The wolf licked my arm.
Whether that was her telling me that she was going to judge me, or that she agreed with my decision, was up in the air. I was too exhausted to worry about it, though.
So I grabbed my shirt off the ground, ignoring the wet splotch I found, and quickly used it to dry off Evan’s arms and legs. He slept like an adorable, chubby rock, only wiggling a little when my shirt tickled his armpits.
When he was dry, I gave my own arms and chest a quick rub with the shirt (though it was pretty wet at that point) before I tossed it to the floor, and scooped up the little chunk.
He snuggled up against my chest, and I hoped Lizzy the human wasn’t pissed that I’d taken care of her kid while naked. I probably should’ve put pants on, but in the moment, I hadn’t thought about it.
My hand rubbed over the little guy’s sticky hair after I set him back down on his crib. Then I tugged his blanket up over his chest, and looked back at Lizzy the wolf.
She was just watching me, quietly.
I wanted to crash back in the bed, ignoring the chocolate milk on the mattress, but I didn’t want the liquid to ruin her bed—even if it was old, uncomfortable, and way too short.
So I tugged some pants on, then gestured for the wolf to follow me out of the room.
She slipped off the bed, staying close on my heels as I headed back out to the living room.
Charly was still on the couch, doing something on her computer while her hospital show played.
“Hey, do you have cleaning supplies somewhere?” I asked.
She glanced back at me, and Lizzy’s wolf snarled at her, so she whipped her face back toward the screen. “Sure. Laundry room, at the end of the hall and to the left. Might want to wear a shirt out next time, bud.”
I glanced down at my chest, surprised.
Shit.
That was why Lizzy had been snarling; female werewolves were just as possessive as the men.
“Thanks,” I told Charly, murmuring an apology to the wolf as we headed down the hall. I wasn’t sure exactly what it would take to get an assload of chocolate “milk” out of a mattress, but I was going to start with good old all-purpose spray.
When I made it back to the room with said all-purpose spray and a couple of old rags I’d found, I peeled the fitted sheet off, and blinked down at the mattress.
There was a cover over it. Some kind of mattress protector.
And it was waterproof enough that the liquid was just puddled on the surface.
I stared for a long minute, and then tossed an arm around Lizzy’s wolf and hugged her fiercely. She licked my face, apparently appreciating the hug.
“Your human is damned brilliant,” I mumbled to the wolf. The human could hear me, I was sure, but it’d be rude to talk to her while the wolf was snuggled up against me.
The wolf licked me again, as if telling me that she already knew that and was glad I’d figured it out too.
Mopping the “milk” up with one of the old rags only took a second, and then I hauled Lizzy’s wolf back onto the mattress with me. It was bare, but the house wasn’t cold. Even if it had been, I was too exhausted to care.
In the same day, I’d met my mate, and sort of become a stepdad.
And hopefully after a bit of sleep, I’d feel more ready to deal with it rationally.