Page 6 of A Pact for Porter

One minute, I was having the best nap I could remember ever having. The next minute, someone’s mouth was pressed against mine, and I was on the ground, no longer in the water. not at all how I envisioned my slumber ending.

I opened my eyes, trying to figure out who was here and what was happening. As I did, I inhaled the most wonderful scent. The man giving me the weirdest kiss ever was my mad. He didn’t look happy to see me, either. He looked terrified.

“What happened?” I asked.

He pushed back onto his heels and let out a long sigh. “You’re okay.”

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because you were floating in the water facedown?” His eyes raked my body, but not in an I want you way. He was looking for injuries. But from what? I’d been taking a nap.

Except he didn’t realize it wa a nap. “Oh.” I chuckled and pushed myself to sit.

“How is this funny?”

“It’s not. I’m sorry I scared you.” Leave it to me to make the weirdest meeting ever even more weird. “I’m a capybara. I was just taking a nap.”

“With your face in the water?”

“It probably wasn’t really. Probably just looked like it, but I was fine.”

“Facedown?”

I hadn’t started that way, but that sounded like me. I nodded, not wanting to explain it all. I wanted to move past this part of the conversation and straight to the we’re mates, let’s bang part.

“Take a deep breath,” he ordered me. Normally, I wouldn’t be about that. But seeing the fear on his face told me he needed this, so I did.

“Now take a breath, hold it, count to five, and let it out.”

Once again I followed his orders and this time, when I was done, he relaxed his shoulders.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“A hundred percent.”

“You didn’t hit your head or anything?”

“No. Just a nap, and it was on purpose. I’m working on a renovation in this room, and Karma said I could take a chill in here.”

“But you were floating facedown in the water.” My napping position, or at least view of it, had made a real impression on him.

“Not really, but I’m sure it looked that way.” It wasn’t the first time it caught someone off guard. But how was I to know my mate was going to wander in here like this? “It’s really nice in there.” I scooched closer to him. Any inch away was too far.

“Are you okay? For real?”

“I could use a hug.” I had to scent him deeply and feel his warmth. He wrapped his arms around me, and I snuggled in. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I really do this when the opportunities arise.”

“Can you float on your back next time?” He rubbed his nose against mine.

“I started that way.” Now it was time to move past my nap and on to something far more important. “I’m not the only one, right? You feel it too.”

I wasn’t sure exactly how to ask if he knew I was his. Like, hey, you smell good. You my mate, maybe? That wouldn’t be awkward at all.

Thankfully, he knew exactly what I was talking about. “Yes. Why do you think I was so scared? I mean, I’d have been terrified had it been anybody. But losing my mate just as I found him… I don’t know what I would’ve done.”

“And you don’t have to.” I picked my head up and kissed his jawline. “You don’t have to. I’m fine.”

“You’re playing with fire.” He chuckled, relaxing even more, the adrenaline of thinking I was dead apparently wearing off.