Page 86 of Broken Bonds

But the live-and-let-live attitude I’ve encountered so far from my dealings with vampires means I have no personal beef with them. And even if I did…

We’re still talking about kids and innocent people who’ve lost loved ones and friends in the most heinous way imaginable.

I don’t blame those who don’t want anything to do with them, and who especially don’t want them on our land, but that makes it more important for someone like me to step up and set a good example. It’s what my dad would have wanted me to do.

I hope.

We return to the hot tub, and I stretch again after shifting back. Mal takes a flying leap into the hot tub, but he’s on two legs when he lands in the water with a splash, his playful smile making me laugh.

I’m not that agile so I settle for climbing in. He immediately snuggles in my lap and closes his eyes. “That was fun,” he says. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” I stretch out, Mal perfectly nestled in my arms and along my body. I breathe in his scent, his wolf. At least now I have a better chance I’ll recognize any of Sterling’s people if they try to sneak in here and cause trouble.

He lets out a yawn and looks like he’s about to say something, but a moment later, he softly snores, and I have trouble suppressing my laughter so I don’t wake him. He’s fucking adorable. He damned sure acts like he doesn’t know it, which makes him even more attractive to me.

What would it be like coming out here every night with him after a long day’s work? Chilling out with him, discussing things…

Just being a normal couple. He seems to enjoy the work and he’s damned good with the animals. He obviously wasn’t lying when he said he’d dig in and get dirty.

What would it be like having a trusted partner to bounce ideas off of for new dairy products? To help me run the place? To expand my marketing and sales outlets. Not to become some dairy mogul, obviously, but the things I don’t have time to do myself and can’t justify the expense at this time to hire someone to do them.

What would it be like not being alone anymore?

Doesn’t matter how many men have cycled through my bed or my fun room over the years, none of them were mine.

Never felt an overwhelming need for any of them to be mine, either.

Not until now.

Not until Mal.

I wait a good twenty minutes before I grab a towel, scoop Mal into my arms, and climb out. He doesn’t even stir as I hold him one-armed and dry him as best I can with the other.

I don’t bother grabbing our clothes; I carry him to his apartment, tuck him into bed, and stand there for a moment staring at him.

Don’t get your hopes up.

Don’t get your heart twisted in knots.

Those are all logical thoughts.

None of them makes it all the way through to my soul, though.

I lock the door and gently pull it closed behind me before returning to the barn to grab our clothes and lock up. When I return to the kitchen I spot my cell phone on the counter and see I’ve missed a couple of texts from Jax.

Dammit.

He doesn’t say it’s an emergency but he wants me to text him as soon as I read them, so I do.

My phone rings a moment later. “Hey.” He sounds sleepy. “Hold on.” Sounds like he’s getting out of bed and moving to another room so he doesn’t awaken Shawn. “You okay?”

“Yeah, sorry. Introduced Mal to the fun room, then we took a long night run.”

“Ah.”

“And no, I didn’t fuck him. But he is already on the way toward smelling more like me because he swallowed a couple of loads.”

Jax chuckles. “You have pretty good self-control.”