Chapter Four

Vinnie

Iwake up covered in sweat and only half of it is my own. I push my hair away from my face, wincing as it sticks to my wet skin.

What the fuck is going on?

As a phoenix shifter, I'm no stranger to the heat but something doesn't feel quite right. I feel like I'm sitting next to a furnace blowing at its hottest temperature. There's something cutting through the heat at the same time, something pulling at my most basic instincts.

Taking a deep breath, my entire body goes completely still as my insides quiver with anticipation. And lust. Fuck. Okay. This is fine. Totally fine.

I'm not entirely sure but if I had to take a guess, I'd say that Tatum is in heat.

My mouth waters at the scent being presented to me. Fuck, he smells so fucking good. I want to lick every inch of his body, leaving behind bites and hickeys. I want to fuck him so full that he can barely move. I want--

I quickly flip over onto my side, putting some distance between myself and Tatum. As much as my instincts are screaming at me to claim my mate, I don't want to do anything that would make him uncomfortable. Something like this warrants at least one conversation before the party starts. There's nothing sexier than enthusiastic consent that's not addled by a heat foggy brain.

Gods, I really hope his heat hasn't left him too far gone already.

As carefully as I can, as not to disturb Tatum, I crawl out of the bed. I make my way over to the bathroom, splashing my face with cool water and retying my hair up into a messy bun. Now that I'm not plastered against Tatum, my body cools back down and my brain starts to clear. I can think more clearly without all these mate, claim, fuck thoughts taking up all the space in my brain.

Should I leave? Should I give Tatum some distance? Should I take him back to my place so we can make a proper nest followed closely by me dicking him down?

Okay, maybe that last one is what I want but not necessarily what Tatum needs right now.

I use the bathroom, straighten my clothes, and walk back into the main hotel room. My stomach flips pleasantly as I find Tatum awake, sitting up in bed. He looks at me with groggy eyes but the smile on his lips melts me. Gods, he's so beautiful and I still cannot believe that for whatever reason, the universe decided that he's mine.

"Good morning," I say, leaning my hip against the doorframe, keeping distance between us for now. "How're you feeling?"

"So good," he says right away, his voice raspy from just waking up. I curse my cock for twitching with interest. Down boy! "But you weren't here when I woke up. Are you okay? Having second thoughts about all this?"

"Not even a little bit," I tell him honestly. I know this is fast, but that's just how true mates work. Finding the person that's destined just for you puts a lot of things into perspective. A lot of things slot into place. As much as I preach about free will and making your own choices, I don't actually want to rally against destiny. I want this. I want Tatum. "I want whatever the future has for the two of us and I'm excited to explore what it means to be your mate."

Tatum's smile turns somehow even softer. He runs his fingers through his short hair, letting out a long breath like he was worried about my reaction. I promise myself to always make it known how I feel about him so he never has to wonder.

"Fuck," he says softly, his eyes coming up to meet mine. "That's really good to hear." He reaches his hands towards me. "Come here?"

"I'd love to but I think for the moment, it's best I stay over here."

"Why? What's wrong?"

I shake my head, doing my best to put him at ease. "Nothing is wrong. I'm just worried about you. Do you feel--" I cut myself off, wondering how to phrase this. Hey, do you feel like you wanna fuck in the most animalistic way until you catch with my clutch? Yeah, that's probably not a great way to break the ice on this one. Instead, I go with, "how are you feeling?"

Tatum's brows wrinkle in confusion. He looks down at his own lap, his cheeks turning bright red at the outline of his erection through the thin sheet laid there. My stomach warms with amusement as he quickly grabs a pillow and puts it over his lap. Tatum seems to take stock of himself before finally looking back at me, his expression filled with a tentative shyness. Gods, he's adorable.

"I wasn't lying, I woke up feeling really good. I'm a little too warm for comfort though. And I seem to be insatiably horny. Now that I'm thinking about it, it's taking literally everything inside of me not to jump out of bed and ravish you where you stand."

I suck in a sharp breath, biting my bottom lip to keep any errant noises threatening to jump from my throat inside. "That's umm, yeah. I can smell that from here," I confess softly. "You smell good enough to eat, Tatum."

Tatum whimpers and the noise shoots through me, down to my very core. The things I would be willing to do to hear that over and over again. I want him. I want him more than I've ever desired someone before. The feelings welling up inside of me almost scare me with how intense they are.

"Please, Vinnie."

I take a steady breath, hating the way his scent is filling the room. Okay, hate is a strong word. I fucking love it but it's making it really hard to think straight.

"Before we do anything," I say through gritted teeth, needing to keep myself together just a little longer. "Why don't you take a cold shower, cool the fuck down, and then we can head over to my place. Does that sound okay?"

Tatum lets out a frustrated groan. "But I want you now, Vinnie. Please."

"I know you do," I say as gently as I can. "I want you too. Desperately. But wouldn't it be better to have your heat at my place. We can make a nest together and I have all the food we'll need to get through this there."

"Wait," he says suddenly, his eyes widening. "I'm in heat?"

"Yeah. Meeting your true mate will do that."

"Fuck. Okay. I like your plan. Can you pack up my shit while I'm in the shower?"

"I'll take care of everything," I tell him seriously. "I promise I'll do everything to make sure you're okay. As long as you want this."

"I do," he says straight away. "I want this so badly. I wanted this before the heat kicked in. I want you, Vinnie."

"Okay, go get in the shower and by the time you're out, I'll be ready to head out." Tatum stands up and I move over towards the door of the hotel room, wanting to give him space to get into the bathroom where I won't be tempted to pin him to the wall and kiss him breathless. "While you're in there, maybe you should take the edge off so the walk over to my place isn't too uncomfortable for you."

Tatum's cheeks turn bright red but he gives me a nod before heading into the bathroom. I quickly get out my phone and call the owner, letting him know I won't be at work for the rest of the week. Gods, I love that my job is so understanding.

I pack up Tatum's things and get ready to take him to my place, my stomach flittering with anticipation and nerves. As much as I can't wait to have Tatum in my space and to thoroughly take care of him during his heat, I can't help but worry that my place won't be enough for him, or that we won't quite mesh together. We might be true mates, but we barely know each other yet.

Thankfully, I don't have too much time to sit and worry. Tatum comes out of the bathroom after his shower, his eyes looking more lucid than they did when he went in.

"Sorry about that," he says sheepishly.

"Don't be sorry. This is all natural and normal for true mates. And I wasn't lying, I plan on taking care of you as best as I can. As long as that's still something you want."

"It is," Tatum says with a small smile. "I have no idea what that even entails but I trust you."

My knees go a little weak at the soft confession. My mate already trusts me. Fuck, that's a heady feeling and something I plan on taking seriously. I never want to abuse that trust or make Tatum regret giving it to me.

I open the door and usher him outside. "Let's head to my place."