Lexi snorted, and that brought Max’s attention to her, but he seemed amused with her, so she guessed she wasn’t going to get yelled at.
“I need to talk to you about a few things before I see Cam,” Claire began.
“Then, by all means, speak, so you can go get my son to stop acting like an ass,” Max told her with a grin.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
After spending the morning lying in bed, thinking about Claire, Cam had been summoned to his father’s home. He’d known this was coming, but he still wasn’t ready. Sure, impregnating a female was his idea. No one was pressuring him into it, and his father would probably be okay if he backed out, but why should he? Yes, he’d hate to have his child suffer the same indifference from his or her mother as he had. Cam understood all too well how much that hurt, but he’d give his child all the love he or she needed. What really bothered him was the idea of having that kind of intimacy with any female other than Claire. Of course, Claire had made her feelings clear. That was over, and he loved her enough to move on. He was responsible for taking care of his mate’s needs. He’d just never imagined that would involve letting her go.
Cam felt like he was walking to his own execution as he made his way to his father’s home. The female his father had wanted Zane to take during her heat cycle had refused to meet with Cam. Apparently, after her meeting with Zane, she’d decided she didn’t want to have a child for the good of the clan—a decision Cam understood. After that, his father had assured him he’d find someone else, and apparently he had, since his father’s message had mentioned a female waiting for him.
As he neared his father’s home, he could swear he caught Claire’s scent, but it had to be his mind playing tricks on him. No way would Claire be here. He wondered how long it would take him to get over her and almost laughed at the idea of not wanting Claire. Even if he moved back to Canada, he was pretty sure he’d still have to fight his instinct to seek her out when he was in lynx form.
Standing outside his father’s door, Cam’s brow creased in confusion. Now, it wasn’t just Claire’s scent; he also smelled Zane and Danny. Claire’s scent was still there, and he was almost afraid to open the door for fear it would all be some trick his mind was playing on him, or Zane holding one of Claire’s shirts like Nate did when he wanted to find Cam.
“Open the damn door and come inside!” came his father’s booming voice. “Why the hell are my children lurking outside my door today? Have you all forgotten how to open a door?”
Since Cam wasn’t stupid enough to argue with his father, he slowly opened the door and stared into the eyes of the one female who made him lose all sense of reason and control. She seemed to be drinking in the sight of him just as much as he was her. The scent of her arousal wrapped around him, and he watched as her hand moved up to press against her throat, almost as if she knew where he wanted to mark her. Rather than guarding that sensitive spot, she ran her fingers along it, making it hard for Cam to stop himself from tossing her over his shoulder and carrying her back to his bed.
“What are you doing here?” Cam heard the desperate guttural sound of his own voice, and it came as no surprise. At this point, he wasn’t even sure her answer mattered. Claire was here, and they both knew where things were going to end. He’d given her the chance to be free of him, and he wasn’t strong enough to offer twice.
“I came for you,” was her simple reply.
It took three long strides to reach her. Without waiting for any further explanation, Cam bent forward and tossed her over his shoulder before stalking out of his father’s house with his mate.
“Cam!” Claire screeched. “We need to talk.”
“We will,” he assured her as he made his way to his home.
“I have things I need to tell you,” she argued, smacking his back with her fist.
“For the next hour, the only things we need to talk about is how hard you want me to fuck you or how many times you think I should make you come,” Cam explained as he pushed into his house, slamming the door behind him before setting Claire on her feet.
Claire stepped back, looking nervous and aroused at the same time.
“Tell me why you’re here,” he ordered, because damn if he didn’t need to hear her say she was his more than he needed his next breath.
“To talk to you,” she insisted, moving to put some space between them.
“Tell me the bigger reason you’re here,” he commanded as he stalked toward her, trapping her in the corner. “Tell me you’re mine.”
Claire didn’t hesitate for even a moment. “I’m yours, Cam. I’ve been yours since the day you pulled me out of that pit, and I’ll be yours as long as there’s breath in my body.”
Cam groaned and slammed his mouth down on Claire’s, ending all talk. She’d said the words he’d been fantasizing about for months, and he wasn’t about to give either of them a chance to screw things up. No more thinking. No more talking. Now was the time to claim her in every way.
Chapter Sixty-Eight
It was no exaggeration to say Cam tore at her clothes. Claire was going to need new clothes before she left Cam’s house, but she loved what was happening. She loved the crazed way he kissed her and the desperate sounds he was making. Claire’s fingers fumbled clumsily with the fastenings on Cam’s pants, needing no foreplay. That’s what they’d had for months. All that time had been building up to this moment, and she didn’t want to wait any longer.
“Bed,” Cam ordered, kicking out of his pants and moving her toward the other room without taking his hands or mouth off of her body.
The bed was actually more like a mattress on the floor, but Claire didn’t care. She’d have been fine on the floor in the front room as long as she got Cam inside of her body soon.
“I should take care of your needs first,” he rasped out as he guided her down onto the mattress.
“All I need is you inside of me,” she told him, wrapping her fingers around him, and enjoying the way his entire body shuddered with need.
Cam pulled away to yank her boots and what was left of her pants off. “I’m going to fuck you,” he said, as he ran his tongue along her hip bone before kissing and nipping his way up to her throat.
“Please,” Claire moaned when the tip of his cock pressed against her entrance. Her legs wrapped around his hips, trying to pull him into her.
“I’m also going to mark you,” he warned, resting his teeth against her throat close to her right shoulder.
“Yes,” Claire breathed out, arching up toward his mouth, enjoying the scrape of teeth against her flesh.
Cam’s head moved back so he could stare into her eyes as he slid into her body with deliberate slowness. Claire flinched slightly as she adjusted to his size.
“I am the last male you will ever be with,” he growled with a look of pure satisfaction in his eyes, just before he plunged forward, and Claire cringed at his invasion.
“Are you okay?” Cam asked with genuine concern.
Claire nodded. “Just give me a second. It’s been a while, and you’re pretty damn big.”
Cam chuckled and kissed her softly. “You’re good for my ego, but I’m still sorry I hurt you.”
“You didn’t hurt me,” she assured him. “It’s just intense.”
“I know the feeling, sweetheart,” he said with a groan. “You’re so fucking tight, I’m almost afraid to move.”
“I’ll hurt you if you don’t move soon,” she warned.
Cam’s movements started out gentle, as if he were afraid of hurting her, but he soon picked up the pace and ferocity. Cam’s body slammed into hers, while she lifted her hips to get more pressure and clawed at his back to encourage him. Nothing had ever felt this right, and the pleasure was almost too much. Her screams were loud enough that she was sure every shifter there would hear her, but instead of being embarrassed, she was even more aroused knowing that everyone would know Cam was hers and she was his.
“Mine,” Cam growled through
gritted teeth. “Say it, Claire.”
“Yours,” she moaned. “Only yours, Cam.”
Just when Claire thought she was going to come completely undone, Cam’s teeth pierced her throat exactly where he’d said he would mark her. It hurt, but it was also so arousing that Claire screamed as her body pulsed around Cam’s cock. When her spasms finally stopped, she felt Cam’s cock twitching inside of her. His teeth remained in her throat.
When he finally removed his teeth, Cam licked and kissed the mark on her neck. The sting aroused her more than she’d ever imagined possible.
“Mine,” Cam said with a satisfied smile as he rolled off of her and pulled her into his arms.
“Mine,” Claire added, placing a hand over his heart.
Cam chuckled. “I’ve been telling you I was yours for months, sweetheart.”
“We need to go back to your father’s house,” Claire insisted, not at all surprised when Cam shook his head.
“Not gonna happen. I need to have you a few more times before we leave this bed.”
“Cam, we really need to get out of this bed,” she argued, even though that was the last thing she wanted to do.
“You’re right, sweetheart,” he agreed with a playful wink. “I shouldn’t limit myself to fucking you in the bed when I’ve had fantasies about fucking you in dozens of different places.”
“I might need a little break. That was my first time in probably two years, and I’m a little sore,” she reminded him. “Your dick isn’t exactly small.”
“That I gotta ask about,” Cam began.
“You want me to tell you how big your dick is?” she asked with a teasing grin.
“No,” he replied with a chuckle. “I know I’ve got the right equipment to meet your needs.”
“Don’t be a cocky ass,” she scolded, giving his chest a light swat.
Cam reached out to roll her nipple between his thumb and index finger. “I was going to ask why a female as hot and passionate as you has gone so long without sex.”
“Huh?” she asked, suddenly having trouble remembering what they were talking about while Cam was playing with her nipple.
“How is it that you’ve gone so long without a male?” he asked.
“I don’t like being touched.” Claire figured she didn’t need to add the part about how she didn’t mind being touched by Cam since that seemed pretty obvious.
This time, Cam took her nipple into his mouth and sucked until Claire let out a desperate little whimper. “Are you sore?” Cam asked as he stroked her gently between her legs.
“Yes,” she moaned. “We really need to talk.”
“Later,” Cam insisted, sliding down her body. “First, I’m going to see if I can make you feel better down there.”
Cam’s tongue found her sensitive flesh, and Claire decided he was right; they could definitely wait a little longer to talk.
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Since Cam wasn’t likely to let Claire out of his bed any time soon, Zane figured he might as well show Lexi around his clan’s community, something he was surprisingly nervous about doing. Of course, it made sense that he’d be nervous, and that brought home one of the best reasons to avoid finding a mate who wasn’t a shifter. This was Zane’s world, and while he enjoyed some aspects of the born vampire settlement, it was like a prison in many ways.
Looking over, he couldn’t hide his relief at the pure delight in Lexi’s eyes.
“It’s so beautiful out here,” she remarked.
“Better than the born vampire settlement?” he asked, anxious about her answer.
Lexi scrunched up her nose. “It’s not that it’s bad there, but it’s like living in suburbia hell.”
Zane’s confusion must have shown on his face. He had no clue what she was talking about.
“Suburbia is like row after row of houses,” she explained. “I mean, you have houses here, but it’s more like camping.”
Zane had resisted touching her as long as he could. Coming up behind her, he wrapped his arms around Lexi and pulled her close. “Do you think you could be happy living here?”
Lexi froze, and Zane was worried she was going to tell him that it was a nice place to visit, but not to live. Sure, he’d live anywhere to be with her, but this was where he belonged.
“It would be like a dream come true,” she admitted softly, and Zane let out a sigh of relief.
“Then let’s just stay here,” he suggested, spinning her to face him. “You’re near your fertile time, and we can make babies. You’re fast, and you could run with me in the woods. I’ll teach you to swim. It’ll be perfect.”
“Zane,” she began, and he suspected he wasn’t going to like what she said. “I need to go back and see my mom. We also have no clue if my father is planning to show up at some point. Now that Kyleigh’s told me a little about him, I’m terrified of what he might do. Things are a mess.”
When Lexi tried to pull away, Zane held her tighter. There was no way he was letting her shut him out. They’d come too far for that. “We’ll make this work, angel,” he murmured softly.
“I’m afraid, Zane,” she admitted.
“What are you afraid of?” he asked, pulling back to look at her face.
“I’m afraid something bad is coming,” she explained hesitantly.
“I would give my life to keep you safe,” Zane assured her, but the startled look on her face made him realize his mistake.
Lexi pulled away. “I don’t want you to give your life for me. That’s one of the things I’m most afraid of. At first, I was afraid of screwing up time. Now, I feel like being involved with me is going to end badly for you. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Zane wasn’t sure what to say to reassure her. All he could think to do was tell her the truth about his feelings for her. “You are my mate, and I would rather die protecting you than spend a day without you.”
Lexi touched his cheek, and he saw the tears at the corners of her eyes. “I could fall in love with you, Zane,” she told him.
Leaning forward, he gave in to the temptation to kiss her. It was either that or say the words he knew would frighten her, the words she wasn’t ready to hear. He was already in love with Lexi.
Chapter Seventy
“Now, we can talk,” Cam said after making Claire scream his name for the third time. She’d be sore later, but he hadn’t been able to resist when she’d begged him to fuck her again after he’d gone down on her.
“Talk?” Claire asked with a laugh. “How am I supposed to talk after that?”
“I could always go down on you again instead of talking,” he offered and enjoyed Claire’s little moan.
“We need to talk about my idea,” she told him with a sigh.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” Cam prompted her.
“You becoming a father,” she began, and Cam pulled back to study her.
“Is that why you came here?” he demanded. “Did someone tell you, and you were jealous? You don’t have to worry. Nothing happened, and I’m not sure it would have even if you hadn’t shown up.”
“Jase told me. Yes, I was jealous, and it is what prompted me to get my head out of my ass and realize I didn’t want to lose you, but it also made me think more about what I can and can’t give you.”
“Claire, it’s okay that you can’t have children,” he assured her and had no doubts about what he was saying. As long as he had Claire, he’d be happy.
“It’s not just about you,” Claire pointed out. “One of you needs to have a full-shifter child to add security for your clan.”
“A child is more than a tool to obtain security for my clan.” Cam felt like a hypocrite since he’d offered to father a child for that very reason, but he’d been an idiot for even considering it.
“Are you telling me you wouldn’t love that baby?”
“Of course, I would,” Cam replied. “That doesn’t change the fact that I’m not willing to have sex with another female. Even before you g
ot here, I was having second thoughts about the whole thing. Now that I’ve had you, I could never be with anyone else.”
“Then it’s a good thing for you, the vampires have access to better technology,” Claire added with a grin.
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
“Max says he can find a female willing to carry your child and walk away when she’s done,” Claire explained.
Cam snorted. “That’s the easy part, sweetheart. There are definitely females who will bear my children to move up, but I don’t want them.”
“That’s where the technology comes in,” Claire continued. “We just need to get you and the woman to the business district, and the vampires will handle everything. You will need to provide some of your sperm for them, and then they’ll put it in the woman when she’s fertile. Do you think you can handle things on your own to give them something to work with?”
Cam loved the sexy twinkle in her eyes. “Oh, sweetheart, I’ve had a lot of practice handling things on my own all those months you were turning me down. That still doesn’t make this a good idea. How do you think you’re going to feel while raising another female’s child?”
Claire touched his face, and he was overwhelmed by the love in her eyes. “This would be your child. Hell, this would be our child. We’d raise them together. I’m not sure how we’ll work out living arrangements, since I can’t completely give up my responsibilities to my old life, but let’s just worry about one thing at a time.”
“We’re going to have a baby,” Cam tested the words and then grinned.
“Yes, we are,” she agreed. “Best of all, I don’t have to deal with the puking or swollen ankles.”
“I love you, sweetheart,” Cam murmured, and he knew it was going to be a long time before he was ready to let Claire out of his bed.
Chapter Seventy-One
Zane was doing his best to avoid teasing Claire on the drive back to the born vampire settlement. Since they only had room for four in the jeep, Cam was running to the island settlement in lynx form after unsuccessfully arguing that he could ride in the storage area in the back. Claire wasn’t willing to give on that seatbelt rule. He was sitting in the backseat this time, after Claire had come to the conclusion that he’d behave better if he sat next to Lexi. It was funny since, on the trip out, she’d insisted that he’d behave better if he couldn’t touch Lexi.
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