Blue Mountain (Pack 1)

“I’m interested in all of you, past, present, and future. But if you’re looking for something more tangible and immediate.” Mitch furrowed his brow in thought. “How about we watch a movie on the satellite? You get to choose the movie, and I get to hold you while we watch it?”

“Hold me?”

“Mmm hmm. At this moment, I’m interested in holding you.” Mitch raised his hand slowly, waiting until Simon noticed it before carefully placing it on Simon’s knee. “Clothes stay on. You’ll be safe.”

He was harder than stone just from Mitch’s proximity and simple touch. Spending an entire evening in Mitch’s thick arms, surrounded by his spicy scent, was liable to have Simon exploding in his pants. It would be torture, but there was no way to resist something he fiercely craved.

“Okay.”

Mitch smiled broadly.

“But not until later,” Simon said nervously as he stood. “I have to clean up from lunch and finish organizing the closet and get dinner put together and take a shower.” He bit his tongue to stop himself from rambling.

Smiling, Mitch rose to his feet. “You want my help with any of that?” He dragged his gaze up and down Simon’s body. “Any of it?”

“No.” Simon shook his head. He needed activities to keep busy and stop himself from worrying about what he was doing and why he wasn’t worrying about it. “I’m sure you have a lot of work and I like doing this.”

“All right. Tonight. You, me, and couch time.” Mitch brushed his hand over Simon’s face, rubbed his thumb back and forth over his cheek. “Can I kiss you here?”

No longer able to remember why he was keeping his distance when being close to Mitch felt so warm, safe, and right, Simon nodded.

His pace completely unhurried, Mitch dipped his face and brushed warm, dry lips over Simon’s cheek. “I’m looking forward to our date.”

Chapter 9

“I’ve never been on a date,” Simon whispered.

They’d been watching a movie for about an hour, neither of them speaking, so it took Mitch a moment to process Simon’s quiet confession.

He should have been happy. His entire life, he’d been fiercely protective of his family, and with his wounded mate, that characteristic had twisted into possessiveness. And yet, his chest ached in reaction to Simon’s words. Mitch wanted to keep Simon safe, to shield him from anyone who could hurt him, physically or emotionally. But the last thing he wanted was for him to have been lonely.

“Why not?” He reached for the remote control on the end table, making sure to keep his arm around Simon. The smaller man had been curled into his side from the moment the movie started and Mitch didn’t want that closeness to end.

Simon shrugged.

After pausing the movie, Mitch set the remote down and then twisted sideways and wrapped his free arm around Simon, settling his mate partly on his lap. Then he stroked his hand through Simon’s hair and waited.

“Who was I going to date?” Simon said, and then, more quietly, added, “And who would want to date me?”

“Anybody with the slightest bit of sense.”

Simon snorted. “I’m not sure I came across many people like that.”

“No?”

“Well, we were always careful around humans because if you get close to them, there’s a risk they figure out you’re not like them, which is dangerous.”

Thrilled his mate was speaking to him so freely, Mitch kept up his light touches and tried to make Simon as comfortable as possible. “What about other shifters?”

“No,” Simon bit out. “Shifters are even more dangerous.”

Sighing, Mitch tightened his hold on Simon and wished for the thousandth time that he’d found him earlier in life and been able to save him from at least some of his struggles. “Not all of us are dangerous. I promise. You’ll see.”

“Maybe.” Simon’s forehead wrinkled, a sign he was remembering something. “I did meet one shifter who helped me.”

“Uh-huh?” Mitch asked encouragingly, wanting Simon to focus on a positive memory about their kind and to share more of his past.

“Yeah. A couple of years ago. My mom was already getting weak by then so she rested while I worked. We were in a campground, but not in any pack’s territory. Anyway, I had the nightshift bussing tables at a restaurant. There was a group of shifters there, doing more drinking than eating. I stayed as far away from them as I could but I guess they saw me—” He paused. “Or smelled me. They caught up with me on my way back to camp. We were pretty far from the buildings, and I didn’t think anyone would hear me yell, but this guy hauled over in his car, honking the horn and shining the lights on us. Then he stopped and jumped out, screaming at them and waving a cell phone. I thought maybe they’d attack him too but I guess the noise and the light and the possibility he had someone on the phone scared ‘em off because they ran for it, and then Jobe—” He glanced up at Mitch. “That’s his name—he introduced himself later. Jobe said he’d drive me home. I didn’t know he was a shifter so I agreed.”