“Tell me this is a yes,” I whispered, struggling to keep my focus.
He groaned, but didn’t stop. His mouth wandered back up my throat so I had to tilt my head back. He kissed his way to my lips, but before he claimed them, he pulled back to meet my eyes.
“This is a yes.” He tilted his head exposing his throat.
I reached up to hold his shoulders and pull him down a bit. The towel fell to the floor. His breathing came in quick pants, matching mine. I kissed him gently, rubbing my lips on the corded muscles of his neck. Then, I bit.
He groaned and held me to him. A surge of love flooded me along with a consuming need to possess. They weren’t my feelings. Not all of them, anyway. I moved on kissing my way up his neck to his jaw. When he pulled back, a bloody smudge remained where I’d bit him, nothing else.
His lips claimed mine in a bruising kiss, and he turned us, backing me toward the bed. My heart started beating so fast I thought it would burst from my chest.
When we reached the bed, he stopped and pulled his shirt off. I knew then that we wouldn’t stop at just Claiming. Anticipation flooded me. This time it was all my emotion. I smiled shyly at him and wrapped my arms around his neck.
Snuggled against his side, I traced my fingers through the hair on his chest, content and peaceful. No dreams tugged at me. I hadn’t looked at him yet. I wasn’t sure if he would regret what we’d done.
“You lied,” he said quietly, turning to kiss the top of my head.
“The last lie I’ll be able to get away with now. Well, with you anyway.” I didn’t need to ask if he was mad at me. I knew he wasn’t. I could feel his contentment blending with mine.
“Was there even a boyfriend?” he asked softly.
“Not a serious one,” I admitted. “Still wish we would have waited for the magic eighteen?” I had to know.
He turned on his side to face me, his expression tender. “Yes,” he said simply. “You are worth waiting for.” His love flooded me, but I felt no regret. I leaned forward to kiss him.
“You’re worth waiting for, too,” I said softly. “But I didn’t want to risk dying without feeling this.” The connection between us grew, bursting with love and life. It wasn’t just the impressions I had felt with Joshua. It was so much more. There was no room for self-doubt. With Luke, I could endure anything. Be anything. Even a Judgement.
My stomach rumbled, and a thread of concern flowed through our link.
“Let’s get dressed and eat,” he said. The concern kept growing.
“What’s wrong?” The depth of what he felt washed through me.
“You never eat right.” He rose from the bed.
I forgot to breathe. I’d seen him in the all-n-all before, but now he was mine. I just wanted to jump on his back and pull him back under the covers with me. I wanted his touch. Needed it. I blinked as I struggled with my feelings and realized with a smile, they weren’t just mine, because concern still flavored them.
“If you don’t stop, we’ll never feed you,” he said with a smile as he strode to the bathroom.
We met everyone downstairs for dinner. Nana glanced away from her conversation with Charlene to look at us, then did a double take. Her sudden wide smile told me she knew.
“About time he pulled his head from his...” Grey started to mutter, but a nudge from Carlos cut him off.
Four new members had joined our group. Michelle’s brothers clung to two faces I recognized. Paul and Henry. They spoke to Gabby with a long time familiarity as they entertained the boys. Michelle and Emmitt spoke off to the side with Gregory and Mary. Michelle’s eyes were red from barely restrained tears.
When Paul looked up and saw me hand in hand with Luke, he smiled and nudged his brother. Heat rushed to my face.
Dinner moved slowly, just the way we needed it to. Michelle agreed to let the boys go on a long holiday with Gregory and Mary. Or as the boys thought of it, with Paul and Henry. We spent the time talking about nothing important, though I caught Gabby’s unfocused gaze as she constantly monitored the Urbat progress.
After dinner, we all agreed to meet in the lobby early the following morning. The next day’s travel would bring us to Peace.
I went to bed eagerly and looked forward to another good night’s sleep. But I didn’t get what I wanted.
“Daughter,” she said, standing beside the bed dressed in her usual taupe gown. “You are so blessed to have finally Claimed a Mate worthy of you.”
I stood at the end of the bed, looking at Luke on his side, curled around me, his arm resting over my waist. I looked so small compared to him.
I glanced at the Taupe Lady. “I thought I only dreamt of the past.”
She smiled. “This is the past. Just minutes old.”
“Why am I dreaming this?”