Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
Daddy’s Innocent Mate Chapter 6

Francine

About a day after Troy spoke to me about giving Archie a different set of tasks, I was moving my things having a bounty of time at my disposal, I found myself thinking constantly about my routine and how Move in. Get it over with.

Was that how Elias saw our mate pairing? As something to just get over as soon as possible? Did that My head spun with what he could possibly want from me. Our interactions weren't exactly kind and co possibly do harm, I saw him as needing more structure than Elias was providing.

I hummed while dropping a box in the main bedroom. The positives, Franny. Think of the positives. Yo A resolute nod sent me into the bathroom. Disgust sent me right back out.

Toothpaste was caked to the counter. Dirty brushes sat on the top of the toilet. Unused bars of soap w Gods, how did a man live like this? It was like he had no idea how to take care of his environment. The as far as my teaching went.

Messiness, however, wouldn't be tolerated.

After locating cleaning supplies and gloves, I got to scrubbing every surface I could possibly reach. Gr couldn't help applying another layer of bleach to everything. Just in case.

Having a spotless place to wash myself was important. If we were "getting it over with," then I wanted this man's life.

This was the part I hated most about these mate pairings. A lot of times, the women moved in with th would be open to that if I petitioned him properly.

Elias's house. The morning was mine to spend how I pleased seeing as Troy had seen fit to put a substitute in my classroom. While I couldn't complain about getting broken up into tiny bits and pieces.

he planned on leaving me in the dust once he got what he wanted from me?

ng. We butted heads at every turn, including-and especially-when it came to the discipline of his offspring. While he saw Archie as a child who couldn't

helping a child get the routine maintenance he so desperately needs in and out of the classroom.

ed next to the sink while washcloths acted as a rug in front of the shower.

athroom was mostly spotless-but I had to imagine that was Archie's doing if his father's bathroom looked like this. There were many things I could handle

d built up in the grout between the tiles, so I got to clearing that up too. Thankfully, there wasn't a speck of mold in sight. That was reassuring, though I

that in a house that didn't have grime on everything. I glanced around the bedroom, trying to figure out where to put my things, how I was going to fit into Why couldn't Elias and Archie just move in with me to a brand-new house on Beaufort Creek pack land? Wouldn't that be far more neutral? Perhaps Blake ltimately form the pairing. I had to guess that he would have the last say in where we lived. Packs were great for protection, but sometimes they were one I sighed, peeling the cleaning gloves off so I could get back to settling my items in the room. Most of the movers had gotten my furniture into the right places, so my dresser and vanity fit snugly against the east wall where Elias didn't have any furniture. The plus side to him having so little was that I could fit all my things into his home.

Then again, Elias already had this house. His alpha-who was by extension my alpha-had been the or step behind on women's lib.

But it felt wrong. It felt fast. Was it too fast? It wasn't like I had ever done anything like this in my entire life. I had barely made it to second base-and I was well past my prime for that sort of thing. At this point, it was just plain embarrassing. Admitting that to Elias would just make him laugh, and I didn't want to experience that again.

It was best to keep it to myself. Besides, this was just something to get on with so we could live our separate lives. Cohabitation wouldn't last forever. As far as Troy was concerned, we were paired. That didn't mean we had to have s*x or reproduce. The way he'd explained it to me made it seem like I had much more flexibility than most people expressed.

Though I had to admit that right now, it didn't feel like I had much room to oppose anything. If Elias told me to jump, then I could compromise on where and how I jumped, but my understanding was that I would need to jump regardless. Though I wasn't exactly his slave, I didn't feel free to object too much.

I rubbed the back of my neck. My inexperience didn't help in the least. Elias and I had known each other all but a few short months. Now we were cohabitating. While we were total strangers, something about his scent lingering in the room put me at ease. Familiar, musky, with just the right hint of spice and mint-yeah, that was something I could get used to experiencing.

While trailing my fingers over the cotton sheets on the bed, I breathed his musk in deeply. "At least the bed is big enough."

"I thought so too."

I squeaked while holding my chest to keep my heart from jumping out. "Gods!"

"I prefer being singular, but sure, why not?"

Elias sauntered into the room wearing a particularly proud smirk. His skin glistened with sweat, each layer of muscle drawing my attention more than it ever had-and mostly because of the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

His jeans hung low on his hips, snugly outlining his package and leading me to check out the tears and rips revealing his chiseled legs. The wavy hair that usually draped his shoulders was tucked up into a bun on his head. Strangely enough, he didn't look as much like a smug model that way. He just looked like the guy I was dating.

We're not dating, I argued internally. We're just matched for a while.

I snapped my attention back to his eyes. But there was no hiding that triumphant sharpness in his pupils. He had noticed me noticing-and he had enjoyed every second of it. Sweet gods, how long had I been staring at his body? Seconds? Minutes? Was there drool on my lower lip?

As I swept my hand over my mouth, I tried to play it off like I was just tired from moving. I mean, it wasn't terribly far from the truth. I was tired.

"You cleaned," he pointed out without moving from the doorway. "Thanks."

"Your bathroom was..."

He laughed. "An explosion. I know."

"How can you live like that?"

"It doesn't look like I'll be living like that anymore."

One sentence was all it took for me to pick up my jaw off the ground and ignore the fact that the sight of his body made me want to drop into the bed and rip off my clothes. The guy sure did know how to ruin a good mood.

I pushed past him. "You know what? Forget I did it."

"I won't. I promise."

What should have been irritating sent stars shooting through my core and stung my slit in ways I had never experienced. That was just the thing about this situation-I had zero experience in the intricate layers of intimacy of romantic couples. I knew my hand. I knew my vibrator. I knew the desperate groping of an overeager man.

But that was it. That was my dark secret. Revealing it to Elias would just land me in hot water, so I had to act normal.

Even if it made me feel bad.

***

Surprisingly enough, the man who had a bathroom directly from the depths of messy hell itself was good at cooking dinner. I watched him bounce around the kitchen with Archie in tow, the two moving to a silent beat that I couldn't quite figure out. They were attached in ways that were more than just fated, cemented by the very blood pumping through their veins.

Blood I didn't share. The realization forced me to hug myself. This was entirely out of my realm of comfort. Teaching was something I understood on an innate level. But being a mother? A wife? A mate? That didn't register in my brain. Probably because it felt more like servitude than anything else.

"Order up," Elias announced while setting a plate in front of me. "It's alright if you drool again."

I snapped to attention, my back straightening as I planted my palms on either side of the plate. I tried to glare at Elias, but I couldn't drag my attention away from the dinner he had just set in front of me because it looked utterly scrumptious. The chicken wings were fried to perfection, the cabbage was sauteed in a creamy sauce with plenty of enticing spices, and the baked potato sat in a steaming pile that I knew would fall apart the moment I stuck my fork into it.

I had to give it to him because the man could cook.

Archie passed out napkins and then took his seat next to me. He elbowed my elbow and pointed his fork at my plate. "It's going to get cold, Miss Elwyn."

"Oh, you can call me Francine at home, Archie."

He grinned widely without revealing the huge chunk of food he was attempting to chew. The kid was far more polite than people gave him credit. He just had a lot of energy that needed to be burned off. Hence the amount of responsibilities I was giving him in the classroom. While lifting my fork, I tried avoid Elias's penetrating gaze. He was sitting on my right at the snug table, observing my every move as I started picking apart the fried chicken. As I raised a bite to my lips, he coughed a few times.

I set my fork down. "If you're laughing at me-"

"I wouldn't dream of it, my little Fran."

Heat burst in my cheeks before I could stop it. "I just...I don't like...eating with my hands."

Archie grumbled about something next to me while chewing. His fingers were coated with cream, potatoes, and fried chicken skin. When he finally swallowed the bite in his mouth, he whispered, "It's okay, Miss-I mean, Francine. You can make a mess. Dad doesn't care." I glanced at Elias, who was beaming brighter than an exploding star.

After a deep breath, I lifted a chicken wing and took a huge bite. Good gods, the flavors exploding in my mouth made me want to fall over in ecstatic joy. Fried chicken didn't have any business tasting this good. Especially when it was made by a man who slammed his forehead at every idea I ever had.

How in the world was he good at cooking when he was bad at everything else?

"I know," he told me as if he had heard my thoughts. "You'd never guess."

I chortled. "I mean..."

"Please, don't comment. I'm enjoying your reaction."

And while every inch of me was irritated by that request, I gave it to him. I let him have it because I knew how much it probably meant to him. Neither of us could control this ridiculous situation. We were obeying orders given to us by our respective alphas. That couldn't be changed. What could be changed was how I engaged with him. And if that meant stroking his ego a little bit, I had the sense to swallow my pride. Even though I almost hated the fact that his delicious cooking was winning me over in a way.

Or in a lot of ways.

Archie finished his plate before anyone else and took it to the sink. After cleaning a few dishes, he kissed his father on the cheek and wished me a goodnight. It wasn't until he left the dining room that I realized he had filled a third of the space with significant energy. No wonder he was wired all the time. The kid ran at the highest function of a full battery.

I dabbed my lips and rested my hand on my stomach. "I couldn't eat another bite."

"I'm glad to hear it."

Elias scooped our plates and took them to the sink. I followed after him, hoping to pitch in a bit with dishes, but he gently nudged me out of the way.

"No, please," he insisted, "you already cleaned my bathroom. I wouldn't expect you to become a housewife overnight."

Fury oozed from my pores like lava seeping through metal. "Excuse you?"

"Oh, you misunderstand. What I mean is-"

"That you're hoping for a trophy trad wife, is that it?" I stomped off. "Well, that's not me, pal. Feel free to sleep on the couch. I'm taking the bed."

What a self-absorbed jerk, I thought. The only reason I cleaned that bathroom was because it was filthy, and I didn't want to wash myself in a filthy place. I shut the main bedroom door and turned the lock. If he wants to live in filth, fine. I won't do anything for him ever again.