling.
But my anxiety came from the fact that I wanted things to be good between us. I wanted to please my mate, and I didn’t know if I’d be able to do that. I’d never wanted to have sex before. This was all new, and I wasn’t sure how to act upon it.
“You’re upset,” Briggs said as he came up behind me.
“No. Nervous. Or maybe anxious is more it?” I sighed and turned. “I want things to work between us. I want to please you and want you to want things with me.”
Briggs pulled me into his arms, and I just melted. His embrace felt so safe, and his scent calmed me. “It’ll happen,” he whispered. “Just stop stressing yourself out about it. That will only make for a painful experience for the two of us that we’ll struggle with going forward.” Briggs leaned back enough to look down at me. “It’ll happen when it’s supposed to. If that’s tonight,no complaints from me. Tomorrow morning? Also not a bad time. But for now, we’re going to take off our shoes, pop some popcorn and see what other snacks I have in the cabinet, and then sit on the couch and watch a movie.”
I nodded because what else could I do? All of that sounded wonderful, and even my cheetah was telling me to let Briggs guide me through this. That was probably the most logical thing since I knew nothing about seduction. I knew how to have sex, but I didn’t know how to initiate anything. That had never been what I had experienced in the past.
“You’ve gone quiet. Have I said something to upset you?” Briggs asked. “I’m trying not to push you faster than you’re ready for.”
“I’m not upset. I’m just trying to figure out how to talk to you about stuff. I asked Dr. Braun a lot of questions earlier, and he had some really good advice, but advice is different than me actually being able to do some of the things.”
Briggs smiled. “What kind of things? Or if you don’t want to say, that’s all right.”
I shook my head. “I don’t mind, I’m supposed to be your mate and there’s no secrets between us, right?” Briggs nodded. “I’m trying to…you know I’ve had sex. But I’ve never been the one to start things. I don’t know how to do that.”
Briggs gave me a gentle smile. “It’ll happen,” he said as he reached out and touched my cheek. “Don’t stress about it. I happen to know how to set a mood, and I don’t foresee any issues between us. It will happen. Just trust me?”
I could only nod. I had no doubt that Briggs knew how to do all of those things, and that being with him in that way was going to be unlike any other time I’d been forced to endure.
“Do you have the butter-flavored popcorn? Or do we need to melt butter to add to it?” I would eat it without, but it was infinitely better with butter.
“I have butter flavored. But if you want extra butter, we can melt some in the microwave.” Briggs opened his refrigerator and pointed. “I have pop and water and it looks like an unopened jug of juice.” He winced. “I was on assignment until this morning, and I haven’t had a chance to go to the store yet. I’ll get there tomorrow, or I might take up Master Edison on his offer to send things here if I just give him a list.”
“He does grocery delivery? Just like that?”
Briggs chuckled. “I would imagine not normally. He’s offered because of the circumstances. I’ve just not had a chance to send him a list. Did you want to pick something to drink?”
I went to where Briggs was standing and softly touched his side while reaching in for a drink. I held it up and grinned. “Thanks,” I told him.
Briggs looked as if he was clenching his jaw, and I wasn’t quite sure what that was about. Had I done something to upset him?
“Everything all right?”
“Yep. Did you want your own bag of popcorn or to share one?” Briggs asked. He grabbed his own can of pop and set it on the counter before opening the tall cabinet that was beside it.
