Page 19 of A Breath of Fresh Air

“Do that again,” I say into her hair, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “It feels fucking good.” She does and I growl, grabbing her ass with both hands, kneading her flesh and rocking my hips ever so slightly, feeling the tug of my knot within her.

She moans softly, such a sweet sound, grinding herself against me slowly until she sighs, relaxing once more. “I’m not gonna bother trying to chase another orgasm until I can actually reach my clit,” she says, making me laugh. “Wishful thinking,” she adds.

“I’ll take you from behind next round. Then you can have all the orgasms you want.”

“That sounds nice,” she murmurs, but I can tell she’s already falling asleep. So am I, and I reach for the doona we threw aside earlier, pulling it over both of us. This is the best feeling in the world: my mate on my chest — and my cock — and my arms wrapped around her.

“I love you,” she whispers, and I hold her tighter.

“Love you too.”

“I had a dream about your wolf.”

I crack open my eyes at the sound of Amaia’s whisper. The room is already bright, the sun rising directly ahead over the Tasman Sea, blinding me. “Jeez, we should have closed the blinds last night.” We’ve got a beachfront apartment in a high-rise right on Surfers Paradise, and no one can see in here, but I forgot the sunlight would be like this come morning.

“It’s beautiful. I’ve been watching the sky change for the last half hour.”

“Hmm.” I pull her closer against me, spooning her, burying my nose in her hair and breathing in the sweet smell of her. “You had a dream?”

“Mmhm. I heard him speak. Your wolf. His mouth didn't move but it was like he was in my head. He said he wanted to bite me. He said he wanted you to bite me.” She rolls over, tucking herself against my side, resting her head on my shoulder as she looks at me curiously. “Is that just a random dream or…?”

“Well that’s one way to put me on the spot first thing in the morning.”

She has a beautiful smile, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she grins. “I was wondering if it was some sort of wolf magic.”

“If it is, I’ve never heard of it before — but you’re right,” I add in a rush as her face begins to fall. “He does want that.Iwant to, I mean, I have the urge to, but only if you want it. It’s been on my mind a lot, but I didn’t know how to bring it up, or what you’d think of the idea. This thing between us is already permanent, babe. I'm not going anywhere. I'm never leaving you. I don't ever want to be apart from you ever again. So I don’t need to bite you. You’re a human, so I don’t really understand why my instincts are doing what they’re doing, but they’re notwrong.”

“Ellie’s a human.”

“Yeah. And fae.”

Amaia closes her eyes, pressing a kiss to my chest. “Your mother told me something yesterday,” she says quietly. “That her great-grandmother was a human. You know what she said?‘And he still bit her.’I’m pretty sure that was a hint.”

I shake my head. “Mum loves you. She’s never meddled this much before. Here, I’ve gotta show you something.” I slide out of bed, picking up the pair of jeans I left on the floor. The ring is still there in the pocket, and I pull it out, bringing it back tobed. I wrap my arm around Amaia again and show it to her, a simple gold band that I hold pinched between my thumb and forefinger. “It belonged to my great-nan — the daughter of the human woman Mum told you about. It was her wedding ring. Mum gave it to me yesterday. How’s that for hinting?”

Amaia's eyes dance over my face. “And what areyouhinting at?” she asks.

“Dunno,” I tease, leaning in to kiss her on the lips, feeling her smile against my mouth. She pokes me in the stomach, and I laugh. “I love you. I want to spend my life with you. And yeah, I want to bite you too, but I thought maybe we could start with me asking you if you wanted to get married sometime? I’ve gotta be honest, I never thought I’d be the guy to settle down, but then I metyou, and I couldn’t see any other possibility than a future together. You’re my girl.”

She blinks back the tears in her eyes, lifting her left hand towards the ring. “Well, we did meet at a wedding. Would you put it on for me?” she asks. “That’s a yes, by the way,” she adds with a small laugh.

I slip it on her ring finger, and bring her hand to my lips, kissing her there.

“It fits perfectly,” she whispers.

Fate,my wolf says.

“It was meant to be,” I tell her.

At the endof the weekend, Mum and Dad bring Alice down to Surfers. We’ve still got four more nights here, and three theme parks, another zoo, and a duck-bus-that-turns-into-a-boat tour to cover in the time we have left before we fly home.

First, though, we’re having a quiet evening on the beach as the sun sets behind us. Alice and I sit in the sand, staring out at the ocean, while Amaia goes for her run down the huge beach and back.

I need to talk to Alice about the packs. I know what I’m ready to do, but she’s old enough to decide these things for herself, too. She’ll start shifting in a couple of years. She should have a pack nearby that can support her, but I can’t make the call for her. Now that we’ve had this visit I’ve realised that while she’s been okay up until now with just me, it won’t be that way for much longer. She’s going to need an alpha around for her first shift, and I don’t think Pup will be ready for that job anytime soon.

He’s another one I have to worry about, but it’s a problem for another day.

“Hey, kiddo —”

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