Chapter 24
Aster
My fingers stroked, working up slowly. My skin prickled, lights low, TV flickering in the background. It has been a wonderful yet odd week. I was thankful for the chance to sit, blow some steam off having a little me-time, a date for one, ahem, as it were, and try to melt the stressors away.
Closing my eyes, a small, pleased smile twitched my lips as I thought of my mate.
Mmm. My mate. I didn’t even need the TV on for inspiration. Nope. I had a handsome male with dark hair and brilliantly green eyes in my mind’s eyes to picture doing wonderful, nasty things with. My belly dipped and my toes curled just thinking about him.
Even if he never showed me what was in that box, the antagonistic, devilish side of me nagged.
Maybe it wasn’t for me, I decided. Why let that ruin the glow of this building moment and all the moments that preceded it. We’d marked the marsh, and, oh, had we ever.
My hand worked faster, legs shifting to slump down heavily against the couch as pleasurable tingles started to build. My toes curled into the soft, plushy rug at my feet.
I was pregnant. We’d created life out there in the wilds of his swampy marsh. I truly felt like we were totally complete now—mated, marked, mama in the making. I had everything I wanted. But for the knowing of the contents of that stupid little box, which had me chuckling aloud at how silly I was still being over it.
That chuckle turned into soft gasps as I quit torturing myself and slid two fingers deep.
Yes. That was more like it. Hitting just the right spot, the palm of my hand mashing up against that tiny bud, I was starting to tremble with those feel good tingles when there was a sudden harsh, abrupt, pounding on my door.
My eyes shot open and my hand drew away from my breast. The long shirt I was wearing was shoved down to cover my modesty as my fingers withdrew and I sat up.
Who the hell would be here now?
Frowning slightly, I stood, sliding my panties and comfortable shorts back on, and went to wash my hands in the kitchen sink.
Coming back around the couch, spritzing the jasmine and lavender room spray I kept near the couch end table, I muted the TV and shoved the small tube I had sat next to me under a couch pillow. That all done, I went to the door.
Peering through the peephole, I blinked at the small plant stand and familiar pot I recognized instantly on sight.
Gren? Hurrying to unlock my door, I flung it open. “Greniv,” I breathed, giddily excited that he’d just shown up like that. Had he come to collect me and take me back to our swamp? Maybe he just wanted to see me. My heart pounded at the possibilities.
Kneeling, staring at the wild sprouts of green hugging our love blossom, I leaned in, gave it a single sniff, my gaze darting about for the male who’d so thoroughly claimed my heart and so much more, to find myself alone.
“Gren? G-g-greniv?” That wild pounding in my heart stuttered like it was stumbling a step. Standing, I picked up the plant. The green sprouting up was so beautiful, gently curving around the stem of the main heart blossom to branch out, like it was gently coaxing it to stand up straight and tall without force. Tiny, heart shaped leaves were already unfurling from the vines and it smelled heavenly. My fingers dug into the pot when silence greeted me.
My brow pulled down as a new emotion started to take the lead. Gren wouldn’t just leave our love blossom like that, abandoned on my doorstep. Would he?
A garbled noise and scuffling, punctuated by cursing, had me stepping out to find my mate clumsily picking himself up off the ground. “I fell,” he blurted, looking adorably befuddled.
A small, pleased grin lit my features. “I see that. Are you alright?”
“You should move in with me, tonight, right now,” he muttered, dusting off his pants and shirt. My heart gave a happy little sigh as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, squinting in my general direction.
“Uhm, what?” I mumbled, wondering what he found so repugnant about my place he thought I should pack up all of my things and rush off to his home right this moment. I mean, not that I was complaining or anything but… “Is something wrong?” I tried again, as he blurted, “I thought I could bring you food.”
“Oh. Well, thank you,” I said slowly, though his hands looked decidedly empty.
“Order in, I mean. For takeout, that is. Delivered to us.” Was he… nervous?
My head cocked, brow furrowing, as I studied him. “Gren?” My eyebrows lifted, askance.
“Argh.” A soft growl left my male. It was filled with pure, unfiltered annoyance. “I’m doing this all wrong.” Pulling a mangled box from his pocket, he dropped down on one knee and cracked the lid to the small box open.
My breath caught as I gaped down at the fat hunk of a stone in the otherwise dainty ring he was waving at me. “It’s made from clippings of my Marsh form, the setting is, that is, the stone is from the heart sap of my swamp.”
“Oh, Gren,” I murmured, my voice whisper soft.
