Page 23 of Trees Take the Long View

"Mm-hm." Whatwouldhe do if I licked him? Would he laugh? Was he ticklish? I suddenly needed to know this.

"And didn't decide to stay?" he asked, even more tentative now.

"No." I sighed.

"He was interested in you."

"I know."

Dean sighed.

He drew back from me a little—I didn't want to let go—and squinted at me. "Maybe you should consider it. You've got a lot more in common with him."

"What, like being shifters?" I scowled at him, hands curling closed. I hadn't expected him to paint things with quite such a broad brush. "You know I'm interested inyou. That hasn't changed."

"You could probably share the forest with him better. That's what I meant. I—I don't know what I mean." He sighed and put a hand to his head.

"If I recall, you enjoyed the forest pretty well. I know you appreciated what I showed you."

"Yes." He shifted his tablet and phone off his lap and turned on the bed to face me more fully. The lines around his face were squinted up with concern, or distress. "Every damn day I can think of more reasons this is a bad idea. And we haven't even done anything yet."

"Why don't we talk about why you think it's such a bad idea? Because I don't. I really don't." I wrapped my arms around him and leaned into his shoulder again, more gingerly this time. "I know you had a long day, but if it's weighing on you that much, let's talk about it right now. Hm?"

"Okay. But you probably shouldn't hug me while I'm talking. How am I supposed to concentrate?"

"Hm. What a shame," I mumbled against the skin of his neck, which was very soft and nibble-able.

"I don't think I could give you what you need. I don't think I could be a good mate for you."

"Hm-hm. Tell me more."

"You need to take this seriously."

"I do."

"So why are you purring?"

"Purring?I'm not purring. Wolves don't purr. That's offensive."

"Hm. I'll bet. Rumbling in your throat, then. A contented rumbling, I might add. It's like you're not listening at all. Stop hugging me and pay attention."

With a loud sigh, I let him go and crossed my arms to keep from wrapping them right back around him. "All right. I'm paying attention. So just why is it you think you're not good enough for me again?"

He looked away. "I couldn't, um, provide stability. I like my job, but it means I'm on the move nine weeks out of ten—and sometimes the tenth as well. I, um, I'm pretty sure I can't settle down. I tried it before. Couldn't change myself enough for it."

"Who asked you to settle down—or change yourself?" I was offended. "I wouldn't want that, either. And provide stability, no way. I'm not a child you're adopting, for pity's sake. I like the nomad life. I was a restless loner before I started the job with the cops. I thought it would be interesting, keep me from getting bored. But I've always liked to travel, I've always had itchy paws. It wouldn't bother me at all, being on the move."

I looked at him closely. "Is that what it's really about? Are you trying to let me down gently? Or do you think I'm going to let you down, or be too much of a hassle, following you around? I can understand if you need time to get to know me better. We barely met, and I know I didn't look like much of a catch, but I can be. You'll see."

"Oh, Alec. None of those things. You are a catch. More than you know. But this is happened really quickly, and you might change your mind just as fast."

I leaned back, a smile overtaking my face. "Is that it? You think I'll change my mind? Well, then you just need to wait a little longer and see that I won't."

His smile turned rueful. "I like that you're this into me. That's never happened before."

"What? Never? But you're so hot. You're telling me I'm the first one to notice?"

His smile this time was sad. "To notice this quickly and decide you want to spend your life with me? That's a pretty big deal. I've had people who wanted to date me or fuck me right away, but even that, not very often. And nobody who's, well, wanted all of me, if that makes sense?"