“Not easier where the urge to claim is concerned. But it’s easier here.” She placed her hand over her heart.
“If it makes you feel any better, he’s going through the same pain. I saw it on his face that day in the tattoo parlor.”
“Emotional pain and physical pain are two different things. I’m not saying that I love him or anything. I don’t know him. But when your own mate doesn’t want you or even acknowledge you… that’s pain.”
Now that she was mated, Jaime could imagine exactly how that felt. That evening as she lay naked on top of Dante, with him still semihard inside her, she said, “I’m not sure that Trey will be as happy for us as the others have been.” They still hadn’t seen the Alphas, who were both spending quality time with their new arrival.
“Yes, he will.” Dante paused in doodling on her back with his fingers and kissed her hair. “I know he will. He gave me his blessing when he knew I wanted to imprint on you.” Startled, she lifted her head to meet his gaze. “You wanted to imprint on me?”
“Obviously.”
“But…after what Bitch Face did—”
He put a finger to her lips. “That was all a long time ago, and yes, I’d stayed clear of relationships because I didn’t want to go through that again. But I knew you were nothing like her.
You don’t play games”—kiss to her forehead—“you’re not self-absorbed”—kiss to her cheek
—“you’ve got a big heart”—kiss to her lips—“and you’re loyal to the bone.”
“And I’m broken.”
“Hey, what have I told you? You’re not broken. Don’t say that. You wouldn’t have agreed to imprint, would you?”
“Only because I don’t want you to be hurt. If we’d imprinted and Trey asked me to leave, you would have had to break the bond. I knew you wouldn’t want to go through that a second time, and I wouldn’t have wanted you to.”
“I’m glad she did what she did. I never thought I’d say that, but it’s true, because I wouldn’t be mated to you right now if she hadn’t.” He studied her through narrowed eyes. “You would have left me, wouldn’t you?” She didn’t look even the slightest bit guilty about it. “I would have hunted you down.”
“I know.”
He snaked a hand around her throat, ignoring the spark of irritation in her eyes. “Know this, too: if you ever get an idea like that again, I’ll know, baby, and I’ll spank your ass so damn hard there’ll be a permanent handprint right there.”
She gave him a cheeky smile. “As long as you understand there’ll be a matching one on your face.”
He smiled crookedly as he flexed his cock inside that pussy that was made for him. Gripping her by the waist, he gently moved her up and down on him. “So…is there any chance of you reconsidering getting my name tattooed on your ass?”
Jaime rolled her eyes at his possessiveness. “Not a chance,” she said a little breathlessly as he began to harden further inside her.
“How about my initials?”
“Not going to happen, Popeye. Get over it.”
“Now that’s just mean.”
“You have your brands all over me.”
“I know.” He smoothed his hands up and down her back, loving the velvety feel of her skin. “I just think it would be hot.”
“You really want someone touching and looking at my bare ass?” She refrained from smiling as his grin vanished, just like she’d known it would.
He cupped her ass possessively, again slowly impaling her on him. “No, I don’t. This ass is mine. Mine to look at, and touch, and bite…and fuck.”
“You truly believe I’ll let you do that, don’t you?” She patted his head patronizingly. “Aw, you’re so pretty.”
“Oh you’ll let me. Right over my office desk. You don’t want to admit it, but you want it. I knew that before we mated, and now that we are, I can feel that you’re intrigued.” Damn that freaking bond. “Intrigued and willing aren’t the same, Popeye.” He patted her head just as she had his. “Aw, you’re so full of shit.” Before she could respond with an insult or a bitch slap, he flipped her onto her back and fucked her until neither of them had the strength to do anything other than roll onto their sides and sleep.
“I’m going to work with you this morning,” Dante declared before shoving a huge piece of bacon into his mouth.
Everyone at the dining table paused what they were doing, and Jaime knew why. He hadn’t said that he was driving her to work, he had said that he was going with her—quite different.
Although Dante had been doing fairly well with his controlling and overprotective nature, now that they were mated, things would be a little complicated. Not only would he be more possessive, jealous, controlling, and protective than ever, but as long as their bond wasn’t fully developed, he would be even worse. “Why?” It was a dare for him to admit that he couldn’t get a hold on his protective streak.
“Because I want to spend time with you, and then I want to take you out for lunch afterward.
Kind of hard to do that if you’ve got your own car with you.” She snorted, as did some of the others at the table. “You mean you don’t want to miss the expression on Shawn’s face when he sees the claiming mark.” He shrugged unapologetically. “And there’s also that little matter of you being paranoid that if you’re not with me twenty-four/seven, something terrible will befall me.”
He cupped her chin. “Something bad already happened to you. I’m not prepared to let it happen again.”
“I doubt Glory will hire another lone wolf to shoot me.”
“Probably not,” he allowed. “But that’s not to say that her brothers aren’t ready to make their next move yet. You know they will make another move soon. You yourself said that you didn’t think they’d get someone else to do their dirty work.”
She couldn’t really argue with that. She wanted to, but she couldn’t. As much as she was someone who took care of her own problems, Jaime wasn’t the type who lived in a delusional world where she could take them on by herself if those problems were as huge as people intending to kill her. Dante was right, and she’d be a suicidal idiot not to accept help.
Besides, it wouldn’t be fair not to meet him in the middle. And he was trying to meet her in the middle. She had felt his panic when she told him she was starting work again this morning. She had expected him to immediately insist that she remain on pack territory, but he hadn’t. He’d held back.
“You’ve helped me with my work, now I want to help you with yours,” he said with an innocent shrug.
Jaime sighed. “Fine.”
A suspicious look crossed his face. “That was too easy.”
“No, this is me being sensible and appreciating how hard it is for you to not hound me about going to work.”
This was why she was so perfect for him, Dante thought. She accepted his little quirks—okay, big quirks—and though she was stubborn, she compromised when she could. She let him take care of her even though she didn’t need him to, even though it often nettled her to be coddled. Dante lifted her from her seat and placed her on his lap to straddle him. “Thank you.” He buried his face in the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply. Although he loved her scent and often found himself wanting to writhe in it, he looked forward to their bond advancing and their scents finally mixing. She shuddered when he grazed her claiming mark with his teeth; he loved looking at it, loved knowing that she was irreversibly his and that everyone else would know it, too.
“Not at the breakfast table, kids,” complained their Alpha female playfully as she strolled in, but Dante simply held Jaime tighter. Trey was behind Taryn, with Kye nestled in the crook of his arm.
Instantly, most of the pack were on their feet, trying to take Kye. Rather reluctantly, Trey handed the baby to Shaya, who then swatted everyone else away.
“Your cat has not moved from my son since the second he scented him,” Taryn told Jaime as she sat. “He sleeps by his crib, like he’s protecting him. When Trey sl
ung him out of the room, he slept outside the door. It’s so cute.”
“It’s not cute at all,” Greta insisted. “You have to be careful with cats. Some of them will sleep on a baby’s face and smother them.”
“What?” demanded Trey.
Taryn rolled her eyes. “His overprotectiveness has now transferred from me to Kye.”
“Why did you give him River as a middle name?” Greta’s face was scrunched up in an expression of distaste.
“One, I love the name. Two, I love rivers. Three, I knew you wouldn’t like it.”
“Congratulations,” Trey said to Jaime and Dante. “Shaya told us that you mated.” Taryn’s face lit up. “Yes, congrats. Sorry, I totally forgot. I blame the sleep deprivation.” Dante and Jaime both gave their Alphas nods of thanks. “I need to get you to work or you’re going to be late,” he told Jaime before putting her on her feet and then rising. “See you guys later.
Tao, can you take care—”
The Head Enforcer raised his hand. “Don’t worry. I’ve got everything covered.”
“It’s odd seeing you delegate,” commented Taryn. “I like it.” Dante grinned. “Me too.”
As he and Jaime were passing, Rhett tugged on his T-shirt to halt him. “And you said you’d never let a female wrap you around her little finger.” His smile was so wide it could have challenged one of Marcus’s clown smiles.
“What?”
“That’s what you said at Taryn and Trey’s mating ceremony. My, my, my, how the tables have turned.”
Dante scowled. “Shut the fuck up.” Rhett just laughed.
During the entire drive to the sanctuary, Dante kept his hand on Jaime’s thigh. Much like her scent, the contact had a way of arousing him, settling him, and stirring his wolf all at the same time. It was shocking just how different he felt now that he was mated.
Although he had always been aware that he was without the other half of his soul, he hadn’t truly understood what that meant until he mated with Jaime and felt their bond begin to form. He hadn’t known there were so many hollow spaces inside him until she came and filled them, hadn’t realized just how incomplete he was until her soul fused with his.
Even with all his ease, confidence, and faith in himself, he’d only been half a person. Now that the metaphysical bond existed between him and Jaime, he had someone who balanced him out.
Jaime’s nature complemented his in that she was strong in areas where he might be flawed, and vice versa. In sum, they made each other stronger.
Now, if he could only get his mate to acknowledge that, he might have a chance at getting her to lower those walls of hers and let him in totally, give him all of herself. How ironic was it that all his life he’d been worried his mate would demand too much from him, and it was he who was doing the demanding?
If he let the subject alone, he would end up with the exact thing he’d always wanted—a mate who wouldn’t ask to be his “everything” and would hold back rather than be totally dependent on him.
The trouble was that he found he didn’t want that at all. He wanted every single part of Jaime and was prepared to give her exactly the same in return. How could he not? She was vital to him, even though she was also a pain in his ass.
When they arrived, Jaime gave Dante a pair of coveralls that were a little too tight and didn’t hesitate in putting him to work. He had a feeling that she hoped to discourage him from following her there again, but nothing would discourage him from being sure that she was safe. Not even cleaning up shit and listening to a building of howling, barking dogs. Unfortunately, Shawn congratulated them about the mating. Dante had kind of been hoping for a fight, but whatever. The witch and the lioness were just as happy.
“I’m so pleased for you both.” Riley almost squeezed the life out of Jaime.
“Thanks,” Jaime managed to wheeze out.
Blushing, Riley merely gave Dante a congratulatory smile. Apparently, he still intimidated her.
Once Riley had released her, Ivy gave her an equally enthusiastic hug. “If anyone deserves this, honey, it’s you.” She turned to Dante, frowning. “I’ll bet you feel like an idiot for ignoring your attraction to her for so long.”
Actually, Dante did. There was really no need to rub salt in the wound. After work, he took Jaime to the Steakhouse for lunch, but rather than going home as they’d originally planned, they spent the entire day together. First they went to an ice-cream parlor that Jaime swore made the best ice cream ever—it really did—and then they went shopping to get some personalized gifts for Kye. He hadn’t realized before just how maternal Jaime was. Dante liked this side of her, and he liked knowing that she would be happy if she got pregnant.
He wasn’t exactly in a rush to have pups, but he also wasn’t a person who believed there was a best time to have kids. No matter when you had kids, it was inevitably going to be a soul-shaking experience that affected just about everything. In his case, it was going to have a serious impact on his job and the hours he worked. But he’d learned his lesson since meeting Jaime that the significant people in his life should always come first. When it finally happened for him and Jaime, when she finally became pregnant, he would be proud and smug as all hell.
By the time they were done shopping, it was six p.m. Dante let her talk him into going to the movies to see a recently released horror movie. He hadn’t been for a long time and enjoyed himself more than he’d expected, particularly the part where they made out. He resolved that they’d make time to do stuff like that again. Sure, they spent quality time together, but it was very rare that they spent an entire day alone. In the future, he would ensure that he set aside one whole day each week to spend with Jaime, just the two of them doing whatever they wanted, or doing nothing at all.
It was eight thirty when they finally returned to pack territory. As they proceeded down the tunnels en route to their room, laughing about a specific scene in the movie, Jaime suddenly became aware that the place was eerily quiet. As they entered the living area, it became apparent why. She scented her before she saw her, and immediately Jaime’s wolf was alert, growling and flexing her claws.
“Dante! Oh my God, I’m so glad you’re back!”
Dante blinked in surprise as Laurie jumped up from one of the bulky leather armchairs and was suddenly hanging from his neck. Before he even heard the chilling growl behind him, he was untangling Laurie from him and setting her back by her shoulders. His wolf growled, offended by the touch of another female. Her face molded into an expression of confusion, and then her eyes found Jaime. Presumably his mate didn’t look friendly at that moment, because Laurie blanched and swallowed hard.
“What’re you doing here, Laurie?” He distantly noted that most of the pack was in the living area, and none of them looked happy.
“I had nowhere to go.” Tears filled her eyes, but there was no telling whether they were authentic or not. She flopped back into the armchair. “It’s Blane. He…Let’s just say he’s handy with his fists. I’ve borne it for years. He’s my mate and the father of my son, I had to. But I couldn’t take it anymore, and lately he’s been turning his fists on Leif. That’s not something I’ll tolerate.”
“Where is Leif?” Sensing his mate’s anger and extreme discomfort, Dante took her hand in his.
“One of your packmates, Grace, took him to the kitchen to get something to eat.”
“Not to be insensitive, but why come here? Your dad is the Alpha of your pack. He’d be the obvious person to go to.”
“My parents are on vacation for ten more days. No one else in the pack could have protected me from him, and I couldn’t have gone to stay with any of my family in other packs, because Blane would know to look there. I thought about going to Josh, but I couldn’t be sure that he wouldn’t take Blane’s side and call him. This is the one place that Blane would never expect me to be.”
“And you want to stay here?” asked Jaime, her tone dangerous but empty of any hint of the physical pain she was goin
g through. It had been a while since her wolf had tried so hard to surface, but the animal saw this female in front of her as a threat to her mating.
Sensing her wolf’s state, Dante released Jaime’s hand and slid his palm under her hair to cup her nape. Anybody looking would have interpreted it as simply an affectionate touch, as opposed to a move designed to calm her wolf. Laurie certainly saw, and she didn’t look pleased about it. The move didn’t make Jaime’s wolf back down, but it did make her begin to calm.
“Just until my parents are back.”
“Dante, Jaime,” began Trey, “I think we should talk in my office. In private,” he added when Laurie went to follow.
The second they were inside the office and the door was shut, Jaime announced to her Alpha, “She can’t stay here.”
He didn’t look surprised. “Jaime, this is—”
“No, she really can’t stay here or I’ll kill her.” She wouldn’t be able to stop herself or her wolf.
“Believe me, I’m not interested in having strangers—particularly one who hurt Dante the way she did—in my pack. The only reason she got through the gate was that she had the kid. I’m not comfortable with sending a kid out there when there’s a chance that he could be hurt.” That was only to be expected, given that Trey’s dad had been abusive. Jaime would have been just as sympathetic if it hadn’t been for one thing. “She’s lying.”
“My instincts tell me that you’re right, but now that I’ve got Kye…” He sighed. “I don’t know how to explain it. Let’s just say that it’s made me a little more protective of the kid than I would’ve been before.”
She turned to her mate. “Do you believe her?”
He shook his head. “I can’t work out what her game is. But, like Trey, I’m not comfortable with slinging Leif out of here. I know what Blane is capable of. Even if he’d never hurt them before, he’ll undoubtedly be furious when he finds out that they’ve run off, particularly that they ran to my pack. I don’t think you’re any more comfortable with throwing him out of here than we are.” He was right, she wasn’t comfortable with it. “Have you already agreed to let her stay?” she asked Trey.
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