Page 52

He was abruptly serious. “What happened?”

“She ran from the training room like her arse was on fire. Said she needed to ‘work through some things.’” I drew a deep breath through a chest that felt suddenly constricted. “If she’s thinking of leaving—”

“She’s not.” He put his hands on my shoulders and turned me toward him. “She won’t.”

He couldn’t know that. Neither of us could read her thoughts. Hell, we had a hard enough time reading her. At least I did.

“Everything was going so well,” I said. “She seemed happy last night.”

“She was happy.” He gave my shoulders a reassuring squeeze. “Think of what we’re asking of her. We want her to abandon everything she’s known and bind herself to us forever.”

“I can’t understand why she’d cling to anything from her past. She’s only known cruelty.”

“Trauma affects everyone differently. You know that better than most.”

I grunted—and I couldn’t help envying him his own happy childhood. His parents were still living, his mother doted on by her mates in a castle in the Hebrides.

“Give her time, babe. She’s already ours.” He leaned against the counter.

I stared at him. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“Out with it.”

He gave a mock sigh. “Fine. Why did you let me fuck you last night?”

I’d known the question was coming. The only surprising part was that he hadn’t asked me the second we woke up this morning.

Evening.

Fuck, my days and nights were all turned around now that Halina lived with us.

Fergus was waiting for an answer, so I shrugged. “Can’t you just enjoy it and leave it at that?”

His eyes gleamed. “Oh, I enjoyed it. But I know it’s…” He hesitated, as if he was unsure of himself. Almost flustered.

He never got flustered.

So I took pity on him.

Slowly, I moved in front of him and placed my hands on the counter on either side of his hips.

And just like that, the air between us shifted.

Leaning in, I spoke next to his ear. “I let you fuck me because you wanted to. And because Halina needed to see that mates do things for each other, even if it means departing from our comfort zones.”

His breathing grew rougher. “Well, if it was in any way unclear last night, I liked it a fucking lot. So thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I caught his ear between my teeth. “Just don’t get used to it.”

“No?”

I leaned back enough to meet his gaze. Then I shook my head slowly.

His cheeks were flushed, and anticipation rolled off him in thick waves.

“Turn around,” I murmured. My cock ached for him, the tip already leaking.