Page 42 of An Unexpected Claim

I was confused by her question, at first not realizing I had spoken aloud.“This attachment I feel to him,” I explained as I gestured to my stomach. “It’s the only explanation as to why.”

“Is it?”

“Of course,” I stated firmly. “But…it doesn’t—” I cut myself off as my face heated, both from embarrassment and the tendrils of desire slithering through my body when I thought about the rest of that comment.

Samantha studied my face with interest, amusement dancing in her eyes. “Peyton, are you blushing?”

I waved off her question and mumbled what I’d been about to say. “I can’t imagine that’s the reason Nathan makes me think of sex all the time.” I cut Samantha a look before emphasizing, “All the time,Foxy.” I ran my hands through my hair before fanning my face a little as I replayed bits of last night’s dreams in my mind. “Pregnancy hormones are way worse than people say” I muttered.

“Maybe you need to work it out of your systems,” Samantha suggested, sounding dubious despite it being her own idea.

“Nathan mentioned that, too.” I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.

“Okay. So why aren’t you at the alpha’s cabin drowning in orgasms?” Samantha’s tone was dry.

“I’m healed and ready to go as soon as we catch this guy,” I answered. “Sleeping together could be fabulous, or it could complicate things in such a twisted mess that the only way to straighten it would cause pain to one or both of us.”

Samantha shrugged. “Maybe.”

I narrowed my gaze and turned it back around on her. “Why aren’t you rolling in the sheets with your guy right now?”

Samantha stiffened for a second, then relaxed and grunted, “That’s fair. Honestly, I hadn’t thought about a no-strings arrangement with him before you brought up other options. But you also make a valid point about possible complications.”

My stomach rumbled and I realized we’d been sitting there talking for almost four hours.

Samantha chuckled and moved to stand up. “You should get some food.”

I jumped to my feet as well, but stood there for a second, scrutinizing her countenance. “You don’t look quite as sad as you did when you first showed up here,” I said with a smile. “I hope talking to me helped, because this was really wonderful for me.”

“It did,” she confirmed with an answering curve of her lips. “I…I know it’s selfish, but I can’t help hoping you stick around. It would be nice to have a friend again.”

I closed the distance between us and took her hand. “I may not be around often, but I’ll always be available to you, Foxy. Friendships worth nurturing are rare, but I have no doubt ours is one of them.”

Samantha’s eyes filled with tears. “Thank you. For the first time since Tyler died, I had a stretch longer than a few minutes where I wasn’t drowning in sorrow. I don’t know if I’ll ever be whole again, but this makes me feel like I’ll at least survive it.”

“Maybe we are kindred spirits after all,” I teased. Except…a part of me started to truly wonder. The only person I’d clicked with faster than Samantha was Nathan. But my friendship with Foxy was a hell of a lot less complicated.

She stepped forward to give me a brief hug and when her hands landed on my back, she gasped and jerked backward.

Oh, crap. I keep forgetting about that.

“Battle scars from the night in the alley,” I explained with a wry smile.

“You…you have scars?”

That fact alone gave away a lot.

“I don’t want anyone to know that he almost killed me,” I told her. “Especially Nathan. It would only make him even more determined to keep me in a bubble and out of the hunt.” I looked her in the eye and said, I hope you don’t mind keeping it a secret.”

Samantha hesitated, then shook her head, though she didn’t look particularly happy about it.

“Thank you. Why don’t you call…” That was when I remembered I didn’t have my phone.Shit.Oddly, I remembered seeing a home phone at Nathan’s place. “Um, do you know Nathan’s home number?”

“Yeah, he keeps it in case the cell towers are ever knocked over in a storm. He requires everyone to have one and the pack pays for it.”

“He’s a great alpha, isn’t he?”

“Yes,” she answered, her eyes far away. “Not necessarily a better Alpha than Tyler, but different.” She met my gaze again and looked a little guilty when she added, “Nathan was born to be an alpha. It’s in every fiber of his being.”

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