10. Anders

Chapter 10

Anders

So this was what it was like to wake up with a mate.

I lay with my hands behind my head, enjoying the stillness of the morning and wishing Brett would open his eyes. I side-eyed him, the bedding tucked up around his hips.

A little lower and I'd get a glimpse of his cock. Not that I hadn't eyeballed it last night and had a mouthful and fondled it and tasted his pre-cum as well as his slick. I grew hard recalling the mingled flavors exploding in my mouth.

I bounced up and down on the bed, but Brett didn't stir, and then I recalled he said he was working the night shift this evening.

Sorry , I mouthed to his sleeping form.

Today was Sunday, my day off, so I could go back to sleep. Closing my eyes, I lay still for a minute, before adjusting my pillow. Much better, now I could snooze. Two minutes later I gave up.

As neither of us had to work this morning, there was no need to wake Brett. But having met him only yesterday and spending one night together, there was so much we had to learn about one another.

"Guess you're not waking up." I slipped out of bed and put on a robe, leaving a spare one on the bed for my mate.

Yes , he was my mate, though we hadn't marked one another yet. My snow leopard was kinda snarky last night, wanting to get his claws out and draw blood. But unicorns were different in many ways, not just in a mating ritual.

They weren't knock ‘em down and kill ‘em creatures, as wolves and snow leopards were. Also they were so different from other shifters. Snow leopards were part big cats, like lions and tigers. But unicorns had no cousins in the wild or in the shifter community.

And while Brett hadn't spilled a lot about his background, I sensed he harbored a lot of trauma.

After putting on the coffee, I peeked in the fridge. I had salmon, but while Brett's beast ate no animal products, I wasn't certain if he did. Bacon was ruled out. Pancakes were a safe choice, unless he didn't eat eggs.

After getting online, I found a recipe for vegan apple pancakes. Yum. That sounded so good. I had all the ingredients, including soy milk, maple syrup, and olive oil instead of butter.

I was grating the apples when Brett trudged in, rubbing his eyes and yawning, his hair tousled.

"Morning."

He trudged over to me and leaned on my chest, not moving for over a minute. Not sure if he'd fallen asleep or if this was a unicorn shifter habit, I waited, an apple in one hand, the grater in the other. I had to get the apple into the batter and cooking before they turned brown.

Brett stood up and gave me a lopsided grin.

"I'm making apple pancakes in your honor."

"That's sweet of you. What can I do to help?"

"Grab a cup of coffee and sit down." There wasn't anything difficult about making pancakes, and they were a one-person job, especially when my one and only was sitting at my kitchen table and ogling my ass. At least I hoped that was what he was doing and not just thinking, wow, this coffee is amazing!

My snow leopard grumbled, wishing he could shift and tell Brett's beast to stop being a butt and get with the program. I shushed him, telling him not to ruin our first morning together.

"Mmmm, nice."

I shoulder shimmied and shook my butt, hoping his comment was about my ass.

"If you weren't cooking, I'd yank your robe up and shove my fingers in that gorgeous ass."

I froze. Oh, I wanted his fingers so badly, and as an alpha, many of my former bedmates had been reluctant to shove anything in my hole.

"Once we eat, you can do whatever you want to me."

I was flipping a pancake, when he pushed his body against mine, his cock engorged and pressed into my butt. Brett kissed the back of my neck and moved away. I was both pleased and disappointed, wanting not to flip the pancake on the floor but also missing him, his warm breath and his hot body sending goosebumps charging over my skin.

"Can we eat in bed?" Brett poured syrup over the pile of pancakes I'd made for him.

"We can." What did it matter if we got syrup on the sheets? That was why washing machines were invented. Besides, dick with syrup would be a nice Sunday treat. Maybe we could start a tradition, though coffee spilled on my cock would be more than an owie. But I could shift and rid myself of the pain.

My mate carried his coffee and food into the bedroom, and I followed him. He stuck his fork in the pancakes and ate the mouthful, smearing his mouth in syrup. I kissed him, licking off the sticky substance and smacking my lips.

"So good." He forked more pancake and offered it to me. "Both what I was eating and kissing."

"Glad you liked the whole package."

We ate the rest of our food and sipped our coffee, chatting about his new workplace and colleagues.

"This is so different to what I'm used to." Brett peered at me over the rim of his mug.

"In a good way, I hope."

"Absolutely." But the smile faded from his face, and I avoided commenting.

Instead, I took the dishes into the kitchen and dumped them in the sink. When I returned to the bedroom, my mate appeared to be talking to himself. That was fine, I often did that before having to give someone bad news.

"More coffee?"

"I'd love some but I'll get it." He regarded his empty cup. "My unicorn is being difficult, saying he feels uncomfortable being here."

What? What is he saying? My snow leopard was outraged. Maybe he's going to leave and gallop off into the distance?

Just wait. He might want to shift . That was reasonable for a shifter.

"He's wary of new places and people, even though you're my mate."

I'd never heard anything similar from my mated friends. Their beast had fallen in love with their mate's humans and animal forms. Was I going to be the only one whose beast didn't like me? That would make mating awkward and would go some way to expelling why we hadn't marked one another.

"But he said he senses you're a good guy."

"Tell him he can take all the time he needs."

No, he can't. My snow leopard did the shifter version of stamping his feet.

Now who's being a butthead?

No idea , he harrumphed.

"What if we went for a walk?" Unicorns might prefer fresh air or he could be claustrophobic.

"He'd like that." Brett grabbed my robe and pulled me close. "Thank you for understanding." His cheeks were a delicious shade of pink. "Raincheck on disrobing and finger-fucking you?"

"Absolutely." We had a lifetime of finger and cock fucking and maybe tongue fucking to look forward to! "There's a lovely park nearby with a waterfall and plenty of greenery and wide-open spaces."

I filled two flasks with more coffee, cut up fruit, and grabbed a packet of crackers. I didn't have vegan cheese, but I'd put it on my shopping list.

"Wow! You come prepared." Brett peered into my backpack.

We strolled down the street, our hands brushing against one another. My fingers curled around his, and I sized up his expression, hoping this was okay. We'd been intimate, more than once, my cock had been inside his hole, so surely a bit of handholding wouldn't upset Brett's unicorn.

But a shifter's beast was usually asleep or in a trance-like state during sex, so perhaps I couldn't compare the two situations.

"I had no idea this was here." My mate took in the weeping willows and the more manicured part of the park with the untamed section. "I think my beast will enjoy coming here."

There wasn't enough private space to shift, but if Brett's unicorn preferred being out of doors, I imagined spending a lot of time here.

"Coffee?" I got the flasks out of my pack.

"You're so organized." He flipped his head back and drank. "I am at work, I have to be, but in my private life I need some nudging. Socks on the floor, empty fridge. That sort of thing."

"Don't worry. I'm happy to nudge you." Among other things. There'd be thrusting, probing, inserting, plunging, ramming… and that was just my cock. My fingers were agile, and my tongue could slip into nooks and crannies.

"I haven't met many people in the snow leopard community, but this place feels more like home than where I grew up."

"You are my home," I told him, and I put my hand over his heart. I hoped his unicorn agreed, but I refused to consider what would happen if he didn't.