“Aren’t we going too fast?”
I shake my head vehemently, not breaking the way our eyes are locked. “There’s no one in this world that gets to tell us if we’re speeding into this too fast or too slow. If they want to write their own romance, I’m not fucking stopping them. This thing of ours is just that—ours.”
I only just manage not to beat my chest in Alpha conviction.
Layne one-ups me in natural responses, but also because I suspect she knows this sizzling and dynamic connection we share is only the start of our story. She crawls over the space, climbing up to rest against my chest, drawing her feet up to sit on the tops of my thighs, using me like a recliner. Her head falls, the angle meaning I get to watch her as she closes her eyes and breathes in deep. “I’m tired, Dante. I’ve been running for so long, I don’t know how to stop.”
“I’ll add it to our grueling schedule.”
“We’ve got a schedule?” Her eyes pop open.
“Yeah. We do. From now until we’re both too old to stand. We’ve got crowns and law degrees to reclaim, along with a big fuck-off list of wrongs to right.”
“Won’t I get in the way?”
I laugh, and her hair blows around her face. “I mean, you might, but you’re small enough for me to pick up and put you somewhere safe.”
She glares at me.
“Although, if we fix your posture, maybe you could be our little sharpshooter. Every king needs a lethal queen.”
She laughs, and it vibrates through my chest. “You’re so sure, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. I am. It’s pretty much why we married you, actually.”
Layne sits up straight, nearly whacking her head under my chin. “Ha!” She holds her hand up, wiggling her finger. “Only engaged.”
“About that.” I growl before I show her exactly how fast, and how strong I can be in the blink of an eye. Gently, of course. I pin her down, and I’m shaken by how good she looks under me.
She growls, “I said no more about that!” Her lip curls up and shows me lots of teeth.
“Not to me you didn’t.” I dip down lower, rubbing my nose over hers, to distract myself from kissing the living shit out of her. I nearly falter even more when I share with her what’s running through my thoughts. “Fuck, the things I want to do to your mouth. But for now…” I use my knees to keep her pinned under me, like a butterfly, before I dig into my sweatpants, finding what I need.
Catching her hand, I ease my beloved grandmother’s engagement ring off her finger that she herself put back on before staring into Layne’s caramel-colored eyes. I’ve never seen someone’s eyes change so much; with the smallest of emotions, they melt or harden. Right now, they’re pools of heated, molten caramel. “Make me the happiest Alpha?”
“Do I have a choice?” she grumbles, but her lips are twisting as she tries not to roll her eyes.
“You didn’t the first time. Sometimes in life you need a little push, so consider this one of those times. Marry me, though I guess it’s us. Marry us, Layne?”
She pushes her hand up expectantly.
“See, we were inevitable. Me having this wedding band waiting for you, and you letting me put it on all but confirms it too.” And the platinum band glides down her finger before I lock it in position with her engagement ring.
I get stuck looking at how good it looks until I feel a pinch on my thigh. Well, an attempted pinch. I look down at her.
“You’re supposed to kiss the bride,” she says with a pout.
The way she tugs on her bottom lip is distracting, but instead of giving in to the temptation, I jump to my feet, holding my hand out for her. She leaps up, standing in front of me, then I lean down and brush my lips over hers. I step away.
The look of fury bubbling in her caramel eyes has me laughing this time.
“Don’t you laugh at me.”
I throw my hands up in surrender at her foot stomping.
“Trust me, I want nothing more than to kiss you here…” I start at the top of her head, then inch down her body, pointing out all the places I want to kiss. “But you’re exhausted. I think you’ve had a hell of a day, and we should finish it back in the kitchen, where it all started. With the rest of our pack.”
She looks off over my shoulder before her eyes return to my face. Her lips are back to being seductively teasing. “And what will I wear?”
