Page 68 of Right Next Door
A terrible, neglectful mate, she’d called him.
And he felt every bit of one.
Tsok’s private room was on the top floor of the manor. It was a large space, offering views in every direction through the large, glass windows. They were mirrored on the outside, so no one could see in while offering him an unobstructed view. Misty let out a gasp of appreciation when they walked out of the lift that took up space in the very center of the room. His living area surrounded it. One end of the suite had a relaxation and fun room, while the other end had his bedroom. He finally let go of her there, giving her a chance her look around his space curiously as he stormed to into his privy.
He had to clean his mouth. His hands. He wanted to take a shower in case any part of those berries still clung to him. He did so quickly. Furiously.
Mad at Davard. Mad at himself. He could still taste his female on his fur. His cock was still achingly hard, stuck outside of its sheath, despite the disgust he felt at himself. It had fully extruded and wouldn’t go down until he took care of it.
But how could he, knowing what he’d done?
One careless order, that had been all it nearly took to ensure his female hated him forever. And he couldn’t even blame her if she did. He was shocked she’d tolerated him to this point.
When he returned, it was to see that Misty had sat on the end his bed. The sight of her just made all the self-directed rage rise up again and he began pacing. She watched him for a while. He could feel her eyes on him, though he couldn’t face her in return.
“You really didn't know, did you?” She finally asked some time later.
He winced, coming to a halt. He wanted to ask if she really thought him to be so cold that he wouldn’t care that she nearly died, but he already knew the answer. She believed his determination to wait for her permission to approach had been his negligence. She had no reason to think he’d be concerned about her well-being after neglecting her.
“Why did you tell Davard that?” She asked, cocking her head curiously. “Not to tell you anything important? Did you not care?”
“Of course, I cared!” He replied quickly. He didn't dare hesitate and let that thought sink any further than it already had in her head. “I just…”
“You just what?”
“I just… didn't want you to think I was spying on you. I would hear every minute of your day retold to me if you allowed it, but I would not ask for that from you, especially not so soon. I wanted to hear only things that I needed to take care of or fix in his reports. The rest of it, I prefer to hear directly from you. Someday. If you would have permitted it.”
His jaw tightened as he looked away. Had that decision been a mistake too? Had he done even a single thing right since she got here?
Thinking back, he couldn’t recall a single one. Everything he’d done, every choice he made, had been a mistake.
He truly was a terrible, neglectful mate.
He heard his female’s heels clicking against the stone floor. She came to his side and reached up. He winced, half expecting her to hit him. Almost wishing she would.
But her hand was gentle as she touched his face, turning him to look at her.
And her eyes were soft. Adoring. Happy…
No. He must be seeing what he wanted to see. Imagining that his mate could be pleased with him.
“You really are a big dummy,” she laughed, stepping up against him. Putting her arms around his neck. His hands twitched with the desire to hold her in turn, but he didn't think he deserved that.
“I’ve neglected you.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I ignored you when you were near death.”
“Sure did.”
“I tried to kill you with those berries.”
“Yup.”
“I cannot do a single thing correctly when it comes to you.”
“It appears you cannot.”
