Page 28 of An Uncertain Claim

Nathan transferred his menacing gaze to his Beta and commanded, “Out.”

Tanner adopted a fake pout, and I stifled a laugh as he trudged to the door office. “You’re no fun,” he grumbled. Nathan’s stony glare was the only response Tanner received. He raised his hands in surrender and left us alone.

Once he was gone, Nathan raised his eyes to the ceiling and blew out a breath before bringing them back to me. “Is that it?”

“It?” I climbed to my feet and dug my thumbs into my lower back, wincing when I hit a particularly tight knot.

Before I knew what was happening, Nathan cursed and strode to my side, then scooped me into his arms.

“What the hell?” I yelped.

“You’re fucking exhausted and in pain,” Nathan groused as he stalked to the door. “I shouldn’t have let you push yourself so hard.”

My panther melted and I mentally rolled my eyes at her. “Let me?” I snapped.

“Yes!” he snapped right back, and I immediately zipped my lips. When it came to other people, the true sign that they were in deep shit with Nathan was when he became cold and calm—it was a deadly combination, probably literal at times. But I seemed to be the only person he lost his cool with and when he was in a mood like this one, my smartest move was to avoid poking the beast. Obviously, I didn’t always listen to the logical side that recognized this because we’d had some epic fights.

But I didn’t have the energy to get in the ring, never mind go several rounds of sparring. So I let him carry me to his SUV—grateful that he didn’t take me through the front entrance because I would have been mortified he’d paraded me in front of any employees still working—and help me into my seat, though I batted at his hand when he tried to buckle me in. “Not nice, kitty cat,” he murmured. Once we returned to the cabin, I hopped out of the car before he could come around and try to carry me.

“Relax, dog,” I said as I made my way to the door. He didn’t attempt to pick me up again, but he “dogged my heels,” as it were, until I walked into my bedroom. He leaned against the door frame and watched me as I pulled a T-shirt and sleep shorts from the dresser. “I’m going to take a shower and go to bed,” I told him as I approached.

“Why don’t you take a bath?” he suggested. “Use the soaker in the master bath.”

I gave him a small smile and nodded. That sounded heavenly. “That’s a great idea. Thank you.” I started down the hall but stopped and peered at him over my shoulder when he said my name.

“This is your home. Nothing is off limits. You don’t have to ask to use anything or poke around anywhere.”

For the moment, this cabin was my home and I appreciated that he was stepping out of his comfort zone, not only sharing his space with someone else, but giving me complete access to it. So I nodded in thanks and resumed my trek to the bathroom.

I’d been in the tub for fifteen minutes and was in a relaxed, dreamy state, so I didn’t notice the very large, naked man until he was stepping into the bath and lifting my body enough for him to slide down into the water behind me. I froze, not sure what to do or say. This kind of intimacy was foreign to me. When I slept with someone, one of us was out the door in the morning. I’d showered with Nathan this morning, but it had been a hot fuck before washing and leaving for KBO.

This felt different. I felt exposed…and it had nothing to do with being naked.

“Don’t overthink this, baby,” Nathan murmured in my ear as he settled me between his legs. “I just want to help you relax.”

I opened my mouth to ask him a question, but it disappeared into thin air when he dug his thumbs into my lower back. “If you keep that up, you’ll earn yourself some serious goodwill in bed,” I groaned.

Nathan chuckled and glided his thumbs up my back to my shoulders. “Good to know.”

By the time the water began to cool, I felt pleasantly boneless and content. My panther had long since curled up and fallen into her own cozy daze, basking in Nathan’s attention. When he gathered me into his arms and stood to step out of the tub, I snuggled closer and sighed. He set me on the bathroom counter and used a fluffy, dark blue towel to dry my body. “Can you sit up by yourself?” he asked in an amused tone. I nodded, so he slowly let me go and when he was confident I wouldn’t topple over he dried himself.

“You’re right,” I mumbled.

“Pardon?” He glanced at me curiously as he wrapped the towel around his waist.

Do guys know how fucking sexy that is?

“I like that you’re big all over.” My voice slurred a little from my sleepy languid state.

Nathan laughed as he slid his hands under my ass to lift me up and I wrapped my arms and legs around him, hanging on like a monkey. “I bet I could ask you just about anything right now and you’d answer me honestly.”

“Are you trying to make me reveal that I’m quite fond of your big cock? Because I freely admit it,” I said around a yawn.

“I like this side of you,” Nathan said with a chuckle.

“Better than the side that can’t talk?” Sadness crept in as a vague memory of him saying something like that came to my mind.

Nathan was quiet as he took me to the bed and gently laid me down. I dropped my arms and legs, but he remained bent over me with his arms caging my head. “I shouldn’t have said that, Peyton. It’s not like me to lash out, but with you…my control deserts me sometimes. It’s maddening. I’m sorry for hurting you, baby. The truth is your mouth is one of the things I find the most alluring about you.”

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