“Yes, it was so much fun,” I smile.
We stand still for a moment, lost in each other’s eyes. My eyes drift from his shoulders to his arms, then down to his perfectly chiseled chest. My eyes drift further down to his… member.Yikes!Snapping my head up, I look straight up at the sky. I’m so embarrassed. I’ve never seen one of those before. To confirm if I saw what I thought I saw, I looked back down.Yes!His member is really out in full view. I snap my head back up to the sky. A hot flash moves across my face and body, and I’m almost positive that my face is ten different shades of red.
“What’s wrong?” Ian laughs.
“You’re… naked.” I exclaim, still avoiding eye contact with him.
“Yes, that’s normal after I shift. I hate to break it to you, angel… but you are, too.” Ian steps back and looks me up and down with a huge grin on his face. I look down and am shocked that I’m standing there as naked as the day I was born. I use my hands and arms, trying to cover my private areas, which gets another roar of laughter from Ian. “Angel, why are you trying to hide your body? Nudity after shifting is normal and natural. Plus, I’m your mate. There’s nothing you should hide from me, especially this delicious body of yours.” He puts his hands on my lower back and pulls me into him.
“Ian!” I snap, looking around, “this is not funny! What if someone… or a pup sees us like this?” I’m still trying to hide my embarrassment and my body.
“Being daddy’s princess kept you sheltered. I like that. Okay, angel, let’s go inside the fishing cabin. I had the liberty of having some clothes and food dropped off for us.” He motions with one hand to the door of the fishing cabin, while his other hand presses on my lower back, guiding me inside.
Walking through the door of the fishing cabin, the smell of bacon attacks my nose, and my stomach lets out a massive growl. I see takeaway containers from the packhouse kitchen on the counter next to the coffeepot. In front of the lower cabinets I see a couple of paper bags with other food items inside.
“The door on the right is the bathroom and the door on the left is the bedroom. A bag packed with your clothes and toiletries is on the bed. Why don’t you take a shower and I’ll make us some coffee and get breakfast on the table?” Ian walks to the coffee pot without looking at me.
I stand still for a moment; this seems so weird. Yesterday I woke up in my bed in the house I grew up in. Today I’m standing naked in the fishing cabin with my mate.My Mate.How did I go from a child to a woman overnight? I know that I have prayed to be Ian’s mate, but I never really thought about what that entailed.
“How did my things get here?” I turn to Ian.
“Your mom sent them.” Ian fills the coffeepot with water.
“My parents know I’m here… alone… with you?” I tilt my head, “and they’re okay with this?”
“Yes, angel. Mates are normal and natural. There’s nothing wrong here.” Ian turns to me and chuckles under his breath, “you really are pure and innocent, aren’t you?”
Frustrated, I don’t answer him. I turn, and in a half daze, walk into the bedroom to get my bag. How can all this be happening so fast? Part of me knows this is natural and the other part just wants to stay a child with a crazy crush on the boy next door. I open my bag and find a note from my mom on top of my neatly folded clothes.
Choose to love each other every day.
Even when he annoys the shit out of you.
Love, Mom
I laugh at mom’s note. I guess they really are okay with it. Maybe I’m not because I saw the way he was acting just hours before my first shift. Before I accept him as my mate, we need to talk, but for now I’m in desperate need of a shower. I stink.
After my shower, I dress in shorts and a tank top and head straight for the coffee. The events of yesterday and the night have left me drained. I sit on the small loveseat, sipping on my coffee, while Ian takes a shower. I giggle when he sings in the shower. There are two things I didn’t know about Ian; he’s a country music fan, and he sings in the shower. He’s got a great voice.Is there anything this guy is bad at?
After Ian’s shower concert, we eat breakfast in an awkward silence. Ian and I have known each other for as long as I can remember. We know each other well. We have spent time fishing and talking about everything. Still, this is just awkward. I’m nervous about what might happen after breakfast.Am I ready?
“You’re the first girl besides my mom and sisters that I’ve ever had breakfast with. I look forward to a lifetime of breakfasts with you, angel.” Ian rubs my leg.
“We should probably talk.” I swallow the lump in my throat.
“Uh oh… about what?” Ian pushes his empty plate away.
“Us,” I whisper out.
“Us?” He turns to me, placing his hands on my thighs.
“When did you know I was your mate?” I look into his eyes.
“My eighteenth birthday. When you put this on me.” Ian looks at the paracord bracelet on his wrist, then back at me. I look down at the bracelet I made for him when I was sixteen. It looks a little worn and faded, like he doesn’t take it off.
“I know that you’ve been with other women… even after finding out I was your mate. What you’ve done before I knew we were mates doesn’t bother me so much. I never expected you to wait for me, mostly because nobody does… wait for their fated mate. But what I saw last night, all those tramps all over you. It hurt, really hurt. I was looking forward to you coming home and finding out if you were my mate or not. Something that I’ve wanted since I was fourteen. I should have been your focus, but instead of paying any attention to me… on one of the biggest days of my life, you had a tramp on your lap with your hand resting between her knees. Were you planning on screwing her in the woods before you came to me?” My bottom lip quivers as a frustrated tear escapes my eyes. I need answers.
“Shit.” Ian breathes out, placing his hands on top of his head and sitting straight up in his chair. “Look, I know what you saw looked bad… really bad. I went there looking for you. You were the only woman on my mind. Then all these women surrounded us, and I… I got lost in the moment. I liked the attention that I was getting from them.” He leans back down to me and places his hands high on my thighs. “I’m an asshole, Kate. I shouldn’t have… Kate, I promise it will never happen again.” He rubs my thighs. Everywhere his hands touch, sparks radiate off my skin through my body to my core. My core throbs for his touch and my nipples instantly get hard. Both are new sensations that I’ve never experienced before. “I’m sorry, angel, you’ll never have to worry about me and other women again. You are the only one for me. The other half of my soul.” His lips gently press against mine.My first kiss.“Wait here. I have something for you.” He leaves me sitting at the table in a daze. I touch my lips… I just had my first actual kiss. He promptly returns to his seat, pulling me into his lap. “Happy birthday, angel.” He puts a small golden box in my hands.