Chapter 17
Charlotte leaned back against Byron’s chest, enjoying the warm water around them, caressing her body. It had been Byron’s idea to relax in a warm bath. The more she got to know him, the more she loved him. When he’d said that he wasn’t ready for kids either, she’d felt relief run through her.
“May I ask you something?” she asked.
“Anything.”
His arms were wrapped around her, with one hand cradling one of her breasts, while the other lay over her pussy that still pulsed from the aftershocks of her orgasm.
“You said you’re not ready for babies either. Is that true?”
“Of course it’s true,” he replied.
“Why?”
She felt him shrug behind her. “I’m not sure I’d make such a good father. I mean, what if I turn out like my father?”
“Meaning what? Being unfaithful to your mate?”
He shifted behind her and turned her halfway so she had to look at him.
“Never! I’m not like my father in that respect. You’ll never have to worry about that. We’re meant to be together, you and I. You feel that too, don’t you?”
She smiled at him. “I do.”
She knew what he was asking, but neither of them had yet vocalized what they both wanted: a true mating, a union that couldn’t be severed.
Maybe he didn’t want to jinx it by labeling what they knew would happen, or maybe he wanted to make sure that all obstacles—particularly the one in the form of Steve Leon—were removed.
Byron settled back into the tub, and she leaned back against his chest again.
“Good,” he said. “Because a werewolf couple that’s truly meant for each other has no need to look for love or sex anywhere else.”
She slid her hand over his as a sign of agreement.
“So, apart from your father’s infidelity, what makes you think you won’t be a good father yourself?”
“My father was never very affectionate toward any of us. Not even toward Eve, when you’d think he would at least show his affection toward his daughter. What if I’m like that, too? What if I’m incapable of showing my children that I love them?”
Charlotte sighed. “Oh, Byron, just by asking yourself these questions, proves that you care. You will be a wonderful father one day.”
“Do you think so?”
She squeezed his hand. “Yes.”
“Thank you. Can you promise me something?” he asked.
“What is it?”
“You’ll have to let me know when you’re ready for children. I’ll never push you into that. I don’t care what our society expects from women. I want you to be free to choose. And I’ll accept your decision, whatever it may be—as long as you keep loving me.”
He’d just promised that he didn’t expect her to slip into the traditional role every mated werewolf female was expected to play. She loved him even more for that.
She turned her head and turned halfway so she could kiss him.
“Mmm,” he murmured. “I could stay here with you forever.”
“So could I…” But there was something they still had to talk about. “What are we gonna do about Jude?”
“What do you mean?”
“We have to tell him about us.”
“I think we should wait a bit,” Byron said hesitantly.
“Why? Are you not sure about us?” The thought gave her a sharp pinch in her side.
“Of course, I’m sure about us.” He turned her in his arms, pulling her face-to-face. “Don’t ever think that. But it can’t have escaped you that Jude doesn’t like me. In fact, he can’t stand me. And to be honest, I don’t like him much either.”
She met his gaze, contemplating his words for a moment, not sure how to respond.
“If it were just up to me, I’d mate with you right now,” Byron stated.
“You would?”
He pulled her closer. “Babe, I would do it in a heartbeat. But Jude will make our lives hell if we mate behind his back.”
“Well, then we have to tell him now, before he finds out about us some other way. Trust me, I can handle my brother. He’ll be angry for a little while, but he won’t stand in my way. He mated for love. He can’t deny me the very thing he took for himself.”
“It’ll be a hard nut to swallow. He’ll try to turn you against me. Tell you things that make you feel differently about me.” A frown built on his forehead.
She put a palm on his cheek and her other hand on his nape.
“I’ll never feel different about you,” she promised.
“You say that now, and you mean it, but you can’t know that…
” He sighed. “Jude and I have butted heads more than once. I challenged him to a fight when I found out that he’d mated with Danielle and had snubbed Eve.
There’s been bad blood between us. He won’t forget that.
I’m on his shit list. And frankly, he’s on mine too.
He accused me of being behind the attempt on Danielle’s life right after they’d mated, when it turned out later that it was Cameron who’d planned all this before his death. I’m still waiting for that apology.”
She pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “I’m sorry, baby. He can be infuriating sometimes. But deep down, he’s a good man. He’s honest, and he’s just. And he loves me. In the end, he’ll give in, because he wants me to be happy. And I’ll only be happy with you.”
“Give me a couple of days to work up enough courage to confront him,” Byron suggested.
She chuckled. “Courage? Byron, you have all the courage you’ll ever need. It takes a lot of courage to challenge an alpha to a fight—”
“A fight I didn’t win,” he interrupted.
“Because it wasn’t really your fight. It was Eve’s.” She pressed her hand over his heart. “This is your fight, your love, your heart. That’s why you’ll win.”
“We will win,” he corrected her.
“Yes,” she murmured, before Byron pressed his lips to hers and kissed her.
He shifted in the tub, pulling her fully on top of him. She heard water sloshing out of the tub onto the tile floor, but it didn’t matter. All she wanted right now was to be in his arms, to feel his love and tenderness, and to know that they had a future together.
“Take your fucking paws off my sister!”