Page 8 of Gavin

She nodded. “I think so.” She twisted her head around to look over her shoulder. He had settled her on the wooden railing that extended around a deck. It was a long way down to the ground.

“I won’t let you fall, Baby girl. Never.”

She shivered. She trusted him, but she was still nervous.

He must have sensed that because he scooped her off the barrier and moved to sit on a porch swing, keeping her on his lap. He held her hands with one of his large ones.

She looked down at their connection against her thighs. His hand was so big that it swallowed hers entirely. “When you touch me…”

“Yeah. I know. But I’m not going to stop touching you. I can’t imagine when I’ll stop touching you for any reason.”

She couldn’t imagine it either, if she was honest. His touch scared the bejesus out of her, but at the same time, she never wanted it to end.

He gave her hands a squeeze. “There are a lot of customs we live by up in the mountains that are nothing like the ones you’re aware of in the valley.”

“Like the fact that you’re going to cook? Surely you were kidding.”

He chuckled.

She loved that sound so much, and she liked the way her entire body shook on his lap as he laughed.

“I’m not kidding. Not only will I cook, but I will also take pleasure in feeding you.”

She frowned. “Feeding me?”

“Yep. Sometimes I will feed you from my plate or your own. Other times I will give you a bottle.”

She gasped. “A bottle?”

“You already had one while you were still sleeping. I didn’t want you to wake up starving.”

“I sucked from a bottle?” This was hard to believe. How could she have slept through something like that?

“The potion I gave you really knocked you out, Baby girl. You slept for hours.” He lifted her hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles. He did that a lot, as if he couldn’t stop himself.

She liked it.

“The biggest thing no one could have explained to you is how strong the bond is between Alpha Protectors and their mates. It’s intense. You’re already aware. This sensation is going to continue to grow. It’s nature’s way of pressuring us to consummate our mating.”

She shuddered. “Consummate. You mean have sex.”

“Yes. I will never rush you, Molly. We will have sex when you’re ready. I don’t care how long it takes. I want you to be comfortable. But I will warn you that it will be hard to ignore. We will both be restless until we cross that line. After I’ve been inside you, your body will begin the process of preparing for your first shift.”

“That’s the same in the valley,” she pointed out.

“Yes. The logistics are the same. The strong unwavering urge is not.”

That made sense.

“No one will bother us for several weeks unless there’s a particular concern among the Alphas. It’s customary to give newly mated couples time alone. And trust me, we’ll be grateful for every moment of that time.”

For some odd reason, she understood. If he were to set her down and walk away right now, she would feel the loss deeply.

A noise somewhere in the mountains made her sit up taller and look around.

“What’s wrong, Little one?”

“Nothing. I just heard a noise. It’s so loud out here. Not like in the valley.”