“I think I need something stronger than a beer,” he told Bailey, who whined in agreement.

  He went to the kitchen and pulled down a bottle of scotch that was stashed there by Rich for when the two friends got together and quietly got drunk. Damn, he missed his best friend. Rich was the one person he could have talked to about Wilma, the one person who would know what to do. The threat in her voice worried him; she was not going to simply let this go.

  We have a mate who we can talk to, his bear reminded him.

  I don’t want to worry her, Jamie answered.

  We have to learn to talk to her, to trust her, his bear answered.

  You’re right, Jamie answered. But first I have to tell her what she is to me.

  His bear chuckled. I think she already knows, knucklehead. She’s not stupid.

  No, she’s not, Jamie admitted to himself, and he should have told her she was his mate sooner. He should have made his intentions completely clear. But he didn’t want to rush into things, and frighten her away.

  Have you seen her with the children? his bear asked. She loves them.

  She does, and they love her.

  Now was the time to act, now was the time to open his heart to Dani and make their family complete. Now was the time to get down on one knee and propose.

  Chapter Sixteen – Dani

  “I hope Henry isn’t too boisterous in class?” Freyja asked as Dani helped her in the kitchen. The evening had been a lot more civilized than she had expected. There had been wine, but none of them drank excessively.

  Abbi, the wife of the Bear Creek sheriff, Brad, had made it clear why. They were all mothers. All of them. This was their greatest joy, and greatest responsibility. “You can’t get up to your child if they call you in the night with a raging hangover.

  “Learned that the hard way,” Kayleigh, who was heavily pregnant, had answered. “Soda for me tonight.”

  “No, he and Juliet get along so well. I’m not saying he doesn’t fool around, but he has a good heart,” Dani answered honestly.

  “Like his father,” Freyja answered. “Which leads me to my next question, and you don’t have to answer, but how is Jamie?”

  “He’s good,” Dani said, loading the cutlery into the dishwasher. “He had a visit from Fiona, the social worker who is in charge of making sure he is coping. I think they have come to an understanding.”

  “Oh, good for him. I hear she’s something of a dragon,” Freyja said. “Literally.”

  Dani laughed. “Don’t let Juliet hear you say that.”

  “You love those kids,” Freyja said.

  “I do,” Dani agreed, nodding.

  “And their new father?” Freyja pushed.

  “I don’t know about love,” Dani said.

  “Really?” Freyja asked.

  “It’s too soon for me. I like him a lot…” She closed the dishwasher and leaned back against it. “It’s hard to open yourself up to a person.”

  Freyja chuckled. “Tell me about it.”

  “But you and Will are both shifters. Doesn’t that mean you instantly knew you were right for each other?” Dani asked.

  “Not exactly. We struggled to come to terms with our relationship. For reasons that are in the past.”

  “That’s just it, I have reasons in my past. Reasons that might make a difference to how Jamie sees me,” Dani said, her voice choked with emotions.

  “We all come with baggage. His is a life in the army and two children. Does that put you off him?”

  “No, of course not,” Dani said.

  “I can tell you that he knows you are the one for him. But he’s trying to give you time to adjust without throwing the hey, you and me babe, let’s get it on vibe in your face. Because of Juliet and Jasper. He doesn’t want to have to choose. Because if he did, he would choose you, and that would break his promise to Rich and Mary. Which would break his heart.”

  “I’d never make him choose,” Dani said horrified. “They belong together as a family.”

  “Just as you and Jamie belong together.” Freyja shrugged. “He’s a man, and men don’t always see things in black and white. They add in all these shades of gray, and make a big thing out of something so very simple.”

  “And the simple truth is, he’s my mate, and the children come with that?”

  “You got it.” Freyja put her arms around Dani. “Welcome to Bear Creek, we are all here for you. But really, I think your place is with Jamie right now. I’ve seen you looking at Kayleigh’s swollen belly. Go make babies.”

  Dani sobbed against Freyja. “That’s my baggage,” she finally admitted. “I don’t know if I can.”

  “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. I’m so very sorry,” Freyja crooned. “Then Jamie is perfect for you. He’d be happy just being a parent to Juliet and Jasper.”

  “I don’t know, he talks about having children of his own,” Dani said, wiping her tears.

  “That doesn’t mean he would let you go. You are his mate. You will find a way to be happy. Hell, who knows, you might adopt ten shifter kids.”

  “Ten might be a few too many,” Dani smiled through her tears.

  “What I’m saying is that it does happen.” Freyja took her firmly by the shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. “And let me tell you, shifter men are very fertile. I wouldn’t discount that man of yours putting a baby in your belly.”

  “Yeah. Never give up. It’s what I teach the kids.”

  “Then go. Now. Go and see him. You can sure have lots of fun trying to make lots of babies,” Freyja said, leaving the sentenced unfinished, but Dani could read it in her eyes… Even if you never actually succeed.

  “Thanks,” Dani said. “I’ll go through and say goodbye.”

  “Good girl,” Freyja said. “And you know I wish you all the luck, and all the babies, in the world.”

  Dani hugged Freyja, clinging to her, trying to compose herself before she faced the others. “Thanks.”

  “Come on, they will all understand.” Freyja wiped Dani’s tears away. “Be happy, no matter what.”

  ***

  Half an hour later, Dani had said her goodbyes and was pulling up outside the house where her new family lived, if they wanted her. Of course they wanted her, or at least Jamie wanted her. She read it in his expression every time he looked at her, although he had never actually said the words.

  Was it because of his duty to Juliet and Jasper, or was it because Dani had put up a barrier that told him to keep out?

  Only one way to find out. She parked the car, switched off the engine, and made her way to the front door on legs that did not feel like her own. Pausing before she rang the doorbell, she straightened her dress and smoothed her hair, hoping she looked OK.

  Raising her hand to press the doorbell, she jumped when the door before her was pulled open to reveal Jamie. He looked off, as though something was bothering him. The feeling grew when he looked past her and down the street.

  “Everything OK?” she asked.

  “It is now,” he replied, and reached for Dani, pulling her inside the house and shutting the door behind her. “Did you have a good evening?” he asked, his hand still on her arm.

  “Yes,” she replied.

  “You’re early. I wasn’t expecting you until later.”

  “Is that a problem?”

  He shook his head, his fingers stroking her arm. “Not a problem at all.” He leaned in toward her, the heat in her body making her ready to explode as he moistened his lips. He was going to kiss her. And she was more than ready.

  Dani ran her tongue across her lower lip, her mouth open enough to let out a sigh of contentment as his lips pressed against hers. He tasted of whiskey and something else, something distinctly Jamie. Something she wanted to remember forever, to store it in her brain to bring out whenever she thought of him.

  Dani laced her arms around his neck, and held him close, not wanting this kiss to end. Ever. She’d longed for this moment since the very first day she had met him in the park. A day that seemed a lifetime ago, and yet was only a week ago. A week! Such a short time, but she felt she knew Jamie better than she had ever known anyone else. Her parents had been supportive, and helped her become a teacher, but she never thought she really knew them, knew how they ticked.

  It was different with Jamie. She knew him on a deeper level. Not the what’s your favorite color level? More of the what makes your soul sing level. And right now, his soul was singing for her.

  “I want you. You know that, right?” Jamie asked, his hand slipping inside the buttons of her dress to caress her right breast. She gasped as he pinched her nipple between his finger and thumb.

  “Yes,” she breathed.

  “Now.”

  “Yes,” she gasped, as he pressed his body against her, letting her feel the strength of his arousal.

  Jamie groaned and pulled away from her, taking her hand and leading her toward the stairs. She hesitated, looking up, worried any moment now, a little face would appear, looking down at them. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his hand brushing her hair off her face.

  “What about the children?” she asked.

  “What about them?” Jamie asked. “They are asleep. They never wake up in the night.”

  She looked up again, biting her bottom lip, filled with indecision. “It feels kind of… Wrong.”

  “Hey, you are my mate. You know that.” Dani nodded. “I should have said it before. But I was scared.”

  “You don’t seem like the kind of guy to feel fear,” Dani said.

  “Don’t you believe it,” he said with a crooked smile. “Since I became a father by default, I’ve never been more scared in my life. I worry about them when they aren’t with me. Sometimes at night I dream I’ve lost them. In my dreams, I spend hours and hours, days even, looking for them.”

  “I think that’s natural under the circumstance,” she said softly.

  “And then there is the other dream. The one where I lose you.”

  “Not going to happen.” She looked down at his hands and kissed them. This was it, this was when she should tell him about her past, about her own worries and fears. But when he put his hand on her cheek, and kissed her gently, the words washed out of her head. Swept away by the feelings she had for him. “Are you sure they won’t wake up?”

  He chuckled. “Miss Darling, as a teacher, you should know that with kids, you can never be sure of anything. But we can always leave Bailey to stand guard. His tail will thump on the floor so hard we’ll hear it. Even in the heat of passion.”

  “The heat of passion,” she repeated, with a smile.

  “Hey, I’m not the most eloquent guy when it comes to romance, but I am good with my hands. And my mouth. And another part of my anatomy. So I’ve been told…”

  “Did you have a girl in every port, when you were in the army?” she teased.

  “Not really my thing. I’ve been waiting for you. You are my only girl, now and forever.”

  “And I thought you said you weren’t eloquent when it comes to romance.”

  He chuckled. “You have low expectations.”

  “I’m a first grade teacher, we read things like The Ugly Duckling, not Shakespeare.”

  “Then I am your man,” Jamie said.

  “Show me.”

  He took her hand once more and led her up the stairs, both of them treading carefully. Although they needn’t have bothered, since Bailey followed behind them, his tail beating against every single spindle on the staircase.

  By the time they reached Jamie’s room, they were giggling, the mood between them lighter, which she liked. She didn’t want to be serious. That could wait until after. Right now, she heeded Freyja’s words and decided to live in the moment. Life was altogether too serious at times, and she wanted them to make love with joy in their hearts.

  Chapter Seventeen – Jamie

  “Stay,” Jamie told Bailey, and he lay down outside the bedroom door. “Good boy.” Bailey thumped his tail on the floor and then laid his head on his paws, his eyes half closed.

  Jamie opened the bedroom door, and Dani followed him inside; he could feel small tremors in her fingers, and wondered if she was nervous. She had no need to be. They were meant to be together, they were mates.

  He turned her to him and kissed her, tasting her lips before trailing kisses down her neck. He needed to see more of her flesh, and so he undid the buttons of her dress, pushing it off her shoulders and letting it slide to the floor, so that she stood before him in only her undergarments. Damn, she was beautiful. More beautiful than anything he had ever seen. And she was all his.

  Her arms twitched and she flexed her fingers; she was shy, wanting to cover her body, but Jamie never wanted her to hide from him. Never. When she was with him, she was safe: he would keep her safe, and never hurt her. Either with his words, or actions.

  He wanted to prove that to her, and then spend every day for the rest of their lives reminding her.

  Starting right now.

  He wrapped his right arm around her waist and pulled her to him. Kissing the swell of her breasts tenderly as his hands slid up to the clasp of her bra, he undid it, and freed her breasts into his waiting hands. Sighing, he caressed her soft flesh, the palm of his hand chafing her taut buds. Her body reacted to his every kiss and caress, and his own arousal increased, his cock painfully hard in his pants.

  “You are beautiful,” he breathed as he lowered his head and sucked one tortured nipple into his mouth.

  She moaned and arched her back, offering her body to him. His arousal intensified, and he knew he had to have her right now. His mouth covered her breast, his tongue rolling over her nipple, while he slipped his hand down between her thighs, feeling the heat of her arousal. She wanted him. He needed her.

  Jamie stepped back, letting her go. Dani swayed slightly as if drunk, her eyes fixed on him as he began to remove his clothes. He moved lightning fast, his muscles flexing as he pulled his T-shirt up over his head and then threw it to the floor. He hastily undid his belt, and let his jeans drop to pool at his feet. Stepping out of them took him a step closer to Dani, and he could feel the heat of her body against his naked skin.

  He kissed her, his lips fierce on hers, his tongue sliding along her bottom lip, pushing for entrance. Dani opened her mouth and sucked on his tongue, making him harden even more, if that was possible. He ached for her, the need to be inside her pulsing through his veins in a rhythm he could not ignore.

  Jamie scooped her up in his arms and laid her down on his bed, his body hovering over hers. Dani eased her thighs apart, and he moved, guiding himself into her sex. He experienced a moment of pure bliss as he claimed his mate for the first time. The sensation of having her around his hard length, gripping him tightly, as he slid deeper inside her, almost made him explode, but he fought for control, not wanting to come too soon. He needed to satisfy her, he wanted to make love to her for hours, not have their first encounter end prematurely.

  Dani reached out and stroked his chest, ducking her head to kiss his skin, her teeth grazing his nipples. Jamie pulled out of her, and then lunged forward, filling her completely, his eyes closing in ecstasy as he buried himself inside her up to the hilt. Dani groaned, and shifted the position of her body, curling her legs around him and urging him on.

  Jamie responded, his rhythm quicker, his thrusts harder as they raced towards climax, their lovemaking filled by an urgency that spread through him like fire. He wanted to claim her, he needed to brand her as his. Jamie kissed her neck, nipping her soft skin, and she arched her back, shifting her body upwards. He read the signals her body passed to him, not needing words to know what she wanted. Dipping his head, he sucked her nipple into his mouth, rolling his tongue over it, around and around, making his mate writhe beneath him.

  Her body twisted and turned, increasing the friction between their bodies. He was going to come, there was no holding back, but he wanted Dani to come too, he needed to satisfy her, and it went deeper than male pride. This was more about them working together, nurturing each other, and… He came, exploding inside her.

  Jamie fisted the sheets, lifting his head back, wanting to howl at the moon, to tell it he had claimed his mate, put his seed inside her—and with no protection, that seed carried the potential of a child.

  Dani put her hands on his butt, and urged him deeper, harder, and then she came, her legs tightening around him, her hair strewn across his pillow as she lost control. She cried out and then buried her face in his collarbone, drowning out the sound so that they did not wake the children.

  As his climax passed, his rhythm slowed, and he rocked back and forth, not wanting this to end. He wanted to be inside her forever, no matter how impractical that was. This was not the time for sensible thought, this was the time to hope, to dream, and to hold his mate in his arms for the night, until the sun rose in the morning and the birds began to sing.

  ***

  Jamie wasn’t sure if he had slept at all. He had been too afraid that if he did, he would wake up and find this was all a dream. A perfect, never want it to end kind of a dream.

  Dani stirred in his arms and opened her eyes. “So it was real,” she said, her thoughts mirroring his own.

  “It was. It is.” He kissed her lips. “Do you want some coffee, or do you want to…?” He slid his hand over her breast and stroked her tender flesh.

  She sighed and sat up, pulling the sheet around her body. “Coffee.”

  “Hey, are you OK? No regrets?” he asked gently.

  “No regrets. Besides one,” she admitted.

  “Which is?” He sat up, and put his arm around her, pulling her to him. “You can tell me anything.”

  “There’s something you should know. Before we get too involved,” Dani said, her voice close to breaking.

  “Whatever it is, I don’t care, we can face anything if we are side by side. You and me, and the children, against the world.”

 

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