"Just don't think about it."Her voice is soft and soothing, almost like a hum as she pulls him toward the door."It would be the same with any other Alpha.At least you know and approve of this one.Bye, kids.Don't worry about Bobby.I'll make sure to keep him out of your hair."
As they leave, I catch little snippets of conversation.Dad is still very growly, but Linda seems pleased.Mostly, she's happy about potential grandbabies.Thankfully, we're not quite there yet.
A soft sigh slips from my lips as Nate comes up from behind and wraps his arms around my waist.His mouth grazes my neck and settles at the juncture where it meets my shoulder and gently nibbles, giving me a taste of what's to come.
"I expected that to go a lot worse," I whisper as the sun slinks down to the horizon.
"If I'm being honest, so did I.I think Mom must have soothed him through the bond.It's the only way."Turning me in his arms, he kisses the top of my head."You're stalling.Either way, you're getting fucked tonight.But I don't want you so tense.Here, go soak for a bit and relax."
Nodding, I slip out of his arms and make my way to the primary bedroom where his boxes sit near the far wall.As if he planned the whole thing, a fluffy towel and some candles line the tub, making it look so inviting.
"Bend over, Lila,” he grumbles behind me, startling me out of my thoughts.“Let me get the butt plug out."
His fingers scald my skin as he slips my pants over my hips and onto the floor.As I step out of them, he tosses them over his shoulder before slipping my thong to the side.
"When you get done, I want you just in this thong and bra.Nothing else."
"Yes, Sir."
Heat licks at my cheeks as he teases the anchor point of the plug, pulling it taut only to slide it back in.It's a slow, methodical fucking that has my head right back where it belongs.Soon, I'm twisting and panting, desperate for his touch.
"Go soak, my little stepslut," he chuckles."Relax while I get our room ready."
Chapter24
Nate
The gentle soundof her sloshing about in the bathtub causes my cock to stir as I finish lighting the last candle.Something so mundane shouldn't be getting me so hard, and yet here I am, struggling not to stroke myself while Lila relaxes.The whole moment is so intimate, so erotically charged in a very simple, primal way.
Before, the adjoining bathroom was more of a barrier between us.Yes, we had access to each other, but there was an unspoken rule.Now, it's ours—shared, combined.Not his at one point and hers at the next.
A soft smile slides up my lips as I walk into the room that was supposed to be hers until we revealed the true nature of our relationship.There's not much in here, but then, it's not as if she really collects or hoards things.As I gather her clothes and put them into the dressers in the primary bedroom, I let my mind wander.
Before now, I had never thought about the future.It was always the immediate present.Anything else, and you could get killed or cause someone else to die.Now, with Lila so close to being mine, there's so much more I have to consider.
The line of work I do is dangerous.There's no doubt about that.Thankfully, with this new promotion and ordered move, I'll be in more of a teaching role as opposed to always hands-on.Of course, they'll need me when emergencies arise, but a Space Force base like Buckley isn't exactly crawling with live calls.
In some twisted way, it's as if fate cleared the path for this, for us.Sentimental or not, it's the only thing I can think of.If it were some base bunny I was falling for, it would be different.They know and understand the risks of being with someone in uniform.
Lila does not.
At least she's never talked much about it.There's always the chance I'll be deployed again, and then what?Do I force her to move?Do I make her leave school?Do I leave her behind?
A possessive snarl catches at my throat as I move the last of her things into our room.No way in hell I leave her anywhere.Thankfully, with the way technology keeps evolving, I don't see why she couldn't continue her studies online.
Either way, it's a conversation that needs to happen.It certainly needs to take place before I claim her.Once the bond is firmly in place, she will no longer have a say.
Sexually, that's exactly how I like it.Thankfully, she does too.But in things like this?In things that could potentially change her whole life?I'd much rather she be enthusiastically on board as opposed to begrudgingly going along with it.
The military life isn't for everyone.I see the strain it causes in couples.I've held the shattered widows of friends who've died both in combat and in exercises gone wrong.It's a life that should be chosen, not forced.
Besides, every day I'm there, I will always run the risk of being called, of being the one to render a threat safe, to diffuse a situation I might not come back from.Lila needs to know this.Shedeservesto know this.
Selfish as I am, I can't let this continue without her knowing the truth.The whole truth.God help me if she rejects me now.
For the first time since I can remember, I'm nervous as I approach the bathroom door.I'm never nervous.Put a bomb in front of me?I can neutralize it in record time.List a bunch of chemicals?I can tell you the exact quantities needed to make it dangerous, ineffective, or an expensive solvent or cleaner.
Even when we found the cache of mortar shells beneath the construction zone, I never flinched.I did my duty.I recorded which were live, detonated them, and carried on to the next.I never questioned anything.I never overthought it.I just did.I just acted.Instinct.
