Page 106 of Savage Games

This morning, there is no pacing.No claws scratching at the insides of my chest, the feeling that I should be doing something else.No whispered doubts, no snarled warnings about how wrong it is to be apart from our mate.

Just calm.

Sunlight filters through the cabin windows, casting a warm glow across the small kitchen where we sit.

Wyatt is across from me at the tiny kitchen table in my cabin, bare-chested, a blanket still slung low across his hips, and damp hair from the shower I insisted he take before I fed him anything.He only agreed when I promised to join him after.

Which I did.

Twice.

Now we're here, fresh, warm, and tangled up in the kind of peace that feels so good it can't possibly last.His eyes meet mine, and he gives me the slow, confident smile of a man who knows he’s keeping his mate happy.And that she’ll be sore for days.

He tears a piece of toast with his fingers and holds it out for me.

I roll my eyes."I made that for you.I’m supposed to be taking care of you, remember?"

He grins, big and broad.“You did, and you are.And you need to keep your strength up if you’re going to take care of me again tonight.”

Despite the wolfsbane attack, Wyatt's strength has returned remarkably fast.Maggie's potent medicine, combined with my marking, seems to have sped up his healing beyond what anyone expected.Still, I can see the occasional wince when he moves too quickly, the slight pallor beneath his tan that suggests he's not quite as recovered as he pretends to be.

My gentle giant is insatiable and strangely delighted with life for a man whose spot in a competition to win a pack, to win a home for himself, has been ripped away.

When he grabs my hand and tugs me around to his side of the table, I squeal as he lifts me with impressive ease to straddle his thighs.With the toast now clamped between his teeth, he mumbles up at me, mischief dancing in his eyes.

"I'm keeping this toast unless you bite it right now."

So I do.He grins wider, eyes flashing gold for just a second.

I shake my head and snatch the rest, popping it into my mouth while he swings me around to sit crossways, so he can dig into the eggs I made him, poorly, I'll admit, but he hasn't complained once.If anything, he's eating like I served him something gourmet.

"These are the best eggs I've ever had," he says, shoveling another forkful into his mouth before pressing a tender kiss to my bare shoulder.

"Liar."

His mark throbs pleasantly on my neck when I laugh.Wyatt’s hand resting on my lower back strokes my skin as he eats some more, determined to prove me wrong.

We're always touching.As we move around the private house Dean has provided for us, conscious that a newly mated couple needs their space, we’re drawn to each other constantly.

My hand rests on his chest, his fingers tangled in my hair.His hand grazes my thigh when he reaches for his coffee.It's not only sexual, it's instinctive.Like we need the contact to stay steady.We’re still bonding.This is still new.I understand why newly mated pairs are normally left alone for their first few days.The pull between us is nearly irresistible.

This bond is new and raw and powerful, but it's right.I can feel him through it, his steady heartbeat, his quiet contentment, and the protectiveness that hasn't dulled for a second.Even as we sit here peacefully, my mate isn’t as relaxed as I am.

He’s thinking about what’s coming.About dealing with Brad, and Maddie, and the reality of him being out of the competition with nowhere to go.The reality that I’ve conveniently shoved to the back of my mind while enjoying sexy time with my man.

Wyatt's fingers trace the mark on my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

"Stop that," I murmur, leaning into his touch."We'll never leave this cabin."

"That's the idea."

And it’s a great one, but unfortunately, not a luxury we can afford.

His smile drops a fraction.He takes a sip of coffee, watching me over the rim."You okay?"

I nod."Better than I've been in weeks."

His smile fades completely now."Good.Because I think you should talk to Dean and Blake.Before I do."

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