Page 15 of Jacked-up Mate
“Look at you. You turn into the most beautiful creature on this planet.” And I turned into a pumpkin head. “Can you switch back if you want to, or do you have to wait it out like I do?”
He was still in my arms but somehow managed to nod.
“I’m going with that means you can turn back.” Was he a shifter or a werewolf? Were they different? Was he something else altogether?
I had so many questions, but the most important ones were already answered. He accepted me cursed and all. The rest didn’t really matter.
“That’s good, but maybe for now, don’t. Stay as you are. I want to sit with you like this a little more.”
I loosened my arms, and he climbed onto the porch beside me and rested his head in my lap. We stayed like that for hours. I told him stories about this town, ones that had to have been interesting for him being new here. We weren’t your typical small town.
And then somewhere between telling him about the maple festival and the time the lead car in the parade got three flats, I started to doze off, and fight as I did, I fell asleep. When I woke, he’d shifted back into his human form.
“You need to sleep in a bed, not sitting out here,” he murmured. “I’ll get going.”
“I don’t want you to get going. I can stay awake.”
He smiled softly. “You can stay awake? I don’t think you can.”
“Then stay…just to sleep.”
“I’d like that.”
And for the first time since the curse, I didn’t feel alone.
Chapter Twelve
Foster
My alpha had borne a burden for a long time, terrified of being rejected because of something that was absolutely not his fault. He’d rejected the mage, sure, but they weren’t mates, and nobody was required to enter a relationship just because the other party wanted them to. It just didn’t work that way, and if I ever got my hands on that mage, he’d learned not to expect anything from any date—ever. And certainly not to curse them because of some unmet expectation.
After we came back inside, I urged him to lie down with his head in my lap, hoping it would offer enough support to ease the strain in his neck. I was so glad I decided to stay but not ready to go to bed yet. Jack’s sigh when his pumpkin head nestled on my thighs showed I’d made a good call.
“Why don’t you rest for a little while,” I suggested, stroking the hard orange orb that encased his head or maybe was his head? I didn’t know for sure. “I’ll be right here if you need anything.”
“I don’t.” The yawn I could hear still had that muffled, sniffly quality, but hopefully meant I had relaxed him enough to get some rest. “It’s just nice having you here, omega.”
“And I could say the same thing back. Should I put on a movie or something?”
“If you want.” He yawned again. “I might rest my eyes for a few minutes.”
“Go ahead. I don’t mind the quiet.” I didn’t mind it so much that I kept on stroking his hard pumpkin head until my eyes closed and didn’t open again until a shaft of sunlight warmed my face and I looked down to see Jack’s human face, eyes still closed, and a small smile on his lips. What was he dreaming of?
Before I considered it any further, I lowered my lips to his and matched our smiles.
“Mmm.”
I lifted my head. “I woke you up.”
His eyes were glowing in the early morning light. The worst thing about the pumpkin head was that his eyes were deep inside and I couldn’t see them. No…the worst thing was that despite his lack of complaints, he was clearly so uncomfortable in it. I could always wait until morning to see those eyes.
“It’s fine. Are your legs asleep? Having that heavy head on them all night…”
“No, alpha. They’re fine. Why don’t you go to your bed and get a little more rest.”
Jack sat up and stretched. “Okay, but only if you’re coming with me.”
“Might not be a good idea.”
