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His hand is warm in mine as he pulls me towards the tub. His long leg lifts over the lip of the tub as he steps into it. I follow behind him, making sure to step in front of him. The water rises as he settles his massive frame into it.

He tugs gently on my hand, and I sink into the tub. “You know, I’ve always envisioned caring for you like this. Long baths together where you lean against my chest as we talk about our days. I don’t know, something about it always appealed to me. The calmness of it,” Warrick says as he grabs the loofa from the hook and dunks it into the water.

I wiggle against his chest as I scoot down to a comfortable position. “I can see that. There’s something intimate in these moments. The kind that can only be found in the quiet.”

My head tilts back as I watch him pour the sweet-smelling soap on the sponge. Lathering it into a soapy bubble, he holds my arm up as he runs it along my skin.

“If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?”

“Hmm.” I squint my eyes, considering the questions. “I haven’t ever really thought about it. After college, I really just missed home. All those years of wishing to get away from here, only to realize it’s not all I thought it would be.”

His fingers tickle across my skin as he sweeps my hair to the other shoulder. “That makes sense. I’ve never really been awayfrom here, other than quick trips. If you had to pick, though, where would it be?”

The water ripples into waves as I pull my knees up. “I think I would like to see Ireland one day. I hear there is a huge wolf pack there with deep roots in the country's history. It would be cool to experience that.”

“Let’s go then,” he says, without a second of hesitation.

I twist around, causing the water to slosh against the side of the tub. His unfazed reaction is just as shocking as his statement. “What do you mean ‘let’s go’?”

He only shrugs his shoulders. “Exactly what I said. We’ll get our passports, book the flight, contact the pack you want to meet, and go.”

My mouth opens and closes as I process what he is saying. “We can’t just up and leave like that, Warrick.”

“Why not?”

“Well, for one, you are the Beta of a pack that is just beginning to get itself back on track,” I say as I point to one finger.

“There are plenty of people here to handle things while we go on a vacation,” he says while wringing the sponge between his hands. “What else?”

Pointing to my second finger, I remind him, “I have a bookstore to run.”

“There are plenty of young pack members who are looking for ways to help the pack. I’m sure we can ask one of them to come in for a week before we leave so you can go over things with them so they can run the store while we are gone. With everyone here, there is no way anything would happen to it.”

I scowl at him, getting ready to hit him with the third thing. My third finger flicks up as his eyebrow quirks. “We aren’t officially mated, which means we can’t travel to a different pack together. Wouldn’t want to risk some alpha trying to swoop me up as an unclaimed female wolf.” My mouth lifts in a smirk as I stare at him with my finger tip balancing on top of my third finger between us.

His eyes darken as he growls. “That can easily be rectified,” he says as he lurches forward, wrapping his arms around me. The water of the tub crashes over the side, splashing to the floor as I squeal in an attempt to get away from him.

“Shall I mark you on the right or left side?” he asks as he shifts his head from side to side, glancing at each side of my neck.

I swat him with my hands that are crushed between us. “Get off me, you big brute.”

“I’m thinking the right side, since you always part your hair to the left,” he continues, as if I’m not squirming in his arms.

“You better not,” I say as I poke him in the chest.

He doesn’t even bother to pretend he is listening at all, just stands up with me still in his arms. The water gushes back down into the tub as he brings us out. The sound of water droplets hitting the tiles below is barely audible over my squealing.

“What are you doing?” I ask as I try to twist my way out of his hold. The way he moves doesn’t even show it being an issue that he is carrying me as he tightens his arms around me.

“Rectifying the issue.” He continues to carry me into the living room while we are still dripping wet.

“Can’t we at least dry off first?” I plead, hoping to alter his path.

“No need,” is all that I get from him before he is plopping us down onto the couch, forcing my knees to straddle each side of his waist. The warmth from my core rests on his semi-hard cock laying between us. Before he releases my arms, he says, “I want you to mark me first. Wherever you want. My entire body is up for your choice. I don’t give a fuck if you want it to be on the side of my neck for everyone to see or the inside of my thigh for only your eyes to see. You choose.” His arms drop from around me to rest along the sides of my thighs as he gives me the chance to consider it.

“You really want to do this right now?” I ask with skepticism.

He only nods his head once.