Page 70 of Miles's Pact
Twenty-Six
Miles
It'd been three days since Duckie and my bond settled into place, and the difference it made was staggering. I was more connected to Duckie, and the need to be close to him was almost unbearable, so much so that I'd gone to Papa looking for advice. He'd told me that those feelings would mellow out in a few weeks, though they'd never truly disappear.
We'd had sex every night since, and once during the day when Mateo had been off working on the haunted house. It was a struggle to keep my hands to myself, something Mateo had teased us about more than once, though he hadn't been too pushy since he was dealing with the withdrawal too. While their bond was different, it was still a growing mate bond, and the three of us felt at our best when we were together.
I glanced over at Duckie, who was humming under his breath as he set the table. He leaned over to set a plate on the other side, and I swallowed hard as my gaze dropped to his ass. I wanted to walk over and drape myself over him, and kiss that soft spot beneath his ear.
"Stop drooling," Mateo said as he walked past, and I jumped, then wiped at my perfectly drool-free mouth, making him snicker.
Duckie glanced back with a puzzled look on his face, and I shook my head, turning my attention back to the pasta I was making. Damn, these two were going to be the death of me.
Once the food was ready, we settled around the dining table.
"It smells delicious," Duckie praised as he served himself some of the pasta.
"Thank you," I replied, offering him a soft smile as I added some buttered toast to his plate.
"I'm thinking of taking Cam up on his offer of running the haunted house," Mateo said, and I paused with a bite halfway to my mouth.
"Yeah?"
He nodded, then shrugged like it wasn't a big deal, but I knew him better than that. Mat was excited about the opportunity, though I had no idea why he was trying to downplay it. At least, not until he asked his next question.
"Do you want to do it with me, Duckie?"
Duckie blinked, then glanced between us. "You think I can help?"
"Hell yeah! It's not like I've run a business before either. We can figure it out together. And we can ask people for help if we can't," Mateo said, some of his excitement spilling into his voice in his eagerness.
"I think you should do it." I was sure Duckie would figure it out, and I knew he'd been feeling a little untethered. Having ajob might make him feel more settled, and it would give him a purpose.
"You do?" he asked, cautious and a little hopeful.
"Very much so. I think you two will be great at it. As long as you don't make me help," I added, making him laugh.
While Mateo and I had gone through the same shit as kids, I'd come out of it with a healthy fear of all things horror, while Mateo had taken the opposite route. I didn't understand how he could watch those shocking things and not remember the things we'd been through.
"Okay, then," Duckie said, and Mateo grinned widely, slapping his palm on the table.
"Yes! It'll be so much fun. You'll see."
As we continued our meal, it looked like Mateo wanted to say something else. He kept opening his mouth and then closing it without saying a word, and when I shot him a questioning look, he merely shook his head and glanced away.
Should I push him, or let him speak on his terms?
Duckie spoke up before I could decide, and our conversation turned to Snowball's latest antics, Mateo jumping right into the topic and shaking off whatever he'd been wanting to say. I'd ask him about it later, I decided.
After our meal, we cleaned up, then settled on the couch for our nightly cuddle and TV session. We were still watchingBuffy, though we were almost done with it. Mateo had a long list of shows he wanted to show Duckie, which meant this was going to become a long-standing tradition. Not that I minded, of course. I liked that at the end of the day, the three of us always got together and spent some time with each other, no matter how busy we'd been all day.
"Guys," Mateo said halfway through the first episode, hitting pause on the show as he turned to face us. He was on the far side of the couch as usual, with Duckie between us, and I glancedover at him, wondering if he was finally ready to say whatever was on his mind.
"Yeah?" Duckie asked, a curious look on his face.
Mateo bit his lip, glancing between us with uncharacteristic hesitation.
"What is it?" I prompted, and he blew out a breath, pushing his fingers through his messy blond hair.
