“Uh, yes, I do.”
“Just open the damn door, Neil,” she says, and I can almost hear her rolling her eyes at me. “This is something you’re definitely going to want.”
“Fine.” I sigh, swinging my legs over the side of the bed, shuffling over to the door, and pulling it open. “What?”
She flashes me a mischievous grin. “You know how you mentioned the possibility of an unplanned pregnancy preventing you from completing the mating bond before?”
“I know you laughed your ass off when I told you that, yes.” I narrow my eyes. “Why?”
“Because I have brought you the solution to your problem.” She brings her hand out from behind her back in a theatrical sweep,displaying the box of condoms sitting in her palm. “I talked one of the praetorians into driving me to a drug store in town this morning.”
My friend is nothing if not resourceful. And convincing.
I roll my eyes, but I take the box. “Is that all?’
“Yup,” she says, grinning. She leans around me to poke her head further into the room. “You can thank me later, Blake.”
“Get out of here,” I say, smiling and shaking my head.
She winks, sends me a jaunty wave, then heads down the hallway toward the stairs. Once she’s gone, I return to Blake, setting the box of condoms on the night table and sitting on the edge of the bed.
Blake raises his brows and glances pointedly at the box. “Are those what I’m supposed to be thanking her for?”
“Yeah.” Heat rises in my cheeks.
Blake sits up and moves to sit behind me, my back to his chest, his legs on either side of my hips, and his chin hooked over my shoulder. “I want you to be mine in every way possible, but if you’re not ready yet, we can wait.”
“No,” I say quickly. “I’m ready, just… I don’t know how to explain it.”
He presses his face against my hair. “We might not have known each other long, but I trust that fate knows what it’s doing bringing us together.”
I reach up and cover his hand with mine. “I do too.” Turning my head to face him, I add, “As much as it’s scary to make the leap, you’re it for me.”
He smiles softly, the corners of his hazel eyes crinkling with happiness. He brushes a finger down my nose, then says, “Solomon thinks I should take over as Alpha here.”
I blink, thrown by the change of subject. “Okay, that’s random. When did he say that?”
“Last night when you were talking to Raquel and filling her in on the accuracy of her mpreg fanfics.”
I snort. “She really got a kick out of that.”
“She did.” He pauses. “Solomon thinks because I’m from Rockcastle, the pack would be better off with me as Alpha. I won’t do it if you don’t think it’s a good idea, though.”
“If that’s what you want to do, I have no problem with it,” I say. “But I do insist on having a claiming bite on my neck first.Yourclaiming bite.”
Blake chuckles, tilting my head to the side so he can run his nose up the side of my neck, pausing just below my ear and inhaling deeply. “I have absolutely no objections to that.”
I squirm a little at the tickling sensation of his breath on my skin. “Before we get too much further, I’m going to suggest we make use of a couple toothbrushes and the shower.”
“Good idea.”
We quickly brush our teeth, then with our mouths all minty fresh, we jump into the shower. Blake presses me against the wall, kissing me hungrily as the water falls around us. I lose myself in the rhythm of his touch for a moment before pulling away and patting his cheek.
“As amazing as your mouth is, let’s not get distracted. I have no idea how big the hot water tank is and the last thing I want is a cold shower.”
He laughs and shakes his head, but grabs the soap and starts lathering up. We end up washing each other, soap suds and warm water creating a quiet intimacy.
The water eventually begins to go cold—good call me—so we get out of the shower, sharing the single towel to dry off, then Blake surprises me by effortlessly lifting me and carrying me to the bed.
