Page 47 of An Unexpected Claim

I watched her with awe. The last time we’d been together, it had been the hottest, most incredible sex I’d ever had. But somehow it seemed even stronger now, the burn between us becoming a full-blown forest fire. Was it simply because I couldn’t recreate how amazing it had been in my head? Or had it really amplified to this intense, incredibly powerful release?

With all of my blood in my cock, my mind only retained one thought. To find out if it would be as earth-shattering as last time whenI was buried inside her.

I kept Peyton in my arms as I turned and started toward the bedroom.

“What?” she asked as she looked around in a daze. “Where are we going?”

“Bed,” I grunted.

“No.” Her tone was flat and final.

I stopped in my tracks and dipped my head down until we were nose to nose. I couldn’t keep the fury out of my voice, especially with it being fueled by my hunger for her. “What the fuck do you mean ‘no’? I just watched you fall apart in my arms and I can smell how much you still want me. I know you’re still feeling the ache, the need for release. Tell me why I shouldn’t march you right back to my bedroom and give us both the relief we need.?”

She shook her head and looked away. “It’s just…”

I dropped her feet to the floor but kept one hand at her waist while cupping her neck with the other. Forcing her gaze back to see mine, I searched her face for a hint of what could be holding her back. What was the point? Maybe if we lost some of this sexual tension, we could concentrate on the situation at hand without everything exploding from our pent-up hormones.

I would never force a woman, but my nerves were raw and on edge from being denied when I was so fucking hard and hungry for her. My words were sharp and meant to cut. “Afraid you won’t live up to that night together?” I taunted. Don’t worry, baby. I’ll pretend you’re still a shiny new toy.”

She threw me a withering look and I could tell she was about to attempt to pull away.

Between the hours I’d spent in fear and rage, and the sexual aggression building inside me, I was close to losing complete control. I was suddenly really fucking pissed that Peyton still hadn’t told me about the baby.

“Give me one good reason to back off, Peyton. It’s not like I could get youmorepregnant,” I said in a tight voice.

I held her a little tighter, the hand at her neck delving into her hair and clenching it in a fist. “Is that it, baby? Afraid I’ll fuck you so hard I’ll turn the one pup I gave you into two?”

Peyton’s eyes went wide with shock, her lips parting in a silent gasp. I waited, letting her work it out in her mind, and trying to find the last shreds of my control.

After a minute she swallowed hard and croaked, “What?”

“You heard me,” I growled.

“How do you…why do you think…?” She wouldn’t meet my eyes and when she tried to move away again, I let her. I didn’t trust myself with her while I was pumped full of adrenaline from lust and animosity.

“Once I realized the time of the full moon that weekend, I suspected.”

Peyton twisted the ring on her thumb and stared at the floor.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” When she didn’t answer fast enough for me, I stalked up to her and caught her chin between my thumb and index finger. “Look me in the eyes and tell me the baby isn’t mine, Peyton.” She blinked a few times and my impatience—not to mention my jealousy—got the best of me. “Did you hop out of my bed and straight into another man’s?” Just the thought was tinting the edges of my vision with red, and my wolf was trying to shove to the surface to hunt down the faceless motherfucker.

Chapter Twenty-One

Peyton

Iwouldn’t lie to Nathan. One could argue that was exactly what omission was, but I felt differently. However, I hadn’t been prepared to have this discussion with him, so it caught me off guard and I became flustered.

When he’d believed the baby wasn’t his, he’d implied this same accusation, that I’d slept with another man right after he’d left my bed. I’d understood it before—it seemed a rational thought. But this time, it burned in my stomach, making me mad. It was probably the stress of the evening, all the fighting and the orgasm—which had left me feeling empty and desperate for more. The over-stimulation put my nerves on edge and suddenly I was offended that he would think that about me. My panther wasn’t happy with the tone of Nathan’s inquiry and she paced inside me.

The insane thing was that his jealousy was turning me on even more. I tried not to focus on the tendrils of desire traveling through my body, making my nipples harder and drenching my already ruined underwear.

I shook my head to try to clear away some of the fog, but it didn’t help when Nathan’s nostrils flared and his eyes melted into molten silver. “Technically”—my voice caught, and I cleared my throat before continuing—“youhopped out ofmybed.”

Nathan was not amused. He gripped my chin a little harder, then dropped it and stepped back as though I’d burned him. He ran his hands through his hair, then hung them at his sides where he clenched and unclenched them repeatedly.

“Peyton,” he grunted impatiently. I shouldn’t have said what I did about you being a shiny new toy. Not that you weren’t, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t every bit as amazing now as you were that night. Now it’s your turn. Tell me the truth.”

The look in his eyes was knowing as he waited for me to answer. He wanted me to say it, to admit it out loud, and I was pretty sure it had to do with the fact that I hadn’t told him myself.It dawned on me that I’d shaken the trust he put in me and my guilt at keeping the secret intensified.

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