Page 18 of Shift Happens
“That was…” he finally whispered, voice filled with wonder.
“Yeah,” I agreed, lifting my head to meet his gaze. “It was.”
His eyes were bright, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Human bodies are remarkable.”
I laughed, rolling to his side but keeping one arm draped across him. “That’s your takeaway?”
“One of many,” he replied, turning to face me. “Another is that I want to do that again. And more. Much more.”
“We have all night,” I reminded him, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. “And checkout isn’t until noon tomorrow.”
His smile widened. “Efficient use of hotel resources. Very human of you.”
I pulled him closer, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “We should clean up first.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Right. Humans care about that sort of thing.”
“Trust me, you’ll appreciate it in a few minutes when things start getting… tacky.”
With some reluctance, we separated long enough to clean up in the bathroom. When Milo emerged, having discarded his soiled underwear in favor of nothing at all, I felt desire stirring again despite our recent release.
He noticed my gaze and smiled, a hint of shyness mixing with newfound confidence. “Is this okay? Wolves don’t usually bother with clothes when we’re in our dens.”
“More than okay,” I assured him, having opted for clean boxers myself. “Come here.”
He climbed back into bed, immediately curling against my side, head resting on my chest. The casual intimacy of it felt as significant as what we’d just shared.
“Your heart sounds nice,” he murmured, ear pressed over my heartbeat. “Strong and steady.”
I stroked his hair, marveling at how natural this felt. “Not racing anymore?”
“No,” he yawned. “Content now. Safe.”
Something protective unfurled in my chest at his words. I tightened my arm around him, dropping a kiss on the top of his head.
“Get some rest,” I suggested. “Convention day two tomorrow.”
He made a small noise of acknowledgment, already drifting toward sleep. Just before his breathing evened out completely, he murmured, “Best human experience yet.”
I smiled into the darkness, listening to his gentle breathing and feeling the warm weight of him against me. “Mine too,” I whispered, though he was already asleep.
Chapter 9
Morning found us tangled together, Milo half-sprawled across my chest, one leg thrown over mine. I woke first, taking a moment to simply watch him sleep. He looked younger, more vulnerable in repose, the usual nervous energy temporarily stilled.
As if sensing my gaze, his eyes fluttered open, immediately finding mine. A slow smile spread across his face.
“Morning,” he murmured, voice rough with sleep.
“Morning,” I replied, unable to resist leaning down to kiss him softly.
He hummed happily against my lips, stretching like a cat—or more appropriately, like a wolf waking from a nap. “Time is it?”
“Early,” I told him, glancing at the bedside clock. “We don’t need to be up yet.”
“Good.” He snuggled closer, pressing a kiss to my chest. “Because I was having very interesting dreams about you.”
“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow. “What kind of dreams?”
