Emma nodded her head, not trusting her voice at the moment. She didn’t want to hear Dalton say this was a one-time thing, or he didn’t see a future with her.
“My bear claimed you, and then McKenna, at first sight. The bear claimed you the day you introduced me to the little girl I hoped would be my daughter someday. But you had me way before that, the trust you showed for me from the start blew my mind. I knew you had reservations, but you fought your human nature and allowed me to be a part of that moment and I’ll be forever grateful. I knew pretty early you were my mate. The day we all shifted, I knew for sure; my bear isn’t docile, but you made him act like a puppy at your feet. Do you understand what it means for one of our kind to take a mate, baby?”
Emma wasn’t completely sure. She knew that Jacks and Ryleigh had said they were mates, but she didn’t understand exactly what that meant, so she answered as honestly as possible.
“Ryleigh and I talked about it a bit, and I assume it’s like a marriage?”
“Yeah, honey, it’s so much more. For me, up until I met you, it was only a fairy tale told by old men thinking of a different time. You already know we’re different because of our bears, but what you don’t know is that for a true mating to happen, both the man and bear have to claim the woman. Most shifter men only experience a partial mating, with the man choosing a woman. It’s said when there were female shifters, both the bear and the man would bond and claim the woman, creating a true mating. In that mating, the deep bond is for life. Emma, you need to understand there would never be the possibility of divorce for a true mated pair. The bond is so complete, it’s even said that the couples of old could communicate telepathically. I don’t know if I believe that, but that’s what we were told.”
That sounded far-fetched to Emma, the whole telepathy thing was beyond her comprehension. But if he was talking about her being his mate, she felt like she wanted to jump for joy and do fist pumps in the air. She decided to hear him out, wanting to hear the rest; she loved hearing Dalton talk, the deep timber of his voice did something to her soul.
Turning her head to the side, Emma rubbed her cheek against Dalton’s soft shirt. She wished they were naked, so she could feel his warm skin against her own, but it seemed he had other ideas. She felt connected to Dalton in a way she’d never experienced with another human being. If all this mating stuff was on the up and up, she was in one hundred percent. She longed for a lifetime with him, more children, more memories, and more happy moments. She wanted a family with him. Snuggling closer, Emma wanted him to continue talking, so this moment wouldn’t end. Running her fingers over the soft fabric, feeling the vibrations, his voice made in his chest, wanting nothing more than to kiss and lick every inch, realizing he was right, it was better to know some of what to expect than constantly question everything like she’d been doing. She realized she loved him, and even though he hadn’t said the words, she was thought he loved her, too.
“Our bears are constantly looking for their other half, making them irritable and uncontrollable. Even if our human side is content, our animal will push for more, there will always be a feeling of unrest within us until both the man and bear find their true mate. As a result, the majority of marriages between shifters and humans don’t stand the test of time, shit honey, most of them don’t make it past lust. The majority of us have accepted that being single is for the best, not wanting to go through what our fathers or grandfathers went through. I myself felt that way until I met you.”
“You feel that I’m your mate?” She asked, her voice thick with emotions. Emma lifted her head and stopped playing as soon as he said those words. Her stomach flipped, had she heard the words she had so longed to hear? A confirmation of her deepest desire fulfilled? She was his mate and he was hers.
“Yes, I know it's soon, and I want you to have all the time you need to come to terms with this. Emma, you are my true mate, and I want you to be my wife.”
Emma was stunned. She was expecting some kissing, maybe even sex, she never thought Dalton would put himself on a silver platter. It felt right. She’d been feeling the same way since the beginning, attached and connected like two souls living as one. For normal people, all this might seem farfetched, but for Emma and Dalton it was right. This man was everything she could ever want or hope for. She was about to say “Hell Yes!” when he stopped her with a finger against her mouth, effectively shushing her response.
“Baby, I need to say everything.”
Emma couldn’t let him have his way this time. Playfully snapping her teeth at his finger, Dalton moved it away.
“Dalton, you are sending me all kinds of mixed signals. A million thoughts and questions are running through my mind. Does he want me? Does he think I can be what he needs? I mean, here I’m thinking my luck might have changed; you said I was your true mate and want me to be your wife. I want the same with my whole heart, but then you stop me from answering you. I understand your concerns, and I’m grateful you voiced them, but I’m dying here! I want you with every part of me.
“If you want to take it slow and see what happens, then jump my bones and let’s go from there. We’ve only shared a couple of kisses, I want more. I want it all! Part of the excitement is in discovering what makes us tick and building on our relationship from there. We’ve both said we love each other, and we both want the same things. I don’t understand what you want or expect from me.”
The man actually had the nerve to start laughing again. Emma went to full on pout, lip out and arms crossed. Dalton was infuriating, she was trying to be serious, and he was laughing.
“I know baby,” Dalton said, kissing her, “and I’m sorry I’ve totally fucked this up. Let me make it simple; I want you for my mate, and Kenna for my daughter. I want us to live happily ever after like in the stories I was told as a boy. I also want to jump your bones, hear your screams of pleasure, and push your limits. But baby, there will be no jumping of bones tonight, Mia hasn’t cleared you yet. You're still healing from having Kenna and everything else you went through. I’ll never risk your health or well-being, baby. Tonight, is about starting something new and moving toward the future. We have the rest of our lives to fuck like bunnies.” Dalton tried tickling her again, but Emma seemed to be too deep in thought to respond as he’d hoped.
“You're right, I guess, I’m the type of guy who likes to lay all his cards out of the table. I thought you would get upset when I mentioned the BDSM stuff earlier, and then I thought the whole mating thing would push you out the door. You need to know I want nothing more than to sink into your luscious body right now, and I’ll do that, very soon. But tonight, and until Mia says you are good to go, you’re only going to get cuddles,” Dalton said tickling her ribs.
To say Emma was disappointed was putting it mildly. She loved how it felt to be in Dalton’s arms, she wanted to feel more. She longed for a deeper, more intimate connection, but if she really thought about it, wasn’t he doing that? He was worried about her and wanted her to understand everything going on in his mind. What he planned for the future; it was all very sweet and loving. Baby steps, Emma thought to herself, at least until Mia got there and cleared her for more.
“After I jump your bones,” he laughed, “as you so delicately put it, I think we should get one of your favorite novels and play out some of the scenes you particularly enjoy; you seem to have some pretty spicy tastes in reading material.” Then he started tickling her again until she almost peed her pants, teasing her out of the snit she was trying so hard to maintain.
Dalton knew it was time to take care of his mate; he’d laid quite a bit on her and it pretty cold outside. He also knew they needed to check on Kenna. The little angel had been sleeping through the night since birth, and even though they had the monitor with them, he wanted to see that baby with his own eyes to be sure. He debated for a bit his decision to go inside, loving the moment, but knew it was the right thing to do.
“Come on, honey, lets head off to bed.”
/> Emma nodded her agreement, she needed time to absorb everything he’d said. Walking next to him into the lodge, Emma remained quiet. It all sounded so good, almost too good to be true. Could she honestly have it all? Everything she wished and hoped for? She sure hoped so. she was deep in thought, weighing everything Dalton had said, so much so they made it to her room before she knew it.
Not realizing that she’d been biting her lip, she was startled when Dalton turned her so that her back was to the door, running his finger down her cheek, pulling her lip out from between her teeth. Emma swiped her tongue across her lip, needing to relieve the little sting from biting it. Dalton growled deep in his chest, leaned forward, tangling his hands in her hair, pulling her forward, and kissed her.
Not one of the little pecks he’d been giving her all along, but a full-on, tongue in mouth kiss It was deep, wet, and aggressive, not to mention simply unbelievable. He pulled back looking deeply into her and eyes.
“Baby, I don’t want to leave you tonight, I want to hold you until we have to get up and face tomorrow.”
Emma was so taken aback she didn’t talk right away. he was the one that said they needed to wait, now he was asking to spend the night with her. Dalton stepped back taking her confusion as denial.
“I would love that Dalton,” She spoke up before he could back out. He kissed her again, not as deep or as urgent, but as sweet; Emma was in heaven. When she was starting to get her nerve up to push a little further, he backed up.
“Okay, I’m going to go get changed. You check on Kenna and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Damn, talk about an opportunity missed, but there was still hope, after all he was coming back to sleep with her in the same bed, right? Emma kind of hoped sleep wasn’t the only thing he had. It sucked, but Dalton was a man of his word and she knew without Mia’s clearance, he wouldn’t go beyond what they had already done. Emma didn’t plan on making it easy on him. She felt ready her body, felt ready it now if she could get Dalton to believe it. She would also have to see about getting Kenna her own room. Having a baby in the same room and trying to get it on was definitely a bucket of ice water. Kenna always slept like a log, but it was still kind of creepy. For right now, Emma moved the changing screen in front of her daughter’s crib. She was still there, but there wasn’t any chance of the baby seeing anything.
Chapter 39
After Emma checked on Kenna, changing her diaper quickly so the little one didn’t wake up, she went to get ready for bed. After digging through the drawer, Emma realized she had nothing that was the least bit sexy. Shit, even if this had happened before she was taken, she didn’t own anything sexy; it was never in her budget and she never felt sexy, anyway. Her single sexual experience had been less than motivating, lasting all of 30 seconds. Emma never even thought about it again after the deed was done. She couldn’t figure out what all the hype was about, but that man, no he was no more than a boy, had never made her feel the way Dalton could by just walking into a room.
Now, she was standing in a room which had started to feel like home. Not to mention, she was about to spend the night with the most gorgeous and generous man she’d ever met. The man she loved with all her heart. Her choices of enticing attire were a flannel nightgown, sleep pants and a t-shirt, or a nursing nightgown. You go girl! was all Emma could think. At least Ryleigh had thought to get her some cute underwear.
Maybe she was putting too much thought into this. Shaking her head, admonishing herself, Emma grabbed a cute lavender tank and boy shorts that matched, it was the best she could do. She vowed to do some online shopping and soon. Maybe he wouldn’t care. Dalton had already seen her naked several times, but not under the best of circumstances. he’d seen her at her worst and the vision hadn’t turned him off, so maybe seeing her look a little sexy would help things along.
Looking in the mirror on the dresser, all Emma could see were her flaws. Damn, she was starting to panic, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. What did she honestly have to offer a man like Dalton? He could have any women he wanted why did he want her? Just when her panic was about to meet nuclear levels, Dalton walked into the room smiling. That smile could break a thousand hearts. He was wearing workout shorts and a t-shirt. His feet were bare and the ends of his hair looked a little damp like he’d taken a quick shower. Even though he was smiling, she noticed he was as nervous as she was. His hands were fisted at his sides, and he was a bit out of breath. Dalton worked out all the time and never once had she seen him out of breath before.
Deciding to go for it, Emma walked right up to him kissed him, lightly licking his lips to gain access to the depths of his mouth when he went a bit rigid. After a couple of minutes, she pulled back kissing him lightly.
“I’ll be right back.” If he replied to her, she had no idea because all she could hear was the beat of her heart in her ears.
Once safely behind the closed bathroom door, Emma washed her face and brushed her teeth, got changed, and then stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was going to do this, sleep with the man she’d begun to love more than life itself. Not feeling as panicked anymore, Emma was more than a little excited. She wanted this. Taking a deep breath and straightening her shoulders, Emma walked out into the bedroom to the best sight in the world; Dalton McKenna Hayes was in her bed waiting for her.
As she got in the bed, Emma leaned close, initiating a kiss which quickly turned hot and heavy. All she wanted to do was rip his clothes off and ride him.
Fuck, Dalton wanted to take it slow, showing her all the pleasure he could give her. He would spend hours lavishing her body with his mouth and hands, making her cum multiple times, giving her the ultimate pleasure. He was desperate to feel himself inside of her, craved that sticky wet kiss on the head of his cock, but he needed to put a stop to this, even if it killed him.
“Baby, we can’t,” he said, gritting his teeth, gently pushing her away.
Moaning her displeasure, Emma was going to agree with him when Kenna let out the loudest scream she’d ever heard. Not only was her baby screaming, she was making a high-pitched squeal Emma had never heard before. Kenna was never fussy. Both Emma and Dalton jumped out of the bed going to their little girl. When Emma went to reach for her, started to panic when she felt how warm her daughter was.
“Dalton, I think she has a fever, what do I do?”
Chapter 40
Dalton was at a loss. Emma was in a panic thinking Kenna was sick. Before he could think any better of it, he ran out of the room and down the hall straight to Jacks and Ryleigh’s door, beating on the infernal thing until Jack answered looking disheveled and shirtless.
“Man, this better be fucking important, I just got Ryleigh to go to sleep.” Jacks said angrily.
“Kenna is sick.” Dalton blurted out. The big man jumped into action, practically dragging Ryleigh out of the bed before he realized she was naked. Dalton turned his back quickly at Jacks growl, needing Ryleigh’s help, but not needing to get mauled. He heard Ryleigh talking in that sleepy state you have when you first wake up, not making much sense. After what seemed to be forever, but in reality, was only minutes, Ryleigh touched his arm.
“Shit, Rye, I don’t know. Kenna woke up screaming, making that squealing noise distressed baby bears make in the wild. I don’t fucking know what to do, Rye. She’s really warm and her cheeks are red. Emma’s with her, but we don’t know what to do or what’s causing it.” Dalton had never felt so useless in his entire life.
“Okay, let me go get the medical bag, and Jacks and I will meet you back in the room.”
Dalton barely answered, rushing back to his mate and child. He could hear Kenna’s screams, and it was tearing his heart apart. When he walked into the room, Emma didn’t look any better than he felt. She was bouncing Kenna in her arms, trying to calm the child, but Kenna was inconsolable. Ryleigh came in the room and calmly took Kenna’s temperature. Jacks and Dalton paced back and forth in the room, thinking the worst. After she’d checked t
he baby’s ears, she then checked her mouth. What the hell why did she need to check her mouth? Dalton needed to get a book or something on babies. Kenna had been so good since she was born, he hadn’t thought he needed one. He thought he could handle anything that came up; he was obviously wrong. His Amazon account would get a work out as soon as possible.
“Rub this on her gums four times a day.” Ryleigh pulled out a white tube and handed it to Emma. Then she handed her some pinkish liquid in a bottle and said, “Give her this every four hours with this plunger, 5 millimeters.”
Dalton wanted to hurt something; his little girl needed medicine, and he hadn’t even known it. Fuck, he and Emma needed to figure all this crap out, but first he needed to see what Ryleigh was giving her.
“Give me that stuff,” Dalton grumbled, trying to snatch it from Emma’s hands.
“Wait,” Emma said pulling the medicine back. “Ryleigh what’s wrong with her?”
“Nothing, she’s teething. The gel is to make numb her gums, and the baby acetaminophen will help her fever. She’s going to be fine, she’s cutting a tooth. Nothing out of the ordinary, but you guys are going to have a rough night.” Ryleigh said walking out of the door, grabbing Jacks along the way. The big guy acted like he didn’t want to go but reluctantly followed.
Emma cried right along with Kenna, Dalton held them both. Damn how many teeth did babies have? Once they got Kenna medicated and laid down, Dalton and Emma crawled back into bed.
“Dalton, damn we absolutely need to get some books or something, that was the scariest thing. I hate that I didn’t know what to do for her! Thank God for Ryleigh.”
“Yeah, honey, I couldn’t agree more.” They talked a bit more, but Emma was getting tired and they needed to get as much sleep as they could. Dalton set his phone alarm for four hours so they could check on Kenna and they cuddled down.
NAC & The Holly Group - Box set: Alpha Team Page 53