Page 20 of Elias
She shook her head. This banter was fun. Would it last, or was it a phase of their bonding?
“Do you like spaghetti?”
Her stomach growled. She realized she was starving, and he was right, they should eat. If they started acting on theirinstincts, they would end up skipping eating altogether. “Yes. Do you put mushrooms in yours?”
He cocked his head to one side and looked at her. “Noooo… Should I?”
She scrunched up her face. “No. They’re gross.”
He laughed so hard her body shook on his lap. It felt good. It felt real. For the first time since she’d arrived, she felt like things might work out. She might be happy here. It was still a barbaric practice, but she was growing to understand that it wasn’t a tradition they could challenge. It was innate. Even if no one told them how to behave and what to expect, she was beginning to understand that they would follow every bit of this prescribed path the same because they wouldn’t be able to stop it.
None of this was Elias’s fault or his doing. He didn’t come down into the valley like a caveman and drag her up to his lair because he had a lack of respect for her as an individual. He did so because he couldn’t not. This claiming was inevitable and unavoidable.
It felt…right, and Leah decided to lose the attitude and enjoy getting to know her mate instead of arguing with him defensively at every turn. The end result would be the same—they would be a bonded couple unable to keep their hands to themselves for Heaven only knew how long. She was afraid to ask how long this frenzy would last.
Elias kept her in his arms as he rose to his feet, and he carried her cradled against him into the house.
She wondered if he would let her help cook after he’d said he would be doing all the cooking. That baffled her. In her home, her mother did most of the cooking. It was hard to picture Elias working hard in the kitchen while she…did what?
Her breath hitched when he headed directly for a piece of furniture she had not yet noticed. It was undeniably a highchair—the kind babies used but big enough for her.
Elias gently sat her in the seat and pulled a strap around her waist.
She held her breath, trying not to react to his dominance. When he cinched the strap tighter, she gasped. Something inside her tingled.Everythinginside her tingled. Why?
He slid a tray on and snapped it into place before lifting her chin. He was smiling. “You liked the restraint.”
Her cheeks heated. Darn his super senses.
He leaned forward and nuzzled her nose with his, moaning. Or growling. It was a combination. It made her think he was struggling to restrain himself with her.
Good. She was struggling, too. Except now she was secured to a chair. A highchair.
He leaned back a few inches. “If you weren’t wearing that long dress, I would bring another strap up between your legs. In the future, I will do so. When I secure you to this highchair or any other piece of furniture, I expect you to leave the buckles alone. Understood?”
“Yes, Sir,” she whispered, goosebumps rising on her skin. “But why do I need to be buckled in? I’m not going to fall.”
He grinned again. “I will restrain you for your safety sometimes, Little one. Other times, like now, I will do so because it heightens your submission. As soon as the fastener snapped into place, your heart rate picked up. I know you’re fighting against the norms because they’re foreign to you, Little firecracker, but the sooner you let yourself follow your gut, the sooner you will be able to fully enjoy the rewards that come from being mated to an Alpha Protector.”
“The rewards?” she whispered. She immediately wished she hadn’t posed that as a question because she didn’t think she was prepared to hear the answer.
“Yes, Baby girl. It turns me on when you submit to me. It makes me want to strip this dress off you and show you whatrewards I’m referring to.” He stared into her eyes, holding her gaze for long seconds.
Her mouth fell open, but she couldn’t find words.
When he released her and turned around, she felt his absence so deeply that she almost cried out for him to come back. It wasn’t as though he left the room. He only took a few strides toward the counter, where he opened a drawer and pulled out several items.
Elias returned to her and set a coloring book and colored pencils on her tray. “I don’t have paint or canvases yet, but do you think you can color me a picture while I cook, Little one?”
She almost cried. Her fingers trembled as she reached for the box of pencils. Her picture wasn’t going to be pretty because she was shaking horribly, but his thoughtfulness made her heart happy. “Thank you,” she managed to whisper without crying.
“You’re welcome, Leah.” He lifted her chin again. “Remember, I will slowly introduce you to things you are unfamiliar with, but know that I’m always thinking of your health, your safety, and your happiness.”
“Yes, Sir,” she murmured. She watched him head for the refrigerator a few yards away and decided even though this scenario was rather unconventional in her mind, she’d much rather be coloring than cooking. Maybe she was a lucky girl, even if she did have to do so while strapped in a highchair.
While she pulled out a red pencil, she thought about that strap he’d told her was left hanging between her legs. She couldn’t keep her mind from wandering to what it would feel like to have that strap stretching up over her panties between her legs. Would he tighten it so that it rubbed against parts of her she’d been nearly unaware of before today?
Elias spun around from where he’d been setting ingredients on the counter and gave her a funny look. He cocked his head toone side, inhaled deeply, and fisted his hands against his sides. “What were you just thinking about, Leah?”