Chapter Eighteen

Simon was so sure the morning was going to be awkward. Inside he was still a mess of feelings - relief that Kolton had come back to him, the sense of freedom that stemmed from Kolton knowing his darkest secret, and yet he was still curled around Simon as if he was special. But even prior to his “incident,” Simon was not prone to angry or emotional outbursts, so there was a part of him that was also feeling highly embarrassed.

Not that Kolton seemed to notice. Simon woke up with Kolton’s lips firmly around his cock, sucking him with a dedicated focus that had Simon’s balls unloading in mere minutes. He was still licking Kolton’s spunk off his lips when they tumbled into the shower together ten minutes later. When Kolton handed him one of his own T-shirts, which was too big for Simon, Simon didn’t complain and just pulled it over his head. He found jeans in his dresser drawer, and they went down to breakfast, which Kolton zapped – such a helpful skill.

“I was thinking we could go and visit some of my packmates, if you were interested,” Kolton said as they were relaxing over coffee, their empty plates pushed to the side. “I’d like you to meet them.”

“I’d like that,” Simon nodded, quietly pleased his mate didn’t want to isolate him. “How will that work with the casino, though. Will you need to hire another manager first?”

“Ugh.” Kolton slumped back in his chair. “I know you’re right, but I’m hopeless at that sort of thing. I need someone who’s a paranormal, especially now we’re mated, but finding a team player and someone who won’t rip me off… We could make short trips? The casino works fine if I’m only gone three or four days.”

“We can do that.” Simon stretched out his legs, knocking his feet against Kolton’s. “It’s just, I might have implied this last night, but I’ve never had what anyone would call a proper holiday. You told me your pack is all over the world. Wouldn’t it be fun exploring those places together?”

“It would. That’s what Raoul and Jason have been doing.” Kolton went from slumped in his chair, to resting his head on the table. “I’ll get a manager, but I’m going to mess it up. I just know I’m going to employ the wrong person, and things will all go ass up, and your first ever holiday will be ruined.”

“I might know someone who could be keen on the job.” Simon thought about his friend Elijah. “I’ve known him quite a few years, he works for the Paranormal Council. He’s a lion shifter, gets on with everyone, and he’s spent many an evening grumbling about how his job is akin to herding house cats. If he got a decent job offer, I’m fairly sure he’d take it.”

“If he drives a pink Lamborghini then I won’t hire him,” Kolton warned, raising his head. “I’ve learned my lesson on that one.”

Chuckling, Simon shook his head. “Elijah rides a huge motorbike, one of those designed for long distances. He likes to take off across the desert on his days off. He was the one I contacted when you and I officially met, and I realized the hours I spent at the hospital weren’t going to work for us as a couple. He’s great at problem solving, getting things done, and he’s excellent at dealing with paranormals and non-paras alike.”

“You seem to know a lot about him.” The pout was cute and so was the growl in Kolton’s voice. “How good of a friend is he?”

“He’s one of the few friends I have in this world.” Simon inhaled, let it out slowly and added, “When I had my issues, it was him that got me the help I needed to walk again and heal. He’s never seen my dick, and I’ve never seen his, and we both prefer things stay that way. Does that help?”

“Sorry.” Now Kolton’s grin was sheepish, and Simon was hit by those puppy dog eyes that Kolton did just as well as his hound did. “My hound’s feeling a bit protective this morning.”

A statement that gelled with everything Simon knew about shifters. “I’ll text Elijah shortly and see if he wants to meet us for lunch at the casino,” he suggested. “He mentioned wanting to meet you, when I told him I’d met my mate, so he won’t think anything odd about the invitation to lunch. You can meet him, make your own decision, and we will go from there. How does that sound?”

Kolton nodded. “I’d like to meet someone you consider a friend,” he said slowly.

“I also have to ask this, bluntly, because I’m learning this is what you prefer. But aside from any names, is there anything else you need to know about what I shared last night? Because this is not something I like discussing, so I’d prefer to believe we both know it happened, you’ll make sure it never happens to me again, and I’d like us to move forward with our lives, never having to think of it again.”

Scratching the side of his ear, Kolton said, “I suppose if I didn’t mention I wanted to play tug of war with his limbs and chase him across the wastelands of the Underworld, that would be considered a lie by omission?”

“It would be, yes, but you’ve told me now, so was there anything else?”

“You mentioned you’d moved states. Is there anywhere you don’t want to travel to? Or a town that would make you uncomfortable to visit?”

Simon considered the question, but finally realized it wouldn’t hurt to mention the state. “I’ve not visited Michigan in a long time and don’t plan to.”

Kolton nodded. “That’s okay, so we can visit Beau and Blue in New York then, which is where we’ll go first. If our pack had an alpha, it would be Beau. You mentioned that business with your wings, which must’ve caused some damage…” he trailed off.

“It did, but they are fully healed now. There is scarring at the bottom of both of my wings, but most people don’t notice them as the scars are very small, and my wings are fully functional.”

“Can you actually fly? I’ve never known if a gargoyle’s wings were just decorative, or if you can really fly.”

“I can fly, yes.” Simon grinned at Kolton’s sudden excitement. “Did you want to go flying with me one day, if we can find somewhere safe to do it?”

“I’ve never flown.” Kolton was wiggling in his chair. “I translocate everywhere or drive, and I’ve always wondered what that would feel like, to be in the air, looking down at everything.”

“It can be a real rush. We’ll make sure we do it soon.” Reaching into his jean’s pocket, Simon held up his phone. “Shall I text Elijah, let him know to meet us at the casino for lunch?”

“Let’s do it. I want to go on holiday with you.”

Kolton’s excitement was contagious. Simon made arrangements for them both to meet Elijah for lunch at twelve thirty.