Page 61 of What A Croc
Surprisingly, she turned to leave, before halting and walking right up to me. Bending down, she whispered, “Enjoy your boy toy, Robert, before he grows tired of you.Looks like he doesn’t want to mate claim you anymore than I did.”
Jackson lunged around me, but I turned in his arms, pressing myself to him to hold him back. “Aiden is watching,” I hissed. “Calm down.”
The kids were all far enough away, I didn’t think they could hear the exchange that had taken place, but they could see us and they were all watching with big eyes.
“That’s it,” Becks barked, his deep voice rumbling across the air. “Leave now, Jane, or I’ll arrest you for trespassing.”
“Wyatt, are you really going to let that…” her lips twisted, “man speak to your own mother that way?”
Wyatt took a step forward, but I held my hand up at him. Turning from the safety of Jackson’s arms, I walked over to Jane and stared up at her with cold eyes.
“That man is his husband. And that man over there, who is trying his level best to keep his cool, is my mate, Jane. My fated mate.” Her eyes widened, then narrowed, her lips pursed tightly together. “You heard me correctly. And he is ten times the alpha you ever were. He loves me, every inch of me, every part of me. I am enough for him. More than enough. And you know what else?” I hadn’t realized I had been moving forward with each word I was sharply speaking, until Jane had her back against the SUV she had arrived in and could go no further. “He makes me happy. Happy! Something you never did. Because you area miserable person, and you aren’t happy unless everyone around you is miserable. Do not come back here. Forget me. Forget Wyatt. Most of all forget Julianna, though that shouldn’t be hard for you. Because if you ever come back here, not only will I let that big bad wolf come after you, I’ll let my crocodile alpha take a bite out of you too!”
I paid no attention to her response, or what anyone else was doing around us. My focus was on Jackson, and my mate was pissed. Rushing back to his waiting arms, I stroked a hand down his face, cupping his jaw. “I’m fine. Calm down. She’s not worth it. I’m fine. We’re fine.” His arms wrapped around me, one hand cupping my bump tenderly, both of us shaking slightly. “The baby is fine.”
Not sure how many times I repeated the words, until the tension eased from his shoulders, and he rested his forehead against mine, his breathing heavy. We stayed like that for more than a few minutes, while Wyatt and Becks did their best to continue with the party.
Finally, Jackson pulled away enough to stare into my eyes. Smiling, I tugged him in for a kiss. “Thank you for wanting to protect me.”
“You did just fine on your own.”
My smile got even broader. “I did, didn’t I? I honestly didn’t know I had that in me.”
“I did.” His fierce assurance almost made me preen like a proud peacock.
“We should get back to the party,” I said, and Jackson agreed. Tugging on his hand to halt him just before we rejoined everyone, I whispered, “Jackson?”
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
“I want you to claim me tonight.”
His eyes widened, and he took my head in between both of his hands. He did that often when he kissed me, and it never failed to make my toes curl. Because he did it so gently, and it always, always made me feel so protected. So cherished. So wanted. “Are you sure?”
Nodding, I whispered, “I am. I love you, and I want to be yours in every way possible.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jackson
Leaning against my front door, my hands circled Robert’s hips, as I gazed down at him.
“Are you sure?” I asked, needing to make sure this was still what he wanted. I knew Jane showing up unexpectedly–and uninvited–had thrown him. And despite never voicing it out loud, I knew her never wanting to claim him, after so many years together, hurt him deeply even if he never admitted it. I didn’t want him doing this out of some kind of adrenaline rush of telling her off, or to try to one up her. I didn’t want him to have regrets. Not of this.
Looking up at me through his lashes, he nibbled his bottom lip. “Are you?”
“Sweetheart, I think I’ve been ready since the first day I met you.” Scooping him into my arms, one of my favoritethings to do, I walked us into our bedroom. “I’ve just been waiting on you.”
Robert pulled me down for a searing kiss that left us both panting and hard. “Thank you for waiting for me.”
Placing him on the bed, I leaned over him, stealing another blistering kiss. “I will always wait for you. No matter how long it takes.”
Stripping off my shirt, I tossed it to the floor in a heap. Robert was already pulling his own shirt over his head and it landed somewhere near mine. His hands went to the waistband of his stretchy leggings, then faltered.
“Don’t do that,” I whispered, climbing on the bed and settling between his bent knees. I had a perfect viewof the gorgeous round mound of his belly, the faded stretch marks from his first pregnancy nearly translucent on his skin. Placing a kiss on the bare skin above his waistband, I moved his hands out of my way. “Don’t hide. You're beautiful.”
He shook his head, looking away. “I’m not, but you make me feel like I am.”
Tugging his pants down his hips, I snagged his underwear, and his delectable cock sprang free. Red and leaking, the luscious smell of musk and Robert made my mouth water.
