“Have you ever done it before?”
“Yes. I actually thought of going to beauty school for a while after high school.”
He took her hand, pulled her into the room with the pool, and grabbed some scissors and a stool. He handed her the scissors and sat with his legs spread and his hands set on his thighs.
Oh, wow, she had never been this nervous before. “So, how short do you want it?”
His hand fell on her hip. “Mate, there’s nothing to be nervous about. I don’t care if you shave it off.”
“Okay.” She exhaled and started snipping. She took her time. A shiver raced up her spine when she stood between his thighs, his hands gripped her hips as she cut away his hair, and her nipples tightened when his breath fluttered over her breasts.
“You have very thick hair.” It was black as night and soft to the touch, and she loved running her fingers through it. When she was finished, she stood back and studied to ensure it wasn’t uneven.
“Okay, I think you’re good. Do you have a mirror?”
“Yes, hold on.”
He walked away and returned a moment later with a twelve-inch square mirror and sat back down.
“Take a look,” she said. She started to get nervous when he sat looking at himself for a long moment without saying anything.
“You hate it,” she said.
He snorted, set the mirror down, and pulled her in-between his legs. “No, mate. I think it’s perfect. You’re very good. I’ve never had a cut like this. The barber in town usually hacks it off the males that go to him.”
She hugged him.
“Let’s get you into bed for a nap. There are a few things I need to do,” he said.
“Are you leaving the cave?”
“No, I’ll be nearby.”
She sighed in relief. The thought of being away from him for any length of time was both physically and emotionally painful.
He carried her into the bedroom and set her down before pulling the blankets up to her chin. He bent and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“Don’t be long,” she said.
“I won’t.”
****
Blake watched her eyes close, and her breath deepened as he left the room. Before he did anything, he shaved off the facial hair he’d been growing for years. He wanted to be able to feel her on the skin of his face and not be blocked by a bushy beard.
He made some bread for their dinner and put it in the makeshift oven he’d built. He decided to make a rabbit stew and have it simmer on the fire. She would need the protein of the meat to keep up her strength.
When he looked at himself in the mirror, he was shocked at what a difference cutting his hair and shaving made. He hadn’t cared when he was alone, but now he wanted to make himself as appealing as possible. She’d find him attractive no matter what because he was her mate, but that didn’t mean he should slack on his hygiene anymore.
After taking the bread out, he grabbed the jar of medicinal cream he’d made and one of his shirts and headed back into the bedroom.
The blanket had slid down, and she had rolled to her back. Damn, she was so fucking beautiful, and she was his. It hadn’t sunk in all the way that he finally had his mate, and he would be pain-free. It felt like his mind seemed to stabilize, and he wasn’t fighting his wolf for dominance all the time.
He put the shirt and cream aside before sliding into bed behind her, turning her on her side, curling his body around hers, and falling asleep.
When he woke up he saw night had descended because the light from the sky window he’d put in was dark. He sniffed the area and found everything was fine, so he relaxed and held his mate as she slept. He let her sleep another hour before waking her up and feeding her again.
“Baby, wake up for me.” He rubbed her arm and hip as she came awake. He smiled when she blinked a few times before turning on her back to see him.