Page 36 of Tempting His True Mate
We ended up skipping the shower and ordering takeout from a Thai restaurant instead. He dove in as soon as it was delivered, making me feel a little guilty. I had eaten lunch with Neil but hadn’t considered when he might have eaten last. I picked up my plate but didn’t open it.
“What’s wrong?” He shot me a concerned glance. "Do you regret not going for the squid?"
I rolled my eyes and cracked a grin. "You might be willing to try anything once, but not me."
I grabbed the remote and flipped through some of the channels. I didn't really care what we watched. Just having the background noise to help fill the silence was enough.
"Hey, you skipped past that one show with the people living in New York."
I looked at him, surprised. "You meanFriends?"
"Yeah, I watched one with Mariam, and it was pretty funny. Are you a mega fan like she is?"
"Hardly," I said. But I flipped back to the rerun and laughed with Gabe at the crew trying to move the couch. It felt nice to relax, and it seemed like he felt the same way.
Eventually, my eyes started drooping, and Gabe stifled afew yawns.
“If we’re going to get back on the road tomorrow, we should probably get ready for bed.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” I agreed. Neither of us moved. “I bet this wasn’t what you had in mind for your first night with your true mate.”
Gabe laughed bitterly. “You mean sleeping with a barrier between us and another man’s mark on her neck. No, it wasn’t. You’ve got me there, Ella.”
I winced. It sounded even worse when he said it all out loud.
“Hey,” Gabe said. He leaned closer, and for a second, I thought he was going to reach for my hand again, but he didn’t. “We’ll get through this. This isn’t your fault, and we’re going to find a way to remove his mark. But you have to admit, this is a little… unorthodox.”
The corners of his mouth twitched, and I found myself grinning back because his smile was infectious. “Now that you mention it, I’m not sure we should even be alone in here together. My mom always said I should wait to spend the night with someone until we were mated.”
“It’s all very scandalous,” he agreed with a straight face. “And I wouldn’t want to speak for your mother, but she might make an exception. Just this once.”
I shook my head and helped pile the pillows in the center of the bed. Gabe was asleep as soon as his body hit the mattress, leaving me alone to sneak off into the bathroom and inspect the mating bite on my neck. The freshly healed skin was pink and shiny, but the pain was gone. The physical pain, at least. The other kind, the worst kind of pain, was still hitting hard.
Chapter 14
The sunrise view of the city was breathtaking, and I decided to enjoy it with a cup of coffee out on the balcony. I smiled, thinking that Mariam would be shocked that I was drinking regular as I typically stuck to decaf. She might even be a little impressed that I was shaking things up.
Mariam. I frowned. I needed to call her or at least answer her texts. They had gone from concerned to annoyed and then back to concerned over the past few days. But if nothing else, I would see her in person soon enough.
Gabe had slept in. Not surprising, seeing as how he couldn’t nap in the car, but I could finally hear him stirring in the hotel room. The rustling of the sheets was followed by a thud and several frantic footsteps. I raised my eyebrows and took a long drink from the paper hotel mug when the door flew open, revealing the panicked male shifter inside.
"You thought I left," It wasn’t a question; his relief at seeing me planted firmly on the old wicker furniture confirmed it. "You slept hard last night. It wouldn't have been too difficult to give you the slip, you know."
Gabe snorted and ran his fingers through his sleep-tousled hair. "Yeah, I guess you could have. What with Pillow Mountain keeping us apart."
"Want some crappy coffee? There's enough in the pot for another cup."
His nostrils flared as he studied the brown sludge I was drinking. I sighed. "It won’t win any awards, but the caffeine might help. We have another seven hours until we get to Tumblewild, right?"
Gabe groaned and nodded. "Don't remind me. Yeah, I guess I better have some, too, and then we can get going. I can't wait to shower and change into some clean clothes."
I laughed. "I can't wait for that either. You’ve seen better days."
He grabbed his chest, mimicking a broken heart. “Ouch. Add that to the list of things I didn't think my true mate would say after our first evening together."
I threw a tobacco-scented cushion at him.
Gabe caught it with ease and tossed it back at me. "You're lucky I like you," he said, grinning.
