“I’m not asking you to.”
Kit’s tail wrapped tightly around Nick’s leg. “Give me three weeks. Two. I will get things in line.” There was an agonised note in Kit’s voice.
“I think you need to stay and make sure they’re taken care of,” Nick said. “You’ll spend the entire time worrying about them if you come with me now. And I don’t think that we necessarily should stay glued together either. Some time apart –”
The distressed sound humming from Kit’s chest became louder. Nick pushed on.
“Not only do I fancy the hell out of you, Kit, I care about you a whole lot too. And being apart from you for a few weeks, or months, won’t change that for me. But. The way we got together…” Nick sighed. “It was rough, Kit. You were my only source for feeling anything other than fear, and to you, I was this promise of salvation, the first glimpse you’d seen of someone able to oppose Desre. That isn’t nothing.”
Kit’s brow creased. “Why does that matter?”
“I don’t know the exact phrase. Trauma bonding? It’s when people are in a shit situation, so they end up getting really attached to each other.”
“And why does itmatter?” Kit insisted, his agitation growing.
“I don’t want a relationship where you’re only with me because of some random symbol my brother happened to draw on my arm. I need to know we’re more than that. And for that, we need space from each other.” Nick rubbed his thumb against Kit’s cheekbone, feeling the warmth of his agitation-reddened skin.
Nick’s leg tingled as pins and needles spread beneath the band of Kit’s tail.
“How long must I wait before I can go to you?” Kit asked, his voice low.
“I’ll come to you. I have to sit my exams, and then I need to train someone to take over for me at work. I can’t leave Dad hanging right before the summer holidays. And then I’ll find out from Connor when he’s free to bring me back, and we’ll take his boat here.”
“How many weeks until your exams?”
Nick worked it out in his head. “If it takes the same amount of time to get home as it took to get here, then I’ll have two weeks to study before they start. They take place over two weeks then.”
“How long does training take?”
“It depends on how fast we can find someone suitable. If they’re good, three weeks.”
Kit’s top lip twitched. “Just shy of four months.”
Nick blinked. He hadn’t actually worked out the exact timeline. “Yeah. Around that,” he agreed.
Kit stared at him unblinking.
“It’ll fly by.”
“Too long.”
“You’ll be so busy you won’t even feel it.”
“Too long.”
“Ineedthe space. I need us to be apart and re-establish what our normal is before we’re together. I’m sure you’re well aware by now, but I get anxious. I’ll worry forever if we don’t.”
Kit abruptly pulled away from Nick, leaping off the bed with an upset growl. Nick was dragged right to the edge with a yelp. “Tail!”
Kit’s tail immediately went slack. A soothing purr replaced his growl, and his hands slid over the bare skin of Nick’s thigh, rubbing against the red band. “I am sorry,” Kit hummed. Then he seemed to remember that he was upset with Nick and abruptly turned away. “Given that you take pleasure in pain, perhaps I should not be!”
Nick grabbed Kit’s tail as he stalked towards the door and yanked him back onto the bed. Kit fell into a sitting position, back bumping into Nick’s chest. Kit snapped his teeth at Nick. Nick glared. “I will point out exactly where I live on a map for you, and I’ll put you into contact with Goldilocks’s mate, Sam. And to be perfectly clear, I enjoy pain when we’re in a situation where I’m getting turned-on. Mid-argument is not one of those situations.” Nick paused. Kit was leaning into his chest, his tail wrapped all the way up Nick’s arm, his head twisted so he could meet Nick’s eyes and match his glare. Given that Kit was five times stronger than him, if he hadn’t wanted to get dragged back onto the bed, he would have just stood there when Nick grabbed his tail.
Kit’s top lip twitched. He twisted more, leaning in until his nose was brushing against the column of Nick’s neck. He breathed in deeply.
“Kit.”
Kit pressed an open-mouthed kiss to Nick’s throat, sucking the skin into a gnawing, non-gentle kiss. He grumbled, “Stay. Or let me come.” Then he abandoned kissing in favour of rubbing his jaw over Nick. Then his tongue. His musk tickledNick’s nose. His scent-marking. Valor said the kind Kit was doing to Nick indicated lifelong intent.
