They both stared at the innocuous strips of paper until first one, then the other developed the sign that confirmed he was as virile as he looked. She was torn between feeling resentful and being ecstatic about having a child. With him. Her happiness wavered, and she struggled to get a grip. This baby didn’t deserve to experience even a hint of its parents’ angst.
His arm slipped around her shoulders and he dropped a kiss on the crown of her head. “I’m thrilled, baby. I’ll confess I might have wished for more time with just the two of us, but having a pup—”
“Please save that endearment for the pup,” she said sweetly, gathering up the strips and dropping them into the garbage where they fluttered to land on top of the boxes.
She thought he sighed. “No endearments, Desiree.”
It was a victory, but a hollow one, and she well knew it. However, she pasted on a smile and stepped away to head into the bedroom. Finding a laundry bag, she stripped the bed, wondering why she’d wasted her time making it that morning. Had she hoped to christen it again? With a snort directed at her wolf, she rammed the linens into the sack.
“I take it you want to head back to Blue Star.”
Without looking at him, she nodded. “No reason to stay here.”
A chilly silence unfurled, but she kept her attention on tying off the laundry. Finally, he answered, “The kitchen needs cleaning and then we can go.”
“I’ll do it. You head back. With two cars—”
“I’m not returning without my mate, Desiree. We’re going to stop in to see our Alpha and the family to share the news in person. And then I’ll help you pack. The sooner you get settled in my home, the better.”
“Well, then. You’ve got it all figured out.” Pushing past him, she stalked into the kitchen.
“Desiree.”
Pretending she hadn’t heard, ridiculous, considering her shifter hearing, she ran water in the sink and began to scrub the dishes she hadn’t broken. She could barely see what she was doing for the impotent tears clouding her vision.
A hard body trespassed into her space, and she caught her breath when he leaned into her. Warm breath washed over her temple. “I’m doing what’s best for us. Can you give me your trust in this if you can’t find it in your heart to forgive me yet?”
Scrubbing furiously, she chose her words carefully. “I’m not going to pack up all of my former life, and don’t ask me to trust my heart to you, Tahl. Ever. As for living with you, I’ll be a good roommate.”
A heavier gust stirred her hair, and then he stepped back. “I’ll put the laundry and the garbage in the trunk.”
Chapter Five
That had actually gone better than expected, even if her last comments had punched him in the sternum. Desiree had been independent far too long, and not in a good way, at least not for a possessive shifter male. He had no intention of interfering in her business or asking her to give up her friends, but he’d help her whenever he could. He frowned. The only females she hung around with were humans. And River. Funny he hadn’t noticed that before. But then she’d always had lots of males dancing attendance on her, despite the fact she’d obviously never taken any of them up on it. And that interest was past tense. Not that he worried about fidelity. No shifter had cause to worry about that, once mated.
Despite the reassurance, he felt the pinch of jealousy. Centuries back, according to the tomes, male shifters—and a few females—acted on that vile emotion to free up a mate. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that Desi didn’t seem to care about his earlier conquests beyond her interest in Peyton.
With a grimace, he heaved the bags into the trunk. Nope, shifters didn’t cheat, but that didn’t mean they always lived together happily. Not always. But a high percentage were good together and many were love matches over and above the lust that drove them. Too bad he and Desiree seemed to fit in the first category. But, he wanted her, and no one else, and he’d live with the choice. Surely time would soften her and she’d come to accept him as her mate past the biological imperative.
The front door slammed and she stepped down the stairs in those silly pink flip flops, her own high heels dangling from her fingers. She made the cheap, casual clothes look spectacular, wearing them with a flair he knew the other females envied. Perhaps that was why she didn’t have friends.
She strode to her car, digging in her purse for her keys. He wished he’d kept them, made her come to him and pay for them with a kiss. They hadn’t even exchanged that form of intimacy, and his gut churned when he remembered how she’d turned her face away despite the overriding heat. Fuck.
“I’ll follow you,” he called.
Desiree slanted him a look he couldn’t read, but nodded and lowered herself into the driver’s seat. The engine turned over with a powerful rumble and he hustled to start his own vehicle when she backed out with a flourish and was on her way.
Cursing, he followed and caught a glimpse of her bumper glinting in the sun as she hurtled along. Another disagreement was in the offing. His mate had to be more careful. He caught up to her on the highway and was heartened when she drove only slightly above the speed limit.
Had she really thought they would live separately, with him “dropping by” to assuage her heats? She sought to wrest back the control and that wasn’t an option, not for him or for most males. He knew she planned to avoid him physically, so he’d have to rely on good, old-fashioned seduction. Tahl’s biggest contribution to the pack, to his Alpha, was his stubborn determination to complete any task assigned to him. Desiree might think she was equally determined, but he was going to win this war. There was simply no other option.
When he pulled up beside her at Jett and River’s, he was forced to wait while she busied herself with her purse. He suspected she was composing herself and gave her a minute.
Emerging, he marked her pallor as well as her resolution. “C’mon, Desiree. They’re family.”
“Readymade,” she muttered and moved past him to mount the stairs. He winced. She likely knew how much he craved belonging, and the comment, whether it was a deliberate jab or not, found its target.
Jett welcomed them, saying River wasn’t feeling well and would join them shortly.
“Is it the baby?” Desiree’s voice was full of concern and she peered past her brother. Shifter females weren’t immune to morning sickness, though tended to have easier pregnancies than humans.
“I suspect so.” Jett shrugged, but he looked worried despite the casual gesture. He grasped Tahl’s hand. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” He couldn’t hide his ebullience, despite the circumstances.
“Tahl got himself a wonderful mate, Desi.”
She sidestepped her brother as he moved to hug her. “As you say, Alpha. I’m going to check on River.”
They both stared after her. Jett said, “I take it things didn’t go well.”
“No. But I claimed her and … she’s pregnant.”
“Holy shit! You trying to show me up?” Jett clapped him on the back. “That doesn’t happen often.”
“She wanted a baby. Badly.” He needed to share the circumstances of the claiming, and did so, outlining it as briefly as possible.
To his surprise, Jett gave a pained chuckle. “A royal fuck up, Tahl. I can only imagine it. I was nearly as out of control with River.” He sobered. “Was she okay? River had to wait for consummation and it was hard on her.”
Maybe his Alpha wasn’t going to punch him in the face, after all. “She was … anxious. But that’s not why she’s so angry. With the both of us.”
“I can guess. She thinks I gave her to you.”
“You did, in granting me permission, and because I triggered her heat without telling her…”
Shaking his head, Jett replied, “She’ll come around. Better you, who cares about her and never gave up on her, than one of those single males who’ve been sniffing around.”
“Like Kris,” Tahl growled.
“Kris? Not my
favorite guy, but he’s got his sights on Moira. One of the females we rescued from the rogues.”
“I hadn’t noticed.”
“It’s a fairly recent development. But there are others interested in Desi. A couple have indicated their intentions and asked my permission, but you’ve always been my first choice.”
“I’m not hers, Jett,” he said ruefully, though intensely grateful he’d pressed his claim when he had. “At least not anymore.”
“You’ve always been her first choice, so get over it. Desi needs a firm hand. Even as Alpha I haven’t been able to curb her need for speed and she tends to flout tradition that I can’t see changing, no matter how modern the pack is getting. Like her preference for humans. I can leave that up to her mate to help temper her.”
“Probably a good thing neither of our mates are around to hear this conversation.”
“River wouldn’t like it,” Jett agreed cheerfully. “Particularly the claiming aspect. But she’s accepted that until we can come up with another form of … courtship, for lack of a better word, it’s what we have. Destiny.”
Tahl was feeling undone by destiny and he was sure Desi felt the same way. He manned up and decided to quit whining, now he’d come clean with his Alpha. Next, he’d take his mate to see her mother and then head home. Give her time to catch her breath before the Council and the rest of the shifter community was advised. The idea of living with her, waking up to her every morning and seeing her when he came home after work made his heart swell.
“Hello, Tahl.” River looked a bit wan, but she was dressed and moving well, so he counted that as a good thing.
“Are you okay?” Jett asked the question before he could, wrapping an arm around his mate’s shoulders.
“I’m okay. I didn’t sleep well last night and this baby is giving me a bit of grief. That’s all it is. I’m grateful the kids are having a rare nap.” She smiled at her Alpha before turning her attention to him. The happy look on her face faded a little. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” He dared a glance at Desiree, but she gave him nothing, her expression composed and aloof.
“Jett told me yesterday you were mated and Desi shared the other news. I can’t wait for a niece or nephew.”
The cool customer who was his mate stepped closer to squeeze River’s hand. “Me neither. I always wanted children.”
He stood there, feeling like a means to an end, which was, no doubt, precisely what she intended. Biting back a groan he said, “Happy to be of service.”
Twin, pink lines painted her cheekbones. “We have to see my mom, River, and then I’m moving into Tahl’s house.”
“Marlene’s on a buying trip, Desi. She left early this morning.”
His mate paled, and his gut twisted. This was Marlene’s comment on their union, and he hated that it hurt Desi, though he knew it was because his mother-in-law had intuited he’d flouted her advice. He could live with her disappointment, but it didn’t need to include Desiree.
Without a knife to cut the tension, he moved to lightly grasp her arm. “Let’s get going. Give River some time to rest up. We can invite everyone over for dinner in the near future.”
With a sickly sweet smile, she said, “Tahl’s a great cook.”
River came over to hug her. “I’d like that. But don’t be a stranger.”
“I won’t.”
He felt the fine tremor beneath his hand as he guided her out to the car. “You okay to drive?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll see you at your place. If I can’t keep up.”
Was that a flicker of amusement he caught? He looked closer, but she was back to aloof Desi.
“Okay.”
He saw her into her car and they embarked on yet another drive. Separately. Desi’s heat might have waned, but both he and his wolf weren’t getting the message. Merely touching her arm had made his cock stir, and he’d detected telltale signs that she wasn’t immune. He bent his mind to formulating a plan to get her into his bed willingly tonight.
****
“There.” She closed the closet in his spare room and stepped back.
Tahl leaned against the wall, secretly fascinated with all the stuff his woman had. She’d filled her car and his to the brim. Even checking out the passenger window had entailed compressing a variety of bags piled nearly to the roof, and her sports car nearly burst at the seams.
At first, she’d dithered, clearly uncomfortable with leaving her home. He’d pulled out a few cases from her room to encourage her, and found himself sent out for boxes shortly thereafter. At least while she was packing she didn’t treat him to any of her loaded barbs.
“Finished?” She started, as though she’d forgotten he was there, talking to herself.
“That’s the last of it.”
“Your clothes are here.” And in his closet too. “What about your other things?”
“Like?
He shrugged. She was talking to him, at least, and he wanted to prolong the encounter. “Female stuff. Not your perfumes and makeup, or your bath items. Pictures and things like that.”
“They’re in the boxes.”
“I want you to make your mark here, ba—Desi. Make my house ours.”
A look of despair flitted over her features. “Can you stop pushing, Tahl? Please?”
Shoving a hand through his hair, he turned on his heel and headed to the living room. He ignored the neat stack of boxes along the way and chastised himself. He was pushing. He’d envisioned this moment for months and was only too ready to have her living in his home, with him. She hadn’t had the luxury to prepare. He’d only thought having the familiar around her would help.
He heard her in the kitchen, rustling around, and nearly reached for the remote before appreciating the cliché. With a rueful grimace, he joined her. She had a bag of pasta on the counter and was stacking some fresh mushrooms and onions alongside a carton of milk.
“What are you making?”
“Pasta primavera, or my version of it.”
It was near torture to stand so close, and he surreptitiously sniffed the bouquet that encompassed his mate. Pure female with overtones of nature—grassy notes and citrus. An ever-so-faint hint of arousal…
“Are you sniffing me?” She edged away and regarded him with exasperation.
“Maybe.” He poked at the mushrooms, noting their slightly wrinkled appearance. “We should probably get in some fresh produce.”
“I’ll do that tomorrow.”
“Uh, thanks. I appreciate it.”
She didn’t respond, chopping vegetables with considerable skill. He watched the knife flash and of course couldn’t help himself. Couldn’t leave well enough alone. “You’re pretty calm, considering.”
Her long lashes flickered as she focused on him. “What did you expect? That I’d sulk in my room? Hide away?”
“Maybe.”
“I might be a captive, Tahl, but I promised I’d be a good roommate.”
“You’re more than that.”
“I’m not going to argue.” She commenced to whisking butter and flour in a pan.
He’d be frustrated if he hadn’t scented her sexual interest. His Desi couldn’t blame her heat for that tempting fragrance and he celebrated the awareness. Deciding to bide his time while taking every opportunity to invade her space and capitalize on the attraction, he merely nodded.
“Jett and I have business tomorrow, so I’ll be gone all day.”
“Sure.” She was obviously determined not to take any interest in his life, likely because he’d shut her down on the one question she’d asked. The one he couldn’t answer.
“What are your plans?”
“I’ll open the shop and help out Michelle if it gets busy. Otherwise, I’ll work on my sites from the … from my new home office.” His spare room would hopefully serve her well in that endeavor.
“When do you expect your mom back?”
She faltered in pouring milk into the pan. �
�Whenever she feels like it, I expect.”
He slipped his arm around her narrow waist, ignoring how she stiffened. “I’ll talk to her. She’s pulling away from the family more and more.”
Turning, she escaped his hold and went to the counter. “You don’t need to do that. My mother has an opinion on everything and I don’t let it get to me anymore.”
He was still going to have a chat with Marlene. “Anything I can do?”
“Nope. I’ll drain the pasta in a few minutes.”
“I’ll set the table then.” He grabbed the appropriate cutlery and plates, handing her a colander while he was at it. They worked in silence and he relaxed a little more. Mealtimes might signify at truce of sorts because Desi was sleeping in his bed tonight, and every night. And he wasn’t looking forward to that battle.
****
Under vastly different circumstances, it wouldn’t be a hardship sharing a meal with Tahl. She’d found her way around his kitchen fairly easily, likely because she had spent a lot of time in it, growing up. After all, she’d known the man all her life. Until she hadn’t.
A curious sense of well-being eased her further, and she wondered if it was because she was pregnant, though barely. She refused to give any credibility to her wolf’s purring suggestion that she was contented because she was mated to the male she’d coveted—all her life. Her ire hadn’t abated, curled and simmering in the back of her mind, heavily laced with the bitterness of betrayal and insidiousness of guilt.
Thus far Tahl hadn’t pushed her, with the exception of following through on his edict that she move in with him. Considering her role as the Alpha’s sister, she supposed there would be repercussions if they lived separately, now that she could think coherently. Mustn’t let down tradition.
“This is great, Desi.” Tahl forked pasta and actually closed his eyes when he chewed.
She wanted to roll her own. Basic sauce, store-bought pasta and some crab she’d discovered in the crisper—hardly a gourmet meal. But she knew he was trying to connect, and despite her ambivalence, breakfast had been a long time ago, and she was hungry again.
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