Page 44 of The Mating Game
“Great,” I groan. “Good talk.”
“I’m a cardiologist,” he says, “not a relationship guru.”
“There is no relationship,” I huff.
“Be that as it may.”
I scrub a hand down my face, realizing that this conversation is pointless. Noah is so wrapped up in his own mated bliss, he probably can’t even see the true gravity of the situation. It’s night and day how different he is after mating with Mackenzie.
Still an android though.
“Well, just…send a prescription to the pharmacy in town, would you? I need all the help I can get.”
“Does she smell that good?”
I think back to her soft scent of baked apples and cinnamon thatmakes my mouth water, knowing that I’m in danger of running into it around every corner, no escape to be had. I sigh, resigning myself to my fate.
“You have no idea,” I tell him.
His answering chuckle offers no comfort as he answers, “You’d be surprised.”
I run intoTess about an hour after I hang up with Noah, and immediately upon finding her, I can tell that something is…off. Her hair is mussed and her expression is pinched, and she sucks on her thumb while holding a hammer and cursing at the offending tool.
“You all right?”
She jolts at the sound of my voice, turning her big brown eyes on me as her lips part in surprise. I’m hit with her scent, exactly as I knew I would be, and I have to take small, shallow breaths just to try not to be overwhelmed by it.
“I’m fine,” she says. “Caught my thumb with the hammer.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah, it’s not my best day.”
There are dark circles under her eyes, a paleness in her cheeks that makes the freckles I’m just now noticing look more prominent, and it makes my alpha stir, makes him perk up and take notice. “You look…tired.”
“Tired,” she scoffs. “Is that code for ‘like shit’?”
“No, just tired,” I chuckle.
“My fucking skin feels too tight. Is that normal? I keep getting these weird cramps in my legs, and I feel so…sorestless. I can’t seem to shake it. It kept me up half the night.”
Uh-oh.
I try to keep my tone gentle because I imagine that coming into all this as an adult has to be scary. “Um…have you still not shifted yet?”
“What?” Her brows shoot up. “Of course not. I don’t even know how.”
I chew on the inside of my cheek for a moment while she studies the red tip of her thumb, telling myself to keep my mouth shut. It’s not like the last time I offered her help went so well. Still, I can already feel it, how I won’t be able to walk away from her without saying something. It’s a fucking pain in my ass, truth be told.
“I could show you,” I tell her. “Or try, at least. I can’t say I’ve ever taught someone how to shift.”
“You don’t have to,” she argues hesitantly. “You’ve already done so much. I don’t want to be a burden.”
I frown. “It’s not a burden. And it’s okay to admit you need the help, Tess. Who else is going to show you?”
To my relief,shelooks relieved. “Really?”
“If you want.”
