Chapter 6 Six

Trinity

Waking up with Damon's strong body wrapped around mine was surreal. My tiger was more relaxed than she'd ever been, thrilled to have her mate so close. I was sore in places I didn't know were possible, but the pleasure I'd experienced more than made up for the aches this morning. He was asleep, but I still felt him through the bond between us. He was happy because he'd found me.

My lips curved up in a satisfied smile, knowing that I'd erased the fear that had filled him before we met. I couldn't quite catch what had caused it in the first place, but that didn't really matter at the moment because the feeling was gone. He'd eventually share whatever it was with me since mates didn't keep secrets from each other.

I cuddled into his embrace, reveling in the feel of Damon's arms circling me. Even in his sleep, he didn't let me go far. Not that I tried to get away from him. Throughout the night, I had clung to my mate as much as he did me. I'd also woken him up with my mouth on his cock the same way he'd done with his tongue in my pussy. We'd gone to bed early, but we didn't get much rest before the sun started streaming through his blinds. Most of the night had been spent giving each other orgasms.

Damon stirred behind me, his arms tightening as he nuzzled his face against my neck. His lips brushed over my mating mark, sending a spark of desire directly to my womb. I pushed back against him, his hard length nestled against my butt. "Morning, kitten."

I tilted my head back to meet his gaze. "Good morning."

"Did you get enough rest?" His brow wrinkled as he scanned my face.

I twisted in his hold until we were face-to-face. "You know very well that I didn't get much sleep."

"I'm sorry, kitten. I should have been more careful with you."

I flashed him a mischievous smile. "I guess it's a good thing that shifters don't need a lot of sleep because I have a feeling that we'll have plenty of nights like this."

"I hope so." He returned my smile before lowering his head to claim my lips in a deep kiss. Our tongues tangled as we breathed in each other's air. When my stomach let out a gurgling noise, he ended the kiss, and his hand drifted from my hip to cup my belly. "I guess I'll have to wait to enjoy my new favorite meal since my gorgeous mate is hungry for food instead of orgasms."

"Sadly, I really do need some fuel before we do anything else today. Maybe we could go grab some breakfastand save the sex for later," I proposed even though I was sorely tempted to suggest we postpone eating until after he'd given me another orgasm with his mouth. But my body needed food more than pleasure...at least for now.

He slid my hand down his chest and wrapped my palm around his hard-on. "This will be waiting for you whenever you're ready."

"Hmm." I squeezed his hard length and was about to suggest we wait until later for breakfast when my stomach growled again.

Damon shifted his hips backward, groaning when my hand stroked his cock as he pulled his shaft from my grip. "Save that thought for later, kitten. My cock isn't going anywhere. It will always be hard for you."

"It better," I grumbled as he tugged me out of bed and led me into the bathroom. I borrowed his toothpaste and used the extra toothbrush he hadn't opened yet, along with a shirt that was several sizes too big for me. After tying a knot at my waist, I headed into the kitchen where Damon was waiting for me.

As soon as he spotted me, he poured a second cup of coffee and asked, "How do you take it?"

I perked up at the sight of caffeine. "If I can't have a latte, I prefer mine with all the cream and sugar."

"Hopefully milk will do until I can get to the store for cream." He grabbed a carton from the fridge after dumping half of my coffee back into the carafe to make room in my mug. Then he took a bag of sugar from the pantry and handed me a spoon.

I laughed softly as I poured milk and spooned sugar into my mug. When he quirked a brow in question at me, I explained, "Sorry, but this is such a guy way to fix my coffee."

"I guess that makes sense since I'm definitely a guy." He winked at me, and I giggled before taking a sip of my coffee.

"Yeah, you more than proved how male you are last night." I shivered at the memory. "And after we get back from breakfast, I'll give you the chance to show me all over again." "There's a diner that has damn good omelets, biscuits and gravy, and corned beef hash," he suggested.

I'd been hoping for something a little more gourmet than a greasy spoon. "Darn it. I forgot that there's nowhere around here to go for a decent breakfast or a latte."

"And now you sound very much like a big city woman," he teased as he walked over to the fridge to pull out a carton of eggs, a package of bacon, and some vegetables.

"I guess that's because I'm definitely a woman, and I've lived my entire life in New York City, which is about as big as it gets," I echoed his earlier comeback, swirling my finger around the rim of my mug as I considered the compromises Damon and I would need to make in order to spend our lives together.

"What do you like in your omelets?"

His question pulled me out of my thoughts. "Are you going to cook for me?"

"Since I can't take you to a fancy restaurant for breakfast without a long drive, I figured we might as well stay here instead of going out." He set two pans on top of the stove and placed several slices of bacon in one of them.

"Well, I'm glad you can cook since I'm horrible in the kitchen." I got up and poured myself another cup of coffee before peeking over his shoulder to see what my options were. "But I love food, which is why I love working in restaurants."

"What do you do in them if you can't cook?"

Before I answered his question, I set aside a tomato, red pepper, and onion. "A veggie and cheese omelet would be wonderful."

Damon nudged me over to a chair at the kitchen table and peppered me with questions about my career as he made our breakfast. I explained how I'd gotten my start when a lion shifter my dad knew needed some help opening a restaurant in our neighborhood. Since I was bored, I had offered to pitch in. The opportunity had led to a career that I loved...and one I wasn't sure I'd be able to continue now that I was mated to a wolf shifter in Timber Ridge.

I was sipping my coffee and staring at Damon's butt while he washed the dishes-which he'd insisted on doing even though I had offered to take care of them-when my sister's ringtone sounded from my cell. I dragged my gaze from how perfectly his gray sweatpants cupped the rounded globes to press my finger against the green button to accept the call.

"What's this that I hear about you finding your fated mate in Timber Ridge? I wonder if you guys will fight like cats and dogs." When I didn't laugh along with her, she added, "Get it? Because you're a tiger and he's a wolf."

I lifted my index finger to let Damon know I needed a minute before walking out of the kitchen to head down the hallway toward the bedroom. I didn't want him to overhear my discussion with my sister because I didn't want to hurt his feelings over something as small as my concerns about adjusting to small-town living. "I'm not stupid, Tab. Your joke was just lame and ill-timed."

"What's wrong?" Her tone became serious, without a hint of her earlier playfulness. "You've finally found your fated mate. All should be right with your world. You should be happy, not grouchy."

"I am happy to be mated to Damon." I struggled to find the words to explain my feelings. "There's no way to make you understand what he already means to me, not until you've found your mate."

"Then answer my original question, Trin. What's wrong?" she demanded.

I flopped face-down on the mattress and mumbled, "It's just that we have such different lives. Mine is in New York while Damon's is here. How can we possibly remain happy when one of us will have to make a big sacrifice to remain together?"

My sister's reply was drowned out by Damon's deep voice. "You're overthinking this, kitten. Nothing is more important to me than making you happy. I swear to you that we'll work everything out to both our satisfaction."

Jerking up, I found him standing in the doorway. His wolf flashed in his eyes, and I could tell that his animal was close to the surface. Before I disconnected the call with my sister, I murmured, "Sorry, sis. I have to go. Love you."

Damon crossed over to me, taking my hands and brushing a kiss to my knuckles before pressing my palms against his chest. "But as long as you're already here, I'd appreciate it if you'd give me a chance to show you what I love about Timber Ridge."

"I think I'd like that." I was curious about my fated mate, so it was easy to agree. Except there was one problem with that plan. "But I came to town to watch the kids so Tane and Calliope could go off and celebrate their anniversary by themselves."

He didn't seem the least bit worried about disappointing Tane. "We're a newly mated couple, which takes priority over everything else. Your brother's trip will just have to wait."