Page 18 of Cuddles for the Bear
“I still think I’d feel better if I researched it a bit more. Can I find that sort of stuff on the computer?”
“That’s right, you know your way around a computer, don’t you?” Pax said eagerly. “Isn’t that how you met up with Bear in the first place? I can’t believe you call him Bear. I think that’s cute. It suits him so much better than Devon. But didn’t you meet him online?”
“Yes, I did. Michael wanted me to do some courses online at one point, and he gave me an old laptop I was allowed to use. I found a forum that students used, and I asked a question about one of my assignments on there one day. Bear answered. Our chats expanded from there. He sounded so intelligent on the forum.”
“We call him the professor sometimes.” Flint chuckled. “He is very smart.”
Slipping his hands under his legs, Wren swung his feet. “You’re going to think it’s silly, but I felt like I had a connection to him even then. I used to try and message him several times a week, every day sometimes, for days in a row. When Michael found the computer under my mattress that last day…” Wren broke off as tears blurred his vision. “He completely ripped it apart at the hinges and smashed the screen into a hundred pieces. I felt like my life was over at that point. Standing on that ledge, I wasmentally saying goodbye to Bear, and then he came and saved me. You might think that’s weird, but here I am.”
He looked over to where Bear was still talking. As if he knew he was being watched, Bear turned round and smiled at him, before turning back to talk with Cyrus. Whatever it was they were discussing must have been important.
“We have a saying – the Fates move in mysterious ways,” Flint said softly. “You mean the world to Devon and always will. I tell you what. I’ll do a spot of research tonight and find some suitable websites for you, so you don’t end up on parts of the internet that might give you the wrong idea.”
“Oh, yes, good idea.” Pax was nodding. “I’ve been on some of those iffy sites. Some of the stuff I’ve seen would put me off sex for life if I didn’t have my sexy mate.”
“Definitely,” Flint added. “There’s no point in muddying the waters, so to speak, especially when you’re just researching.”
“Thank you,” Wren said, and he meant it. He wasn’t used to having friends, apart from Bear of course, so Flint and Pax’s offer to help was a lovely surprise. “One last thing. Do you think there might be some work around here that I could do? I’d really love to save up and buy a computer of my own. It’s not something I’ve ever had, but even just a small laptop, secondhand, would be fine.”
“My little cherub,” Pax said, patting his arm. “That’s not how things are done with mates. All you have to do is mention to your Bear that you’d like a computer of your own, and he’ll get you one. Don’t ever worry about money or anything, because these guys are loaded. The assassin business is lucrative. Honestly, it blew my mind when Storm told me about it.”
“We make ludicrous amounts of money, and we don’t have a lot to spend it on,” Flint agreed. “As a shifter, I can tell you thatthe one thing a mate wants to do for their partner more than anything else is to meet their needs and make them happy. If you want a computer, then Devon will get you one.”
“But what does Bear get out of doing that?” Wren wasn’t sure he could ever ask Bear for anything. The wonderful man had done so much for him already.
“He gets to see you happy,” Flint said. “That’s basically what having a mate is all about. You could laze around on the couch and eat boxes of chocolate all day…”
“Or donuts,” Pax added quickly. “Donuts are far better than chocolates any day of the week.”
“Or donuts, and Devon wouldn’t care so long as you were happy. It’s the shifter way – just the way we are.”
“But I want to make him happy too.” Wren hated the idea that things between him and Bear might be one-sided.
“You’ll make him happy just by being happy yourself,” Flint said.
“And the sex helps, too,” Pax said with a giggle. “But it’s all right. Do your research first before jumping into things you’re not ready for yet.”
Bear chose that moment to come over. “Is everything all right over here?” he asked.
Wren nodded, giving Bear a smile. “Pax and Flint have been really helpful,” he said.I think.
Chapter Thirteen
Three days later, Devon’s bear needed out in the worst way. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem, living in the alley. He could walk out onto his porch, strip off his clothes, and bam…his bear could come out, wander around the alley, and into the trees.
Trees. I need to shove my nose in a tree,because there was a subtle but definitely noticeable change that was also impacting Devon in a major way. Wren’s scent was getting stronger.
Nobody in the alley could work out what he was smelling of, despite the scent increasing. It was logical to assume that because Wren was in a safer environment - and Wren definitely gave the impression he was feeling a lot safer than he had been at Michael’s - whatever spirit he was sharing his body with was also gaining confidence.
Which was a good and bad thing in Devon’s eyes.
With Wren’s scent getting stronger, all Devon could think about was claiming his mate. He couldn’t avoid the intriguing smell – it was all through his house and filled his nostrils with every breath he took.
His need to claim was instinctive, and while Devon’s human side had a long list of reasons why it wouldn’t be fair to claim Wren so soon after what he’d been through, Devon couldn’t deny the sheer need he had to make Wren his own.
His need made even the thought of talking to Wren about the claiming process difficult. As it was, he was keeping his physical distance from Wren as much as he could without making Wren feel bad about himself. Not an easy thing to do when both he and Wren enjoyed cuddling each other. Keeping his eternally eager dick out of the equation in that situation often required a lot of subtle chair wiggling on his part.
None of Devon’s thinking was logical. Devon admitted to Cyrus that he still held onto that initial fear, brought on by seeing Wren on that ledge. For some reason, in his mind, that equated to a situation where Wren would suddenly disappear – meaning he had to keep his mate close.
