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  “Bastion, you’re naked,” I told him. He shrugged as he usually did. “Belinda’s in the front room.”

  That made him pause and snag a pair of pants, pulling them on.

  “What are you hungry for? I can cook anything you want. Name it. It’s yours.”

  I smiled and lay back on the bed, spreading my thighs to give my mate a view of my pussy. His gaze immediately dropped to my folds. I slid a hand down, cupping my sex before rubbing a finger over my clit. “I want you, Bastion. Always you.”

  The pants were gone again in an instant, and he dropped between my thighs, his shoulders spreading me wider.

  “You have me, baby. I’m all yours.”

  How could I not love this man? I was the luckiest woman in the world, and I knew it.

  * * * *

  Bastion

  Six and half months later…

  I held Rowan in my arms while her mother slept. Our daughter was the most beautiful little girl I’d ever seen. She had a cap of dark curls and her mother’s big eyes. Her grip on my finger showed strength, and why wouldn’t it? She had the blood of alphas in her veins.

  “Someday, we’ll tell you all about the man you’re named after. Your Uncle Rowan was a good man. He loved your mother and looked after her the same way I’ll watch over you. Your mother and I will protect you always, little one. We’ll teach you everything you need to know. You’re going to rule one day. Don’t tell your mother, but my sister told me it was truth, and I’ve learned over the years your Aunt Belinda is never wrong.”

  I’d finally shared Belinda’s theory on Rowan’s death with Raina, and my mate had surprised me with her calmness. I’d promised we’d keep digging into what had happened until we knew the truth. So far, nothing pointed to murder, despite my sister’s insistence.

  “Don’t fill her head with stories, Bastion, or she’ll be as arrogant as you are.”

  I glanced to the bed and found Raina’s gaze on me. The woman melted me. I peeked down at the bundle in my arms. Now, I had two of them. I was in deep trouble. I walked over to the bed and sat down, sliding Rowan into her mother’s arms before wrapping mine around them both.

  “You say arrogant like it’s a bad thing.”

  She snorted then dropped her gaze to our daughter.

  “She’s so beautiful,” Raina whispered.

  “She looks like her mother.”

  She shook her head. “She looks like both of us, a perfect blending.”

  I brushed a finger over Rowan’s cheek, and she turned toward my touch, little lips pursed.

  “She’s hungry,” Raina said and slid her gown aside, baring one breast. Milk leaked from the tip, and I brushed it off with my finger, bringing it to my lips.

  “Bastion,” Raina admonished. “That’s for the baby.”

  “She has to learn to share,” I countered. “I read the books on parenting. It’s important to teach kids that, especially if they’re only children.”

  Raina snorted again. “With the way we can’t keep our hands off of each other, she won’t be an only child for long.”

  She was right. Even now, I counted the days until I could be inside her again. I watched, entranced as our daughter nursed. Afterward, Raina handed Rowan to me to burp then put her on the other breast to continue feeding her. We both watched Rowan. Her full cheeks and rosy mouth. The curl of her fingers around one of mine.

  “She’s perfect,” I whispered as Rowan’s eyes drifted shut in sleep. When Raina didn’t immediately agree, I glanced up and found mother as sound asleep as daughter.

  “Both of you,” I murmured, unlatching Rowan and tucking Raina’s gown back around her. I stood and carried Rowan back to her crib in the corner of our room.

  My life was perfect. It had been from the day I’d glimpsed the photo of Raina carried to me by the elders of her pack, eager to merge us together. I’d known then she was mine. What I hadn’t known was just how thoroughly she’d make me hers. I was a lucky man.

  The luckiest man in the world.

  About the Author

  Lacey is a hyper blonde, bouncing through life with her magical bracelets of positivity. A die-hard gamer (she refuses to call it an addiction), she resides in the Midwest, mom to three awesome children, one demanding dog, and two crazy cats. She has a passion for life and tends to leap long before she checks for safety exits. She writes possessive, alpha heroes who demand everything from the women they love. Believing sex is an integral part of a healthy romantic relationship, she doesn’t believe in closed doors, or even confining things to the indoors. Her stories reflect her strong family ties, friendships that showcase how some family consists of those we choose, and a goofy sense of humor that helps keep her laughing through all life’s ups and downs.

  She loves to chat with anyone and often does to the annoyance of her children who are always in a hurry. If you want to talk books, television, movies, actors, World of Warcraft, prepping for the zombie apocalypse, or music (she loves music!), drop her a line at [email protected].

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