Chapter Nine
Rick
Rick sighed as he made his way from where his truck was parked across to the shed where all the implements were kept at the flower farm. It was Tuesday morning, not Monday, and Rick knew that Ernest would be asking if he was okay.
He’d also got to work early, which meant Toby was probably home as well.
And while Rick had no problem telling anybody who asked that he had finally secured his mate—his deliciously wonderful, sexy mate with the most gorgeous eyes—he just wanted to hang on to his mating bubble just a few moments longer before the real world interfered.
The only reason he was at work—after calling in and saying he wasn’t going to be in on Monday—was that Ian had a conference call that he couldn’t miss.
As he didn’t have his laptop with him, or even any clothes that weren’t in rags, Rick knew he needed to be responsible and take his mate back to his car.
After spending the weekend in bed, enjoying all manner of positions, and just the mere act of curling up with his mate, Rick loved the idea of having Ian in his den. He knew that it was probably too soon to be talking about that yet.
That was why Rick was at work early on Tuesday morning.
He’d been rather glad he had seen no sign of Charlie or Pip while he was dropping Ian off to pick up his car.
He just… Rick wanted to hang onto the most incredible feeling he’d ever experienced, knowing he’d claimed his mate, and wanting to be with him.
But yeah, real life meant mates who had conference calls, and for Rick, it meant his job. So he was at the flower farm early, hoping to look like he was being busy, before he went in for his first coffee, while still thinking about Ian and the way they’d left things that morning.
Ian didn’t seem keen on leaving him either.
There were a few joking moments—or were they jokes—where Ian had said things like, “Well, I don’t want you to forget me,” when he’d kissed Rick like a starving man before he gotten out of the car.
Or even earlier, when Ian had given Rick his number, saying, “You know, just if you want to keep in touch. Maybe you’ll want to text me later if you want to make plans,” as if Rick hadn’t already intended on spending every spare moment he had with his mate.
Maybe I need to be a lot blunter about my expectations, and to hell with it if Ian mistakes that as being needy. What’s wrong with being needy over a mate?
It didn’t help that by the time he’d gotten to the implement shed, Rick was noticing a few signs of discontent through the bond that now lived in the back of his skull.
His mate wasn’t angry or hurt, but he did seem a little uneasy, and Rick’s bear rumbled, wanting to go back, pick Ian up, and bring him out to Ernest’s farm.
Ian had already explained that he worked from home, so there was no reason he couldn’t set up his laptop in Ernest’s kitchen, or even in one of the spare rooms. Rick made a mental note to talk about it—the issue was who he needed to talk to first.
He could talk to Ernest first and make sure that was all right with him. It was Ernest’s house, and while they were friends, Ernest did pay him every week, so it was only fair that Rick checked in with him first.
However, there wasn’t a lot of point in talking to Ernest about it if Ian had a reason he needed to work in his own home office.
It was also possible that Ian might just think Rick was being clingy—or worse, controlling—insisting Ian stay within a hundred yards of him at all times.
I’m sure that’s not considered controlling between mates.
At least Rick didn’t think so. Ernest had Toby moved in within a week of claiming him.
There was always a chance that Ian would prefer they live in his place instead of Rick’s home.
Rick rather hoped he didn’t. More than anything, he wanted to gather Ian’s possessions up and have him move into his little house.
He reminded himself rather firmly that mating was about compromise and working things out together, which means I can’t really do much thinking about it now.
Realizing the keys for the shed were probably in Ernest’s house, and Ernest would be expecting him there for their cup of coffee, Rick wandered over to the house, making sure his footsteps were heavy on the porch.
The number of times he had walked in on Ernest and Toby going at it over the kitchen table, up against the refrigerator, and one memorable time, over the kitchen sink, Rick had learned to make his presence known.
Not that Rick was complaining. Ian had looked lovely the day before, sprawled over Rick’s kitchen table while Rick snacked on his ass. There’s something to be said for being caught up in the moment. Fortunately, Rick didn’t have employees or visitors.
Walking into the kitchen, Rick saw the coffee pot was on, which meant Ernest and Toby were at least awake. As Rick grabbed a mug, he wondered what to say to his friends.
It was tempting to tease, to just not say anything. Toby and Ernest already knew he wasn’t the most effusive of people, although he talked when he needed to.
When Toby came bouncing in, the young man stopped dead in his tracks, about two feet away, and just stared at him, his eyes wide.
Can he see my mating bite? Ian did leave a lovely scar, and Rick was very proud of it, but he still needed to wear a shirt for work, and he was fairly sure his collar covered it.
“There’s something different about you,” Toby said as he danced around to Rick’s other side and peered up at him. Rick was still facing the counter, making his drink.
“There’s definitely something very different about you.” Toby scooted back around the other side again. “Did you go out this weekend? Did you go on a date? Did you get laid?”
“Did you?” Rick said, although he couldn’t stop his grin.
“You know I did. Ernest is a powerhouse in that department. But what about you?” Toby poked Rick’s bicep. “Come on, spill all. What did you get up to on the weekend? You’ve got that swagger of a man who’s been ridden hard and put away wet.”
“I would be the one doing the riding, thank you very much. And I did, as a matter of fact.”
“You got laid! You had a date!” Toby clapped his hands.
“I got a ride. I rode a bull at the dude ranch event on Saturday.” Rick chuckled as Toby’s face fell.
“You rode a bull? Like in yee-hah bull riding stuff?”
“Yep. It was something I used to do a long time ago.” Picking up his coffee, Rick turned to his side, leaning his hip against the counter.
“I took your suggestion. I went to the Bucket List Buddies rodeo event, or Be a Cowboy for a Day event, or whatever they called it. Anyway, I signed up, and I went. Thank you for the suggestion.”
“Did you find your mate? I mean, unless the bull was a shifter, did you find your mate? That was the whole point of going.”
Rick took a slow sip of his coffee. “I might have done.” He couldn’t stop smiling if he tried. “Yep.”
“Oh, my gods. Ernest. Ernest!” Toby yelled at the top of his lungs, and Rick could hear a heavy thumping as Ernest charged into the kitchen with the look of a rampaging elephant, which he actually was.
“What, Toby? What’s the matter? What’s wrong?”
“Rick found his mate at the dude ranch.”
“Rick, what?” It was clear Ernest wasn’t listening. He was too busy checking Toby over to make sure he hadn’t broken a fingernail or something more serious. “Why did you yell?”
“Because, my precious darling mate,” Toby said slowly, catching Ernest’s hands. “Rick went to the dude ranch Bucket List Buddies event, and he found his mate. Who is he?”
Rick realized that Toby had turned his attention back on him. “Who is this, mate? Where is he? Is he lovely? Is he little? Is he big? Is he in between? What is he? Is he even a he? Tell me all about it.”
“His name is Ian, and I’m not a hundred percent sure what sort of shifter he is, but he works from home doing corporate market risk assessment and things like that.
I don’t know much else.” Rick felt his cheeks heat.
“We didn’t have a lot of time to talk over the weekend, as I’m sure you can imagine. ”
“Ian? Ian.” Toby’s eyes were shifting left and right. “Is that Lionel and Hector’s friend Ian?”
“I don’t know.”
“Does he have a sister who’s had a baby recently?”
“I’m not sure.”
“For goodness’ sake, what did you learn about the man? You were with him for three days.”
“I think the list of things that Rick probably learned about his mate are not the sorts of things you need to know or listen to. Did you forget, my precious mate, I didn’t even know your name when we met, and you couldn’t tell me what it was because you were unconscious,” Ernest said, coming over, slapping Rick’s shoulder, and then giving him a quick hug.
“Congratulations. I’m really, really pleased for you.
When do we get to meet this Ian of yours? ”
“Again, not sure.” Rick took another quick mouthful of his coffee. “I promise it’ll be soon.”
“It better be soon,” Toby said—he had his serious face on that always made Rick want to laugh.
“We’ll do dinner. We’ll have dinner together, tonight.
Tell Ian to come over, after he’s finished his work, whatever he’s doing, tell him to come over.
I’ll bring dessert from the bakery, and we’ll cook a meal here. We’ll have a barbecue and stuff.”
Rick looked at Ernest, who was nodding. But then Toby could say the sky was green, and Ernest would be nodding. “Are you sure it’s all right? We could leave it till the weekend?”
“No, no,” Ernest said with a fond glance at his mate.
“I have a feeling if you try to leave it for the weekend, we’re just going to be pestered silly by Toby.
So no, I’ll take Toby into work while you enjoy your coffee.
We’ll go and check out a couple of those paddocks when I get back.
I think we’re having a bit of an irrigation issue in one of the corner paddocks.
We’ll go and deal with that. And then… yeah…
I don’t know. I’m sure there’ll be other things to do. ”
Ernest was always casual like that. He wasn’t a fan of giving Rick orders, but then Rick was usually quick to take initiative anyway.
“Come on, Toby, we need to get your butt to work. And, yes, you can talk about this with your friends, but make sure you think of something wonderful for dinner, all right? Probably not penis cake,” Ernest added, with a warning look at a grinning Toby.
“We don’t know this Ian yet, and a penis cake is better left as a housewarming present. ”
“I’ll text Ian and make sure he’s free.” Rick pulled his phone out of his pocket. He remembered the penis cake—it was delicious. He didn’t think Ian would mind, but perhaps not the first time he met the person who was essentially Rick’s boss and his mate.
Rick also wanted to check in on his mate and make sure that he was all right, because the feelings he was getting through their bond—like a form of low-grade anxiety—made him wonder if he and Ian were having the same issues.
Maybe we both want to be closer to each other through the day, but don’t know how to say anything yet. Or that could just be my wishful thinking. I’ll give him a text and see if he’s free for dinner, he thought as Ernest was shepherding Toby out of the kitchen.
“But I want to know more about this Ian.” Toby was grumbling as he was marched out the door.
So do I, Rick thought, realizing there was actually a lot he did know about his mate.
But he was grinning as he typed out a quick message.
Logically, he could talk to his mate anytime, but learning what made that man moan was a hell of a lot of fun.
Yes, the other stuff was important too, and Rick was determined to be an amazingly supportive mate in all areas of Ian’s life, but his mate’s sweet moans were really delicious.