Lexi reached back and tightened her ponytail, but it seemed as if it took every ounce of effort. “I need to lie down.”
The moon drifted behind the clouds. In the blanket of darkness, Austin tenderly cupped her face in his hands and kissed her mouth. She tasted like wine and roses. She tasted like life, and he savored every breath of her.
Melody picked up her bow, dusted it off, and before she knew what hit her, Austin wrapped her in a tight hug.
“I’m proud of you, Mel. You did the smart thing.” Austin kissed the top of her head and then rumpled her hair.
“Thanks, Uncle Austin.” Melody found her hat and pulled it over her head.
“Change of plan,” he said, watching the moon appear once again. “We’re heading to the next post. It’s closer, and there’s a large tree stand that’ll easily fit four. April, take first watch on the ground. Mel, I want you high up in the tree as a lookout. Take Reno with you so he can get some shut-eye.”
“He snores,” she protested.
“Just pinch his nose,” April suggested, squealing when Reno tickled her waist.
After that it was back to business. Reno confiscated the enemies’ weapons while Austin moved some of the bodies out of sight. They didn’t tarry and quickly moved on.
When Melody got ahead of them, Austin yelled out, “Do me a favor and check in with your mother.”
Lexi put her arm around him, and he felt centered again.
“What about us?” she asked. “Where are we going to sleep tonight?”
Austin squeezed her ass. Nothing turned him on like finding out his woman had fought against seven rogues and won. “We get the bunker.”
Chapter 26
We had spent two days living in the woods, and I was already one step away from hunting wild animals and cooking beaver burgers.
All I daydreamed about was food—real food. Turkey legs drowning in gravy, buttermilk biscuits filled with strawberry jam, spaghetti with spicy meatballs, fresh coleslaw, and especially chocolate pudding. Hell, I’d kill for a bag of pretzels.
“Eat it,” Austin repeated.
I shoved the bag of jerky away. “I’m not eating your rations.”
A rechargeable lantern—solar powered, with a backup hand crank—kept our bunker nicely lit. Austin had closed the hatch to give us privacy. Four bunkers were constructed in key locations, primarily to give the injured a place to heal, but I suspect Austin’s intent was to keep me hidden since I couldn’t climb or run very fast. They also provided refuge if a packmate needed a safe place to sleep and got separated from the others.
Austin glared at the bag of jerky. “You need it more than I do.”
I dusted off my sleeping bag before lying down. “I’m stuffed.”
His dark brows slanted. “Liar.”
“Well, that’s not very nice.”
“Maybe I’m not very nice,” he said in his sexy voice that seduced me in ways he’d never know.
Austin peeled off his shirt, and the muscles in his pecs twitched. I watched him douse a white towel with water and wash himself off. He sat in the middle of the room on the cinder block floor, the lantern on the right casting shadows on the opposite side. I admired every speck of his glorious body, from the tattoos on his shoulders to the thin trail of hair that led from his navel down to his groin. His whiskers were flirting in beard territory, but I didn’t have any complaints. The longer they got, the less they felt like sandpaper.
I rubbed one bare leg over the other, realizing I was getting aroused by something as mundane as watching my mate clean his armpits. The unventilated room had grown muggy, so ditching my pants earlier had been a no-brainer, especially since they were spattered with blood and dirt.
“Are you sure we’re safe in here?” I asked. “Maybe one of us should keep guard.”
“Axel’s men are outside the perimeter. If anyone gets through, it won’t be more than a small group, and I think we can handle that.”
I turned on my left side. “I never imagined all those years ago when we were just teens that one day I’d be sitting underground with you, carrying your child while being hunted by my father’s men.”
He tossed the towel in the corner and unfolded his sleeping bag next to mine. Once he situated himself, his eyes got warm and serious. “Do you regret it?”
I curled into him, and he wrapped his arm around me. “The only thing I regret is our first kiss.”
He drew back. “Why’s that?”
“Because afterward, you left me. For seven years.”
Austin kissed the top of my head. “Never again, Ladybug.” He tugged at my oversized shirt. “Can I take this off?”
“Pervert,” I said with a flicker of amusement. “You just want to admire my large breasts.”
He pulled the ends of my shirt, and I raised my arms in compliance. Austin and I loved lying naked together, and it had nothing to do with sex. Nothing gave me a better feeling than his warm skin against mine, as if the nearness of him could offer everlasting happiness.
I snorted and looked down at my big belly. “We don’t fit like we used to.”