Mine,she thought fiercely as his lips claimed hers.This incredible man is mine, and I'm his, forever.
Hours after the celebration had wound down and the last guest had departed into the crisp night air, Adrian's strong hand settled possessively at the small of Riley's back as he guided her up the grand staircase toward their bedroom.
Riley's crimson dress whispered against her legs with each step, and her engagement ring caught the moonlight shining through the tall windows, sending tiny rainbows dancing across the ornate wallpaper. The weight of it on her finger still felt surreal—this beautiful symbol of their commitment.
Mrs. Riley Kael,she thought, testing how the name felt in her mind.Alpha's mate and wife.
"Your heartbeat just shifted," Adrian murmured as they reached their bedroom door. "Good thoughts or overwhelming ones?"
She looked up at him, taking in the way his formal jacket stretched across his broad shoulders and how his dark auburn hair had gotten slightly mussed during the evening's festivities. Even slightly disheveled, he commanded attention effortlessly—this man who'd claimed her heart and offered her everything she'd never dared dream of wanting.
"Good thoughts," she assured him. "Just processing how much my life has changed."
His blue eyes flared with those golden flecks that always appeared when his tiger stirred. "Our life," he corrected, his voice carrying that alpha authority that made heat pool low in her belly. "Everything we build from here, we build together."
Inside their bedroom, Riley expected they would simply undress and settle in for the night after such an eventful celebration. The formal ceremony, the dancing, the endless conversations with pride members—all of it had been wonderful but exhausting. Her knee, though healed enough to walk without crutches, still ached from the evening's activities.
But as they shed their formal attire and crawled beneath the cool cotton sheets of their massive bed, something in his demeanor shifted. Instead of pulling her close for sleep, he turned toward her with an intensity that made her pulse quicken.
His large hand found hers beneath the covers, his thumb tracing over the engagement ring he'd placed there hours earlier. "Riley, I need to ask you something."
She blinked at him, confusion flickering through her thoughts.
What else could he possibly need to ask? He already proposed, I said yes, we're mated for life...
"What is it?" she asked, propping herself up on one elbow to study his face. "You're making me nervous with that serious expression."
Adrian's jaw tightened slightly—that telltale sign of him wrestling with vulnerability. "I want to become your business partner."
Riley's eyebrows shot up. Of all the things she'd expected him to say, that hadn't been anywhere on the list. "My business partner?"
"I want to see your dreams become reality," he continued, his voice gaining strength and conviction. "I'd like to offer to open a new gym—whatever your true vision was for your business, with money as no object."
The words hit her hard, but not from offense or anger. From pure shock that this incredible man understood her so completely. Her original gym had been born from grit and limited funds, cramped into whatever space she could afford. Every piece of equipment had been purchased secondhand. She'd never allowed herself to dream beyond survival.
He wants to give me the world.
"Adrian..." she breathed, her voice catching with emotion.
"Before you say anything," he interrupted, his alpha instincts reading her hesitation correctly, "this isn't about me taking control or changing what you've built. This is about giving you the resources to create exactly what you've always envisioned."
"What about my current gym?" she asked, practical concerns warring with the excitement building in her chest.
"We keep it open," he said without hesitation. "Have someone else operate it, fix it up properly, so that your community still has their space. But you—" His free hand cupped her face. "You get to build something magnificent."
Riley's heart hammered as possibilities exploded through her mind. A larger space. State-of-the-art equipment. Dedicated areas for different training styles. Maybe even separate facilities for self-defense classes and professional training. Everything she'd sketched in margins of notebooks, never believing she'd have the capital to make it real.
"Where would we open it?" she whispered.
Adrian's smile was pure masculine satisfaction at her obvious interest. "Anywhere you want. As big as you want, with whatever equipment and facilities you want. Your vision, my resources."
The kiss she gave him was fierce and grateful, pouring all her love and amazement into the connection between their lips.
A real gym. Everything I've ever wanted. With this man who sees my dreams as clearly as I do.
The kiss deepened from tender to consuming. The love radiating through their completed bond ignited into something hotter and more primal. It was a current of pure energy, his fierce devotion intertwining with her own, until every nerve in Riley's body sang with hunger.
He broke the kiss, his forehead resting against hers. His blue eyes burned with molten gold flecks. "Let's go into the jacuzzi," he murmured, his voice rough with restraint. "The water will take the pressure off."
