Page 38 of The Protector’s Heart

“There you go again, surprising me.”

He pressed in the code to secure the house and she listened as the electronic deadbolts on the front door engaged. She kissed Jack’s cheek and whispered goodnight to him. He kept trying to stay awake, his eyelids staying closed for longer and longer periods of time.

She sat down on a small bench at the door and took off her boots, putting hers and Malachi’s on the rug at the door and hanging up their coats while he took Jack to bed. Her stomach clenched with anticipation as she thought about taking a bath with Malachi. She nearly ran back to the master bathroom, but instead forced herself to walk slowly. Peeking into Jack’s bedroom, she saw Malachi standing at the crib, rocking Jack in his arms, whispering to him. She couldn’t hear what he said, but Jack was smiling as his eyes fluttered shut. She blew him a kiss and walked to the bedroom, tugging off her sweater and dropping it into the laundry basket.

The tub was a shower/tub combo with frosted glass doors. She pushed the door open and turned on the faucet, testing the temperature with her fingers and then closing the drain when it was just right. She’d never really been a bath person, but the idea of sharing a bath with Malachi made her want to reconsider that stance. Maybe baths were sexy when her mate was involved.

She stripped and leaned out of the bathroom to put her clothes in the basket when she saw Malachi come into the bedroom. His face lit up when he saw her, and she smiled at him, stepping back into the bathroom. He carried a tray in and set it down on the marble counter; on it were two mugs, a carafe, mini marshmallows, candles and a matchbook.

He tipped the carafe and poured what turned out to be hot cocoa into both mugs, dropping mini marshmallows on the top. Then he set the candles on the counter and began to light them. She glanced at the tub, decided the water was high enough, and turned off the faucet.

Malachi flipped off the light, and the small room was filled with the golden flickering candlelight. She watched him strip. His thick sweater came off first, and then the t-shirt underneath, revealing his chiseled upper body. His arms were thick and roped with muscle, and his abdomen was a study in masculinity. Her gaze drifted down to his waist as he undid the button and zipper of his jeans. As he shoved his jeans down his legs, her mouth watered at the sight of his thick cock.

He moved in front of her and touched her chin with his fingertips. She looked up at him. “The way you’re looking at me is driving me crazy.”

She placed her hands on his waist. “How am I looking at you?”

He smirked. “Like you could eat me up.”

“I thought the big bad wolf was the one who did the eating?”

He chuckled, picking up the mugs and stepping into the tub. “I know I froze you outside while we were talking so I wanted to warm you up the right way.”

He handed her the mugs and sat down, stretching his legs straight out and leaning against the tub. She knew it had to be freezing against the back of the tub, but he didn’t show it. He patted his thighs and she straddled him, handing him one mug.

“Let’s toast getting warm,” she said.

“And our mating,” he added.

“You warm me from the inside out, even without the hot cocoa and bath.”

“Me, too, sweetheart.”

Their mugs clinked softly and they both sipped on the cocoa. It was sweet and chocolaty, and just warm enough to make her groan in pleasure.

They drained the mugs and she set them on top of the toilet and looked at him. “I want you to know that even though it was suggested to me that we do this tonight, I’m not mating you because my alpha thinks it’s a good idea. I’m doing it because the thought of you going one more day without my mark in your neck would make me insane.” His hands rested on her knees, his fingers kneading the flesh. “If you don’t want me to mark you tonight, I won’t. It’s your choice.”

“Can it be undone?”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “No. Mating is like marriage for my people, more important than a piece of paper from the government.”

“I just…it’s not that I don’t want to be yours forever, I just wanted to make sure you’d be mine, too. You won’t have any marks; how will anyone know that you’re mated?”

He relaxed. “I’ll smell like you, for one. It would be hard for anyone to not realize a male is mated, because they’ll scent his mate on him. If you want to bite me, you can.”

“It won’t be like your marks though.” He had explained that when he marked her, his fangs would be elongated and would cut through her skin, leaving two permanent marks on the side of her neck. She knew it would hurt, like getting poked with two big needles, but she didn’t care. She wanted to belong to Malachi in every way.

“No, but I don’t care. I want you to trust in me, and if that means you want to bite me and mark me, I’m okay with that. Whether I wear physical marks or not, when I bring you before the pack on the full moon as my treasured mate, everyone will know that I’m taken. I would never betray you, Nila. There will never be anyone else for me but you, forever.”

She could have cried at the sweet words, but she didn’t want him to think she was an emotional nutcase. Instead, she leaned forward, placing her hands on the cool tile on either side of his head, and kissed him.

His fingers slipped into her hair and he took over the kiss, angling her head the way he wanted to deepen it. Damn she loved him. He rocked her world in every possible way.

One of his hands slipped from her hair and inched its way down her chest to brush his fingers against her nipples. She wiggled on his lap as he tugged them lightly, alternating from one to the other as his tongue swept possessively into her mouth. His hand fisted in her hair and he gently pulled her away from him, arching her neck and bending his head to suck on her nipples. He plumped her breast and licked at the tip as she wiggled further up his lap. Her hands left the tile and she gripped his shoulders, arching her back and pushing her breasts into his face. Grinning against her flesh, he nipped at her nipples, tugging and teasing them in turn until she was writhing on top of him.

With a soft growl, he lifted from her and kissed her hard. She moaned as his hand slipped down the front of her body. He rubbed her clit lightly.

“Damn you’re wet, babe,” he groaned against her lips.

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