Page 68 of Claimed By the Damned

She raised her nose a little. “I did, actually. I had a bagel.” She shoved the last book onto the shelf and slowly climbed down the ladder. “But I ended up throwing it up the moment I got here.”

Thankfully, she learned to carry a toothbrush and toothpaste with her now.

She took the milkshake and the bottle of vitamins and then pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you.”

As she moved to walk away, he grabbed her upper arm and spun her back toward him. He circled his hands around her waist and gave her a passionate kiss. When he broke it, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. Just lost in my own mind. You know me.”

He searched her eyes for a moment. “I know Zeke is the one you usually spill your guts to, but you can try it on me. What’s on your mind?”

Defeated, she sighed. “What isn’t on my mind? Between you guys treating me like I’m fragile, Knox and his sudden baby fever, you guys being strangely calm about not knowing who the father is, and not hearing from my dad . . . it’s just . . . a lot. I’m trying to process it all.”

“That’s a lot of things on your mind,” he rumbled.

She laughed, but there wasn’t any humor in it. “Told you.” She opened the vitamins and pulled one out before popping it into her mouth and washing it down with a few gulps of cold milkshake.

He let her go so she could continue to drink. “You know Knox is just looking out for the kid, right? He’s excited to give him or her a life he never had. And your father, well” – he rubbed at the back of his neck – “he’s probably not done with us yet, but we’ll take what he throws at us like last time.”

“The problem is you guys shouldn’t have to deal with it,” she retorted. Deep down, she knew that Drake was right, he wasn’t done with them yet, and that scared her. “And I know Knox is just excited. I am too. But . . . it’s a little much, you know? We still have several months before the baby is born.” She shook her head and took another sip. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s just the hormones, but I’m just feeling a little smothered.”

He considered her carefully. “You want your own identity aside from your mates and the pregnancy,” he guessed.

“No . . . Maybe . . . I don’t know.”

“I can see why you feel that way, but you’re my world, Amara. You and the baby.” He pocketed his hands and sighed. “I’m sorry if that’s getting lost a little with all this.”

She deflated a little. “I know that, Drake. I’ve just been a mess these last few days. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“You really don’t have to apologize for how you feel. That’s not how this works,” he said with a frown.

“Yeah, I do. Because you guys have been great, and I have no reason to feel this way. You’ve been supportive and loving and kind. I guess maybe I’m not used to that.”

A slow smirk spread across his lips.

“What?” she asked.

He closed the distance between them, took her milkshake, and set it on the steps of the ladder.

“What are you doing?” she pressed.

He took her bottom lip between his teeth and gently nibbled. “Giving you reassurance, because I know you need it.”

She giggled, her cheeks heating. “This is a public place, Drake. We can’t.”

“I can lock the door,” he said against her jaw.

She shook her head, unable to keep the smile from her face. He was trying to cheer her up, to make her see that she was more than just an incubator, and she was grateful for it. “Or you can be a normal person and wait until we get home.”

He paused in kissing her neck, seemingly thinking about it. “Nah.” The sound of a zipper sliced through their space as he slid it down at the back of her dress. He pushed it off her shoulders, exposing her skin to the cooler air of the shop.

Goosebumps peppered her flesh as the dress snaked down her body and pooled at her feet, leaving her in nothing but a bra and panties. At any moment, anyone could walk in off the street and down the aisle they were in. They’d see them. See her, half-naked. For some reason, the idea made it more exciting. Fire ignited inside of her at the prospect.

She smiled as she ran her fingers along his hips beneath his shirt. He lifted her bra and latched onto a nipple, making her gasp. His tongue flicked and swirled until she was moaning his name, but she shivered when his hand tickled its way down her bare stomach. He reached her thong and then shoved it aside to circle her clit.

Her moan was soft, and she nibbled his ear in reward, fingers fumbling with the button of his jeans. It quickly popped open, and she yanked the zipper down, eager to feel him inside her again. She could never seem to get enough of the guys, even if they were smothering her a little. She couldn’t deny them, couldn’t deny herself the gift that they were to her. The things she didn’t know she needed.

He pushed his jeans down to his thighs along with his underwear. Her hands were immediately grasping his length, and she got a thrill when he shivered as she wrapped her fingers around him.

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