Total pages in book: 218
Estimated words: 212458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1062(@200wpm)___ 850(@250wpm)___ 708(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 212458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1062(@200wpm)___ 850(@250wpm)___ 708(@300wpm)
She swallows again.
For her to be in this much pain over this, it’s obvious that what she wants more than anything in the world is to be a mother.
“You’re mine,” I say, dropping a kiss over the frown lines between her eyes. “You’re mine and I’m yours and right now, that’s what matters. Neither of us is perfect, but we’re perfect for one another; I believe that. We’ve known one another a couple days, we’ve got all kinds of time to figure out what we want while we enjoy being together. If we decide to have a family, we’ll have a family, even if it doesn’t happen the traditional way. If my mate wants a baby, we will get you one. Okay?”
“You’ll probably resent me for it.”
“Resenting you for something out of your control would make me a short-sighted, selfish asshole, wouldn’t it? You think that’s who I am? You think you got ripped off in the fate department?”
She grabs onto me and buries her face in my chest, holding me tight. She does this, but she’s still not letting go of this pain she’s holding onto. I feel it vividly. And I fucking wish I could erase it.
“You’re holding back because you think I won’t want you because of this?” I ask.
“I’m holding back for a lot of reasons, and this happens to be one of them.”
“What else you got? Let’s get it all out here and now so we can move the fuck on, you knowing exactly where I stand. Do you know where I stand, Amie?”
She looks into my eyes with light shining, with hope shining as her chin quivers.
“I stand right with you, baby. Behind you when that’s where I know you need me to be, in front of you when you need me to be a shield, and beside you any other time. What I’ll also do is pick you up when you fall, but wherever possible, catch you before you land. You don’t know me yet, but that’s what you’ll figure out once you give this a chance. Will you do that? Open up enough to let me in? Let me show you how good this is gonna be?”
She grabs me and hops. I catch her, wrapping her legs around my lower back as she attacks my mouth with hers. I spin the tap off and carry her to the counter, sopping wet. I set her down on the countertop and grab towels and try to get her dry, but between the way she’s kissing me, clawing at me to get me closer, along with the scent of her arousal in my lungs, begging to be on my tongue, I can’t wait.
“If this goes sideways, it’ll devastate me,” she whispers, wrapping those sexy legs around me tighter. I give up on the drying and toss the towel.
“It won’t,” I vow as I lift her and head toward the bed.
“If the spell wears off…”
“The spell isn’t about this, about what we feel. We feel this because it’s right. The spell was about your parents, about your mother finding out the truth about your father, about the Youngs getting that money they needed. There was some shit the witches definitely interfered with but the hows and whys don’t matter. Whatever they did, they did because this is right.”
“If you get sick of me and my drama…”
“Never. You and your drama are mine for the rest of my days.”
We’re going to saturate the sheets, but I don’t give a fuck. It’s gonna happen anyway, because I’m going to fuck her for the next several hours non-stop.
“If…”
“Baby, shut up.”
She leans back and stares in awe. “This is crazy.”
“Not to me, it’s not. To me, it’s perfect.” I set her on the bed. “Once I saw you and got your scent in my lungs, I knew. I’d never been more certain about any-fucking-thing. And then once I tasted you, once I released my first knot inside you, the first moment I felt our connection after giving you my mark, I knew that you were all I needed. Every minute I’m with you, learning more about you, I see that you’re it for me. You are. You’re all I need. Kids might be nice, no – would be wonderful, but they don’t have to be blood for us to love them, do they, baby?”
She shakes her head, eyes glistening with moisture.
“Voodoo sex magic,” she whispers.
“And it’s good, isn’t it?” I ask.
She nods.
“So then let’s enjoy it.”
She smiles.
“My mother was adopted by a couple who couldn’t have kids. My grandparents adopted her and my aunts. Shifters adopt, too.” I put a knee to the bed.
“She told me.”
“And you’re still feeling this way?”
She shrugs. “I also heard some alphas reject their mate for infertility. Or take on a mistress.”
“I won’t do either of that. No fucking way!” I growl. “You’ve got a lot to learn about me and my kind, wildberry. About me, especially. But we’re pack animals because we support one another. We live big, full lives of love. Family means everything to us and that’s not just about offspring, it’s about mates, it’s about community. You know?”