The Chef's Sick Mate (Book 17 of the Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 43

Lincoln was so much more than she thought he would be. And when he touched her... she felt like she did when she was reading those hot scenes in her romance novels. Hot and needy, and like she wanted more. Needed more.

Everywhere he touched her, she felt those tingles, too. She liked them and loved the way they felt against her skin. Pleasurable and slightly arousing.

She'd also realized that when Lincoln was touching her, she was much calmer. The nerves went away, and the longer they were together, the more comfortable she felt with him.

He was so focused on her, and it reminded her of the way Aidan and Ana were together, the way Ana seemed like Aidan's whole world when they were around each other. He was entirely devoted to her, like she was his sun. It had to be a werewolf thing.

She liked sitting on Lincoln's lap too, which he also seemed to like, as this was the second time he'd pulled her onto it since they'd been up in his apartment. She wanted to snuggle into him and breathe in his scent, but she resisted the urge to do so. "What do you want to know?"

"About you being sick. If that's okay," he murmured.

She licked her lips and watched his gaze drop down to them. "I had cancer. I was in and out of the hospital for the last twenty years, and I have no idea how I survived it all. The doctors didn't expect me to. I remember one of them telling my parents that he didn't expect me to become an adult. He said it right in front of me, too, thinking I wouldn't know what he meant. I knew, though."

Linc was rubbing her back slowly, his warm hand reassuring. "Can I touch your bare back?"

She looked at him and saw his eyes glowing. She'd seen her own do the same before. "Yes."

He slipped his hand up under her sweater and lightly touched her skin at first, then rested his full palm across her bare skin. His touch was nice and comforting, though his eyes stopped glowing. "Go on."

"I don't know how many times I was in and out of the hospital. I really have no idea. Too many. But it was pretty much the only place I ever went. My parents didn't want me exposed to anyone, so I never went anywhere." She was surprised he wanted to hear all of this, but she supposed he wanted to know details about her life.

He frowned. "Ever?"

"Rarely."

"What about school?" he asked. He had his other hand resting on her thigh now, and she liked how comfortable she felt with him touching her, how comfortable she was just being around him. It wasn't awkward at all, which was something she'd been worried about.

"I was homeschooled. Being around a bunch of other kids was out of the question unless they were sick too," she explained. It had been a lonely existence.

"Shit, Gen. Did you ever go on vacation?" His face showed his concern.

"Nope." She watched as Linc's mouth fell open. "I didn't do anything, Linc. I just read books, watched TV, and crocheted. I'm rather boring."

He stared at her for a long moment, then huffed out a breath. "We're going to have a lot of fun together then. You and I, anywhere you want to go, I'll take you."

"Anywhere?" That wasn't what she'd expected from him.

"Yeah, anywhere. But I'm going to teach you how to drive first," he said softly. "I want to make up for all of the things you didn't get the chance to do."

This wasn't at all what she'd been expecting from him. She hadn't thought he would want to take her out to experience the world. She smiled and shook her head. "This is kind of surreal. Well, the last few months have been surreal."