“Is that…”
“Hot springs,” Chael completed for me. “Let’s go for a swim.” He began unbuttoning his jeans.
With a shake of my head, I reminded him, “I don’t have a swimsuit.”
He chuckled and stepped out of his jeans before approaching me. It took effort, but I managed to keep my eyes off of his glorious cock.
“Yes, you do,” he replied as he reached out for the hem of my dress. “You were born in it.” He lifted the dress over my head, leaving me in just my bra and panties. Wordlessly, he stripped me out of the bra before stooping to slide my panties down my legs.
We were out in the middle of God only knew where, with no one but the night sky and moon watching us. In the past, I would’ve still been nervous, but my self-consciousness around him had melted away.
And when Chael ran his fingers up the length of the scars of my leg, trailing kisses everywhere his fingers touched, the only emotion I felt was love, genuine and pure. A humming sound permeated the air, and it took me too long to realize that noise came from me.
“I think your lips can heal,” I said with a smile on my lips.
Chael rose before me, and it took me that long to recognize that I’d closed my eyes.
“Nothing about you needs healing.” His voice held such a fierce resoluteness that I didn’t dare question his reply. “You’re perfect.”
That wasn’t the first time he’d said those words to me, but it was the first time that I didn’t immediately think of a reply to refute his declaration.
I smirked and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Well, I have it on pretty good authority that I’m a badass.” I laughed as I remembered Sera’s words from the clinic.
He palmed my ass with both hands, bringing my body to his. I moaned at the press of his dick against my stomach. He somehow managed to always remain at least semihard around me.
“Because you are. But more importantly, you’re mine.” He squeezed my butt cheeks once before releasing me and leading us to the hot springs.
The water felt soothing and utterly perfect. Though it was hot, it wasn’t unbearable, and I felt I could soak in it for hours.
I sighed when Chael’s fingers traced the scars on my leg again. His touch triggered a memory from my childhood.
“You’re a special leader to your pack,” I told him. “Everyone looks up to you, respects you.”
“It’s the role I was born to.”
I take his words into consideration. A memory of his face, frowning from across the table, comes back to mind. That same look came over him earlier that evening when we were in the kitchen preparing for the ceremony.
I wondered… “Do you ever get resentful?”
Chael pulled back, a frown tugging at the corners of his lips. A wrinkle appeared between his eyebrows. “A few months ago, I would’ve said, never. But now, I can say that I have been. When my time with you gets interrupted because of my duties to my pack.”
It was my turn to frown. “I don’t want to be the cause of your resentment.”
He shook his head, but I held up my hand.
“My mother…” I pushed out a breath. “She resented me. She never wanted to have kids, but when she got pregnant, my nana begged her to keep me. My nana always wanted more kids but couldn’t have them, so when my mother became pregnant, Nana agreed to raise me.”
I shrugged and looked over Chael’s shoulder into the distance. The memories from the past played out in my mind’s eye.
“Now and then, my nana would try to get my mother to come around and spend time with me. She would promise to come. I’d get excited and would get all dressed up for her, but then she’d conveniently forget or have something else that came up. The last time I saw her was right after my accident. My nana called and told her what had happened. Mama showed up at the hospital, but after a few days, she was ready to leave. Nana tried to get her to stay, but Mama reminded her that she never wanted me and I was not her responsibility.”
Chael wiped away my tear with his thumb. “Where is she now?” The question came out strangled, as if what I shared pained him to his core.
“She died a few years ago. Car accident.” I shrugged. “It’s okay. I was the source of my mother’s resentment. I don’t want to be the cause of yours as well.”
Chael palmed my face with his hands. “That could never happen. You’re a part of me. Wherever you are, is where I belong. Ever since I first saw you in that hospital, you owned my heart. And when we had our first lunch together, and you explained why finding out what was happening to the residents at Creekview was so important to you, you’ve earned my soul. Every piece of me is yours.”
I couldn’t respond to his powerful words because as soon as Chael finished speaking them, he drew our lips together, kissing the hell out of me.
