Chapter 11
eleven
MAVERICK
“Looks fantastic,” my boss, Grady, says as he looks at the apple turnovers in front of me.
It’s not the most complex thing we offer, but they seem to fly off the shelves for breakfast meetings for big companies.
My boss sells them online as well, some people preferring to order them in bulk to freeze. “Set one aside for me, yes?”
I grin at him as I begin to box the tasty treats. “Already done. Check your office.”
He sighs and gives me a side hug. “You’re too good to me.” Grady practically skips to his office, ready to snack on a turnover.
As I’m finishing packing up the last box, the bell over the door rings. Instead of the server at the register helping a customer, the door to the back opens and Sawyer strides in.
Sawyer has been a fixture here since I got hired a few years back. Grady allows him to come into the kitchen because he knows Sawyer won’t touch things and I can still work even if Sawyer and I are deep in conversation.
My best friend grins at me, though he looks apologetic. “I’m sorry about yesterday. You sounded beat, but my dickhead boss wouldn’t let me leave since I had some contracts to read through.”
“It’s all good,” I say, going over to the sinks to wash my hands. “I got home in one piece. Did you catch up on your work?”
Sawyer comes over and leans against the large sinks. “Yeah but me taking ten minutes to drive you home wouldn’t have killed him.”
His boss really is a dick. I keep telling Sawyer he should open his own firm, but like me, he doesn’t really like the paperwork aspect of owning his own business.
The small bit of office work that Grady is giving me is more than enough.
I’d rather not run my own business and keep up with all the taxes and shit. I just wanna bake and be happy.
I wonder if owning a business is something Cade wants to do. So far, he says he just wants to learn the basics, but he’s too smart not to want more. Maybe in a few months, he’ll have the gist of how life works in this century and can broaden his higher learning.
Sawyer pokes me in the cheek, snapping me out of thoughts of Cade.
“You’re smiling. I haven’t seen you grin that big since you introduced me to Walt,” Sawyer says as he crosses his arms over his chest.
“Ugh, don’t remind me of that douchebag,” I grumble, mirroring his pose. “I’m just happy, that’s all.”
“Why?”
I look around, making sure the other two chefs aren’t paying me and Sawyer any attention. They’re busy with their tasks, both with at least one earbud in.
Still, I lean closer to Sawyer and say, “I met someone. Well…I brought them home. He…he was…he turned into…” I pause and meet my best friend’s eyes. “You won’t believe me if I told you.”
His eyebrows shoot up, curiosity dancing in his eyes. “Oh, now I need you to tell me what’s up. You’re not usually like this. Lucky guy has you tongue tied.”
I swat at his arm. “Sorta. Let me tell you about him first, then I’ll tell you how we met. But you have to keep an open mind.”
He stares at me for a few seconds, then gasps. “Did you meet a homeless guy and clean him up, let him fuck your brains out and now you’re whipped?”
I gape at him, then raise a hand to my mouth, giggling. “What the fuck?”
“Seemed like the most reasonable explanation.” He looks proud of his outlandish guess.
Though he’s not far off. I did meet a homeless guy, and he fucked my brains out. I didn’t have to clean him up, though. Cade is fine as fuck, still having that seventies flair about him with his wavy hair and thick eyebrows.
I lower my hand, then fiddle with my fingers. “I mean…kinda?”
“Shit, Mav, are you crazy?” he shrieks, making my co-workers look over at us with a question on their faces.
Cheeks burning, I grab Sawyer and drag him into my shoebox office, shutting the door behind us. “Look, it’s best if I explain everything. But again, open mind, okay?.”
“Yeah, okay. Though I reserve the right to throttle you if I think this is dangerous.”
“Fine.” I offer him a seat and he takes it, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.
Pulling in a deep breath, I let it out and begin to tell Sawyer about Cade.
I tell him about Cade being a shifter, how my cum had to release him from a curse and that he shifted in front of me.
I tell him how Cade says I’m his fated mate, which is the only way I was able to release him from said spell.
I tell him that, even though Cade’s dick is way bigger than Walt’s, I was able to take every inch without pain and how hard Cade made me come when he fucked me a few days ago.
I also tell him I can’t wait to do it again.
Sawyer and I don’t care about TMI anymore.
When I finish explaining our physical relationship, I tell him how Cade is still learning how the world works in the twenty-first century, how he has to learn how to use stuff that’s old hat to us, and how smart and eager to learn he is.
By the time I’m done, Sawyer’s mouth is wide open, a mixture of shock and disbelief on his face. He stares at me.
And stares.
And stares.
And stares.
“Say something,” I murmur, pushing off the door to pace the small space in front of me.
“I call bullshit,” he blurts out, making me laugh.
“You know, I said the same thing. That’s when he fucking shifted in front of me.”
“A…recliner…shifter. Mav, I love you, but I think you might be a little delulu here. That’s not possible. Katrina reads those books with like werewolves and shit that can shift, but that’s fiction. And not a piece of fucking furniture.”
I throw my hands in the air. “I know it doesn’t sound believable.
If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I’d react the same as you.
But I did see it. Cade is my recliner. The same recliner you helped me bring into my house.
Remember how I felt a connection to it, how I had to have that recliner?
” Sawyer nods. “Cade says it’s because he’s my mate and we had to be together. ”
“Without consent?” he asks, looking angry on my behalf.
“It’s not like that. I can send him away if I want.
” I stop pacing and face my best friend.
“But I don’t want to. It’s fast and doesn’t make sense, but I can’t see my life without him.
I go home every day, happy to know he’s waiting for me.
I like sleeping in his arms and waking up to his loud snoring.
I like the questions he asks me and how he wants to learn about everything around him.
I like how he makes me feel. He’s…perfect.
If I had the choice of my mate, someone to spend my life with, it would be Cade. ”
“Whoa,” Sawyer says, looking blown away. “You didn’t even talk about Walt like that.” He nods and stands up. “Okay, I want to meet him. Now. And I want to see him be a fucking recliner or I’m checking you into an institution.”
I snort but agree. Since I finished my order of turnovers, Grady says I can knock off early and tells Sawyer to keep me out of trouble. He even offers Sawyer one of his turnovers, so his wife doesn’t get on him for snacking too much.
Sawyer, the bottomless pit that he is, takes it without question. I’m surprised he doesn’t come in here more often to mooch off my kitchen.
After I hang up my apron and finish tidying up my workstation, I head out with Sawyer. The drive to my place only takes a few minutes, long enough for my heart to almost thump out of my chest.
What if Sawyer gets too freaked out and doesn’t want anything to do with Cade? That would hurt, because I want to be with Cade, but I don’t want to lose my best friend. What if Cade thinks that Sawyer takes too much of my time and treats him how Walt did? I couldn’t take that either.
God, I just want this to go right. I want my best friend and my…boyfriend?…mate?…to get along. I want to keep both of them.
When we pull up, before we get out of the car, I take Sawyer’s hand, squeezing it gently. “He really wants you to like him. So…be nice, okay?”
Sawyer gives me a gentle look. “He’s making you happy, happier than I’ve seen you in a while, so off that alone, I’ll be nice. I want to like your boyfriends, Mav. We’re best friends. I’d respect your relationship, of course, but I don’t want to lose you.”
“Same here. But, Sawyer,” I sigh and lean against the headrest, “he’s so amazing. I can’t describe him in a way that makes sense, but it’s like my heart latched onto him and now there’s a space there only for him.”
“Wow, that’s beautiful. I’ll be nice, I promise.”
Sighing, I give his hand one more squeeze. “Thanks. And don’t scream when he shifts. It might scare the neighbors.”
Under his breath, he says, “If he shifts.”
I roll my eyes and head to my front door, my palms sweaty as I grip my keys. Before I step inside, I smell Cade through the door, and I hurry to get the key into the lock so I can be in his arms.
When he sees me, his face breaks into a wide smile and he puts the controller on the couch, rushing over to me. He picks me up off my feet, making me giggle when he spins me around.
He sets me down and kisses my nose. “You look less tired today. I’m glad. I was going to offer my services again if you dragged in here.”
“I might still use them,” I say, cheeks warm. “But the other chef was at work and…Sawyer gave me a ride home.” I step out of Cade’s arms and wave toward Sawyer, who’s standing at the door, assessing Cade. “Sawyer, this is Cade…my recliner.”
Sawyer snorts, then looks at my mate. “Are you in on this, too? Is it like…some kind of thing you tell people to throw them off you being homeless?”
“Sawyer!” I gasp, unable to believe him after he just told me he’d be nice.
Cade doesn’t seem to mind. He just smiles and holds his hand out to Sawyer, who surprisingly takes it. “No, I’m really a shifter. You picked me up from Blossom’s.”
Stepping further into the apartment, Sawyer looks at the spot where we placed my recliner…Cade. “Where is it? You couldn’t have lifted that heavy fucking chair on your own. Where did you stash it?”
I wrap my arms around my middle, feeling my bottom lip tremble. “You said you’d be nice,” I whisper.
Sawyer tries to rush over to me, but Cade gets there first. “Hey, it’s okay,” he says, thumbing over my lower lip, then pulling me close.
“He’s not being mean,” my mate soothes me.
“He’s making sure I’m not taking advantage of you.
That’s what good friends do.” I meet his eyes and see that he’s being earnest, not just trying to placate me because I’m sad.
“I told you no one believes in shifters because it’s so hard to wrap your head around. But I can show him. Okay?”
“Okay,” I whisper and Cade kisses me lightly. I step out of his arms and walk over to Sawyer, who gives me a side hug.
“He’s right, I’m trying to make sure you’re not being used. I’m sorry for—why are you taking your clothes off?” he asks Cade when he looks up at him.
“Clothes don’t shift with him,” I say, watching every inch of Cade come into view. God, I can’t wait until I have him again. I’ve been too tired the past few nights, but he might get lucky as soon as Sawyer leaves.
Sawyer raises his hand to cover his eyes, not watching as Cade pulls his underwear off. Even soft, his cock is impressive. I still can’t believe I took all of him with barely a whimper. I’ll have to ask him about that, but first, Sawyer needs to see that we’re not making shit up.
“Watch,” I tell Sawyer, bumping his arm.
He groans, but lowers his hand, looking at Cade. “Okay, show me—Jesus fucking Christ!” He shouts as Cade folds and contorts, his tan skin turning mustard yellow as his recliner lands in front of us with a flash of light and a thunk. “What the fuck is that?”
“It’s my mate,” I grin, watching as Cade shifts back into his human form. “Believe us now?”