Page 64 of Blade

So far my limits were not doing anything I didn’t know how to do safely or that could actually injure more than just his bottom.

Looking like a deflating balloon, my mate let out a long breath and lay down with his head on my chest. Exhaustion radiated from him and I knew how he felt, so I just stroked his hair and let the repetitive motion soothe me as well.

After a while, he took a deep breath and nuzzled against me. I’d felt the same motion for days, so I released his hand and wrapped my arms around him, holding him tighter against me. His pleased sigh made me smile but I waited to hear what he’d been thinking. “I’ve always been different than the rest of my family and…and I didn’t want you to see me as weird too.”

“My mate, your family members are basically serial killers.” I probably should’ve figured out a nicer way to say that, but there really wasn’t one. “I’m glad you’re nothing like them or I wouldn’t be here with you to hold you and to kiss you and to think about doing very interesting things with you.”

Letting out a wonderfully dramatic groan, he rolled onto me and buried his face against my chest. “If I talk about sex, can we not talk about my family?”

It might not be a healthy trade but it was understandable.

“Deal.” We’d have to come back to them eventually but I didn’t see any reason to have to poke at that drama. “I want to get to know you, not other people who don’t matter.”

Unless they were coming at me with a weapon.

Yeah, I was going to have questions at some point, but at the moment there were other more pressing topics to talk about.

“I like that I matter to you.” His quiet voice held more emotion than he probably realized. “And I like that you don’t think there’s something…deviant about domination and submission.”

Kissing his head, I ran my hands over his back and as far down as I could reach. “Anything that makes you smell that wonderful can’t be deviant.”

I might not understand all of it, but I understood that much at least.

I also understood that drama-filled groans weren’t always bad things. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t figure out what I like until you were in this form.”

“Okay, I can deal with a little bit of delusion.” It was cute. “And if you’re a good boy for me, I’ll even make up a very convincing story about how I figured it out.”

His long, drawn-out sigh had me fighting back a smile, but his sass was what I loved the most. “Deal. See? I understand what compromise looks like in a relationship.”

“Because my mate is sexy and smart.”

And liked being restrained.

“Ugh, and my mate is smart enough to know when to suggest we start watching Superman so I can pretend we didn’t talk about any of this.”

Delusional and adorable…who knew they’d be such fascinating traits in a mate.

CHAPTER 21

HENLEY

“I’ll admit,my knowledge of this kind of stuff is limited, but I really don’t think this is how you plan a road trip, my mate.” Blaine studied the dots on the map that we had laid out on the table but he was frowning instead of looking at it like the treasure map it was. “Should we really be planning a trip around conventions and mysterious creatures the internet said are frightening?”

Or sexy…there was that one apparition thing that people said was trying to seduce everyone…oh, or that dragon thing that couldn’t be an actual dragon that seemed to be eating people up north?

“Don’t forget the comic book stores.” They were scattered all over the place but I’d found the ones that were supposed to be the best. “It’ll be fun.”

I’d enjoyed just putting the trip together, so actually going through with it would be even better.

“I think we might have different definitions of a little trip, my mate.” Blaine finally looked up from the map. “This will take us months.”

My estimate was over a year depending on how long each stop took, but I didn’t think quibbling over the timeline would help the discussion.

“What are your thoughts?” That had to be a better tactic than letting him ask me questions. My brain was running in a thousand directions and all of them seemed to end up in circles somehow. “Planning is half the fun and you liked the idea of going to the conventions. It’s going to be the best place to find your favorites…and some of the figurines to go with them.”

Oh, he was weakening.

“Let’s look at those again after I make the brownies.” We’d lost track of time the other day and never made them, so they’d be the perfect distraction.