Page 28 of What the Hex

And have to wait that much longer to see him again? No way. “I’ll hurry.”

“Hmm,” King hummed distractedly.

Turning on his heels, Storm raced for the en suite, stripping out of his clothes as he went. In the bathroom, he jerked the lever for the shower, nearly breaking it off in the process, and stepped under the spray before it could even warm. He washed quickly and scrubbed his hair, then did a couple of turns to rinse away the suds before shutting off the water.

He stood dripping on the tiles for several seconds, just staring at the open door. That feeling of forgetfulness had returned, but once again, he didn’t have a clue what it meant. All he knew was that he had been away from his mate for too long.

He rushed from the room and rounded the corner, skidding to a stop at the end of the sofa. King stood right where he’d left him, his eyes still glued to his phone.

“Did you forget something?” he asked without looking up.

By the goddess, he was so beautiful. His honeyed curls gleamed, and his fair skin glowed with an inner light. Storm didn’t know how the hell he had gotten so lucky to have been blessed with a mate like King.

“Storm, is everything—oh, my god! What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m standing here.”

“I can see that.” King’s eyes widened, and his nostrils flared. All that smooth, creamy skin flushed a startling shade of crimson, and he seemed to be looking anywhere except at Storm. “Why are you wet?”

“I took a shower.”

“Fucking hell,” King mumbled. The cords in his neck strained and bulged as he did his damnedest to twist his head in the opposite direction. “Where are your clothes?”

Oh. He stared down his nude, wet body and chuckled. So that was what he’d forgotten. “My bad. I’ll be right back.” He turned around but stopped to look over his shoulder. “Don’t move.”

“I’ll be right here.”

Satisfied with the answer, he trotted into the bedroom. Standing at the foot of the bed with his hands on his hips, he glanced at the closet, the dresser, then stared down at the king-sized mattress.

Why the fuck was he here when his mate was out there? Damn, he loved that word. Mate. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops.

Excited to share the good news, he rushed back to the sitting area and grabbed King by the shoulders to get his attention. “Did you know we’re mates? Like, holy fucking shit, dude! That’s so cool! Isn’t that cool?”

“Yes. Amazing.” King sounded like he was choking, and his face was that weird shade of reddish purple again.

Unable to contain his emotions, he took a step back and pumped his fist into the air as he bounced on his toes. His cock—fully erect and standing at attention—slapped heavily against his thigh, which he found hilarious.

Only, his amusement didn’t last long because King looked like he might be having a stroke. Or a seizure. It was kind of hard to tell. He had one hand slapped over his eyes, while he flapped the other around as if he’d lost control of the limb. He held himself rigidly as he turned one way, bumped into the wall, then turned around and nearly fell over the back of the sofa.

“What’s wrong, darlin’?” Concerned, he immediately rushed to his mate’s side, only to be met with the smack of a palm to his chest. “Are you hurt? Is the light too bright?” Reaching for the nearest lamp, he slid his hand down the top of the shade and crushed the bulb in his hand. “Is that better?”

“Oh, my fucking god!” King gasped. At least he’d finally stopped covering his eyes. “Have you lost your mind?”

“It was hurting you,” he answered defensively.

“I’m fine. Besides, you could have just used the damn switch!”

Storm didn’t know what he was talking about, and he didn’t really care. He’d taken care of the problem and protected King. He was totally crushing this whole mating thing.

“I was just shocked because you are still very, very naked,” King continued. His gaze wandered down Storm’s body but stopped near his belly button before flying back to his face. “Where are your clothes?”

Right. Yes. That. “I can’t find them.”

“I’m sorry…what?”

Storm shrugged. “Where do we keep them?”

“Did you look in the dresser?”