Page 13 of Wrong Number, Right Fox (Dial M For Mates #6)

GARNER

“You’re an excellent cook.” Joss dabbed at his mouth with a napkin.

I considered fibbing and saying he had a little something in the corner of his mouth and I’d take the napkin and do it myself. But Joss had seen the same movies and watched the same TV shows as me. That was a tired old trope and he’d recognize it for what it was.

But it might work.

I didn’t, though, because he twisted the napkin as though he was uncomfortable or wanted to break bad news.

“Dessert and coffee?”

He pursed his lips. “Does dessert come with a side of Garner?”

I pictured myself lying on a platter, slathered in cream and surrounded by chocolate mousse. My body tingled, and I brushed my bare foot over his. He shivered and leaned forward, grabbing my hand.

“It can, I suppose. At the moment, it’s in the fridge.”

Joss giggled. “You’re too far away.”

Oh, I’d witnessed this scene in movies where one person swiped everything off the table, flung the other person on the table, and they had hot, frantic sex. I mentally prepped myself, and my fingers gripped my pants zipper pull tab, ready to lower it.

“You’re too cute.” He placed a light kiss on my lips and sat back. Hmmm, so much for my sex-on-the-table fantasy. I could conjure up a scenario for both of us, I didn’t need Joss to be the instigator.

But he got up and rummaged in the fridge and brought out the mousse and the whipped cream. “Yum. Chocolate is my favorite.”

If we’d been dating before this, I might have learned his favorite color and the movie that he’d watched a hundred times.

We ate the dessert on the sofa, feeding each other mouthfuls of chocolatey goodness and cream. Joss scraped off the last bit of mousse with the spoon and then used his fingers to gather what was left. He sucked them, his eyes smoldering as he gazed at me.

My length responded, and I shuffled my butt on the couch, trying to get comfortable.

“I like you, Garner.”

I was still puzzling over how to tell him who I was and lay out the fated mate deal where he was my one and only, but not knowing if I’d be accepted or rejected.

Him liking me was a small step but I’d figured that out weeks ago.

I envisioned a chasm with me on one side and Joss on the other.

Just as in the movies, the earth was erupting, and the gap between us was getting wider.

“M-me t-too.” I stumbled over my words, needing to tell him what was in my heart but fearful I’d scare him away. “I do like you, not me, is what I was trying to say.”

“I got it.”

Joss had opened the door as lawyers put it, so I charged ahead. “We’ve had sex, amazing sex, but it wasn’t just a fling for me.” There, I said it. “I’m hoping we can spend more time together outside the office.”

Joss put his feet in my lap and rubbed the sole of his foot on my arousal. “The sex was beyond amazing. But I was hoping it was more than friends with benefits.”

I couldn’t think with his foot pressing on my growing arousal, and I removed it. Joss’s face fell.

“There'll be more of that later, but first, I need to explain a few things.”

His foot found its way back to between my legs. My head fell back and my breathing quickened. We could have sex and then I’d tell him about my other side. Pleasure rippled through me, and I so wanted to get naked and be with my mate.

But if we had sex, we’d snuggle and I’d doze off and it’d be tomorrow and I still wouldn’t have done the big reveal.

“I’m so sorry, but we can’t put this off.”

His face grew serious. “Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter. I’ll stay by your side.”

Poor guy. I’d given him the impression I had a life-threatening disease. But to a human, finding out that shifters existed was life-changing. And there was no way to predict how he would react. I couldn’t imagine being in his position.

I can show him. You don’t need to do anything .

Thanks, but this has to be done slowly and carefully .

I got up because I needed to pace. “This is hard because you might not understand.”

“I care about you, Garner, and nothing you tell me will make me run away.”

Hold that thought.

There was a thump against the kitchen door.

Joss might not have picked up on it, as we were in the living area.

But I got up, expecting to see the neighbor's cat charging through the cat door. When he wasn’t getting enough attention at home, he came to my house for a not a stay-cation but a next-door-neighbor-cation.

“What’s that? Do you have a dog?” Joss was at my side, his voice warbling with uncertainty.

“Nah. My friendly neighborhood feline. He does the rounds of everyone’s house.” That was the reason for the cat door.

But I caught a familiar scent. Shit, no, he wouldn’t. What in the heck was he doing? He promised not to mess with me. At least I think he did. This was my moment when I’d intended to show my mate who I was. Make or break, and now I had to contend with that damned fool interfering.

“Joss, go back to the couch. I’ll deal with this.” I gave him a gentle push. “Maybe put your feet up. Or stand on the kitchen island.”

“What?” Instead of running away, Joss was beside me, color draining from his cheeks. “Call 911.” He fumbled for his phone.

He was the one who said I wasn’t comfortable in the countryside? My mate had come across as a guy who loved being away from the city, but the man in front of me was terrified of what might be coming through the cat door.

“See, I like nature’s creatures and being in the woods.”

Joss’s glazed eyes fixed on me. “We’re not in the damn woods.”

“But you thought I was uneasy in the great outdoors.” I was determined to make a point. Why, I couldn’t say. No, I knew why. Because my life was about to go ass backward, and I was pretending it wasn’t. Shit, I was being an asshat, just like my brother.

The flap tilted, and Joss screamed and leaped on a chair while fumbling his phone.

“Don’t phone emergency services.” I should contact pest control, though.

“I didn’t expect an intruder to crawl through that tiny opening.” Poor Joss was screeching.

“It’s not human. Don’t worry.”

A fox, his red fur and black-tipped tail illuminated in the kitchen light tore through the flap.

“What are you doing? Trying to destroy my life.” I glared at the fox. If I tried to catch it, he’d bite me. He’d done it many times when we were kids. And Joss might insist I get a rabies shot. Probably a good idea because who knew what nasty viruses my brother harbored.

“Don’t shout at me. You’re the one bringing a wild animal into the house.”

“I wasn’t talking to you.” This was a disaster, especially as my brother’s beast was leaping from sofa to coffee table to armchair. If he tried to run past me, I’d grab him. Yes, he was a fox, but my shifter reflexes would allow me to grab him, and I’d wring his neck, the human one.

“Call me crazy but I doubt the fox understands you.” Joss was tearing at his hair and had given up on his phone. I had to get my brother’s beast out of the house before I could begin to calm Joss.

“Is this what they mean when they say crazy like a fox?”

Please don’t use that expression . My beast wasn’t amused, but he also questioned why my brother’s fox was having all the fun.

He’s showing off . Ignore him .

The chair Joss was standing on wobbled, and I stabilized it. Gods, if he fell on the floor and the fox jumped over him, my mate might faint.

“Hey, you. You’ve done enough damage.” I pointed to the kitchen door. “Now scoot and I’ll deal with you later.” Did he just wink at me? What the freak?

The fox scooted out with a final flourish of his tail, and the cat flap tilted back and forth, the creaking getting on my nerves. But Joss’s heavy breathing was a worry. He needed to breathe into a paper bag.

“The fox has gone. It’s okay, you can come down.”

“C-c-can’t.”

I pulled out a chair beside him and got on it.

“Look at me, Joss.” His lashes fluttered, and his eyes slid to the left and right, constantly moving.

“Joss. You’re safe. I’m here, and I want you to breathe with me.

” I put out my hands, but it was his decision whether he took them.

Eventually he did, and we breathed together and got off the chairs.

I placed him on the couch and put a blanket around his shoulders. He sipped on water, and I waited until he was ready to speak.

“Thank you. Sorry I yelled earlier.”

“I’m sorry too. Didn’t mean to bring up a previous conversation and use it against you. And most humans would have reacted the same way you did.”

“Humans?”

Oops!