Ian
Igrab my tail with my free hand, forcing it to still. “Sorry about that. Can’t help it.”
“Don’t apologize for being happy.” She squeezes my thigh. “I like making you happy.”
The simple statement makes my cock twitch. Down, boy. We’re not assuming anything tonight. If all my mate wants is dinner and sleep tonight, that’s what she’ll get. But my tail will be wagging if she wants morethan that.
The cabin glows warm and welcoming when we pull up, the porch light illuminating the front door. I hurry around to help Julia out of the Jeep, noting how she moves more carefully now. Her belly has grown significantly in the past week. The pups are getting big, preparing for their arrival.
“I like it out here in the woods,” she says, looking at the cabin and the trees that surround it. “It feels peaceful here.”
“Wait ‘til the pups are born. There will be no peace with three little wulvers tearing through the forest, their mam bawling after them.”
She grins at the mental image as we head inside, where I take her coat and untie her shoes, since I know she can’t reach them herself. She settles onto the sofa with a contented sigh to watch me light the fire.
“What sounds good for dinner?” I ask over my shoulder. “I’ve got some steelhead salmon I caught this morning in the fridge. Could do it with rice and vegetables.”
“That sounds perfect. Can I help?”
“You can supervise.”
She laughs and pushes herself up from the sofa. “I’m pregnant, not helpless. Put me to work, chef.”
We end up side by side at the kitchen island, Julia chopping vegetables while I prep the fish. Our elbows bump occasionally. She feeds me slices ofraw bell pepper. I catch her sneaking glances at me when she thinks I’m not looking.
“Do I have food on my muzzle or something?” I ask, amused.
She giggles. “No. I was just thinking that you have a very noble profile.”
“Is that so?”
“Mmhm. You look like a redheaded version of that Egyptian god. What’s his name? Anubis.”
“I look like a god?” I twist to look at her. “Are trying to seduce me, Julia Norman?”
“Maybe. Is it working?” She pretends to focus on her work, her cheeks flushed that pretty pink I love, and her lower lip catches in her teeth.
I step behind her, palming her hips so I can pull us close and let her feel what her proximity does to me. “You tell me.”
She abandons her cutting board and leans back against me, tilting her face up toward mine. I curve over to brush a kiss on her forehead and reach around to cradle her belly and the family she’s growing for us there.
“Dinner first,” I murmur, even as I rub against her, teasing us both. “I’m not having you pass out from low blood sugar in the middle of anything important.”
She laughs and returns to her chopping, but the air between us has changed. There’s no questionabout what’s happening tonight, and I can’t wait to have her all to myself instead of just in stolen moments.
We eat at the kitchen island, legs tangled together on the barstools, conversation flowing easily between bites. She tells me about her meeting with Mako Brinely scheduled for Monday, the full extent Ashleigh’s unexpected kindness, about the text her mother sent with photos of the girls looking happy and healthy in Busan.
“They’re okay,” she says, relief evident in her voice. “My mom said they understand why I can’t talk to them right now. They’re not happy about it, but they understand.”
“Of course they do. They love you.”
“Richard’s been calling them. Trying to turn them against me.”
My grip tightens on my fork. “And?”
“And apparently Samantha told him to stop being dramatic and Molly hung up on him.” Julia’s smile is watery but genuine. “My girls are tougher than I gave them credit for.”
“I’m not surprised that they take after you.”
