Page 11 of The Lab: Rigg

I carded my fingers through his soft fur and wished for the millionth time I had such a powerful beast within me. “You’re amazing, Niles.”

He rubbed my thigh with his head and then licked my hand, before stepping back and shifting into his skin again. The act of shifting was the fastest way for him to heal. His body knew how to keep him healthy and did its job. Again, way cooler than what I could do.

He rolled his shoulders and then stepped into his clothes to quickly get dressed again. I would have been happy to stare at his naked skin a bit longer and maybe join him in his nudity, but we had a lot to talk about. Like, holy shit, we were fated mates.

Having found him inside a random bar still seemed surreal. I never thought I’d find someone who could accept my condition, much less want to be with me. My life was complicated and manufactured. I’d never had genuine relationships outside of Grandpa.

Once he was dressed again, he stretched out his arms and back and sighed. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for bed.”

“Yeah, you need some rest.” I wasn’t worried about a concussion anymore, but the thought of leaving him made my stomach twist. But I needed to get back to my family too.

“And you probably have places to be. People to be with.”

“Yeah, I do.” When I saw his eyes go wide, I realized how that must have sounded. “Kids. Um…like you…”

All the blood dropped from his face, and he took a step back. “Oh, I guess I assumed…”

“You assumed right.” I reached for him, and when he didn’t reach for me back, I took a step closer, desperate to touch him and confirm he was real. “They’re adopted. Just recently.” I didn’t know how to word my story, so I kept it brief. “I’ve been waiting for you, it seems. Now that I’ve found you, can I take you back to my place?”

“So soon?” He didn’t seem opposed to the idea, just surprised. “Maybe we should go on a few dates before meeting the family.”

I nodded, agreeing that was what weshoulddo. Whatnormalpeople would do. But I didn’t think it was something I could do. Leaving him behind wasn’t an option for me, and I truly hoped it wasn’t an option for him. “I just don’t like the idea of leaving you at home after a head injury. Having you close feels like…” I grinned to soften the stalker vibes I was projecting. “Well, it feels like the only way I’ll get any sleep tonight.

He chuckled and stepped closer to my chest, leaning his head back so he could look up at me. “How very alpha of you.”

My face twisted into a playful grin. “Maybe for the first time in my life, I actually feel alpha. Please don’t ruin that for me.”

“Yeah, okay.” He rolled his eyes and then got on his tiptoes to press a soft kiss over my lips. “I don’t really want to be alone tonight either.” It was his turn to look at me, study my face the way I’d studied his.

After a minute, I started to feel self-conscious. “Why aren’t you more freaked out by all this?”

Niles shrugged and pulled back so we could start walking toward the parking lot. “You think I don’t know what it’s like to be different? The second I scented you, I knew you were mine.” He chuckled and pressed his forehead to my bicep. “As you might recall by my little show of indecency in the breakroom.”

“First of all, that was amazing, and there was nothing indecent about it.” I still owed him a reciprocal blow job. “But the fated mate thing was a surprise. I felt the pull but didn’t realize what it was until my friend pointed out the stupid look on my face could only mean one thing.”

He laughed harder this time. “Yeah, you did look a little shocked when I came to the table. Who was your friend?” We stopped at an older car in the parking lot, and Niles leaned against the side with his arms crossed in front of him. “Were you on a date?”

“What?” That seemed ridiculous to me, but I could see why Niles would jump to that conclusion. “No, I just met him, but he’s happily married with a family. It was more of a business meeting of sorts.”

Niles furrowed his brow as he watched me. “What business are you in?”

That was a loaded question since I didn’t actually have a job or career or education or anything. “It’s a long story. Is this your car?”

“Yeah.” He patted the fender. “Did you drive here?”

Yet another long story. “I rode my bike part of the way, but if you don’t mind letting me drive your car, we can grab some clothes from your place and then I’ll take you back to mine. It’s not fancy, but…” I shrugged, hating how corny my next words were gonna sound, but I didn’t have a better way to say what I meant. “Well, at least we’ll be together.”

* * *

“I’m gonna fill up the tank and grab a bottle of electrolytes.” I pulled the old car to a stop in front of a gas pump and killed the engine. “Do you want any snacks?”

He yawned and closed his eyes. “Nah, I’m fine. I’ll hunt if I need to.” After stopping at his place for a bag of clothes and his laptop, he handed me his keys and curled up on the passenger seat. “Wake me when we get there.”

Before I got out, I spent another minute just watching him, memorizing every soft feature and adorable freckle. How had I gotten so lucky?

The drive back to my little cabin went fast because I was so anxious. Doubts about whether I was making a bad decision or moving too quickly tried to take root in my mind, but I didn’t let them. I forced myself to focus on the facts. And the only fact that truly mattered was that Niles was my mate and he trusted me to take care of him.

Everything else wasfigureoutable.

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