Page 11 of Midnight Mate
The wolf wanted to keep his mate safe, no matter what came next.
“You don’t have to let me hang around,” Bayne offered, testing the ground. “If it’s weird, I can disappear. But it might be a while before I figure out where home is.”
Clint shrugged, nonchalant. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you need.”
Sunlight hit Clint’s hair in a way that made Bayne’s chest feel too tight, too full. No, not his chest. Heart, maybe. Or his entire damn soul. But he wasn’t about to get dramatic about it.
He just drank his coffee, letting the silence pool again, warm and steady.
As Bayne glanced at the microwave, a syringe surfaced in his mind, but was gone too fast to latch onto. His gaze landed on the counter, and faint laughter echoed. More than one voice, but again, the memory didn’t last long enough to figure it out.
“You wanna eat breakfast?” Clint asked, breaking the moment.
Bayne rolled his neck, considering. “If you have it. I’m still a little…hungry.” The word meant more than it should’ve, but Clint didn’t seem to notice.
He nodded and moved toward the fridge. “Got eggs. Maybe a bagel. Or a leftover pizza, but it’s questionable. Your call.”
“Pizza’s fine. I’m not picky.”
Slices hit the plate, cold and stiff. Bayne didn’t care. Food was food, and his body needed calories.
He watched Clint move around the kitchen, fluid and precise, despite the exhaustion. Every little action pulled at Bayne, made him want to close the gap, pull Clint in. Kiss him. Fuck, just to see how his mate would react.
Not yet.
Time for that later.
For now, coffee and pizza and sunlight.
An hour in, Clint was already comfortable enough to lean his hip against the counter, grumbling about work and the backlog of patients. “They expect me to keep every animal in a ten-mile radius alive,” he said, shaking his head. “Little do they know I barely keep myself standing most days.”
Bayne hid a smile in his coffee. “You’re doing great, Doc. Still got all your limbs, so you must be ahead of the curve.”
Clint barked a laugh. “High bar. I set it there so I never disappoint myself.”
Nice. There it was again, the tug, the bond, that “I’d fight hell for you” instinct. It was getting stronger. Hell, Bayne didn’t even want to hide it, not really. He just didn’t want to scare his mate off by coming in too hot.
“Hey,” Clint said suddenly, bracing both hands on the counter. “I have to go to the clinic today for a few hours. You wanna tag along? There’s a break room. Coffee, WiFi, more food than I keep here. You can nap if you want.”
Bayne blinked, surprised. The invitation threw him. Not that he hadn’t expected to stick close, but to be asked…
He nodded once. “Yeah, sure. Unless you think I’ll scare the clients away.”
Clint looked him up and down, gaze lingering a beat too long on the way Bayne’s shirt clung to his arms. “If anything, you’ll get us more business. Kinda like a mascot, except taller and less likely to pee on the floor.” He schooled his face into neutrality, but Bayne saw the flicker of interest there, the twitch of a smile.
“Not sure about that. Depends on how strong this coffee is,” Bayne shot back, and Clint just shook his head, grinning.
Outside, the trees rustled, leaves backlit and trembling. For a second, nothing else existed but the smell of coffee, the low rumble of Clint’s voice, and the easy press of their morning together.
Bayne tried to pin down the feeling, but he couldn’t find the words. Maybe he didn’t need them.
Clint’s presence centered him, pulled the wolf into a calm that tasted like belonging. The ache behind his eyes? Not even worth mentioning now.
He wasn’t about to let that vanish.
Not when he was this close to something worth protecting.
Coffee finished, he rinsed the mug. Clint’s shirt smelled like him, and Bayne didn’t bother hiding the way he inhaled, low and deep.
