“I don’t want you to be with me for my body. For sex. I want my man to love me the way men love their wives. I don’t even know what it is, or how to do it myself, but I want it. Not for the children and not for sex.”
He tucked her hair gently behind her ear and smiled down at her, his heart turning over. “I want you for myself, Pepper, for all the reasons I gave you. I thought I loved one woman some time ago and I realized what a mistake she was. She was all wrong for me. The thing is, what I feel for you is a million times more than I ever felt for her and we haven’t even begun yet.”
He felt her relax into him. Her gaze didn’t waver. “I’ll commit to you fully. I’ll be your wife and live in your home and burn with you as often as you want me. Because that’s what I want. I’ll take care of our children and have a dozen more if you really want them. I can’t promise I won’t be scared and do silly things, but I’ll do my best to come to you first before I panic. It has nothing whatsoever to do with your ability to take away that horrible clawing need and everything to do with the man you are.”
He found himself grinning, pulling her close again, his hands sliding down the slope of her back to her rounded buttocks. “You just put your scent all over me on purpose, didn’t you?”
He massaged his fingers into her firm muscles, deliberately pushing her mound against his thigh. “There are goin’ to be days, babe, when I make certain you’re wantin’ me and I’m goin’ to make you wait so you’ll come screamin’ for me five or six times. I may even go for a record.”
She laughed and pushed at his chest. “We have to plan how we’re going to break our children out of that horrible place. So don’t get me going until we know they’re safe.”
“I’ll do my best,” he promised and dropped his arms, allowing her to escape.
She dressed with efficiency, but it didn’t matter. Every movement was sensual. She was a living monument to the female body. He waited for her and inspected her carefully, making certain there were no marks showing on her skin where others could see. Making certain he kissed her several times. He even smoothed the tangles from her hair with a brush and handed her the clip she wore to pull it back.
“You ready?” He held out his hand.
She threaded her fingers through his, smiling up at him. He liked how relaxed she looked after having sex with him. They walked back to the kitchen together. Nonny was already outside, sitting in the rocking chair, holding Ginger. Clearly the boys had been a little too loud and had woken her up. Nonny glanced at their joined hands through the window and nodded her head, sending Wyatt a pleased smile.
“You two good?” Trap greeted, glancing at Wyatt and then turning his cool gaze onto Pepper as they entered the room. He was standing at the kitchen table looking down at several large blueprints.
“We’re good,” Wyatt said.
“I’m sorry about before,” Pepper said. “You talked about the babies the same way Braden talked about them. As if they aren’t human.”
She kept her gaze steady on his, no remorse, even a challenge. Wyatt reached out and caught her hand in a warning hold. She didn’t relent, didn’t stop focusing on Trap.
Trap blinked. “I did?”
“Yep.” It was Malichai who answered. “Like they were little rats in a lab just waiting for you to come along and study them.” There was the smallest bite to his tone, as if, like Pepper, he hadn’t liked what Trap had said earlier about studying the babies.
Trap shoved his hand through his hair. “Pepper, I don’t think like that. Wyatt’s family to me. That means those kids are family. If you’re his choice, you are. That’s the way it works with me. I can’t help the way I am. My mind solves problems, and I don’t think how to word something when my brain is running a hundred miles an hour.”
“That’s true,” Malichai agreed. “He’s like a processor running at top speed.”
“And he’s clueless when it comes to social skills,” Draden added.
Trap scowled at them. “The point I’m trying to make is, I would never experiment on babies or children. I just wouldn’t do it. But I’ll find a way for the girls to live as normal a life as possible. When I’m being insensitive, kick me in the shins or something. Eventually I’ll figure it out, but know I’d never use those babies.”
There was no way to miss the sincerity in Trap’s tone.
Pepper nodded. “Thanks for explaining, Trap. I know you didn’t have to. Unfortunately you triggered the mama tiger in me.”
“Um, no, darlin’,” Wyatt corrected with a small grin. “That would be the mama snake.”
Pepper laughed softly with the others, just as he’d wanted her to do. She turned her attention to the blueprints, the smile fading as she bent closer to look them over. Immediately the team surrounded the table.
“These blueprints are all wrong, Trap,” Pepper said. “The first floor is probably the closest to what this looks like, but the rest of it…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “The outside follows the blueprints, but the inside, not so much,” she continued.