Chapter 11 Carter #2
“But to answer your questions. We have bears, mountain lions, and natural wolves. They avoid us as we avoid them. I don’t know for certain where the phrase originated, but I think it came from The Wizard of Oz.”
Carter beamed at Rey. Most people ignored his inane questions. Rey had answered them, even the one that wasn’t related to his safety. “Thank you.”
Rey pressed a kiss to Carter’s forehead. “Anytime, my beautiful mate. Now, let’s get this dinner done so we can get some food in you.”
They worked together to cut up the vegetables for the salad while the pasta heated.
It surprised Carter when Rey opened the pantry to grab a new container of mustard and he saw several jars of unlabeled marinara sauce.
The jars didn’t look like any of the usual ones in the store. “Do you make your own sauce?”
Rey shook his head as he closed the pantry door. “Some of the pack members have organic businesses. They grow their own vegetables, raise their own animals, and our pack supports them by buying those items from them instead of the big chain stores outside the town limits.”
“That’s great! What kinds of animals do they raise? I love animals. I’ve always wanted a dog, but my parents never let me have one, and I always seemed to live in apartments where pets weren’t allowed. Have you ever had a dog?”
Carter kept asking questions, and Rey’s patience never seemed to run out.
He answered without annoyance or frustration in his voice or face.
By the time they’d eaten dinner, Carter could barely keep his head up, exhaustion setting in.
He let out only a token of protest when Rey picked him up from the chair and carried him upstairs.
Carter snuggled into Rey’s chest, eyes closed, and he was out before Rey even made it all the way to their bed.
Morning light streaming in the windows roused Carter from slumber.
He blinked against the light to clear away the cobwebs of sleep.
A heavy arm lay across his waist, and for a brief second, he thought he was back in California with Darryl behind him in bed.
Then the soft nuzzle of stubble along his shoulder and the sweet scent of warm sugar and vanilla reminded him he was in Senaka.
With his mate. Carter smiled, wiggling back into Rey’s embrace.
Rey hummed. “Good morning, sweetheart. How’d you sleep?”
“Amazingly,” Carter said. “The best I’ve ever slept.”
Rey’s arm tightened around him. “Me, too. I thought today I’d take you around town, show you some of what Senaka offers, before stopping in at my shop to check in with Nevada. You up for that?”
“Sure! I’d love to see where you work. I need coffee though. Can we stop at the cute little diner I saw on the way into town?”
“I have one of those single pod coffee makers downstairs. You might like one of those instead. The coffee at the diner is the kind which will put hair on your chest.”
Carter giggled. “That might be an improvement. I’ve never had chest hair. I waited so long for it when I hit puberty, but it never grew. Every other boy at school kept showing theirs off, excited to be becoming a man. I got teased about my lack of.”
Rey growled, sliding a palm underneath Carter’s shirt and up along his chest. “I like the smooth look and feel.”
Smiling, Carter rolled onto his back to look at Rey.
At some point, Rey had tied his hair back again, and Carter wanted nothing more than to strip the little band away.
He loved Rey’s hair—silky, soft, and beautiful inky darkness against his body.
He ran his hand over Rey’s chest. “You didn’t grow hair either.
Is that a Native American thing? I noticed Kasey doesn’t have any either. ”
Grabbing Carter’s hand, Rey laid it flat over his right pectoral. “I think it depends on genetics. Not all Native Americans are without chest hair.” He narrowed his gaze at Carter. “Why were you checking out Kasey?”
A laugh broke from Carter, and he patted Rey’s chest. “He came to Emerald Lake Hills last year to help Nick and Thayne. While he and his mate were out there, they went to the lake to swim. I noticed because I liked his tattoos. That’s all. You don’t have to be jealous.”
Rey grunted and popped a quick kiss onto Carter’s mouth. “I’m a possessive man, little wolf. I can’t help it with you.” He trailed his fingers over Carter’s mating mark. “Especially now that we’ve claimed each other.”
Carter shivered, pleasure zinging through him from Rey’s touch. The sensations went straight to his groin, rousing his cock from its softened sleep. Carter rolled to his side, facing Rey, to hide his reaction.
“After we get back, we can set up your new computer in my office. Did you already text Nick your new number?”
“I texted him from the car last night. I will have to call my job and let them know I won’t be coming back.” Carter frowned, wondering if he was jumping the gun and thinking things he shouldn’t. “Or should I wait?”
“Why wait?” Rey asked. “We’re mates and we aren’t going to live apart from one another.”
“I didn’t want to assume anything,” Carter said, eyes downcast.
“Carter, look at me.” Huffing slightly, Carter raised his gaze to meet Rey’s.
Rey took Carter’s chin between thumb and forefinger.
“I want you here, sweetheart. In our bed, our house, and in my arms. You belong here. Call your workplace and tell them you’ve moved.
Later this week or next week, we’ll work on things to get your tech support service set up. ”
“Maybe I should get a different job. I don’t have any savings to start a business from scratch.”
Rey gave him a stern look, causing Carter to close his mouth with a slight snap. “I have plenty to help you get on your feet, sweetheart. No more arguing,” he tacked on at the end when Carter went to protest again.
Grimacing, Carter bit his tongue. He didn’t feel comfortable taking Rey’s money. Mates or not, he didn’t earn it. It was Rey’s. Maybe he could figure out a way to prevent Rey from using it on him.
A sigh of frustration pulled Carter from his thoughts. “Whatever is going around in that sexy brain of yours, stop.”
“But—”
“Nope. No ifs, buts, or anything in between. It’s happening. Time to get out of bed. We’ll grab some breakfast at the diner, then I’ll take you around Senaka before we head to my shop.” Rey gave Carter’s hip a small tap. “Up.”
When Carter didn’t make any moves to get up, Rey climbed out of bed, grabbed the comforter, and yanked it to the end. “I’m starving, sweetheart. Get moving.”
Carter rolled his eyes, got out of bed, and went to his suitcase.
“I need to wash some of my clothes. I didn’t bring very many to the summit with me.
Oh, I’m not that great at laundry, by the way.
” He wrinkled his nose when he took a sniff of one of his shirts, dropping it onto the floor next to the suitcase.
“Somehow, I’ve shrunk more than one shirt, accidentally mixed in a pair of red briefs with whites, turning everything pink, and oh, there was that time I used too much laundry detergent.
The soap was everywhere. I thought for sure Nick would kill me. Thayne wasn’t too happy about it.”
He couldn’t help grinning. “Oh, was he mad. I think he would have popped a blood vessel if Nick hadn’t calmed him down.
I’ve never seen anyone turn so red before.
The worst part was I couldn’t do much to help clean the water and soap from the floor and machines.
Not with the issues with my hand and leg. ”
The smile faded as the memory of every boyfriend he’d ever had telling him he was useless set in. “I’m kind of a fuckup,” he said. “I’m not great at much. A lot of what I do turns into a disaster or gets messed up.”
A low growl tore from Rey’s direction, yanking Carter’s gaze to him in surprise.
Rey stalked toward him, causing Carter to retreat a fraction.
He couldn’t stop the small squeak he let out when Rey gripped his shoulders, but the grip was gentle, and Carter relaxed immediately.
“I won’t hear that kind of thing from you, ever, little wolf.
You aren’t a fuckup. Don’t say that again.
Just because people are too stupid to see how special you are, it’s not on you. Understood?”
Carter nodded, eyes wide. The sheer vehemence in Rey’s voice and how angry Rey was on his behalf stoked a warm feeling in Carter’s chest. He smiled at Rey. “Yes, Rey.”
“Good. Now, get dressed.”
They shared the bathroom to brush their hair and their teeth—something Carter had never done with his previous boyfriends.
He watched Rey in the mirror as his mate flossed between his even white teeth, but they weren’t perfect.
There was one tooth that was slightly crooked, leaning into the tooth beside it, almost at an angle.
Carter hadn’t noticed that before. The imperfection made him smile.
Rey raised an eyebrow at him. “What?” he asked, tossing the strand of floss into the small trash can next to the sink.
Carter shook his head, grinning wider. “Nothing.”
He couldn’t have explained why that endeared Rey to him even more than ever, even if he’d wanted to.
Finished brushing his teeth, Carter also flossed, watching in the mirror while Rey headed into the bedroom to dress in a tight pair of faded blue jeans and a black t-shirt, which strained at the seams around his muscles.
Rey completed the ensemble with a pair of black steel-toed boots.
Carter practically drooled when Rey stood back up.
The jeans hugged his thighs lovingly, but the obvious bulge at his crotch sent a shiver through Carter.
The sight reminded him of just how wonderful Rey had felt inside of him the night before.
Rey’s eyes met his in the mirror, a feral smirk tipping one corner of his mouth. “Hold that thought until later, mate. We’ve got things to take care of today. But we will come back to whatever is on your mind right now.”
Heat flooded Carter’s cheeks, but he couldn’t stop himself from panting a little at Rey’s husky promise. “I’ll see you downstairs,” Rey said before leaving the room.
Carter grabbed a pair of jeans he hadn’t worn yet, a pair of black briefs, and a royal blue polo shirt from his suitcase.
He had only a pair of sneakers with him since he hadn’t thought he’d be going anywhere but back home to California.
Once fully dressed, he loaded up his arms with all his dirty laundry and carefully navigated the stairs.
The smell of coffee hit his nose as he entered the kitchen. “Can I use your washer?” he asked Rey.
“Our washer and you don’t need to ask,” Rey said. He opened a door Carter hadn’t noticed to their left. “The detergent is in the cabinet above the washer.”
Carter glanced around curiously as he opened the lid of the washer, dropping in his clothing.
It wasn’t a big room. The washer and dryer sat on one side, underneath a couple of wall-mounted cabinets.
There was a small shelf unit by the door leading outside that he could see a couple of Rey’s boots and shoes were on.
A dark gray carpet ran along the center of the wood flooring.
Opening the cabinet above, Carter spotted a bottle of laundry soap and grabbed it.
He set up the washer for the cycle he needed and carefully measured out the soap into the cap, not wanting to make a mess of Rey’s home.
The water rushing into the washer sounded loud in the small space, but it didn’t cover the sound of Rey moving around the kitchen.
His mate seemed to have the patience of Job.
Nothing Carter had done, including his constant chatter, had upset or angered Rey.
It was confusing, to be honest. Everyone always grew impatient with him.
Hope warred with uncertainty. The idea that Rey would one day change his mind about Carter left him feeling anxious.
They’d only known each other for a few days, but he knew if Rey ever pushed him away, his heart would never survive it.
The simple taste of such total acceptance of him as a person had ruined him from ever being happy with anything else.
Sighing, Carter closed the lid of the washer and exited the mudroom.
He found Rey waiting for him with two travel mugs of coffee.
Lighting up, he made grabby hands for the coffee.
Rey eyed him, lips pursed. “I am curious to see how you are on coffee, sweetheart, but if you’re as bad as Nick implied, I may take it away. ”
Carter pouted at him. “I’m not!”
Rey grunted and handed him the coffee mug. “We’ll see. Grab your things and let’s get out of here.”
Instead of immediately moving to get his phone and wallet, Carter rose on tiptoes and pressed a swift kiss to Rey’s cheek. “Thank you.”
A slight rush of color flooded Rey’s cheeks, surprising Carter. Rey didn’t seem the type of man to get embarrassed by anything. Clearing his throat, Rey said, “Get your stuff.”
Carter smiled and headed into the living area to get his wallet and phone. His heart thumped hard in his chest, another chunk of the silly muscle falling into Rey’s strong, gentle hands. He followed Rey out of the house to his truck with a soft smile gracing his lips.