“Why?”
“Goddess help me.” Kaz released his beer long enough to rub the heels of both hands into his eyes. “Cal, if you move in with a woman and she takes you to see her parents and you spend all your time together, you aren’t temporary anything. You’re mated.”
“No,” he pressed, heart beating faster, “she’s sticking to the deal. She hasn’t said anything about staying together after she finishes the book. In fact, tonight she tried to end things.”
“Did she say why?”
Cal’s stomach curdled when he remembered the stark look on her face, the marrow-deep fear he felt when he thought she was sending him away. His voice was hushed and just a little raw when he explained, “I got angry with her for not introducing me to her parents as her mate. She said she was worried about putting pressure on me, that what we were doing was hurting me, and asked me if I’d like to end things.”
Kaz’s sharp-eyed gaze lingered on Cal’s pained expression. “Fog man… she asked you if you wanted to end things. She didn’t say she wanted to.”
“She wouldn’t have said it if she didn’t want it!”
Kaz rolled his eyes. “Don’t be a dipshit. She was trying to take care of you. My bet is she knows this is your first relationship and is working overtime trying to make sure you never feel overwhelmed or cornered. Especially if you’ve already moved in together, for Glory’s sake.”
“But—”
“No buts!” Kaz snagged his cracked beer bottle and pointed an accusatory finger at him all in one movement. “I don’t know shit about mating, but I know plenty about women. I was raised by a damn clutch of them. That does not sound like a woman running from commitment to me, Cal.” He made a swirling motion with his finger. “Now tell me what happened next. What did she do when you said no?”
Cal ran a hand through the length of his hair and leaned slightly away, his throat bobbing with a hard swallow. Gods, the memory of her hot mouth and soft, sure hands made him hard all over again. “She… ah… We didn’t talk much after that.”
“D’you fuck?”
“I’m not answering that.” Cal wasn’t particularly modest or prudish, but he was possessive. He had no intention of sharing their most private, sacred moments with anyone other than his mate.
Kaz laughed and shook his head. “I’m going to go ahead and take that as a yes. And if not, then you got close.” He finished off his beer with a long, drawn out sigh. Eyes slanting toward Cal, he announced, “Congrats, fog man. You’re mated. Now get the fuck out of this shitty bar and go home.”
Cal’s chest seized, hope wrapping around his heart like a vice. Still, he needed to be sure. He couldn’t risk messing things up any more than he already had. Living without Elise was not an option.
“How do you know she wants to keep me?” he pressed, hands flattening against the sticky bar. “How do you know it’s not just the deal?”
Kaz groaned and rolled his shoulders. “Let’s see… Did your deal specify that she spend all her time with you?”
“Not exactly, no.” He demanded they see each other often, but it was true that his wording was vague. If she’d wanted to, she could have spent far less time with him than she did and he probably wouldn’t have known enough to complain. Without knowing her routine or responsibilities, any number of excuses would have simply flown over his head.
“And did your deal specify that she introduce you to her parents?”
“No.”
Kaz narrowed his eyes. “Did it specify that she provide sexual favors?”
“No,” he gritted out. “I told her that’s not what I meant.”
Even he knew he didn’t want sex from someone fundamentally unwilling, even if it was part of a deal she agreed to.
“So…” Kaz began to tick points off on his clawed fingers. “You moved in with her. You’re having a sexual relationship with her. You spend all your time together. She introduced you to her parents. When you got upset, she offered you an out, but didn’t take one herself.” He wiggled his fingers. “You’re mated, man.”
It was suddenly hard to keep his physical form together. Cal nearly vibrated with excitement, with the urgency to fly across the city and back to the willing arms of his mate.
“How do I know it’s permanent?” he rasped.
“Well, I guess you’ll just have to ask her,” Kaz answered. “Women are all about being asked, Cal. They are way more forgiving of a stupid question than an assumption. Don’t ever work on assumptions. That way lies sharp claws, poisoned coffee, and nights on the couch.”
A cold, crawling fear made its way into his exhilaration. “What if she says she doesn’t want me?”
Kaz shrugged. “Then you keep trying until she sends you away. Simple.”
Simple. Cal had begun to hate the word. Nothing about his relationship with Elise had been simple.