Page 16 of An Uncertain Claim

“I think you killed me this time,” Peyton groaned. Her arms and legs had fallen onto the bed like limp noodles when she’d unwrapped them from around me. I glanced over at her and smirked when I saw she hadn’t moved a single centimeter and her breathing was still choppy. My wolf pulsed with the same vibes of arrogant satisfaction.

Unfortunately, the movement caused her full breasts to bounce enticingly, making me hard again.Shit. It clearly didn’t give a fuck that I needed a little time to recover.

Peyton slowly turned her head and opened her mouth to say something, but paused when her eyes dropped to my swollen, erect cock. “No, no, no, no,” she sputtered. “You keep that thing away from me!”

I chuckled when she tried to move away and barely made it an inch before she gave up. “As I recall, you begged me to do just the opposite several times last night…and this morning.”

Her emerald gaze zeroed in on my face and her eyes narrowed. “Well, I’m telling you now, this pussy needs a rest.”

“I assume you’re talking about the one between your legs and not the one that lives inside you?” I teased.

“Either. Both. All of me. Just let me die in peace,” she mumbled.

I laughed again, something I did much more frequently with Peyton around. “Okay, baby. I’m going to make you some food,” I announced as I managed to drag myself up into a sitting position. Then I gingerly stood up, managing to stay upright when my knees nearly buckled. I blinked a few times as I found my equilibrium and regained the use of my limbs.

Since Peyton was pregnant, I’d made sure she had plenty to eat and drink last night because I’d known I would wear her out. I’d been concerned about it at first, but when Myka had called, I’d bluntly asked about how much Peyton could handle while carrying a cub. The doctor had assured me that vigorous sex wasn’t a problem and suggested that I keep her well fed and hydrated if it concerned me. That reminded me—Myka had also said something about a bath.

Turning back to the bed, I told her, “You can have a bath after you eat something.”

Peyton rolled her eyes. “If that didn’t sound so good, I’d kick your ass for treating me like an invalid again.”

I snorted as I padded over to my dresser. “Seems rather appropriate right this moment, baby.” I grabbed a pair of loose basketball shorts, avoiding clothes that would constrict or chafe my shaft.

“That’s ridiculous,” she parried distractedly—her admiring gaze aimed at my naked ass and only once I’d pulled up my shorts did it break her concentration.

Chuckling, I faced her and crossed my arms over any chest. “Really? Sit up.”

Her face screwed up in concentration and she raised her head to glance down at herself, still sprawled on her back in almost the exact same position she’d been in since I’d pulled out of her earlier. After a second her head fell back on the pillow and she grumbled, “Fine. You win. But this means you have to bring me breakfast in bed and carry me to the bath.”

“No problem.” I disappeared into the bathroom long enough to grab an elastic band and twist my hair up, and when I returned to the bedroom, I chuckled at the sight of Peyton fast asleep.

As I headed to the kitchen, my wolf and I were both feeling smug over fucking our mate into a satisfied coma. Primal arrogance filled me when I thought about the fact that I’d impregnated Peyton. The emotions were also twisted with a strong sense of possessiveness, one that had steadily grown in the time she’d been here, which I attributed to being mates and the fact that she had a part of me growing inside her. However, as the connection between us thickened, I felt less and less in control, which just pissed me off.

I needed to find a balance between my desire and need for Peyton and the emotional shit that had come with it. One thing I knew for sure, forming a truce with Peyton had been the smart decision. I hoped that if things between us were less volatile, I’d be able to work through the chaos and regain control over my life. Keeping her safe would go a long way in making that happen and I suspected that keeping her in my sights might be the only way to achieve it. Especially after she’d stayed put for a change and had still been abducted.

Since Peyton was sleeping, I held off on making her breakfast, but went ahead and whipped up an omelet for myself. While I ate, I mulled over our conversation from the day before. For the first time, Peyton had made me seriously consider whether I should have been sharing more with her. I’d gone right into protector mode, as was my natural inclination, but perhaps I’d been too overprotective. Some of the things that drew me to Peyton were her strength and independence, but I’d focused on the baby and let it color my view, seeing her as weak. To be fair, pups and pregnancy were not things I’d had much experience with, not for many, many years.

Jest then, a realization hit me and I wanted to bang my head against a wall. I’d been lumping Peyton in with those occurrences from my past, ones that had happened long ago when childbirth always had a high risk. I’d seen it take the lives of many women who had seemed otherwise indestructible.

But it was commonplace today and after watching Peyton bounce back from all that had happened to her, and the fire she’d shown, even after the events of yesterday, it had been glaringly obvious that she was a hell of a lot stronger than I’d given her credit for. She could handle the tough shit and I needed to stop trying to shield her from it.

This made sense and my logical brain felt relieved to unravel that particular kink in the twisted rope my life had become. The next one I tackled would be keeping Peyton with me so I didn’t worry about her constantly and could focus on other things.

I finished my breakfast and took my plate to the sink. As I placed it into the dishwasher Tanner’s voice separated from the low hum of the pack web in my mind.

I sent you a text a few hours ago, but since you didn’t answer, I’m thinking you were busy? Or getting busy?

I ignored his childish comments.Something urgent?

It wasn’t at the time, but we should talk. Unless you’re still…occupied?

How did I end up with a teenager for a Beta?

Want me to call and explain why I’m indispensable?

First, I’ll call you. I don’t want you to wake Peyton. Second, no one is indispensable.

Ouch.

---