Welcome Home Mate
Chapter 45

ROXIE

I could feel something soft underneath me as I fluttered my eyes open.

I could hear the water not too far from me.

Something was holding me, but I couldn't place what was there.

I opened my eyes slowly and blinked a few times to get my vision back to normal.

I looked around and then over my shoulder and noticed a very n...aked Lex; his arm was draped over my waist.

I moved up slightly to sit, not to disturb him.

I couldn't help but take him in.

Lex was like a greek god with his abs on show, and his tousled hair made him look more manly.

"Stop staring," he murmured with his eyes closed. How the hell did he know I was looking?

I cleared my throat and looked around. "No, I wasn't," I said, lying.

I could hear the slight chuckle but never looked back at him.

Lex moved up, his chest was close to my back, and the body heat from him was making my insides melt.

f**k, stupid mate bond is working wonders.

I could feel Lex lean into me. "You can always look," he said, moving my hair out of the way. Sparks rippled through me from the slight touch of his finger. "I'm all yours."

I didn't say anything but closed my eyes. I looked back and stared at Bex, who had a smirk on her face.

"What happened?" I asked her.

Bex c****d her head to the side and let a yawn slip before she spoke. "Blaze and I fell asleep, and once we were in our slumber, we shifted back," she said. She looked at me. "Rox, Lex is trying; give him a chance." I knew he was, and I could feel the change.

I opened my eyes and looked over at Lex, who was blank; he must be talking to Blaze.

He shook his head and stared back at me. "I guess Blaze and Bex wore each other out after their run," he said, looking back at me.

I smiled.

I moved slightly but glanced around. The lake was so peaceful, and I noticed the path leading to the cove.

It gave me an idea.

I turned around slightly, not exposing too much of myself to Lex.

"Can I show you something?" I asked. "It's somewhere I go all the time to get out of my head, and also where..." I stopped myself. I was going to mention Nathan. I was the only one that knew about his s..exual!ty. Lex looked at me and c****d his head to the side. "Where, What?" he asked, looking confused.

"Nothing," I said. "But can I show you somewhere? It's not far from here."

Lex nodded without saying anything.

I got up off the floor and stood in front of him.

I could feel his eyes scan over me, but he cleared his throat when his eyes landed on mine.

"Sure," he said as he got up.

He stood right before me, making me look up at him.

His scent engulfed me, and all I wanted to do was kiss him.

I licked my lips and gulped.

Lex stared down and smiled.

I turned around and started to walk toward the path. Lex followed right behind me, but he started walking with me.

The cove wasn't too far from the lake.

We walked in silence, but I could feel his eyes on me every so often.

I knew I had to talk to him.

"So," I said.

"So," he said.

I looked over at him, and he smiled. "You can ask me anything?" he said.

I nodded.

I had to rack my brain to figure out a question, but my mouth didn't have any of it. I licked my l!ps and sighed. "What did you think of the charity event?" I asked.

I glanced back, and Lex smiled. "I enjoyed it," he said, but his smile faded. "I wasn't too thrilled by that big guy getting involved in your fight."

"Ah, Demon," I said with a smirk. "Demon and Tammy are rogues and are known around the ultimate fighting community. They like to get involved in each other's fights, especially in fights where their wolves are not allowed to come forward, just like yesterday." Lex nodded.

"Tammy and I fought before this event; the fight was the same as last night," I said. I looked ahead as we got closer; the cove was over the rocks. I carried on. "Tammy used her wolf and nearly had my a...ss. But Bex took over and scratched her hard. The fight was thrown, and neither of us won, but people started to realize what both Tammy and Demon were capable of."

"Why do people still ask them to fight?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know; they make a good team," I said, not sounding too sure about what I just said.

I noticed the rocks and pointed to them. "Over those rocks," I said.

Lex nodded.

I climbed over, but I could feel Lex's eyes on me the whole time.

I landed on the ground and moved through the area till I came to the cove.

I heard movement behind me. "Wow," said Lex as he stood over me.

I looked up at him, and his face was like a picture.

I smiled. "I found this a few days after coming here," I said as I sat on the nearby log.

Lex looked around and walked over to me after a few moments.

The cove had a waterfall over it, but the pool of water in front made everything seem so magical. The water glistened in the sun and was so clear.

I didn't look at Lex. "I came here all the time. I was trying to figure stuff out," I said. "You hurt me, Lex."

I looked over at him; his eyes held so much hurt as he looked back at me.

"I know," he whispered.

I looked around and sighed. "But I was a kid, and I understand why you had to let me go," I said, turning to look at him again. I placed my hand in his, which made him tense, but he soon recovered and tightened his grip, holding my hand in his. "I know you would never have hurt me," I said. "I never told you anything that went on because I was scared at the time; I was too ashamed."

I looked down, but Lex moved his hand to my chin and moved my face to make me look at him. "Rox," he said, "I would have done anything in my power to make everything you went through go away. You were special to me back then, and I would never have done all those things."

I stared at him, but Lex let my chin go.

I could feel Bex move in my head, but she never said anything. She slept the whole way when we walked.

"Was Blaze telling me the truth that you never had anyone in the spare room?" I asked. I didn't care, but something deep inside me wanted to know.

Lex looked at me, and a slow smile slid across his face. "I never took anyone there," he said. "Jason was suffering after your mum's death. I told him to replace a way to keep himself occupied, use something to get out of his system."

I frowned. "So f*g girls is what he came up with," I said.

Lex stared at me. "We were horny teenagers," he said. "I know it's no excuse, and I know we can't take it all back either. But we can learn from our mistakes."

I stared at him.

"Lex," I said as I looked toward the water, returning to him again. "I will accept you as my mate, and I still want to take it slow for now. I know the mate bond will kick in more soon, and it will be hard to stay away from one another, but can we promise each other?" Lex nodded. "Anything?" he said, hope radiating from him.

"Well, not a promise," I said. "More like a deal; I suggest we start fresh when we get back to the pack."

He stared at me and nodded. "Ok, but what does that mean?" he asked.

I smiled. "I mean, we go on a date to get to know one another and talk," I said.

Lex beamed back. "I can do that," he said. "We can go on a date or a few. You take the lead, Rox. I mean, I want you to be comfortable with me."

I nodded.

After an hour of talking and asking questions, we stayed silent for a while. Lex thought playing twenty questions would help, which it did. He still liked the same things from back in the day. I knew all of his likes and dislikes, but I think he was surprised to learn mine. We would have stayed there longer if my stomach hadn't growled out, letting us both know we were meant to be back for food ages ago.

We both decided to shift back to Blaze and Bex, who was happy to take over.

Once back in Bex's head, I felt like a weight had been lifted. And I felt good to let him know how I felt and showing him the cove was something special to me, especially as it was the only place I felt at peace when I got here.