Dasani spun on his heel, his long, lustrous black hair fanning like a raven spreading its wings. Winter grew hard, his fingers itching to reach out and stroke the strands. He watched as Dasani moved to the other side of his truck and climbed into the passenger’s side. Damn, that had been easy.
“One hour,” Dasani said to Winter. “Do you have any food at your home?”
“Pfft, does a bear shit in the woods?”
“Language!” Dasani’s eyes narrowed.
Winter chuckled and shook his head as he climbed into his truck, wincing when his balls touched the cold leather seat. He prayed his truck heated up soon. Although he was a shifter and his body temperature ran hotter than humans, it was still colder than a witch’s tit in a brass bra. His ass was already growing numb.
Reaching behind the seat, Winter pulled a fleece blanket out and placed it over Dasani’s lap.
“What about you?” the elf asked. “At least I have pants on. You’re—” Dasani waved a hand at Winter as he stared out the windshield. The guy acted as though his eyes would fall out of his head if he gazed at Winter’s naked body.
“Naked?” Winter teased. “Buck naked? Clothesless? Wearing my birthday suit? Letting my beans and wiener hang—”
“You proved your point!” Dasani’s cheeks turned a slight shade of purple. “Can we just go?”
Putting the truck in drive, Winter headed from the ranch. He pulled onto the main road and drove toward home, stealing glances at Dasani as he mate stared at the landscape. He caught the elf doing the same, but when he saw Winter looking at him, he quickly glanced away.
“Never seen a naked man before?” Winter asked.
“Can’t say that I have,” Dasani admitted. Winter could see how his mate’s fingers curled into the blanket until the blood fled from his knuckles.
He cleared his throat. “Are you a virgin, little bluebird?”
Dasani’s head snapped around as his jaw dropped. “That is none of your business!”
His mate’s innocence touched Winter in ways he never knew possible. It was also a bit comical. Dasani became flustered way too easily. But Winter liked the dusting of purple on the man’s cheeks. It turned him on. “Uh, we’re mates. I think that would be my business.”
“What you need to do is concentrate on the road,” Dasani said as he pointed at the windshield. “They haven’t been cleared all the way. I don’t want to end up in a ditch somewhere.”
“I can drive this road with my eyes closed.” Winter closed his eyes but not all the way. He looked at the road from tiny slits. He growled softly when Dasani reached over and smacked his arm.
“Not funny,” his mate said. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
Winter’s chuckle was low and barely audible. He was thoroughly enjoying his time with his mate. Dasani was like a breath of fresh air. Winter didn’t want to let the man leave. “Do you know how to drive?”
Dasani looked at Winter as if he was daft. “I shimmer. Why would I need to drive?”
“Everyone should know how to drive.” Winter rummaged through his console, and Dasani squeaked. He wasn’t watching the road, but he was driving so slowly that a snail would probably pass them.
“Please.” Dasani smacked his hand over his eyes. “Just get me there in one piece.”
All too soon, Winter pulled into the driveway of the Manchester place. He pulled his truck to the back, parking it next to Diablo’s before he cut the motor and got out.
Dasani stared at him wide-eyed. “You’re going to walk in there naked?”
“I’m a shifter,” Winter said. “It’s no big deal.”
He reveled in the expression on Dasani’s face. Was that jealousy? Winter hoped it was. That would mean that his mate had some kind of feelings for him. He smiled to himself when Dasani threw the blanket across the seat.
“Put that on,” he demanded.
Winter grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around his waist before Dasani got out. He hurried his mate inside, wanting him out of the cold. They entered through the side door, and Winter groaned when he smelled chili. His stomach growled loud enough to wake the dead.
“That smells delicious,” Dasani said as his eyelids fluttered close and he inhaled deep drafts. “Tell me I can have some.”
Winter was glad as hell that he had the blanket around him because he was sporting a boner at the angelic expression on Dasani’s face. His mate entered the kitchen and then froze.
Ryker stood at the stove, a wooden spoon in his hand. Winter’s cousin was a large guy. He intimidated most with his musculature. It seemed Dasani was no different.