Page 46 of Soren

Soren has to extend only a single finger, and she grabs onto it like it’s her new favorite toy. He lets out a hearty laugh, and I can’t help but do the same.

It’s a laugh of relief. Of excitement. Of gratitude. And most of all, of hope.

My belly flutters again. In the span of a few short months, my own child will be here. Resting on my hip, cooing, grabbing at Soren’s huge paws with their own little hands.

I can’t wait.

“Come on,” he tells me. Wrapping a possessive arm around my waist and bringing me close, he presses one more kiss to my waiting lips. It’s warm and sweet and full of promises for the years to come. “Let’s get you home.”

“To the cottage?” I ask.

Soren shakes his head. “No. Not this time.” He starts to call out to a dock worker, giving instructions so fast I can’t keep up. “This time, you will join me at my home. With my people. Because Lara?”

“Yes?”

“It is your home now, too.”

REUNITED

SOREN

At last, my heart-mate is home. Truly home.

I never thought it was possible to feel this sense of peace. Not in all my years did I expect it. Us Aesir are built and bred for war. For battle. But something about this human makes me soft in all the best ways. She brings out the protector in me. The doting, loving father and uncle.

Of course, she makes me hard in all the best ways, too.

Speaking of which…

We’ve got to make up for lost time.

Lara’s sitting there, cross-legged on the couch, pointing at her tablet with Janie next to her. They’re watching something, a movie it looks like. Even Iris is there, eyes wide and enraptured as the screen swirls and changes. It warms my heart to see how well they get along — I knew she was someone special when Lara chose to go back for her. Now that she’s here, she’s become just as much part of the family as Lara is.

My people welcomed them with open arms. Especially once they saw how happy I was around Lara. My men snickered and joked a bit behind closed doors when we were all a few drinks in, but they were some of my biggest supporters. In fact, it wasn’t twenty-four hours after meeting Lara and Janie that they were asking how they could sign up for one of those Earth girls.

I chuckle and shake my head. I got lucky, I tell them. Really, really lucky. Who would have thought that I would find my heart-mate on a whole different planet?

The ending music of the movie swells and Janie takes Iris back into her arms. She gets up off the couch and stretches, giving me a little wave before heading back to the bedroom I had prepared for her.

She may not be my heart-mate, but she’s my heart-mate’s sister, and that’s as good as. Janie and her little one deserve just as much care and devotion as my Lara. It’s only proper and befitting of an Aesir warlord, after all. Women — especially mates — are to be cherished and protected at all costs. It breaks my heart to think of anyone daring otherwise.

After Janie and Iris go back to their room, I join Lara on the couch and wrap my arms around her, pulling her into a kiss. She drops the tablet onto the table, all but forgotten, and returns it in kind, her small hands pressing against my broad chest. My cock swells in anticipation; my heart thunders out a steady beat. “What do you think?” I ask before nipping at her earlobe, her neck, her shoulder. “What do you think of your new home?”

Lara lets out a sigh, tilting her head to the side to give me even more access. I take her up on it, kissing and tasting every inch of skin I can get to. She’ll have a mark there come morning, but that’s the point. No one will ever doubt who she belongs to when she bears my mark. They won’t even try.

“It’s…” Lara sighs between kisses. “It’s wonderful. It’s more than I could have imagined…” I swoop her up into my arms and hold her even closer, relishing the soft warmth of her skin. I missed this so much. “And you’ve been so kind to Janie, too. I can’t thank you enough…”

“I can think of a perfect way for you to thank me.” I rumble out the words and I feel her stiffen beneath me. Feel her scent heighten, her thighs clench. Her hormones practically pour off of her, surrounding me and making me dizzy.

“Oh, Soren,” Lara says, burying her face into my chest. “I need you…I need this…”

“I’m here, love. I’m here.” I cradle her like the treasure she is and head for the bedroom. It’s time to show her just how much I missed her. How empty I was without her.

I kick the door shut behind us as I lay her down on the bed. She looks so beautiful like that, sprawled out with her hair surrounding her head like a halo. Her full lips part only slightly, her eyes lidded with desire.

I can’t believe she’s mine.

“Soren,” Lara pants, her thighs clenching together. It doesn’t matter — I can smell her arousal plain as day, and soon our sheets will be covered in it. She watches me undress with great interest, and then I go to her, slowly slipping her out of her clothes. As much as I would like to rip the fabric to shreds, I have to be gentle. She’s carrying our child, and that’s more important than all the rough sex in the world.

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