Chapter 11 #2
Not like I had one back in New Orleans either. This place felt more like home than anywhere else. Here, in Garrak’s arms.
Who are you kidding? You’d rather stay here with him as long as he’ll have you, even if you’ll end up bored.
That was the truth. I loved him, and I wanted to be with him…even if I didn’t feel like I had a real place here on Eastshore other than as Garrak’s pretty little human.
Besides, if I was his Mate, Garrak wouldn’t let me leave, would he?
When I sighed, Garrak’s arms tightened around me.
“I can hear you thinking, dkaar.”
I wriggled around so I was facing Garrak, our noses almost touching on the pillow.
“Do you really mean that? Am I your dkaar?”
There was a flash of green in his dark eyes, unusual this early in the morning. “I do not lie.”
Teasingly, I popped a kiss on his nose. “Good boy.”
And he chuckled.
But that hadn’t been what I’d really wanted to know. I took a deep breath and held it, more nervous than I’d expected. “And am I your Mate?”
His gaze flicked across my features, and I think I might’ve felt it, even with my eyes shut. “Do you want to be my Mate?” he finally murmured.
There is a knowing.
Is this connection why I could read him so well? Why my heart beat in time with his?
“You don’t belong in my world, in New Orleans,” I admitted.
“You could belong here.” He slowly pulled me closer. “Build a life here with me on Eastshore Isle. We could get a bigger place or build one of the houses going up in Sylvik’s neighborhood if you wanted more land. Or—”
“I’d be happy where you are, Garrak.” My smile twisted. “I’m just…not used to sitting around doing nothing.”
“You do plenty!”
“You take care of me. You’ve even said that you think it’s strange not to have to get up to go to work.” I kissed his nose again, sort of a consolation prize. “Eventually we would need more money.”
“I’m not planning on quitting the poker circuit anytime soon, and you’re the only human who knows my tells.”
That was true. He could probably make enough to keep us and his community center going indefinitely. It’s just…
I stifled my sigh. How could I explain that while I was grateful for the way he took care of me, I also wanted to contribute? I needed to be useful. I needed to take care of him too.
“I have something for you.” Garrak suddenly pushed the blankets out of the way and sat up.
His erection was more or less waving to me, and I resisted the urge to wave back. “Is it that?”
“Maybe, little human. Go start the coffee, I’m going to take a shower.”
I followed him from the room, loving how open he was with his body. “No run today?”
His wince was obvious. “I walked too much last night. My leg is aching.”
Immediately, my chest clenched. “Go take a hot shower, I’ll have my actually this doesn’t completely suck omelet waiting for you, then I’ll rub your leg for you.”
Garrak’s chuckle followed him into the bathroom. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”
I was smiling again as I cooked. Maybe I wasn’t the world’s best chef, but I was doing something useful, taking care of him in some small way, and that made me feel good. Still, when I tried to get him to eat at the couch so I could massage his thigh, he brushed me off.
“It’s my job to take care of you, sweetheart,” he announced, settling himself at the table. “It’s bad enough I’m making you cook for me…”
Damn.
“I like helping, Garrak,” I told him in a quiet voice.
He merely shrugged, vigorously attacking his omelet. “But you don’t have to.”
Was I his Mate?
How would I know?
He hasn’t claimed you yet. Brakkor said his scent wasn’t on you.
So what did that mean when it came to what our future was going to look like?
He didn’t belong in my world, and I…I would be safe in his world, but did that mean I’d be happy?
You love him.
Yeah. Yeah, I did love him.
“I have gifts for you.”
My gaze jerked up at his announcement. His tone and his gaze were almost…wary? So I smiled encouragingly.
“You’ve already done a lot for me, Garrak.”
“I owed you. I was the one who declared you’d be staying on Eastshore Isle.” He nodded to the t-shirt I’d picked out yesterday, which I was wearing with my new-to-me jeans. “And you need more stuff.”
More…stuff? My brows rose.
We both hurried to finish breakfast, then he went into the living room and pulled out a bunch of bags from behind the couch, setting them one by one on the coffee table.
My eyes got bigger with each one as I recognized the names of the stores on the sides of the bags, and I slowly inched toward them, hardly believing this was happening.
“You went…shopping for me?” I breathed.
“And I’ll return anything you don’t like or don’t want.” He shrugged modestly as he stepped up to me. “I had a lot to think about last night, and I found myself on the mainland.”
Dimly, I remembered what he’d said about the ferry’s last run, and I wondered how he’d gotten there and back after dark, but I was too focused on the hope I saw in his eyes. He’d done this for me. Because he wanted me to be happy.
So I smiled and reached up to cup his cheek. “What were you thinking about, Garrak?”
His hands settled on my hips, pulling me flush against him. His cock pressed against my stomach, but it wasn’t as hard as it had been this morning. “You,” he admitted. “And how much I wanted to see you in some of these clothes.”
Well, I knew what was expected of me. When a male splurges on a shopping spree, he expects to see his female in the clothing. Laughing, I spun away from him and snagged the bags. “Go sit down, I’ll be right out.”
In the bathroom, I took the time to fluff my hair and apply some makeup, wanting to make this A Thing. Then I began to pull out the outfits.
The first set of jeans fit me almost as well as mine did, and I was impressed Garrak had eyeballed me so well. There was also a collection of plain t-shirts, and I liked that he got my style.
With a grand flourish, I opened the bathroom door to find him sitting on the couch, his legs stretched out in front of him, one arm over the back, grinning in anticipation.
Pretending a catwalk stretched between us, I pranced down, spun, and strutted back toward the door, maintaining a serious expression while narrating.
“And up next is Stevie in stone-washed jeans and a teal t-shirt, carefully chosen to coordinate with her hair, which is going to need a touch-up on the color in a few days, because those roots are beginning to show. You’ll notice she’s chosen to coordinate with infinitely sexy bare feet in need of a pedicure. ”
Garrak, playing his role, politely applauded as he chuckled, and as I retreated into the bathroom, he called out, “I like your bare feet.”
The next outfit was yoga pants and a tank top which was frankly cut a little too low in the front. And the back. And under both arms. Maybe that was why he sat forward, settling his elbows on his knees, a gleam of something wicked in his eyes.
The next one was a dress—a really cute little dress—in shades of purple with a muted design that came to my knees and had sweet little cap sleeves. I couldn’t imagine in what context I would wear something like this, but I felt pretty, and as I did a little spin in front of him, Garrak whistled.
Laughing, I waved away his compliment. “What in the world would I do with something like this?”
“Look stunning when I take you out for dinner tonight,” he promptly replied. “Just wait until you see the next one.”
Eager despite the voice in my head telling me I didn’t need any of this stuff, I hurried back to change again.
I gasped when I pulled the gown out of the bag.
I mean, maybe it wasn’t a gown, but it had sparkles and it was almost floor length, and it looked like a gown.
It was ivory with blue beading, and it was just a little too tight across the boobs for me.
I peeked out of the bathroom. “Garrak, I do not need a ball gown.”
“Maybe not.” He grinned, his hands unclasping as he straightened. “You need new undies and a bra, and those are in there too. But I saw that, and it reminded me of your eyes when you smile, and I wanted to see you in it.”
Oh.
Well, I couldn’t deny him that, could I? How fucking sweet was he?
I’m not one of those girls who knows how to walk in a ballgown, okay? I mean, I was barefoot! So I did my best to gather the sparkly skirt and take small steps as I made my way out to the living room.
Garrak slowly stood, his eyes gleaming. “You look beautiful, sweetheart.” His gaze flicked up to mine. “I mean, you always look beautiful, but…damn.”
What girl doesn’t want to render her lover wordless, right?
“You like it?” I asked shyly, giving a little spin, trying not to trip. “I don’t know where I would wear it.”
“I don’t either, but even if you only wear it for me, I’ll think I’m the luckiest fucking male on the island.”
Awww.
His eyes suddenly grew greener as his lips twisted. “There’s one more thing in those bags, dkaar. And that one’s for me, not you.”
From the heat in his gaze, I could guess what it was. Liquid heat pooled between my thighs as I went breathless. “Something for me to try on?”
“Go back in there, Stevie, put it on, and you come out here and let me see that sweet ass in it.”
I couldn’t help it; I bent over, gathered my skirts in both hands, yanked them up above my knees, and hurried back to the bathroom. Maybe I was a little breathless, my movements too hurried, as I pulled off the gown and dumped out the last bag.
There was the underwear he’d promised—the plain cotton type, which he knew I preferred, as well as a few fancier pairs. There were also two new bras, and I was impressed he’d not only gone to the same store as where I’d gotten the one I’d brought with me but had grabbed the same size too.
The guy did his research, what can I say?
But I pushed all that aside, because there, sitting on the granite counter, was a fluffy pale blue concoction of silk and sheer lace. With shaking hands, I held up the sexiest little teddy I’d ever seen.
He’d bought that for me.
And he wanted to see me in it.
Grinning, I hurried to shove all of Stevie into a Stevie-minus-one sized piece of lingerie.
I was hanging out all over, and my breath caught as I studied myself in the mirror.
Garrak had picked out the bras and undies for me; he knew my size.
The fact that I was spilling out of this was a deliberate choice, and I had to admit, I did look pretty fucking sexy.
Okay.
I took a deep breath and met my reflection’s gaze in the mirror. Okay. I looked amazing. My guy—my Mate—was sitting out there waiting for me. I wanted him desperately, and it was up to me to make him want me the same.
I wanted his scent on me. I wanted everyone to know he’d claimed me. I wanted to be claimed by him.
I wanted to be his and him to be mine.
So I took my time to pose in the doorway, one arm up. “What do you think?” I asked in what I hoped was a sultry tone.
Garrak was once more lounging on the couch, only he’d unbuttoned his jeans and was leisurely stroking his cock, a sight that simultaneously made my mouth water and my pussy wet.
He hummed. “I think I need to see you up close. Come here, my pretty little plaything, and let me inspect you.”
Oh God, why did that make my stomach flutter the way it did? I loved when he was crude like that, and I think I was probably half in a daze as I stumbled toward him.
“Hmm. Spin around,” he commanded.
I did, hands on my hips, standing between his knees, making sure he could see all angles. “It’s a little small in the chest.”
“I wanted your tits to be on display,” he growled. “I wanted to see what was mine.”
My knees went weak.
And then.
And then he reached out the hand not currently fisting his own cock and cupped my core. I felt his finger slide along my cleft and instinctively tightened my thighs.
Garrak hummed. “You’re wet already?”
Breathless, I peered over my shoulder, loving this dynamic. “Yes sir. All for you.”
“You know what this makes you?”
I moaned, bending slightly so I could thrust my pussy back into his hold. “A dirty little slut?”
A dark chuckle. “My dirty little slut. Come here and ride my cock like a very good girl.”