Chapter Five
Reese watched Sonny move through his bedroom that night, the clothes hanging loose on his small frame.
The sweatpants dragged on the floor with each step.
The shirt was three sizes too large, the collar slipping off one shoulder to expose pale skin.
Sonny had showered again after they’d gotten back from the clinic with the dogs, his blond hair still damp and sticking up in directions that defied logic.
The dogs were settled downstairs in the guest room.
Ryan had agreed to monitor them through the night again.
Delilah’s infection was responding to the antibiotics.
Hercules’s ribs would need surgery eventually, but Dr. Sullivan wanted to wait until the dog was stronger.
Both animals were as comfortable as they could be, given their conditions.
Which meant Reese had no more excuses to avoid the conversation his bear had been demanding since they’d met.
His mate was here, in his room, smelling like Reese’s soap and wearing his clothes.
The scent of it made something possessive coil low in Reese’s gut, made his bear rumble with satisfaction that Sonny was theirs.
The guy was talking, had been talking for the last ten minutes about something related to the clinic and Dr. Sullivan’s treatment plan.
His hands moved as he spoke, gesturing in ways that made the too-large shirt slip farther off his shoulder.
Reese tracked the movement, watching as the fabric revealed more skin.
The bunny was lean, built for speed rather than strength.
His collarbone was prominent, his throat exposed when he tilted his head to emphasize a point.
Reese moved closer without conscious decision.
His feet carried him across the room until he was standing directly in front of Sonny, close enough the bunny had to stop talking and tilt his head back to maintain eye contact.
Those hazel eyes went wide, pupils dilating as Reese’s scent surrounded him.
“You smell like me,” Reese murmured, his bear too close to the surface.
Sonny blinked up at him. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, a nervous gesture that made Reese’s cock start to harden.
Reese kissed him. Cut off whatever the guy was saying with his mouth.
Sonny made a surprised sound that melted into something softer and needy.
His lips parted immediately, letting Reese in.
The taste of him flooded Reese’s senses, made his bear snarl with the need to claim, to mark, to make sure everyone knew this bunny belonged to him.
Sonny’s hands came up to grip Reese’s arms, his fingers digging into muscle. He was already breathing hard when Reese pulled back, his mate’s face flushed. “Oh. We’re doing this. Okay. That’s happening.”
“Is it a problem?” Reese kept his voice even despite the way his body was responding.
His cock pressed against his jeans, hard enough that it was starting to hurt.
His bear wanted to push Sonny down onto the bed, wanted to strip him bare and claim him.
But his mate needed to want this, too, needed to choose it.
“No. Definitely not a problem.” His grip on Reese’s arms tightened. “I’ve been thinking about this since yesterday. Since the coffee shop. Since I saw you and my entire brain just kind of short-circuited because you’re my mate and that’s a thing that exists and wow you’re really good at kissing.”
Reese kissed him again, swallowing the rambling words. Sonny melted against him, his small body pressing close. The height difference meant Reese had to bend down, had to angle himself to make the kiss work. His hands found Sonny’s hips and gripped them.
Sonny pulled back just enough to speak, his lips brushing against Reese’s with each word.
“I should probably tell you I’m a virgin.
Well, not a virgin virgin, but close enough that the distinction doesn’t really matter.
So if you’re expecting someone with experience, you’re going to be disappointed. ”
The admission made Reese’s bear roar with possessive satisfaction. His mate was untouched, unclaimed by anyone else. Reese would be the first to have him, the only one who mattered. “Not disappointed.”
“Really? Because I feel like that’s the kind of thing that would be disappointing. I mean I’ve done stuff, just not the specific stuff we’re probably about to do. And I might not be good at it. I might be terrible at it. You should probably lower your expectations significantly.”
Reese slid his hands under his mate’s oversized shirt, finding smooth, bare skin. His mate was talking too much, his nervousness making the words spill out even faster. I’ll fix that.
Walking them backward, his mater’s legs hit the bed, then Sonny sat down hard, hazel eyes growing wide as Reese followed.
The mattress dipped under their combined weight.
Reese settled between Sonny’s thighs, his hips pressing forward.
The friction made them both groan, the sound filling the quiet room.
“You talk a lot when you’re nervous.” Reese’s mouth found the exposed skin of Sonny’s shoulder, tasting salt and soap. His mate’s pulse hammered under his tongue..
“It’s a defense mechanism. If I keep talking, then I don’t have to think about how nervous I am.” Sonny’s hands were in Reese’s hair, fingers threading through the strands. “Also you’re really big and I’m really small and I’m trying very hard not to think about the logistics of that situation.”
He bit down gently on Sonny’s shoulder, not hard enough to break skin but enough to make his mate gasp. The sound went straight to Reese’s cock, made him grind against his mate. The guy was hard too, the evidence pressing against Reese’s stomach.