Page 20 of Heart of Glass

“You claimed him without permission, without even telling him what you are. Then you told him you loved him like you’d talk about making a sandwich. If that wasn’t bad enough, you then proceeded to tell him exactly how things would be and how great of a gift you’d given him by claiming him.” Grady snorted again and rolled his eyes. “Can you blame him for being pissed?”

“He’s mad?” Sitting up straighter on the sofa, Lachlan turned to face Grady and jerked the remote out of his hand. “I thought he just needed some time. Why didn’t you tell me he was pissed?”

“Calm down, Debby Drama. He’ll get over it.”

Throwing the remote at Grady’s chest, Lachlan growled as he leapt over the back of the couch and marched down the hallway toward his office. All week, he’d thought Lachlan needed space, and he’d tried to respect that. Now, he realized he had a lot of explaining to do, and possibly even more groveling.

He knocked twice at the door, respecting the boundaries his mate had erected between them, even though he wanted to just barge right inside. “Lachlan, can I come in?”

“Sure.”

Stepping into the room, he found Lachlan perched in the desk chair with his fingers flying across the keyboard. “How’s it going?”

“One second. Let me just finish up this paragraph.” He continued typing for several more seconds before sitting back and looking up at Xeno with a bright smile. “Hey, what’s up?”

“You tell me. You’ve been avoiding me all week.”

“I haven’t been avoiding you.” Lachlan swiveled in the chair to face Xeno when he plopped down on the bean bag in the corner. “I’ve been working.”

“You’ve been avoiding, but I get it. I got a little excited and put a lot of pressure on you to be just as excited. I’m sorry, sweetheart. We can go as slow as you need.” Gods, he was fucking up all over again. Dropping his head into his hands with a heavy sigh, he took a few deep breaths before speaking again. “I know it seems like I’m not giving you a choice, but I just want you to stay so much.” He shook his head hard. “Fuck, I’m no good at this.”

The floorboards creaked, and a pair of small, dainty feet appeared in his line of vision. Lifting his head, his heart nearly stopped when Lachlan straddled his thighs and cradled his jaw in both hands. “I think you’re doing just fine. Keep going.”

“I know it hasn’t been very long, but I love you, Lachlan. I think I’ve loved you since the first time I saw you sitting alone in the corner of the café. Then the thought of you leaving makes it hard to breathe, and I say the wrong thing or do something stupid.”

“I was scared, Xe, that’s all. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’ve never had a relationship last longer than three months, and there you were talking about love and eternity.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop.” Lachlan laughed and kissed Xeno’s forehead. “I also had to figure out if what I felt was real, or if it was some side effect of this destined bond thing between us.”

“Did you figure it out?”

“Yeah, Grady helped a lot with that, but I get it now. Things are a little more intense because of it, but our connection only amplifies what I’m already feeling.”

Xeno swallowed hard and licked his dry lips. “And what are you feeling?”

“I’m ready, now. It’s okay to let myself hope for more, to believe in happy endings.”

Xeno didn’t know what the hell that meant, but it sounded good. “Okay.”

Laughing freely, Lachlan grabbed his face and kissed him deeply. “I love you, Xeno. Who cares if it’s only been a couple of weeks? I believe in all kinds of amazing things like ghosts, aliens, and werewolves.” He tossed a wink at Xeno as he giggled. “It’s not a stretch to believe in love at first sight or that some greater power lead us together. I know what I feel, and fuck anyone who tells me I’m wrong.”

Echoing Lachlan’s laughter, Xeno rolled his mate beneath him and claimed his lips in a sensual kiss full of promises. “Go get ’em, tiger.”

“I will.” Lachlan nodded resolutely. “First, I have to finish this manuscript, though, so off you go.”

“You’re kicking me out?”

“Yes. Christmas is in less than a week, and there are no decorations, no tree, and we don’t even have food for Christmas dinner. So, you’re going shopping, and I’m going back to work.”

“You’re a slave driver,” Xeno pouted playfully.

Lachlan giggled again. “When you get back, I want to see that shift thing you do again. That is seriously cool. Is it just the eyes and fangs and claws? Or do you go all beast mode with the fur and everything?”

“Just the stuff you’ve seen,” Xeno confirmed. “There are a lot of different types of werewolves, and my kind isn’t as impressive with the physical changes.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Slipping a hand between them, Lachlan squeezed Xeno’s cock through his jeans and smirked. “Don’t be gone too long.”

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