Page 41 of Can't Be Love

I pulled to the side of the road and stopped the car to stare at her. I couldn’t let my hopes jump ahead of me in case I was misunderstanding what she was saying.

“Lil, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

She watched with combined confusion and mischief. “What?” she tried to ask innocently, but I wasn’t buying it.

“Don’t play games with me, I’m being serious here,” I said, my tone coming across a little harsher than I meant it to.

She straightened her back, sitting up taller. I noticed she did that when she was being stubborn or defiant.

“I am not playing games, Thomas. I’m simply stating a fact. They’ll only be here a few more days and I’d like to spend some time with them.”

“But you? Will you only be here a few more days?” That was the question I desperately needed the answer to. “You said a one week trial. Even with all that’s happened I didn’t want to ask until the end of the week, but I need to know. Are you staying here? With me?”

I tampered down the Alpha demand in my voice that often made me sound like an asshole. I let myself be vulnerable to her because I needed her to tame her own stubborn side and answer me honestly.

Lily lifted her hand and framed my cheek. I leaned into it and her thumb lightly caressed my cheek. “You, Thomas Collier, are the last person on Earth I ever wanted to see, let alone spend my life with.” Just like that it felt like a truck ran over my heart, backed up, and hit it again. “But, you are my one true mate. I don’t understand it, and if I let myself think about it too much, it sort of freaks me out. I’ve waited my entire life to find you. I’ve dreamed of you for as long as I can remember, and sure, it wasn’t everything I thought it would be, and I didn’t handle anything right at first, but I figure I have the rest of our lives to make that up to you, and besides, you really are cocky, and arrogant, and sometimes an ass. You need me to get that ego in check and . . .”

I cut her off mid-sentence with a kiss, careful not to let it escalate too much or else we wouldn’t make it home in time to shower and change before dinner. Suddenly, I very much wanted to be home and naked in the shower with my gorgeous mate.

“A simple ‘yes’ would have sufficed.”

“What fun would that have been? You needed to squirm a little.”

I threw my head back and laughed. “Life is never going to be dull with you, is it?”

“Probably not.”

“That’s okay, because you are mine. Only mine. Always mine,” I said in that growly voice that always came through when my wolf was worked up or my Alpha powers were heightened.

Lily just rolled her eyes back at me. “I thought we went through that already out in the field,” she teased.

“With everything you’ve put my poor wolf through this last week, I think I’m going to be reminding you both of that for a long while.”

She laughed, then leaned over and kissed me. “Take me home, Thomas. I really don’t want to show up at your parents’ with grass in my hair, smelling of sex.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I told her, unable to stop smiling as I drove us home.

When we arrived, Lily didn’t wait for me. She jumped out and walked right on into the house. She was confident and comfortable in my home, which would soon officially be our home. It made me want to puff out my chest and strut around for all to see.

When I walked into the house, I could hear the shower already running in my bathroom down the hall. It was a little disappointing how quickly she was willing to wash away my scent, though I understood her reasons as I looked at the time. We didn’t have long before we needed to be at the Alpha house for dinner.

Deciding not to waste any time at all, I kicked off my boots by the front door, carefully placed my hat on the rack, and headed for the bedroom. I discarded my clothes, leaving them in the hamper, and walked into the bathroom.

Lily had the radio cranked and was singing and dancing along with some upbeat song I didn’t recognize. I took only a minute to enjoy the show before sliding back the door and joining her in the shower.

She screamed and did some crazy ninja chop move with her arms until she realized it was me.

“You scared the life out of me,” she said, swearing under her breath as she swatted at me. “Don’t do that to me!”

“Calm down, slugger. It’s just me—everything’s fine,” I reassured her, rubbing up and down her arms and pulling her against my chest when it was safe to do so. “Maybe I should change your name to Ninja. Those were some bad moves,” I said.

“You mean badass moves,” she said with certainty.

“No, I’m pretty sure I had it right the first time.”

She smacked me, but there was no malice behind it. “What do you think you’re doing?” she finally asked.

“You,” I told her, enjoying the look of surprise on her face.

---