Makayla nodded and placed her hand on his chest. "Maybe you could have. But you can't live your life beating yourself up for what you could have done or not done that probably wouldn’t have changed the outcome."

The sadness that permeated her told him she was speaking to herself as much as to him.

He pushed her hair behind her ear. "You were in the accident when your dad died, weren’t you?"

She stared at him for a moment. "Yeah," she whispered. "And like you, I blame myself for what happened."

"But someone ran a red light and smashed into you."

She swiped at her eyes, and his wolf whined, wanting to nuzzle and comfort her.

"But maybe if I hadn't grabbed him to hug him at that exact moment, he would have seen the car coming, and he could have swerved to miss it, or hit the brakes, or... something."

"You are no more to blame for that driver running a red light than I am for not seeing the signs of what Franny was going through."

She touched his cheek, and his wolf howled wanting to be let out.

"You loved Franny?"

"Yes."

She ran her fingers through his hair. "Was she your mate?"

He opened his mouth, but his wolf stopped him. After everything he and Franny had been through. After how much he'd loved her and thought she was his mate, he knew, and his wolf knew, that Franny was never his mate.

"No. I thought she was but... now I know she wasn't." There it was. He'd put it out there. He hadn't said it in so many words, but he'd let Makayla know to the best of his ability, that he wanted her.

"What about you?" he asked. "Is the baby's father your mate?"

Makayla snorted. "Oh, hell no. He's... a one-night mistake that has permanent consequences."

"Does he know? About the baby?"

She looked away. "Yup."

A niggling feeling settled in Caleb's gut. "And he didn't want you?"

"Not at first. But he contacted me and said he'd take care of me if it's what I wanted."

Caleb's heartbeat quickened. "And is it?"

Her gaze locked on his again. "I don't want a man who is willing to marry me because he thinks it's what I want. I want a man who wants me because it's what he wants. I want a man who would rather die than lose me. A man who sees me. Not my money. Not my good looks. Me."

Caleb reached up and cradled her soft cheek in his palm. "I see you."

He pulled her lips to his, and she kissed him hard. She kissed his chin and licked down his throat. His arousal kicked as she swirled her tongue down his chest to his stomach, kissing and licking every inch of his abdomen. He combed his fingers through her hair. His body and wolf trembled at her touch. She kissed lower down over his hipbones and grasped him in her small, tight fists.

Caleb moaned as she slid her tongue down his length. Every instinct told him to take her. To bite her. Mark her. Make her his. But he was afraid of hurting her. Afraid she wasn't ready. He didn't want there to be any regrets between them.

She took him in her mouth, and he almost exploded. He grabbed the headboard and the wood groaned beneath his palms. Over and over she licked him, sucked him, stroked him until his legs and back burned from the strain of holding back, and his muscles shook with the effort.

Finally, she lifted herself and poised over him. He sucked in a ragged breath as she slid down over him like a soft sheath. He grabbed her neck and pulled her mouth to his as he sat up. Hot and spicy, she kissed him hard and rocked her hips against his. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her body into his. She gripped the headboard and pushed herself down on him.

She moaned into his mouth and then dropped her head on his shoulder.

"Caleb," she panted.

He kissed her neck as their bodies slapped together in a hard almost painful joining.