Page 45 of Fated Moons
Gently, she ran her fingers across the center of his chest. “If that’s what fated sex is all about, sign me up for some more.”
He chuckled. “I won’t say no,” he whispered. “Only, I have a question and it might change everything.”
“What’s that?”
She tilted her head.
“Are you taking birth control?” He pressed his finger over her lips. “The thing with a wolf and claiming a mate is we tend to forget all about condoms.”
She groaned, dropping her head to his chest. “That might be a problem.”
“I was afraid of that.” He tilted her chin. “I’m sorry. And to be honest, you’ll have to shove them under my nose because for whatever reason, once we’ve mated, using them is like asking us to lower the toilet seat.”
She gasped, covering her mouth, staring at a double moon hanging low, casing a shadow in the darkness. Each moon was bright white, and it glowed in the night sky as if to show the world something new and exciting was coming.
“Are you that worried?”
“No. Well, yes. But only because of those.” She pointed toward the sliders. “They can’t mean what I think they mean?”
Jackson ripped back the covers and pressed his nose against her belly. He sniffed. “I can’t smell anything yet.”
“Excuse me?” She gave him a good shove. “I have no idea what I think about that, but don’t ever sniff me like that again.”
“First, you smell amazing. Second. If there’s a baby in there.” He pointed toward her belly. “I’ll smell it by morning. It’s a wolf thing.”
“I don’t like some wolf things and I especially don’t like that.”
“Do you want me to keep what I learn to myself?” He reached across her body and snagged his buzzing phone.
“I’ll let you know in the morning,” she mumbled.
“A missed call from Chaz. One from Trask. And even one from your father.” He waved his cell.
“I left mine out in the family room.” She tugged the covers over her body and folded her arms.
“Decker just texted. He wants me to meet him outside.” He took her chin with his thumb and forefinger. “I need to call Trask and then your dad. Do you want to come outside and check out the double moon and be part of those calls? Or do you want to stay in here?” He pressed his warm lips over her mouth.
She wanted to push him away. To resent him and everything that this represented. But she couldn’t. He was part of her skin.Part of her soul. And his heart belonged to her in a way that made them one. She couldn’t begin to understand how she’d grown to love him so deeply, but she did. “I’ll come with you,” she whispered, staring into his unwavering teal-green eyes. “How can you just accept this? Accept the two moons and what it probably means for us?” She cocked her head and narrowed her stare. “And if you say it’s a wolf thing, so help me God, I’ll make sure you don’t have sex for a month.”
“That would be horrible. For both of us.” He took her hand and placed it against the center of his chest. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but some of it is because I’m a wolf. It’s all part of my heritage. Of who I am. I feel the connection of our hearts with each beat of mine. It’s as if our souls have interlocked, layer by layer. I can’t deny that any more than you can deny that fairy dust is coming off your skin right now. Or that you’re a witch. Accepting our fates? Well, I do still struggle with the twisted way the universe has stuck us together. But I can’t fight it because doing that would mean I’d have to try to let you go and that would be worse than death.”
“Isn’t that a bit dramatic?”
“Close your eyes and picture your life without me in it. Visualize what your world might be like in a month if this hadn’t happened or even if you tried to forget me. Think about how you’d feel.”
“That’s a silly exercise.”
“Just do it.” He kissed her cheek. “No pretense. Don’t focus on fated mates or Fated Moons. Only what you thought your life might have been.”
“All right.” She rested her head on the pillow and let her lids flutter over her eyes. She thought about the movie and how that might have played out had none of this happened. Her heart squeezed and tightened. The fairy dust that flowed freely from her body turned cold, as if it staged a revolt. She did her best toignore all that and moved into other thoughts that didn’t include Jackson.
A tear dribbled down her cheek.
She blinked open her eyes. “We shouldn’t keep my father waiting. He should be the first person we call.”
“Didn’t like how that made you feel, did you?” He eased from the bed, hiking up his jeans. Turning, he tossed her clothing on the bed. “I understand your instinct is to fight this, but I wish you wouldn’t fight me. It physically hurts my heart.”
She tugged her shirt over her head. “I’m not rejecting you. Or us. But I thought whoever I ended up with, there would be some romance involved. That we would date for months before moving in together. And definitely a long time before… I can’t even say it.”
