He taps my temple gently. “Don’t let them win.”
“It’s hard, Nate,” I admit. “Every piece of happiness I’ve ever had has been taken away.”
“Not this time, kitten. I won’t let that happen.”
Swallowing, I try to soak in his confidence, steal a little of it for myself. Steeling myself, I step forward and wrap my arms around Nate’s waist, giving in to the instinct to bury myself in his chest and suck in that delicious toasty scent.
His hand strokes over my hair, soft as a feather.
“There we go,” he says, his face soft with understanding as I pull back. “You ready?”
Nodding, I dash a hand across my damp eyes and take a deep breath.
“Say it,” he coaxes. “What do you want?”
“I want a toasted marshmallow candle,” I say firmly. “One that smells just like you.”
Nate’s full lips stretch into a smile. “Come on then, kitten. Let’s find one.”
Once my candles are stored safely in Nate’s arms, we move on to the next aisle. Nate snags a trolley despite my protests, leisurely rolling it past stacks of different lotions and oils and looking far, far sexier than any alpha has a right to when they’re cooing over marshmallow-scented bubble bath.
I wait until he’s not looking before I slide it into the trolley.
A beta eyeballs him opposite us, her hand pausing in mid-air as she drags lascivious eyes up his body. The sudden jealousy pooling in my stomach takes me by surprise, even as I step forward, blocking her way and baring my teeth.
Blonde hair bounces around her shoulders as she hastily drops her lotion into her basket and scurries off.
Embarrassment flares hotly in my chest as I turn away. God, I can’t believe I just did that. But when I turn around, Nate is full-on laughing, his shoulders shaking as he inspects the back of a bottle a little too closely.
“Stop it,” I chastise, biting my lip as amusement bubbles up. “I think she thought I was going to eat her.”
Nate gives me a dramatic look, clasping his hands over his chest. “That was the best moment of my entire life. You growled and everything, kitten. Promise me you’ll growl for me when we’re in bed.”
I drop my face into my hands to hide my flaming cheeks. “Nathaniel!”
I’m assaulted by images of a sexy, warm Nate with mussed hair and heated eyes. My core clenches at the thought, and Nate pauses, his nostrils flaring.
“Rain check,” he grumbles. “We’re not leaving here without making sure you’re all stocked up.”
Nate coaxes me into inhaling various scents, watching me to see which ones I like and throwing them into the trolley. I give up on mentally tallying the total after the fifth, resigning myself to building my emergency fund back up.
There’s time, I tell myself. And if the thought feels a little empty, I ignore it.
When we reach the end of the never-ending lotion line, I stop. “What’s this?”
Soft furnishings.
My breath catches as I take in the hundreds, if not thousands, of different shapes and materials. All colors, from the palest, shimmering pink to vibrant jeweled emerald green beckon me, all soft and warm and silky.
I walk through in a daze, my fingers gently tracing fabrics.
For the first time, I start imagining what I’d like my nest to be. What I need it to be.
Bright. Soft. Enclosed.
Safe.
My hand reaches out as I grasp a delicate purple blanket, the amethyst color calling to me like a beacon. Then a deep, midnight blue velvet that shimmers with golden stars.
