“We obviously have different perspectives on the sex thing. Considering that we’re different species—or weweredifferent species—I don’t think that’s insane. Do you?”
“No,” he admitted. “I can understand why waiting for your mate would seem insane to a human.”
“And if you and your wolf know you have a fated mate, I can see why you would wait for them,” I agreed. “I don’t personally think there’s only one possible soulmate for someone, but I do think that if fate pairs two compatible people, they can learn what each other want and like both in bed and in the rest of their lives.”
Nico nodded, looking slightly more at ease. “I wouldn’t want you more or less if I’d been with other people.”
I didn’t necessarily agree with that, but who was I to tell him he was wrong?
I hadn’t lived his life. I’d never been raised a werewolf. Maybe they experienced relationships differently than the rest of us. And maybe that was okay.
Regardless, I could accept that I’d been insensitive at the very least, if not cruel. To both Nico and to myself. Telling him he’d only enjoyed screwing me because he hadn’t been with anyone else was fucked up on so many levels. All of which I probably needed to work through.
“I believe you.” My words were simple, but his shoulders relaxed immediately. “I shouldn’t have said what I did.”
“You were taken by surprise. I understand that.” Nico finally stepped away from the door and sat down on the couch with me. He left a few feet between us, but that didn’t surprise me. I deserved it, and he still didn’t look completely at ease. “My wolf is fighting me. He never does this,” Nico said.
My eyebrows lifted. “Because of me?”
He nodded. Frustration flickered on his face before his expression went neutral again. I got the impression that he was pretty good at hiding his emotions, if not just ignoring them straight-up.
“Well, what does he want?” I checked.
“I don’t know.” The admission sounded painful.
“What do wolves usually want?”
“Attention. Acknowledgment. Appreciation.”
I blinked.
That was kind of a lot.
“Physical affection,” he added reluctantly.
That was easier than the other options.
I scooted across the couch and swung one leg over his lap, straddling him and wrapping my arms around his neck as I sat down. “Like this?”
His hands were on my hips in an instant, his grip tight. “If you’re comfortable with it.”
“I basically jumped you in my apartment’s bathroom, Cucumber. I think we’ve established my comfort level.”
“You never finished your thought about sexting.”
Ohh.
Right.
“A cucumber is one of the things people use to represent a cock.”
Nico’s eyebrows lifted. “So you’ve been calling me Cock?”
“No. You introduced yourself by saying you needed to grab a cucumber. I couldn’t help but associate you with the word.”
He snorted “I did, didn’t I?”
“Yup.”
