Today she was dressed in a green, flowing dress. The bodice cut just low enough to expose the upper curve of her breasts. He was certain one sharp tug would reveal her red nipples. A picture of her, nursing his baby flashed through his mind. No, make that two babies. Something inside him told him they’d have twins, just like his brothers. Lord, help him. His bear sighed with contentment. It was time to mate. And this woman was his mate. His true mate.
“Tell me about yourself.” Paige stiffened at his question and he frowned. Why that reaction to such an innocuous question?
“There’s not much to tell.”
“So tell me.”
She sighed. “I received my engineering degree from a state university.”
“What state?”
She paused, then said, “Utah.”
“Go on.” He didn’t like the vibes she was giving off. Neither did his bear. Something in the past had happened to upset her. Protect.
She plucked at an imaginary thread from her dress. “My parents died when I was ten.”
“Oh, baby, I’m sorry. Who raised you?” An orphaned bear cub would have been taken in by someone else in the clan and loved like one of their own. He knew humans were sometimes not so kind.
“An elderly aunt. She passed away before I finished college.”
“No other relatives?”
She shook her head slightly. “No, I was the only child of two only children.”
He could tell she wasn’t comfortable discussing her past. He wasn’t so sure if he’d lost his family and was alone in the world if he’d want to talk about it either. But she didn’t have to worry about that anymore. Before long she’d be part of the Blackwood family.
He loved to listen to her talk. He couldn’t do it very long because that deep, sexy voice rolled over him, affecting him from head to toe and everything in-between. It engorged his cock every time. Like now.
“I guess you know all about my family.” He reached for the food, hoping to take the edge off the heat surging through his body when he thought about mating with her and making her a part of the clan.
She smiled, heating up his blood even more. “I probably know more than you want me to.”
He huffed. “Yeah, I can imagine what stories Deb has told on me and my brothers. Just remember she was the big sister and spurred us on. She loved it when we got into trouble and she didn’t.” He put the containers of food she’d brought on the blanket between them. “I wish you had let me take you out.”
She folded her legs beneath her body, hiding those scrumptious legs from his view. “It was nothing.” Paige wasn’t about to tell him she’d taken time off this morning to prepare their lunch. Or how super excited she was to spend more time with him. A man who had the power to drive her over-the-moon crazy with desire. She wanted him as she’d never wanted another man. A tenderness swamped her making her think of matings, weddings, and babies. How, oh how, could she be falling in love with this man? A man she had no future with.
She helped him set out the dishes she’d prepared. Besides grilled salmon, she’d also made wild rice and asparagus. Not her favorite vegetable, but several of the recipe sites she’d visited when planning their lunch had suggested it. Also, she’d found a super easy honey cake that she hoped he liked. It made her happy thinking of feeding her bear some honey. That thought had her pussy throbbing in anticipation. He’d hinted more than once he wanted to taste her. Did he like oral sex? She’d always wanted to try it, or more precisely, have someone try it on her. Well, she wouldn’t mind finding out what Quinn tasted like either. She shifted her position on the blanket, bringing her legs together and hoping he couldn’t tell how aroused she was.
They made their way quickly through the food. Quinn was delighted she hadn’t skimped on her portions. Some of the women he’d dated had never eaten in front of him. Women were too concerned with body image. When a man, human or shifter, found the one he was meant to be with, shape, size, color—nothing mattered because that woman was his. He never wanted Paige’s curves to go away. Again, the thought of her belly growing large with his cubs burned through him. Was the mating call always this strong? And how the hell was he going to get through the courting part? The part where he waited until she was ready to claim him as her mate?
While he’d been fantasizing about making babies with her, she’d finished her food and stored their dishes in the tote. Her hair was blowing gently in the wind, the long strands moving about her face. God, she was so beautiful. She handed him a fork and another plastic container. By rote, he opened it and took a bite of what was inside.