Still, his hands physically ached with the need to touch her bare skin, to slide over every inch of her tanned flesh until he’d committed it to memory.
When she’d offered to share a shower with him last night, he’d almost agreed without a single thought. Almost let his need for her, his lust, drive his decision. He wanted her naked before him, desperate to devour her with his eyes and mouth. To see her laid bare, just so he could worship her.
And then he’d remembered the scars littering his own body and he’d panicked, all but fleeing the room. He’d left her alone for the rest of the night. And he still hadn’t broached that conversation with her, hadn’t opened the door to his past all the way.
Just the thought had bile rising in his throat. He didn’t want Nessa touching his scars; they’d disgust her. Who wouldn’t find them repulsive? He didn’t want her associated with any dark part of his past. She’d been through so much already, it felt unfair to saddle her with more of his own issues.
“Can smell Nessa all over you. Figured there’s a reason for that,” Tank replied gruffly, taking another drink. He grimaced again, an irate noise rumbling from his chest.
“We’re in a relationship,” Murphy confirmed, unable to control the smug satisfaction coursing through him. He loved that Nessa’s scent was on him, and enjoyed knowing that any shifter that came near her would smell him, too. Would know, even without a mating mark, that she was Murphy’s.
Tank’s head snapped toward him. He grinned, shaking his head before releasing a dry chuckle. “Knew you wouldn’t last. Barely made it what? Five days?”
Murphy rolled his eyes, leaning forward in his patio chair. He propped his elbows onto his knees, resting his chin on his clenched fists. “Something like that.”
He wasn’t about to admit to his younger brother that he’d realized he wanted to mate with her after just one day together. Tank would never let him live it down, and he’d no doubt tell Jasper, who’d bust his balls just for the hell of it.
Doesn’t matter. Nessa’s worth it.
A smile spread across Murphy’s face.
Yeah, she was.
“When are you mating her?” Tank asked, turning to face him more fully. “Didn’t smell your scent intertwined with hers, so I assume you haven’t yet.”
Unlike other shifters, when bear shifters officially claimed a mate, their scent embedded itself into their mate’s skin, too, mixing with their own at such an intrinsic level, it never faded. It wouldn’t matter that Nessa was human—when he claimed her, his scent would always be a part of hers.
Murphy shook his head. “We’re taking it slow for now. But it’ll happen when she’s ready.”
Tank nodded. “Mom will be thrilled. Better tell her soon or she’ll throw a fit.”
Cocking a brow, Murphy asked, “Speaking from experience?”
His younger brother grumbled in irritation. “She still hasn’t let me off the hook for not telling her first about Hunny and I.” He cleared his throat when his voice cracked. “Every appointment Hunny has, Mom spends half her time glaring at me. The other half is spent praising Hunny for putting up with me.”
Murphy’s lips twitched as he fought off another smile. He loved their mom, but she was a spitfire when she needed to be, especially after raising an army of dominant male shifters. “How are the kits doing? Is everything good?”
Hunny was pregnant with triplets, and while Tank wasn’t the biological father, he’d claimed her kits as his own before they’d even mated. As far as Murphy was aware, he was taking her pregnancy very seriously; reading pregnancy books, watching birthing videos, and attending all of her appointments.
He’d even finished building onto his cabin to make room for the new additions.
Tank’s eyes softened, and he took another sip of his tea. “Yeah. Find the genders out in a few days.”
“That soon?” Murphy shook his head in disbelief. “Seems like just last week Hunny came to our territory.” Now she was wellinto her second trimester. Soon enough, Tank would be a father, and Murphy would be an uncle. His chest swelled with pride, and suddenly, he couldn’t wait to hold his nieces or nephews in his arms.
He couldn’t imagine how excited Tank was feeling.
Unbidden, an image of Nessa popped into his head, her hands cradling her stomach, her belly rounded with his child. A pang of longing hit him square in the chest, the sensation so prominent it stole his breath.
Murphy hadn’t thought about having offspring, not since Sachi. He’d resigned himself to the fact that it would never happen, and eventually, he’d grown content with the decision. But he couldn’t deny how appealing the notion was now, or how much he’d love the opportunity to be a parent as long as Nessa wanted kids.
Would she?
It was tempting to ask her, but she was already so unsure of how much intimacy she’d be comfortable with, he didn’t want her to assume he was desperate for children. He also didn’t want her to think kids were a deal breaker for him. He wantedher, and he’d take her any way he could get her.
Tank grunted in agreement, pulling Murphy from his thoughts. “Hunny wandering into our territory was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Murphy had to agree. Before Hunny had come along, his brother had been more or less a shell of himself. Getting him to talk to anyone at all, let alone have a full conversation like he was right now, was completely unheard of. He’d spent all of his time alone, avoiding anyone and everyone.
