Grabbing my laptop from the desk, I sit on the couch, and Mateo takes the journal beside me while Ezra sits at his desk doing some paperwork. After an hour, I can’t stare at the computer anymore. Mateo is completely immersed in whatever he is reading, his grayish-blue eyes downcast as he turns the page. Despite his size, he manages to sit on the small couch quite gracefully and not look too uncomfortable.
He is shorter than Ezra, not by much, still over 6ft, but Ezra is wider, which must be the Alpha genes, while Mateo’s build is like most werewolves. His facial features are not as defined as Ezra’s, and damn I am jealous of his long lush eyelashes. His hair is a little longer too, more like I just rolled out of bed, but it works for him, making me wonder what it would feel like to run my fingers through it.
His full lips turn up at the corners. “Is there something you want, or are you just going to stare at me?” Mateo asks, raising an eyebrow at me.
“I was just looking,” I huff, embarrassed that he knows I was checking him out the whole time. I glance away, and Ezra chuckles, shaking his head. “What’s so funny?” I growl at him.
“You two are. Both of you want each other yet won’t openly admit it or do anything besides some toddler-friendly cuddling. I have told you both that Maddox and I are fine with it. If you want to touch him, Kat, you can. Quite frankly, I am sick of giving you both permission to do what you want,” he scolds, and my face burns, forgetting Ezra can feel everything I feel, it is kind of embarrassing.
Mateo watches him as he goes back to writing something on a piece of paper and flicking through his documents. Mateo sets his book aside and pats his chest. I don’t hesitate before moving and laying on him and inhaling. I find his scent calming like Ezra, only a little different. Mateo isn’t Ezra, they are opposites, for the most part. Ezra is more dominant and aggressive, while Mateo is laid back, oddly enough Mateo is beginning to smell familiar to me in the same way Ezra does, he smells right.
“Maybe Kora will relax a bit. She’s still not talking to you?” Ezra asks, glancing over at us. Mateo plays with my hair, and I turn to look at Ezra.
“No, I think she is sad over mom,” I admit, Ezra nods his head, turning back to his paperwork, before Mateo’s lips press to my head, his hand drifts up and down my back and hip before moving under my shirt, his fingertips drawing circles on my lower back. His fingers are warm, leaving a tingling sensation on my skin.
“She will come back eventually, not like she can actually leave you,” Ezra points out.
“She could want to go for a run,” Mateo suggests, making me look up at him.
I put my hands on his chest, bracing my chin on them. “You should allow the pack runs again, everyone already knows, and things should just go back to normal.”
“Would you be okay with having people here?” Mateo asks, and I nod before he looks at Ezra.
“Maybe next week we can organize something. I will speak with Alex tonight when I do the patrol rosters. I also want you off patrol, Mateo, you are to stay with Kat from now on, until we figure things out with Jackson. I don’t even want you filling in if they ask, tell them to get someone else.”
Mateo smiles. “Well, I won’t complain about that, nowhere else I would rather be,” Mateo grins, looking back down at me before brushing his nose against mine.
“Are you alright with Kat, for a few hours? I have to handle this,” Ezra informs him, holding up a piece of paper.
Mateo grabs my ass, hoisting me higher. “Yep, I have no plans now,” Mateo replies with a crooked grin, and Ezra nods, rising to his feet and coming over to us.
His fingers tangle in my hair as he leans down and tugs my head back. He brushes his lips gently against mine. “I will see you later, no running off on Mateo,” he warns, pulling away before walking out of the room.
I sigh, looking back at Mateo, and he pats my butt with his hands. “What do you want to do?” he asks, and I roll my eyes at him before grabbing the remote and turning on the Mighty Ducks movie.
“For now, let’s watch this and cuddle,” I suggest. I curl up against his chest and enjoy the soft sensation of his fingertips grazing against my body. I do want more, but I’m not willing to pursue it, just yet. Maybe when Ezra comes back I’d be ready for that step, but for now, I am content to just listen to his steady heartbeat beneath my cheek.
Ezra returns home from organizing patrol rosters when we are at the end of the movie. He gives me a weary smile when he walks in, but I can tell something is stressing him out. He leans over the back of the couch, I tip my head back to gaze up at him from my spot on Mateo’s chest.
I stretch up to meet him, and he presses his lips to mine in a sweet kiss. Before he can pull away, I grab at his shoulders and deepen the kiss, nibbling at his bottom lip. He smiles against me before I let him go. “Nice to see you too,” he greets, leaning his forehead against mine and staring into my eyes.
“What about me? Where’s my kiss?” Mateo teased, pressing his forehead against ours.
Instead of pushing him away, Ezra turns toward him, eyes darkening as he thinks about the question. He sighs and goes to pull away when Mateo grabs him by the back of his neck and brushes his lips against Ezra’s.
Ezra freezes in place, eyes widening, red streaks racing across his cheeks before he jerks back and touches his lips.
I snicker at his shocked face.
“Are you embarrassed because I kissed you, or embarrassed because you liked it?” Mateo chuckles.
Ezra stands up and nervously adjusts his shirt, as his eyes dart away. His confusion is almost tangible through our bond. I have the impression he is confused by his feelings, and doesn’t know if he wants to try to kiss Mateo back, or if he needs to scrub his lips with a loofah.