“Well, it seems like your Lucy might have a few mating misconceptions. Something about puppies.”
Scott chuckled. “We’ve already had that discussion.”
Chris shrugged. “You know females. It doesn’t matter which breed, once they get something in their heads, it takes work to change it.”
“Damn. I hope Mona set her straight.”
“She did, but I foresee many long discussions about werewolf pups before she gives you a chance to have another one. And you definitely should—you and Lucy will have pretty pups—once she’s absolutely certain she won’t be having a litter.”
Scott groaned and it must have been louder than he intended because it caught Lucy’s attention. She left the party for a moment and, with her expression so playful, Scott wasn’t surprised when she settled in his lap, plucked his beer from his hand and took a drink.
“Enjoying your first pack party, Lucy?” Chris asked dryly.
“Are you enjoying your first Jamieson party, Alpha?” she replied. “We used to have evenings like this all the time when my grandmother was alive. We’re going to be better about having them now. With all these kids, they need to know each other.”
He’d loved Lucy from nearly their first meeting, and every time she spoke of family and her affection for them, her words cemented his love. The instant approval from the alpha also added a layer of pride for Scott.
“I am very much enjoying my first Jamieson party,” Chris said, raising his beer in salute. “Here’s to many more collaborative pack-and-Jamieson parties in the future. I have a feeling they’ll be good for everyone.”
Lucy reached across and tapped her commandeered bottle neck to Chris’s. “I like how you think.”
They each took a drink and Scott smiled when Lucy offered him his beer. He took a sip and settled her deeper into his lap.
“Looks like my mate could use a hand,” Chris said and sauntered out to where pups and kids alike surrounded Mona.
Scott, more relaxed than he’d ever been, snuggled Lucy. He’d been close enough to see and occasionally touch her all evening, but this was the first they’d been able to have at least a semi-private moment.
“If I promise on the lives of my kids that you will never have a puppy, do you think we might finish this day with me making love to you?”
She laughed and turned away from where she’d been watching the kids as well. “Did Mona tell you I asked about it?”
“Chris did,” he admitted. “And really, I promise—no puppies. Not now, not ever. They don’t mature enough to shift until they’re well into their teens.”
She sighed and settled back in his arms. “I believe you, but you know? I think we should wait a while for any pup- or baby-thoughts.”
“You’re going to want a baby as soon as the boys are fully into puberty and Jessie is in the preteen-from-hell stage, aren’t you?”
She laughed again and shrugged.
“Yeah,” he said. “I thought so.”
“Oh, come on, it’ll be fun,” she protested. “And think of all the fun practice we’ll have until we decide to have one.”
“Practice?” That sounded mighty nice. “Yeah, you have the best ideas.”
“I do have my brilliant moments.”
She took his beer again and sipped. He didn’t care, they’d share everything for the rest of their lives. Which reminded him. “Hey, do you prefer popcorn or ice cream when you’re watching a movie?”
“Depends.”
“On?”
“On the company. If I were watching one on my own, popcorn. If I were, say, watching one with you like this, just the two of us, I think ice cream would be better. Less drying.”
Lucy Jamieson: girl of his dreams.
Stephanie Beck
Keeping one foot in reality and the other in la-la land makes Stephanie Beck happy. She’s never met a werewolf (that she knows of) but she has knitted and purled many rows and she’s also fallen in love.
Maintaining a balance of reality and extraordinary events in romance, especially paranormal romance, keeps Stephanie tumbling head over heels with each new character, guaranteeing many more love stories in her werewolf world.
Visit Stephanie’s website for patterns, crafts and recipes on her ‘Crafty Paranormal’ page. Learn how to make Mona’s delicious s’more pancakes from A Winter Tale With Marshmallows and from Unraveling Midnight, find a pattern for Lucy’s Fuzzy Scarf.
Stephanie’s Website:
www.stephaniebeck.net
Reader eMail:
[email protected]
Also by Stephanie Beck
Teaching Ms Riggs
Lyrical Press books are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2012 Stephanie Beck
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Lyrical Press and the L logo are trademarks of Kensington Publishing Corp.
First Electronic Edition: January 2012
ISBN-13: 9-781-61650-343-7
Unraveling Midnight Page 14