Chapter Twenty-Six
VANESSA
MY HEART POUNDS, and I clutch my papers to my desk as I step through the portal.
Chev has given his notice at work, and in less than one month, he’ll no longer be working here. I still don’t know how I feel about it, especially since his last month will be spent at the headquarters.
The council practically demanded it. They’re angry with Chev’s continued absence, and they requested he spend his last month in a place where he’s more readily accessible to Echo and the others.
I’m playing it cool, but I miss him. He didn’t have time to drive me to the Wrath facility this morning, and despite the ever-growing pile of work I need to get through, I’m finding myself heading to the headquarters for the first time in months.
The last time I was in this building was when I met Chev, and it takes me a moment to adjust after stepping through the portal. I forgot how loud and busy this place is. Several people hurry around, and I notice many throwing sly glances in my direction.
It won’t take Chev long to hear I’m here, and I hide a smile as I head toward my office.
The room is untouched, and I get to work while I wait. It takes less than an hour before my office door bursts open, and my smile grows as a glowing Chev enters the room.
“Can I help you?” I tease.
Chev crosses his arms over his chest, causing the muscles to bulge and steal my attention. I’m sure he’s doing it on purpose. I’d bet money that Chev has a praise kink. The moment that thought filters through my mind, I clear my throat and shake my head. Those are dangerous thoughts.
“I’m offended you waited until I quit to come into the office,” Chev says. He raises a brow and leans against the door frame. “I’m even more offended you haven’t come to see me.”
I shrug. I wanted to see how long it would take him to come to me, and I’m not disappointed. I also wasn’t sure he’d want me here. I know he’s been busy, and he’s gotten further behind on his work than he initially let on.
He’s been trying to do everything out of Wrath, but I assume it’s hard to work when surrounded by the Wrath trio and their children. I’ve heard stories of Chev having to cut a meeting short because one of the toddlers came to him crying after their parents told them no.
The children seem to have a soft spot for Chev. I like it. Hearing people talk about how good Chev is with children is comforting, and it has very inappropriate feelings stirring within me.
Our mate bond doesn’t have the same reservations toward men that I do, and it’s doing a surprisingly good job calming my fears whenever Chev and I are together. We’ve already done much more than I ever thought possible, but the bond is greedy. It wants intimacy, and it wants sex and children.
“Do you want to get lunch with me?” Chev asks.
I purse my lips and glance at the clock. “It’s still early.”
“Would you like to work from my office, then?” Chev pushes off the doorway. “I can bring in a desk for you, and we can share the room.”
He trails his fingertips across my desk, his movements smooth. A small part of me always expects him to be clunky, but he seldom is. Despite how awkward his words can be, the way he physically moves never is. He’s a predator through and through.
“I don’t think we’d get much work done if we shared an office,” I say.
Chev’s lips twitch, and only once I repeat the words in my head do I realize how they can be taken. I’m sure he knows I didn’t mean it sexually, and I don’t bother trying to correct myself. Either way, what I say is true.
If Chev’s not trying to start a conversation, I am, and the few times we aren’t talking, it’s only because we’re staring at one another. We won’t get any work done.
“Do you think the pull of our bond will ever lessen?” I ask.
Chev physically recoils. “Why would you ask that?” He steps back. “Do you want it to?”
I shake my head. “Of course not.”
I like our bond—a sentence I never thought I’d say—but I don’t know much about it. I’ve not spent much time with mated pairs, and I don’t know what to expect. I know our bond will always exist, but will I always be so distracted by Chev? Will it always be so consuming?
“You grew up in the shifter lands surrounded by mates,” I say, “but I hardly know anything about them. I’m just curious.” I clear my throat before continuing. “I was taken from my parents when I was a child, and ogres don’t have mates.”
Chev relaxes, his tense muscles softening. “The bond will never become less intense. We’ll learn to grow comfortable with it, though…” He trails off, his eyes narrowing. “But I’ll make sure you never become too complacent. I’ll keep you aching for the rest of our lives.”
My lips twitch. The rest of our lives. I have a mate I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. What a peculiar thought.
“I’ll always ache for you, Chev,” I promise him.
I rise and walk around my desk, eager for physical contact. Chev doesn’t hesitate to open his arms and pull me into a hug, and I bury my face against his neck the way we both like. Despite how complicated I sometimes feel he is, he’s easy at his core.
He just wants to be loved.
So do I.
Chev squeezes me, and his fingers trail over the back of my bra. He lingers on the spot where the skin indents around the elastic.
I’ll never understand the male desire for breasts, and I hold in a laugh as Chev pulls back and stares down at my chest. His smile as he does so is infectious, and he makes brief eye contact with me before cupping one.
“If you’d like, I can be your bra.”
He looks at me with earnest, wide eyes, and I feel only slightly bad for how I swat away his hand. He immediately steps back and puts space between us. He’s always doing that, physically removing the entirety of himself whenever I ask him to stop. I appreciate it more than he knows.
I see the effort Chev puts into ensuring I always feel comfortable around him. The more time I spend with him, the more I’ve noticed it, and he’s slowly chipping away at the protective barrier I’ve built around my heart.
I’ve been the only person I can rely on for as long as I can remember, the only person I knew had my best interests at heart, but Chev’s worming his way in. I have a feeling this man would die for me if it came down to it.
“Is that a yes to moving into my office?” Chev asks, returning to our earlier conversation.
I hum, debating it.
“We really shouldn’t,” I say.
“I won’t bother you,” Chev pleads, lifting his skirt to show his mated mark.
He gives me a sly look as he teases the black line, once again trying to tempt me. I don’t have the heart to tell him that, while I love seeing his mark, it’s not nearly as alluring as he seems to think. It’s the easiest way to tell when he truly wants me to do something, though. I’ve grown to live by the rule that if Chev tries to seduce me with his mark, he really wants me to say yes.
“I’ll do it under one condition,” I decide.
Chev nods so fast, I’m surprised he doesn’t give himself a headache. “Anything,” he promises.
My smile grows. “I’d like to see your home.”
Chev stares, his eyes wide with shock. I’ve never asked to see the shifter lands before, but he’s always bragging about the large trees and changes he’s been making to his home. I know he’s eager for me to visit.
He’s been keeping me updated on the progress of his kitchen renovation, and he’s just about finished. The exterior walls are completed, and all that’s left to do is build in the center island and put up cabinets.
Chev steps forward, swooping me into his arms. “I would be honored, my mate,” he says. My feet dangle off the ground, and Chev twists me side to side before setting me back down. “I’ll carry your desk.”
I didn’t realize he intended to move me into his office right now. He doesn’t even bother emptying the drawers before picking up the entire piece of furniture. Fuck. Chev is strong.
He easily lifts my desk above his head before storming out of my office and down the busy hallways. I follow, too embarrassed to make eye contact with the people who stop and stare. I’m sure we’re a sight to see. Chev is carrying a desk half his size and I’m following behind with my computer clutched tightly to my chest.
Echo is one of the ones who stares, and she doesn’t bother stifling her cackles.
Chev grunts and kicks a foot in her direction. “You are an ugly, hairless bear.”
Echo gasps and storms away. Chev smiles at her retreating figure, and I roll my eyes. Those two are constantly arguing, and I feel bad for their parents. They must’ve been a handful growing up.
When we enter Chev’s office, I realize he already arranged the space so my desk easily fits inside. He cleared space for me before even asking if I wanted to share.
“A bit presumptuous, don’t you think?” I ask.
Chev only shrugs, clearly not feeling the least bit embarrassed as he sets down my desk and fiddles to get it into the perfect position.
“I gave you the good side,” he says, gesturing to the large window to the left of my desk.
What have I just agreed to?