Page 34 of Briggs
I stared up at my new mate. “What was wrong with this one? We’re mated, aren’t we?”
Briggs winced. “Yes, but it was rushed, and for that, I’m sorry. I wanted to take my time with you and show you how amazing intimacy could be between two people.”
I placed my hands on top of one another on Briggs’s chest before I rested my chin on it and stared at him. “Was it bad?” I asked. “I came, you came, that’s good. Is it not?”
Briggs sighed. “We did. It’s just…I wanted more for you. Not that I want to bring it up now while we’re still knotted together, but I wanted you to have a memorable first time with me.”
I guess I wasn’t following. Not really. “Well, I came. That’s never happened before, so how is it not memorable? You’re thefirst that has ever made me come, the first that has ever cared about how I felt during sex. So tell me how was it not amazing?”
Briggs looked horrified. “You have been so mistreated,” he said as he reached up and ran his fingers through my hair. “I want to give you everything you’ve ever wanted. I want to show you how amazing things can be not only between two people but with life in general.”
I smiled and shook my head. “You already have. You don’t know it yet, but just being willing to even consider being mine is everything.” I turned my head and laid it down on my hands. I couldn’t look at him and get out what I wanted to say next. “I’m not going to be easy to live with. What they did to me.” I took a deep breath. “What they made me do. I’m not worthy of having someone as amazing as you or anyone, really.”
“No,” Briggs said harshly. “Look at me now.” I did as told, but my eyes were already filling with tears. Briggs saw them, and the thundercloud that was his face softened. “No,” he said quietly. He reached out again, this time cupping my face. He swiped under my eye, wiping away my tears as they fell. “You are worthy. You are amazing and have so much to give. Don’t think that about yourself. Don’t ever think or say those words again. You are. You didn’t choose to be sold. Your uncle is to blame for that. You survived. You did what you had to in order to come out of that place. You are so, so strong.”
“You don’t really know me,” I said in response. I wanted to believe him. He wasn’t saying anything that I’d not been told by others. But they were doctors and council members, and they had to? Maybe? I wasn’t too sure. Everyone I’d met with the council had all said the same things, and deep down, I knew they were right. That it wasn’t my fault. But that didn’t change what had happened to me and the others.
“I know you more than you realize,” Briggs told me. He looked as if he was going to say something else, but his knotchose that exact moment to release. I gasped when the pressure was suddenly gone, but I quickly realized there was a new problem and it was the mess. It came gushing out.
“Oh no,” I said as I tried to clench things and scramble off my mate. Briggs wasn’t having it though. He wrapped his arms tightly around me and then sat up. The new position put me on my knees over his lap, and that was worse.
“It’s all right. We’ll be sure to put a couple of towels down next time, but I have plenty of bedding, and we can easily change it later. How about a shower? Then maybe we can go for that run? I know you said you don’t run on the mountain after dark, but I’ll be with you. And the mountain is completely secure.”
“I’d like that,” I told him.
“Good.” Briggs kissed me really quick, and then somehow, he scooted to the end of the bed and slipped off, all without letting me go. I quickly grabbed on to his shoulders to keep from slipping. Not that he would let me fall. At least, I didn’t think so.
“Where are we going? And how did you do that?”
Briggs chuckled. “We’re going to shower. You agreed to a shower and then a run, did you not?”
“Yes. But…” I glanced back at the bed. “How did you just stand while holding me?”
“You’re not exactly heavy, Todd. And I have excellent balance. In both forms.”
We were in the bathroom now, and I let my legs drop when I felt Briggs slowly start to lower me to the floor.
“Wow, your bathroom is nice.” I had a nice bathroom too, but it was obvious that my place had been built with smaller people in mind—omegas.
“Thanks. I didn’t do anything except add the towels and stuff.” Briggs kissed my nose, then took a step back, causing me to have to drop my arms from where they were around his neck. I looked around a bit more as he went to start the shower.
“Is it all right if I use your toilet?” I asked. It was incredibly embarrassing to even have to ask that, but, well, I was still clenching things.
“Absolutely. You don’t have to ask to do such things.” Briggs kissed the side of my head. “I’ll be out in the bedroom stripping the bed while you take care of those things. When the water is hot, feel free to hop on in even if I’m not back.”
I didn’t get a chance to say anything back before he was gone. We would have plenty of time to talk while in the shower, but I had more urgent things to take care of, so I hurried to the toilet and sat down.
I sighed in relief when I was able to finally take care of stuff. Obviously, things of this nature happened, and it was super sweet of Briggs to leave the room so I could do it in private. But what about when I went into heat? He said he had been told it was going to happen. Dr. King had said the same thing to me. As had Dr. Swift. Not that he was the same kind of doctor. But he understood just how much trauma my body and mind had gone through and how that would affect how everything functioned. I wasn’t so sure though.
I finished quickly, then flushed and dove into the shower. I wanted to see about washing certain parts before Briggs came into the bathroom. I wasn’t sure if I still had my thoughts completely open to him or if it was honestly just coincidence or what, but I somehow managed to do just that. Seconds after I finished rinsing certain parts, Briggs came strolling back into the bathroom. He leaned against the doorway all sexy-like and grinned.
“Mind if I join you, or would you rather shower alone?”
“It’s your shower,” I said.
Briggs shrugged. “Sort of. At the moment, it’s ours. We’ll have to figure out where we’re going to live, but we have time.” Briggs stepped into the shower, and I wondered if the lack ofshower door or curtain was because it was easier or for some other reason.
“You mentioned the mated enforcer housing.”
