“Good morning. Did I wake you?” I asked, turning my head to press my nose into his neck.
“I rolled over and reached for you but you weren’t there. I panicked a little, to be honest.”
I reached up and circled my arms around his neck. “I’m here. I got up to get the fire going and make you breakfast.”
“You’ve been taking care of me since I got here. I’m supposed to be taking care of you, omega.”
I scoffed at his silliness. “Alpha and omega are designations, Ripley. A partnership is never fifty-fifty. Someone is always giving and receiving more or less. How about we take care of each other?”
Ripley growled, making me regret getting out of bed at all. “I’m going to start with feeding you. Come sit with me.”
That morning, we shared a meal from each other’s hands. Every once in a while, the thought would occur to me, what would happen after the snow melted. I pushed it away. He was my mate. We would make a way somehow. We had to. I wouldn’t lose him after I just found him.
“Where’d you go?” Ripley asked, hooking his finger under my chin.
“Nowhere. The…the snow will be melting soon. This storm should pass in the next day or so.”
“Oh, sweetheart. No. Don’t even think it.”
I laughed and laid my head on his chest. “You know what I’m thinking now?”
He rested his chin on top of my head. “No, but I can guess. Jude, I’m not going anywhere. Unless…”
“I want you with me,” I whispered. “Always.”
“You have me. Let’s enjoy the morning. Now that I’m all fueled up, I’m thinking about taking you back to that warm bed.”
“Is that right? I was going to clean house. Maybe bring in somemore firewood.”
“I’m thinking about your cock in my mouth, and you’re thinking about mopping?”
I threw my head back and laughed. “Well, your plan does sound better.”
“Are you sure? I mean, if you and the mop need some alone time.”
“Stop it, Ripley. Take me to bed.”
“Much better. Come on, omega.” He picked me up, honeymoon style, and carried me to my bed. Our bed?
Didn’t matter. We were together. And he was mine.
Chapter Seventeen
Ripley
After twenty-four hours, most of which were spent in bed together, I marked him. He was more than willing, whispering to me that he was ready. I tried to convince him that we had time, could wait. That he might not want to be tied to me forever, but he only said, “Do you think I’m not already tied to you? I want to wear your mark, but with or without, I am your fated mate.”
“You’re not playing fair.” My knot was swollen inside him, tying us literally together, my resistance to my mate or anything he wanted, at an all-time low. On an average day, if we had had one of those yet, I could refuse him nothing. But now?
My fangs sank into the side of his throat, my growl rumbling through me, and it was done. His blood flooded my mouth, I lapped the wound closed. Anyone who saw him would know he was mated. Ours. Ourmate. We held one another for a long time then, and finally fell back asleep.
When we finally got up, we showered together, washing away the sticky remains of our lovemaking and kissing until we created a whole other mess to rinse down the drain. “Do we need to be careful about water use?” I asked, stroking his wet hair back from his face. “We’ve been in here a long time.”
“Only about running out of hot. It’s getting cooler now, I think.”
We got out and toweled one another off.
“Hungry?” Jude padded into the kitchen in sock-clad feet. “I am.”
