Chapter 6
Dean
Lily fit like she belonged in my arms. I pressed a kiss against the top of her head before flopping back against my pillow. Somehow, I was both exhausted and invigorated at the same time. I knew about mates in theory, but now, having experienced what it was like with my mate, I finally understood all the fuss.
Her stomach growled, and I let out a chuckle. “We never finished supper. Sorry about that.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” she slurred, rubbing her cheek against my chest. “We can always heat it up. Later. When I can move again.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I said. Then her stomach repeated its growl, and my bear pushed me to feed my mate. I didn’t want to let her go, but the need to care for her strengthened. I extricated myself from our embrace, picking her up to slide her beneath the covers. “Let me go get you some food. I’ll be right back.”
When I returned with a plate of food, she was sitting, holding the bedsheet against her chest while the blanket pooled on her lap. Her blonde hair was tousled, but it looked like she had tried to straighten it. She bit her plump lower lip as she watched me cross the room, her gaze dropping to my cock, which stirred at the look in her eyes.
“Food first.” I told her, though it was probably more for me. I sat beside her on the bed and lifted a forkful of pasta to her kiss-swollen lips. Her mouth closed around the fork and she made a sound of pleasure as she slid the food off the tines. She kept up the noises, interspersing bites with licking her lips, and as soon as I thought she’d had enough, I put the plate to the side and pounced on her.
This time was slower, as I tried to communicate what she meant to me through our bodies. The urge to mark her grew stronger, to bite her so that any shifter who saw would know she was mine, but I resisted. She needed to know what it meant before I did that. It was the ultimate commitment for a shifter, and I wouldn’t rush her.
Afterwards, I played with her hair, wrapping the silky strands around my fingers as she traced patterns against my chest. She propped her chin on the back of her hands and met my gaze. Her green eyes were thoughtful as she observed me. “I really wish I had gotten the job in Dryston. Now I won’t just be losing Maddie if I have to move away.”
“You don’t need to move anymore. Except to come stay with me.”
“I need a job.”
“I got you one.” I grinned at her, rubbing at the crease that formed between her eyes.
“What are you talking about?” She frowned, her gaze narrowing.
“I talked to my mom when she was here. Their community will expand the school, and you can teach the younger bear shifters.”
She jerked away, sitting up and staring down at me. “Why would you do that?”
“So you can stay. I knew you’d insist on having a job, even though I can support you without one.” I lifted onto my elbows as a quick warning flashed through me. She didn’t look happy.
“I don’t need your pity job.” Lily slid out of bed and gathered her clothes, her hands trembling as she put them on.
“It’s not a pity job. It’s what we do. Bears take care of their own.”
“You have no idea if I’m even a good teacher. For all you know, I may have almost flunked out.”
“I don’t believe that.” I stood and reached for her, but she stepped back, her hands raising in a staying gesture. “I don’t understand your problem with this. You need a job. I found you one.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“Right. That’s why you’re sleeping at a friend’s place.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I wanted to take them back. But they had already hit their mark.
Lily’s mouth firmed, her eyes narrowing. “I’m going to sleep on the couch. Maddie’s off tomorrow and can pick me up then.”
“Lily, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” I grabbed her hand as she moved to leave my bedroom. “I just want to help.”
“Despite what you must think, I am a capable woman, and I don’t need someone to save me.” She tugged her hand out of mine. “Do you have an extra blanket?”
“You don’t have to sleep on the couch. There’s a guest bedroom.” I’d built the cabin with thoughts of finding my mate and filling the extra rooms with children, but I didn’t tell her that. I doubted she’d be receptive at the moment. “The room next door.”
She gave me a tight nod before leaving, slamming the door behind her. I fell back against the bed, covering my face with my hands. How did things go so wrong?
Lily
I couldn’t believe how fast things changed. I went from riding high on the wake of amazing lovemaking with a gorgeous shifter claiming to be my mate to the depths of despair. Maybe I was too emotional, but the churning in my gut wouldn’t stop. I didn’t like to rely on others, but it seemed to be all I could do lately, between Maddie and Dean. No wonder he thought he needed to save me with a pity job.
I wiped away the tears that coated my cheeks, burrowing deeper into the covers on the guest bed. I felt so disconnected from myself. From who I really was. My entire life, I had taken care of myself. My parents divorced when I was seven, and neither really wanted me to be part of their new lives. So I fed myself and got myself to school. And when I was old enough to work under the table at a local restaurant washing dishes, I started saving money.
I picked the college that gave me the biggest scholarship and kept working to cover everything else. I took summer classes, wanting to graduate early, and I came out at the top of my class. But despite everything, I failed to get a teaching job. And now I was living on a friend’s couch, scrounging for the money to fix my car, while a man I just met created a job for me. Because I couldn’t get one on my own.
This wasn’t me. I didn’t want it to be me. If I had to find a job outside my field to support myself, then I would do it. There were crappy apartments I could afford on my own. I certainly didn’t want a mate who believed I needed saving.
I grabbed my phone, pulling up a job search site. I applied to anything I thought I had a chance at, plus some I doubted I would hear back from. Next, I searched for apartment listings. I didn’t need anyone to rescue me.