Page 20 of An Unexpected Claim

“Yes!’ she bit out.

I nearly smiled at her display of fire.

“Okay,” I agreed, placating her for the moment. “Would you like something to eat?”

“I’m fine.” Her stomach growled and my lips curled up smugly.

“A glass of water?”

Peyton huffed for a moment, but the weariness she was trying to hide slid over her features before stubbornly disappearing. “Fine. Some water would be great. Thank you.”

I offered her my hand, but she shook her head and slowly walked toward me. After a few steps, she stumbled, and I lost my patience—something that only seemed to happen around her. I swept her up into my arms before heading back to the house.

“What the hell?” she yelped.

“Enough,” I scolded. She opened her mouth, no doubt preparing to argue, but shut it when her eyes met mine and she saw my wolf staring back at her. He’d been demanding that I care for her and irritated with her for resisting. Her deep green irises had melted into gold for a moment, and my wolf and I were satisfied that even if her human side was being obstinate, her panther was receptive to our attentions.

“We can discuss what has you running”—I gave her a pointed look—“and we will be discussing it, but it can wait until you’ve had something to eat and drink.” As an afterthought I added, “You’re safe here.”

Peyton’s expression was half resignation and half relief. She relaxed in my arms and let me carry her to the house and into the living room where I gently set her on the couch.

I knelt beside her and my eyes swept down her form—ignoring the shot of arousal that zipped through my body—looking for obvious injuries. Unable to control my reaction completely, I inhaled her scent. The subtle difference hit me again, except this time I recognized it and a shockwave shook the earth beneath me.

Pregnant.

Her scent had mixed with the baby’s. Although I didn’t smell another man on her, which was most likely why I hadn’t recognized her altered aroma at first.

The thought that the cub was mine drifted through my mind, but I quickly dismissed it. We hadn’t been together during the full moon. Which meant she’d slept with someone else right after I’d left her bed.

White-hot rage burst to life inside me, catching me off guard, and my wolf gnashed his teeth while snarling in fury.What the fuck?

A menacing growl rumbled in my chest and Peyton cocked her head and stared at me, her expression quizzical.

My brow furrowed low, and I tried to corral the sudden desire to rip out the throat of any man who’d ever touched Peyton. It took some fierce wrestling, but I managed to shove the urges back.

I had no idea where that had come from and not a fucking clue what to do with it. It wasn’t as if I’d never had multiple partners in one night…or at the same time. And I’d never felt more than fleeting passion for a woman and certainly not possession.

Perhaps I needed to work her out of my system. That seemed the most likely scenario—one I had no problem following through. Although my wolf was strangely discontented with the idea, while still pushing me to take her.

The inexplicable feelings Peyton inspired were a problem I didn’t have time to analyze. And her naked body was a distraction I didn’t need. I swiftly rose to my feet and grabbed a quilt from a basket beside the sofa, before throwing it over her.

As my mind cleared, I began to assess our situation. Not helping Peyton wasn’t an option, but I had enough shit going on without piling her problems on top of it. Especially if she was going to be difficult, which I suspected would be the case.

Lifting my eyes to the ceiling, I rolled my neck and shoulders before running a hand through my hair. My frustration at the situation put an unintended edge in my tone, but hurting her feelings was the least of my concerns. “I’m going to put some clothes on, then I’ll bring you something to eat”—I pointed at her and narrowed my eyes—“Don’t move,” said sharply.

Peyton glared at me, the gold swirling in her green pools telling me that her panther didn’t appreciate the command any more than Peyton.

Whether she liked it or not, I expected to be obeyed, so I turned and crossed the room to the hallway that led to my bedroom. Once there, I dressed in a pair of athletic shorts and a black T-shirt while the cogs in my brain rotated, trying to work out my next steps.

My wolf made it hard to focus with his agitated pacing. His anxiousness to return to Peyton suggested an abnormal attachment, but I chalked it up to overtiredness and our natural instinct to protect.

I debated on what to give her to wear because she’d be swallowed whole by my clothes. Since I didn’t have a sister, and I never invited any of the women I slept with into my home, so there were no random items of female clothing in my house. After searching through my belongings, I found an old KBO T-shirt that had shrunk enough to where I thought it might stay on her slender frame. Item in hand, I headed back into the living room and scowled when I spotted Peyton sitting in one of my recliners, the quilt wrapped around her like a sari.

“Are you always this stubborn?” I growled.

A corner of her mouth lifted into a crooked smirk. “Usually.”

I paced over and dropped the shirt into her lap. “I suggest you learn to heel before you find yourself bent over my knee for a spanking.”

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