Romancing Drew

By Nalini Singh

“Do you know how difficult it is to romance Drew?” Indigo muttered, glaring at Platty. The ragged stuffed bear with his dashing eye patch gave her a smirk.

Okay, maybe that was her imagination, but she bet the bear was on Drew’s side. “Hmph,” she said, and stood up to pace around their bedroom before heading out to pace in the living area.

It was their one-year-anniversary tomorrow and she was determined to do something for Drew. Her mate had romance down—last week, she’d found a note in the pocket of her jeans that had made her wear a goofy smile all day. She wasn’t as good at that stuff, not that Drew seemed to mind; he loved her exactly the way she was, but she was determined to surprise him this time.

There had to be something she could do.

Flowers were too obvious. So were chocolates after Drew’s playful way of leaving her chocolate kisses where she least expected it. The memories made her smile go goofy again.

“Damn it, stop thinking about what he’s done and think about what you can do,” she ordered herself. “You are not being helpful,” she said to Platty, then picked him up and kissed his eye patch before putting him back down.

Pacing back and forth across the room, she knew she could ask some of her more romantic-minded friends for help, but she wanted to do this herself. For Drew. He deserved it.

Never had she thought she’d be courted so outrageously and so sweetly at the same time. She just wasn’t the type to inspire that kind of response in a man—was too tough, too strong, too much a SnowDancer lieutenant. Only Drew had proved her wrong. She inspired him all the time.

Picking up Platty again, she sat down with the bear on the bed from which she’d had to push Drew out this morning so he’d make his shift. She didn’t know what he’d done before her—the man hated getting up in the morning.

His all-time favorite thing to do was to curl up in bed on a day when they didn’t have early shifts and tease her to distraction. Indigo had zero complaints about that—she enjoyed teasing him in return.

Her watch beeped. “Right, I have a meeting,” she said to Platty. “Keep thinking of ideas.”

It was as she was walking into that meeting that it hit her, what she had to do. And it involved talking to Riley.

*

Drew cracked open a single eye the next morning to find himself looking into the smiling face of the most beautiful woman in the world. “Happy anniversary, lieutenant.” He had plans for them, but they had to wait. “Damn morning shift.”

Reaching out, Indigo ran her fingers through his hair. “Happy anniversary.” She leaned in close to nuzzle her nose to his. “Guess what?”

Bones liquid because she was playing with him, his wolf utterly hers, he said, “What?”

“I got you the day off.”

He began to smile. “No shit?” It was kind of a rule with him that he didn’t use his connection to his brother to get special treatment. Since Riley made the schedules, it would’ve been easy to hit him up for a shift change, and lots of packmates did, but it seemed wrong to do that when he was Drew’s brother.

“I promised we’d do swing shifts for a week,” Indigo said. “So no guilt.”

How did she know him so well? Because she was his mate. His gorgeous, smart, perfect mate. “I love you.”

“I haven’t even gotten started,” she said, and snuggled close. “Now go to sleep.”

Yawning, Drew threw his arm around her. “I like this anniversary,” he mumbled even as his eyes closed.

The next time he woke, his mate was missing from his arms and he could smell bacon in the air. Blinking, he looked around to find Indigo sitting cross-legged in bed. She’d put on a short robe and was holding a mug of coffee, her hair tumbled around her face. “Morning, sleepy.”

“Morning.” Rising to a sitting position, he stole her coffee.

It was only after he’d drunk half of it, returned the mug, stumbled to use the facilities and back, that he woke up enough to realize there was a cart next to the bed with covered dishes on it. “Hey, is that...”

“Breakfast in bed?” Indigo kissed the side of his face. “Yes.”

His mouth fell open as she jumped out of bed and put a wooden tray on his lap. “I can—” he began.

“Hush.” Her fingers under his jaw, her mouth coming down on his for a toe-curling kiss. “Let me.”

Completely captivated, lost in her, he let her put a plate of bacon, eggs, toast, hash browns, and grilled tomatoes on the tray. She added a fresh cup of coffee and a side of strawberries. That done, she knelt on the bed beside him and filched a piece of bacon. Putting it to his lips, she let him take a bite, then took one herself.

He grinned, got with the program, fed her some of the toast, ate the rest of the bacon—and nibbled on her fingers while he was at it. She nipped at his jaw in return. And that was how it went.

It was the best damn breakfast of his life.

Later, he put aside the tray—after picking up the last strawberry and feeding it to her. She took a bite. A drop of red juice dripped down her chin. Leaning forward, he licked it off, then rubbed the berry on her lips so he had more to lick up. After which, he felt like running that strawberry down her throat and lower...and lower.

*

An hour later, he lay beside Indigo, both their chests heaving. Reaching over to link his fingers with hers, he said, “Best anniversary present ever. Blows my plans out of the water.” He didn’t even care.

“Good,” Indigo said after gulping in a breath.

He could hear the grin in her tone.

“Love you.”

His heart ached in the best way, his wolf rubbing against his skin. “Love you, too, Indy.” Always, he’d love her. Always, he’d belong to her.

Shifting over, Indigo, his tough, strong mate curled into him. “Wanna nap again?”

“Best. Mate. Ever.”

Her laughter followed him into his dreams.

© Copyright 2016 by Nalini Singh