Page 51 of An Unexpected Claim

“It is if you suck at it.”

Clearly, this mate thing was going to test my patience and I decided I was done with that for now. Although letting it go gave way for all of the other shit I’d been consumed with earlier. The anger at Peyton for wandering off and putting herself in danger, for keeping secrets—which is going to stop right fucking now—and my homicidal drive to gut the motherfucker who’d nearly killed my mate. They were boiling back up and I clenched and unclenched my fists, trying to keep a lid on it.

I needed to find an outlet for this shit and if it wasn’t between Peyton’s thighs, then I’d go on a hunt, though I would stay close to keep an eye on Peyton.

Without another word, I turned and strode from her room.Her room, for now.

Once I’d stripped, I went out onto the porch and finally stopped holding my wolf back. I shifted in seconds—after living for so long, I barely noticed the bones breaking and muscles tearing as my body realigned its skeleton—and he took off to find some unsuspecting animal that would hopefully help sate our lust for blood. At least for now.

It didn’t take long for us to rein in our emotions and look rationally at everything that had just happened. With anyone else, this would have been my state of mind throughout the conversation with Peyton and the realization that we were mates. And though all of those feelings would still be there, I would have kept them tightly leashed.

Peyton’s ability to make me lose my cool, to react emotionally rather than with conscious consideration and purpose, drove me mad. And pissed me the hell off. Was it because we were mates? Or had I simply never come across someone I clashed with so completely? Other than physically, because we were more than compatible when the only words coming out of her mouth were said with mindless passion.

My wolf trotted back to the house and we shifted when we reached the bottom steps. As I made my way back to my bedroom, I paused for a moment at Peyton’s closed door. It was quiet and still, so I continued down the hall and shut myselfin my room to lie down and go to sleep.

Unfortunately, it eluded me, filled with thoughts of Peyton, worrying over whether leaving her alone had really been the right decision. After an hour of tossing and turning, I threw back the covers and stood. Once I made a decision, I wasn’t one to question myself, so the fact that I was standing there debating with myself annoyed the shit out of me. The sound of a soft whimper floated to my ears and I pretended not to be relieved that the decision had been made for me.

Peyton made another distressed noise as I padded over the thick carpet and I picked up my pace. When I reached her door, I opened it silently and observed her sleeping form. She flipped from one side to the other restlessly, then curled herself into a ball. Her expression wasn’t peaceful the way it had always been whenever I checked on her before, and it caused a sharp pain to pulse in my chest a couple of times. Instead, her lips were pinched, her brow knitted and drawn low, and her cheeks glistened in the moonlight.

Shit. I should have forced her to let me stay. As much as Peyton frustrated me, I didn’t like seeing her hurting. As her mate it was my job to protect her from anything that harmed her, and that included the things in her dreams. I crossed the space to her bed, I drew the quilt back and slid in beside her, careful not to jostle the bed too much. I reached out to take her in my arms and she came willingly, almost eagerly, and cuddled up against me so I was wrapped around her from behind. She released a slow exhale, as if she were expelling her fear and tension. By the time she took another breath in, she’d relaxed, and the peaceful expression had turned to her face.

As my mind finally began to stop spinning and sleep approached, I wondered if all mates found this kind of ease and contentment in each other’s arms. If this was what it would be like to hold her every night, especially after an explosive round or two of sex, it would be no hardship.

My wolf completely agreed.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Peyton

After my night started out like utter shit, I couldn’t believe how well I slept when my memories stopped assaulting my dreams. In fact, I was enjoying a spicy dream about Nathan, getting all hot and bothered, when something woke me up. My lips curled down in a frown when I realized I was being constricted by something. I dragged my eyes open and gasped. Nathan was lying half on top of me with one of my legs between his and the other hooked around his thigh. One of his hands cupped a breast and his very impressive morning erection was snuggled right up against my center.

Uhhhh… I wasn’t sure what to do about this. My body was highly in favor of turning up the heat and my panther was right there with it, purring and panting after the feel of Nathan’s hard body. To make matters worse, the big, sexy man was completely naked, and my sleep shorts and tank top were not worth a damn as a barrier.

My nipples pebbled and I cursed them when Nathan’s hand flexed around my breast. He had been facing in my direction, but he was so freaking huge that I still had to look up to see him.

His eyes were on my face, molten silver pools that sent sizzles of heat over my skin. “Good morning, baby.” Before I knew what was happening, his mouth had taken control of mine. He rolled me beneath him, settling back between my thighs, making me hot and needy. The kiss was full of fireworks and dark passion at the same time. I had no idea how that was possible.

I was having trouble remembering why I kept putting the brakes on sex. Especially now that he knew the baby was his. Then again, it was hard to think about anything else when he was touching me. One of his hands traveled down to my thigh and he hiked it up. The shift in his position opened me up so he was wedged even more firmly in the apex between my legs. I moaned and dropped my head back as he began to kiss his way down my throat.

Then he placed one more kiss on the corner of my mouth and pulled back, gazing down at me with an unreadable expression. I frowned as I remembered our conversation about honesty. He was one to talk. I knew he was keeping plenty of secrets from me. Granted, I doubted there was anything quite like waiting to tell him about his kid. But I needed a reason to be indignant about something, or I would drag him back down and beg him to fuck me.

“How are you feeling?” His voice was rough with morning grit, but I could tell his question was genuine. I didn’t understand why he was trying to be…sort of sweet?Or his version of it,I thought.

“Um. Fine. But what are you doing here? You don’t belong in my bed,” I admonished.

He didn’t respond at first and didn’t hide the fact that his mind was working through something. Eventually, he flipped us over so he was on his back and I was sitting astride him, his hands resting lightly on my hips.Oh, right…he’s naked, I thought distractedly.

“You’re right,” he said with a nod.

That definitely caught my attention. At first, I felt relief that he was finally going to stop trying to seduce me. I’d never had trouble moving on to a new place, but there was something about Nathan. He’d continue to strengthen that tether if I let him, but if I stayed, it was more than likely that I’d end up resenting him for it someday. Especially since I was already linked to him and Silver Lake through our child.

However, that didn’t mean I didn’t feel regret every time I said no. Who wouldn’t? Nathan was the hottest man I’d ever seen, and I knew exactly what it felt like to have his hands all over me, his mouth on me, him moving inside me.

I opened my mouth to reply, but before I could, he’d curved his arms around me and jumped out of bed. He stalked out of my room and down the hall to the master where he went to the bed and unceremoniously dumped me onto it.

I looked around, confused. “I thought you said I was right.”

He nodded as he climbed onto the huge bed and covered my body with his own. “You are. I don’t belong in your bed.” He jerked his chin up toward the headboard. “You belong in mine.”

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