Page 229 of The Delta's Rogue
“I’m okay right now. I’m with you.”
“I’ll always be with you,” I whisper.
“¿Me lo prometes?”she asks.
“Te lo prometo,” I promise.
I tug her into my arms and hold her tight. Her soft body melts into mine as our lips meet. I kiss everything into her—my love, my pain, my tears. I give all of them to her, and she gives the same back to me. It’s a beautiful, perfect, unspoken “I love you”.
As the sun sets, Wesley, Reid, Nolan, and I build a bonfire. We spread out blankets and unfold camp chairs, and everyone takes a seat around the flames. I pull Sarina into my lap, hook my arm around her waist, and tuck her head under my chin as she snuggles into me.
Then we tell stories. We share our memories of Dad—the easy ones and the difficult ones. Wesley talks about the day Maddie was born, when Dad acted like he’d never had a mate in labor before, even though Mom had already given birth to both of us. Maddie, finally talking for the first time since he died, tells about the day he agreed to be her show-and-tell in kindergarten so she could brag to all the other pups about how her dad was the coolest dad of all. My mom tells us the story of how they met and the night they became mates. The real version of it, not the version we grew up hearing. Minus the more…personal and scintillating details, of course.
We talk throughout the night, taking turns sharing our memories and adding logs to the fire. The babies fall asleep, and some of us doze on and off, but no one leaves.
And as the sun rises, and the first beams of light shine over the treetops and catch on the red strands of Dylan’s hair, I can’t help but smile.
I love nights inHawaii. The breeze off the ocean, the rustling palm fronds, frogs croaking and waves crashing, the twinkling stars that never end—the only place that comes close to its beauty and tranquility is Crescent Lake.
It’s home, and I was gone for far too long.
I’m sure it seems strange that the royal pack is here of all places. But where better to have the headquarters of a creature that most humans aren’t aware of than on a magical island hidden within a chain of islands?
Lemon and mint mix with the salty, flowery-scented air. Leather shoes tap across the glass roof of the greenhouse. Eyes sweep over me, and the mate bond thrums with sensual admiration as I pivot towards him.
My king.
He pauses his steps when I’m fully facing him, and I swear his heart stops.
A trillion stars glitter in the sky above us, but he looks at me like I’m the brightest one. The only one.
My heart stops too. How can it stay beating when he looks at me like that? Or when he’s dressed like that?
His olive-green suit hugs his tall, muscled frame, and his brown tie and leather shoes accent the green perfectly. He’s incredibly handsome. He always is. But tonight… Tonight, he’s delicious.
I smile at him once he remembers how to walk again and closes the gap between us.
“I missed you,” I say.
It’s only been a few hours since we saw each other last—a necessary separation so we could get ready for this night—but it feels like it’s been days.
“I missed you too,” he admits. He stays a foot away from me and scans me again. “Let me look at you.”
I twirl in place, taking my time to show off my gown to him. Custom made from silk and lace, it emphasizes my best assets—his favorite assets.
His breath catches when I’m in profile and he sees the hip-high lace inset that shows off my leg. My palm flattens against the matching one on the other side as he hums his approval. He traces along the lace that peeks out of the silk bodice and curves around the tops of my breasts. That touch trails to the top of the long, off-the-shoulder lace sleeves and down to my fingertips.
He takes my hand in his and spins me under his arm. I laugh at the sudden speed of our movements, and I’m met with his breath-stealing smile when I complete my turn.
Sebastian tugs me flush against him. He cups my ass and sniffs the sprig of honeysuckle pinned into my soft waves. “I think this is my new favorite dress of yours,” he says into my ear.
“What dress was your favorite before?”
“The red one.”
Of course it’s the red one. I should have known.
“I hated that one until the moment you tied that strip around my neck,” I admit.
