Page 22 of Mated

“Sorry,” I say. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Nothing is wrong. Eating and sleeping is all you’ll feel like doing for the better part of a week. This is why I want to take you somewhere quiet where you can rest. I also got some things for you in the meantime. As much as I enjoy you naked, I think you might sleep better in these.”

“You got me pajamas?”

He holds up a finger, indicating I should wait, and leaves the room. I get the pleasure of watching his muscular back and ass as he leaves. God, he’s a magnificent specimen. I am so damn lucky to have been able to sleep with him even once.

When he returns, his arms are full of several boxes in various colors with pretty ties on them. It looks like Christmas just came for me. He lowers them all onto the bed and smiles broadly, indicating I should open them.

“How many pajamas did you get?” I ask the question, astounded.

His laugh is genuine and warm. “This is just a few things.”

This is more than I have ever been given in my entire life. I feel tears starting to spring to my eyes. I try to blink them away, but the harder I try to resist them, the more they want to come. Before I know it, I’m holding a pretty box and absolutely bawling my eyes out.

“Have I hurt you?” The question comes through a tight hug.

“No, of course not,” I sniff. “It’s just so nice. It’s the nicest thing anybody has ever done for anybody ever.”

“It is far from the nicest thing anybody has ever done, and it is only the first of the nice things I hope to do for you,” he says, releasing me slowly. “Open them up.”

I’m hesitant to open any of the packages. They are all so nicely wrapped, I feel like my touching them would ruin them.

“What’s the matter?”

“I don’t know which one to open,” I whimper, wiping my eyes on the back of my arm. “They’re all so nice.”

“These are just the boxes from the store,” he says. “You’re not going to ruin anything by opening them.”

His encouragement is sweet, and I know that if I don’t start opening them, I’m going to seem weird. Well, weirder than I already seem. I pick the nearest box up and open it. There’s a dressing gown inside, soft and pink and quilted and lovely. It’s nicer than anything I’ve ever owned. I’m sure everything here is nicer than anything I’ve ever owned.

“Wow,” I say. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome,” he says, seeming quite bemused by my reactions. “I want you to be comfortable.”

There are slippers too, and several different pajamas, both the dress kind, and the pretend business suit kind, with the pants and the little pajama jacket.

“Thank you so much for all of these,” I say, trying very hard not to cry again. I don’t want to make a scene. “These are all verynice. But you don’t have to do any of this. I can take care of myself. I mean, I have pajamas. I mean…”

“I know you have some pajamas of your own,” he says. “But I am going to be looking after you from now on. You are my mate. And you will be my wife.”

I stare at him. “You will? I mean… I will? Don’t you have to… ask for that?”

It is his turn to stare. “You’re right,” he says, suddenly. “I should not have blurted that out. It is a question. One I will ask, and you will answer.”

This is the first time I have ever seen Cain Lupin seeming in any way awkward. I think I caught him off-guard by pointing out his little faux pas. I don’t think he’s had to ask anybody anything for a very long time. Maybe not even ever, really.

“You have a shower,” he says. “And then you can choose one of these to put on. They’re already laundered, don’t worry.”

“Oh… okay, sure,” I say, trying not to grin too hard at the news Cain intends to propose to me. It’s such an exciting thing to hear, that a billionaire wants to make me his wife. Oh, also, I’m a fucking wolf. That little fact keeps jumping in and out of my head with a sort of disturbing irregularity. I should be thinking about nothing else. But there’s thoughtful gifts, and the prospect of marriage, and for some reason, the idea that I am secretly a wolf feels like the least surprising of all those things.

“Go on,” he says, tapping my butt lightly. “You will need to sleep before we go.”

Cain

I send Kira off to the shower, very much pleased at her reaction to the gifts. She is so satisfied with simple things. I want to spend the rest of my life spoiling her. She is the sweetest woman I have ever encountered, and she is my mate. Those two facts alone are enough to make me want to give her everything.

I shouldn’t have assumed her desire to marry, though. She doesn’t know about our customs, or the mate bond. I am sure she feels it, but she may not know what it means. I have encountered hundreds of female shifters in my life, and felt attraction to some of them, but nothing like what I feel for her.

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