Page 18 of Mate Match: Curtis & Jae
Brady gasped. By the way his face brightened, I knew he was happy for me. “You really like him!”
A smile stretched across my face, a foreign feeling of late. “Yeah, I really do.”
My friend reached for me, clasping our wrists together. In my small apartment, the trace of his omega scent lingered. He’d spent some time here over the weekend, likely keeping Percy company. He was so good to me. I was grateful for his friendship after losing so many friends when Hwan cheated. Brady’s pheromones, so familiar to me, were relaxing. It was good to be home, even if I missed Curtis already.
“The way he looked at you, the way he moved with you, Gio was impressed by him,” Brady pointed out.
“Was that one of your dates?” I asked, realizing we’d only talked about my weekend. The feeling of guilt took some of the shine away from the experience.
“Yeah. Him and his mate, Xavier.” I couldn’t get a read on his feelings about them. His voice was guarded, his tone giving little away.
“Are they looking for something long-term or—?”
“We’re talking about you and your cuddly alpha,” Brady interrupted my question, firmly changing the subject. I thought since he had brought them up, then they were fair game forthe conversation. Apparently not. I’d respect that boundary and leave it until he was ready to talk about them.
“Curtis was so good to me. I’ve never had a heat like it. It all felt so natural to follow what he wanted, because all the things he asked were things to makemefeel better. I’ve never felt so cared for during a heat and he barely knows me!”
I must have had a dreamy expression because Brady was sitting there looking so proud.
“Do you think he might be it for you? The one you’re looking for. Future daddy to your babies?” There was a teasing set to his expression, but genuine curiosity in his green eyes.
“If we have another date like our first? Yeah. Even before I went into heat, I felt listened to, cared for. Did I tell you he cut up his burger because I still looked hungry?”
“He shared his food? Damn, he’s a real one.”
“Right? I ate more of his fries than he did.”
“Heat makes you ravenous, doesn’t it?”
“You’ve got yours coming up. Are Gio and Xavier…?” I didn’t want to press, just get an idea of where Brady was at.
“Not sure.” He gave a careless shrug. “Stop changing the subject! How was the sex? You didn’t tell me nearly enough before. I want all the deets, Jae!”
It took a couple of hours for Brady to leave. Not that I minded. Having company was great when I needed to be distracted. Calling Curtis was on my mind all day. I wanted to make sure we had another date so I could figure out how I felt about him.
Acting so lovesick was out of character for me. I was usually the down to earth, dependable one. Something about the large alpha had me shaken out of my usual routine. Maybe that was exactly what I needed.
I sent him a message to say thank you for all the little things he’d done. The man had charged my phone! How thoughtful was that? I spent some time debating with myself over calling him.
Determined not to let fear rule my mind, I dialed his number.
“Hey,” he said when he picked up. Was I imagining the relief in his tone?
“Are you sure you don’t mind me calling? I took up your entire weekend!” I picked nervously at the shredded arm of the sofa. Percy always picked this one to sharpen his claws on, even with several scratching posts and a catio on my balcony to play in.
The cadence of his voice over the phone was soothing. “Mind? No, it’s a relief to talk to you.” He paused and there were sounds of movement. I imagined he was cleaning up the remains from his family brunch, or batch cooking for the week, like he said he did sometimes. “Besides, I got plenty done this morning while you were sleeping and a few things done during brunch.”
“How was it?”
“Good.” There was the creak of leather and a grunt from Curtis as he sat on the sofa. “The usual. Catching up with my dad and sister. Lara was asking about you.”
“I feel bad about bailing,” I admitted. The worry over it had sat like a lump in my gut all day.
“You shouldn’t.” His words instantly soothed me. “Anyone would feel intimidated in that situation, but it would have been worse for you after your heat.” There was a brief pause. “You feeling okay? How’s Percy?” I loved how he remembered my cat’s name.
“He was mad at me for being gone so long.” I thought I heard him restraining a laugh. Percy glared his kitty glare at me, letting me know I was still in trouble. “Do you like cats?”
“Oh, sure. We used to have them growing up. Mama loved them. You never said how you were feeling. You aren’t hurt, are you? D’you need anything?”
