Page 46 of My Pucking Mate

“Let’s start with breakfast. Matilda makes the best breakfast in the world,” he grumbles, his face still settled in the crook of my neck.

“Breakfast sounds perfect, but I have a request first. If it’s not okay, that’s totally fine; I just wanted to ask.” I ask bashfully.

“I told you, anything I can give you, is yours.”

I wriggle out of his hold and turn to face him with my most pitiful puppy dog eyes when I ask, “Can I snuggle your wolf for a few minutes? I’ve only got to see him the one time, and I haven’t met my wolf yet, AND last time it was ruined by she-who-won't-be-named.”

He's laughing by the time I finished, but he's stepped out of bed as I try to ignore the morning tent in his shorts, causing a fresh blush to bloom across my skin. When I cross my arms and pout like a rotten toddler, he laughs again as he shifts.

I will never get used to that. I still can't believe this is real life. How will it feel to shift? It just looks so magical.

I’m swooning all over again when he approaches me and nudges my hand with his giant nose.He's so beautiful.I guess my wolf agrees because I think she's purring.

“Pets or scratches?” I ask, holding each hand out with each option, allowing him to select the hand to tell me what he wants. He chooses scratches and rolls over on his back like an overgrown lap dog, and it’s my turn to laugh.

His creamy-colored fur is so soft. “One night, can we sleep snuggled up like this?” I ask into his fur.

He looks at me, then his body, then the bed, and seems to raise an eyebrow, causing another small fit of giggles.

“You’re right, it would probably be a tight squeeze. Maybe someday, in the far off future, we could get a giant bed for wolf snuggles,” I think out loud.

He shifts so fast that I nearly hit the floor where I was lying against him.

He turns away to grab a robe, but not fast enough because,wow.From behind, his body is just as gorgeous. He's all golden muscles and valleys, and I just want to touch all of him. Once the robe is secure, he turns to face me, and he’s just staring at me.

“D-did I do something wrong?”

He wordlessly shakes his head for a moment before explaining, “You . . . you spoke about our future like it really is OUR future,” and I swear his voice cracks, splintering my heart.

Are his eyes glassy?!

With a small smile and an equally small nod, “I did. It just kind of came out.”

I wait for him to say something, but he’s still speechless.

“I mean, sure, I’m new to all this, but . . . but I can feel it,” I say, tapping my hand over my heart and taking a step towards him. “It doesn't matter that my brain says none of this is possible. My soul is telling me that you are very important to us. If we were truly made for each other, who am I to turn against my fate?” I say with a smirk and a shrug, “I just want the human version of a happily ever after too.”

I’ll never get used to how fast he is.

I’ve barely registered that he came barreling across the room and picked me up, and now I’m being spun in a circle through the room as laughter spills from my lips all on its own.

“I’ll never know what I did to deserve you, but I’ll spend eternity making sure you know what you mean to me andthanking the Goddess for every minute,” he says as he brings my body to his with another searing kiss.

38

Seeing Matilda and Leera together is just the cutest thing.Goddess, I’ve gone soft.I’ve never called anything cute in my existence.What is this creature doing to me?!

Leera refused to let Matilda cook breakfast on her own. I learned that she loves to cook but hasn't done much since she lost her parents. So I sat at the bar and watched them bustle around the kitchen to make enough breakfast for everyone.

The men slowly started to trickle into the kitchen, being able to smell everything they were cooking in here.

Benny is the first one to stumble in; the twins are a couple steps behind him, still half asleep. “What's the occasion?” he asks. He grabs a slice of bacon from a platter, and Matilda swats at him for his impatience.

“Miss Tilly, let me help cook breakfast! I hope you all enjoy it.” Leera beams. Slate heads directly for his seat at the cornerbarstool, and Andrei walks in with a sleepy smile on his face when he sees the abnormally large breakfast spread.

There's a massive pile of blueberry waffles, biscuits with sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, sunny side up eggs, bacon, sausage, and fresh cut fruit.

By the time I get my mate back, she's so happy that it makes us all smile. Leera demanded Matilda eat breakfast with us, and we had a wonderful breakfast just talking to each other, and it all just felt right. We've lived here for so long, and it has never felt this much like a home before. All thanks to her.

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