Page 13 of The President

“Vivi, are you mine?” he asks.

“Yes,” I reply. I mean, I know we haven’t completed the mate bond, but outside of that, he’s my mate and I’m his so it’s a done deal except for the sex and the claiming bite.

“Then I’ve got it,” he rumbles. “No ifs, ands, or buts.”

Deciding it’s futile to argue, I wave my hand and say, “Knock yourself out, big boy.”

He leans in and in a barely-there voice replies, “I’ll show you big boy,mate.”

And… just like that, my core is wide awake and I’m trying not to twist my thighs to quell the ache that seems to be steadily growing. From the cocky smirk on his face, he’s aware of what his words just did to me, the big jerk!

Once he pays and the bagboy gets everything in the cart, we head out to his truck, he helps me into the passenger seat, then he gets everything loaded into the back. I’m mumbling to myself as I watch his very fine backside cross the parking lot so he can put the buggy in the cart corral, then I grin when it dawns on me that all that goodness is mine,allmine.

I may not have practical experience as such, but I’m definitely a voracious reader, plus Angie’s shared her own exploits from time to time. So, by the time he hoists himself into the driver’s seat, I turn a beaming smile on him. “Thank you. I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful, Fox.”

“You didn’t, Vivi, but something you’ll soon learn about me is my wolf and I have longed for a mate for a very long time. Both of us have certain ideas about how to treat the one that Fate decrees is ours so all I can tell you is, get used to it, okay?”

“You and your wolf have discussed this?” I tease. “I mean, mine makes her wishes known, but I don’t remember ever just chit-chatting with her.”

His chuckles join my giggles inside the confines of the truck’s cab and with it, a sense of absolute rightness. I’m sure we’re going to butt heads from time to time, but hopefully, it’ll be over minor things and quickly resolved, just like me letting him pay for my groceries was.

“He tends to growl a lot when he thinks I’m making the wrong decision,” he admits. “I, of course, advise him of my thought process. Sometimes, I go against what he suggests just to let him know that the man in me may not be an animal, but I’m still in charge.”

“How does that work out for you?” I ask, genuinely curious.

He shrugs while tossing me a grin. “Sometimes, I have to eat crow. There’s something to be said for animal instincts.”

It doesn’t take long to pull into the alley behind the shop and park. Then I watch in utter amazement as he proceeds to grab every single solitary bag that he put in the back in one hand, while handing me the one with the eggs and bread inside, before he follows me to the back door. I mean, I understand we have shifter strength, but what he’s doing is such a guy thing to do that I’m laughing as I unlock the door and shut down the alarm.

“After you,” I tell him. “The code for the door is seven, five, eight, zero.”

I can use a key as well, but I want to lock up down here and hate the thought of him waiting even a few seconds for me to get up the stairs to unlock the apartment door. “Got it. Lock the door, Vivi.”

“Working on it, Fox.”

Once we have everything unpacked and put away, he heads to the door. “I’m gonna head back to the clubhouse, babe.”

“Why?” I ask.

“Because it sounds like your girl and your dad had a major drama that put them on the road toward safety. They don’t need to be faced with your mate right when they get into town,” he replies.

My shoulders droop because I was hoping he would stick around. Still, what he’s saying has merit, so I move closer to where he’s standing and wrap my arms around his waist. “I’m agreeing to disagree,” I murmur as I stare up into his handsome face. “But it’s not like I won’t see you again.”

“Yeah, the only way that would ever happen is if there was a machete involved,” he agrees.

“A machete?” I whisper. How much do I really know about his motorcycle club anyhow? Why would that be the first thing out of his mouth?

“Teasing you, Vivi. Outside of something that neither of us can control, you’ll never have to worry about that, okay?”

“You had me worried there for a second.”

He smirks then says, “You shoulda seen your face, babe.”

I’m hard pressed as to which I like him calling me, sweetheart or babe. Hell, even saying my nickname gives me tingles all over. I suspect one is all him, the other has more to do with his biker side. Still, I’m not going to ask. Nope. I’ll wait until I meet the two women who are mates to his brothers and ask them instead. Deciding this is a brilliant plan, I reach one of my hands up and cup his jaw. While I don’t know his actual age, he has salt-and-pepper hair but looks like he’s at best, mid-thirties. Since we don’t show our true age during our long lives, I realize I have a question for him after all.

“Fox, what happens when the humans around town clue in to the fact that none of us ever appear to get older?” I ask.

He shrugs. “There are enough in town who are aware that shifters exist, Vivi. As a whole, we tend to keep to ourselves, and when we’re out and about, we usually don’t use names. Worst case scenario, if it ever becomes an issue with the world as a whole, I’m sure we’ll get into changing identities and shit. For now, we’re good, okay?”

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