“Whew, you two might need to get a room.” Lucien clapped his hand on Cort’s back. “Another soul mate, how about that?”
“I had a feeling,” Clay said. “You two were getting awfully close fast.”
“But without my sight, I had no way of knowing. Still, I had a feeling, too.” Grey tugged Cort close as if he couldn’t stand to not be touching him.
It didn’t take long for the food to be ready. There were so many dishes—roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy, barbecued ribs that looked like they’d been on a smoker all day long, several vegetable side dishes and more desserts than Cort would have thought possible. Soon, they were all gathered around the dining room table, the mood so jovial, Cort just felt happy to be part of it all. He gorged himself on food and sweet tea and listened as the goddesses told tales of things they’d seen over their long lives.
“Have you ever seen a dragon?” Baer asked as he wiped his fingers on a napkin. He had a bit of sauce trapped in his beard, and Wiley leaned over to dab at it. Baer smiled at him and threatened to kiss him with his dirty face.
“No,” Flo said. “Dragons aren’t real. But there were these creatures that were similar once, though they’re long extinct.”
“Ooh, speaking of extinct creatures, I wonder if Baer could be a dinosaur!” Wiley picked up his glass of tea and took a sip. “Think you could be something that big?”
“I have no idea, but now I have to try it.”
“That’s all we need. A T-Rex running around the woods.” Lucien shook his head and speared a helping of roast beef. “Though you could eat the pestilents.”
Baer shuddered. “No, thank you. Gags me just thinking about it.”
Calder, holding a rib between two hands, looked at Baer. “I want to see you turn into a pterodactyl.”
This turned the conversation to the scariest dinosaurs, and Cort chuckled as he bit into some corn on the cob. All their knowledge seemed to come from the Jurassic Park movies. Of course, that was all he knew about dinosaurs, too.
He caught Grey watching him and nearly choked on the desire he could see smoldering in those gray eyes. He remembered what the man had said about picturing him naked and had to swallow the sudden lump in his throat. He set his corn down and wiped his hands, no longer hearing the conversation going on around him. They stared at each other and under the table, Grey’s hand settled on his thigh. Grey squeezed his fingers, and all Cort’s blood rushed to his cock.
“Soon.”
Yes, soon they would be alone.Chapter 21Grey wandered out to the back patio and smiled at the sight of his handsome mate leaning against a support column, seeming to stare off into the star-filled sky. While watching his mate was certainly his new favorite pastime, his second was quickly becoming the observation of the red ribbon that ran from him to Cort.
When he’d first spotted it between Clay and Dane, then Baer and Wiley, it had reminded him of a thick decorative red ribbon that might be found on a gift. But now that he could see it attached to his own person, the ribbon took on more detail. Its satiny glisten did nothing to detract from the fact that it looked as strong as the metal ropes holding a bridge in the air. Nothing would ever cut the ribbon that linked him to Cort.
Of course, even if he’d never been able to see the ribbon linking them, there was no missing the love, hope, and hints of nervousness lurking in Cort’s eyes. His man was so very easy to read, and Grey wasn’t entirely sure it was all due to getting his full powers back. There was just something so wonderfully open and trusting in all of his expressions. Cort didn’t hide what he was feeling. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and there was no missing that it beat for Grey.
Dear God, he wanted to be worthy of that love and trust. He swore he was going to work harder on expressing his feelings and making sure Cort never questioned how important he was to Grey. His mate deserved that.
His mate.
Two words he’d been sure would never apply to him. But he was going to make sure he cherished them every day of his life.
Crossing the patio, he slid his arms around Cort’s waist from behind and pressed a soft kiss to the back of his neck. “I missed you,” he murmured, shoving down his worries about being too clingy and needy. And he was so glad he did. Otherwise, he might not have noticed the swell of pure joy that rose in Cort at those three words.
“Just stepped outside for a little fresh air. Your family is so crazy.”