Melina was fond of comparing Noah to a squirrel on crack.
Nix couldn’t say he disagreed. When the man was forced to sit still for very long, it was not a good situation. Today he was being discharged from the hospital inside Sanctuary, which was great, but Noah didn’t seem to know the meaning of the word “rest.”
“You instruct your patients to take it easy all the time,” Nix pointed out. “Can’t you follow your own advice?”
His mate paused in the act of pulling on a pair of loose sweats and gave him the stink-eye. “Haven’t you heard that doctors and nurses make the absolute worst patients in the history of ever? I rarely follow my own advice.”
“That’s just stupid.”
“Oh no. You did not just call me stupid.” Blue eyes narrowed.
“No! Not you, just doctors and nurses in general. Christ, I don’t know why I thought having a man for a mate would be any different than having a woman! I still have to be super fucking careful about everything I say.”
/> “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Jeez. Never mind. Need some help?”
“I can manage, thanks.”
He was already worn out, though. He sat on the bed with a sigh, wearing nothing but the sweat pants, and looked as tired as if he’d gone three more rounds with the tiger.
“Here.” Grabbing the shirt he’d brought over this morning from his own quarters, he went to put it on over his mate’s head.
“I’m not completely helpless. I can put on a shirt.”
“Noah? Shut up.”
“Fine.”
Finally the man allowed himself to be dressed and assisted with his tennis shoes without further bitching. For his part, Nix was surprised to learn how much he enjoyed taking care of his mate.
This protectiveness was a strange new feeling. No one he’d ever been with, male or female, had inspired the need inside him to keep them close and safe. To rip apart any who might hurt them.
That feeling seemed to be reserved for one hot blond.
“Ready?” he asked Noah.
“As I’ll ever be.”
After getting the official discharge from Melina, Nix led them out of the room. Some of Noah’s coworkers said good-bye on the way out, advising him once again to take it easy before coming back. Nix led his mate to the corridor that connected Sanctuary with the main building at the compound where the Pack and the rest of the staff lived.
There were a couple of security doors to pass through along the way, and Nix keyed in the codes. Once they were in the main building, he took them down several turns until finally they stopped at his room. One more code and they were inside.
“This is nice,” Noah said, looking around. “A lot like mine, just a slightly different floor plan.”
“Yeah, I think they varied them up some. It’s still a one-bedroom, one-bath with a kitchen, though.”
“I like how you have it decorated, with the brown leather and accent rugs. It’s very manly.”
“Thanks. What’s yours done in? Hello Kitty pink?”
Immediately he knew he’d said the wrong thing. His teasing had been taken the wrong way, and Noah was staring at him with such a wounded look that Nix’s heart sank.
Quickly he dropped Noah’s bag on the floor, crossed the short distance between them, and stopped, uncertain what to do next. “I’m so sorry. I was just teasing, you know, because you love pink so much. Your shoelaces, and your shirts? I was picturing the rest matching, that’s all.”
Some of the hurt faded from Noah’s adorable face. “Really?”
Nix inched closer, touching his mate’s cheek. “Yes, I swear. I’d never make fun of you or do anything to hurt you intentionally. Please believe that.”