A Mate's Bite

11

Karla woke up on a smooth surface. A surface that lifted her up and slowly dropped down. She blinked her eyes open and zeroed in on one of Nate’s n*****s. Sexy little things. Without stopping to think about it, she rubbed her thumb over it.

“Keep that up and you’ll be late for work,” he grumbled.

She hid a grin and glanced up. His eyes had that wild look again. And her p***y went Niagara Falls soaked. “I can’t be late. The kids will worry and think something happened to me.”

She crawled up his torso to brush her lips over his. That small contact brought all her hormones to life. Apparently, her body didn’t care about having to go to work. She wanted him inside her again. It looked like her need for him grew with every moment they spent together. That thought had the effect of a bucket of cold water. She couldn’t let herself become emotionally dependent on a man. No matter who he was. Tamping down her emotions, she crawled off the bed and stood.

“I’m going for a shower.”

“I’ll join you.” He grinned, hopping off the bed and flexing those drool-worthy muscles she could stare at forever. “Save water and all that.”

Right. Water. He lifted her into his arms to carry her to the bathroom.

“You know, I’m not a baby,” she complained. “Put me down, I probably weigh more than you.”

“You’re light as a baby. Now quit complaining and let me be romantic.”

She giggled at his demand and curled her arms around his neck. “Fine. Be romantic then, but don’t blame me later when your back hurts.”

He kissed the tip of her nose. “Then I’ll just have to find a way to convince you to give me a massage, huh?”

“I like how you think. This whole carrying me business might work after all.”

She couldn’t believe how attentive Nate was behaving toward her. Even when she got snarky because he was hogging the water, he just tugged her into his arms and kissed her. Heck, he even offered to make her breakfast while she dressed for work.

“Shouldn’t you be out helping Caleb?” She asked, walking into the smell of food. Her stomach grumbled and reminded her she needed some of whatever smelled so divine. The night before she’d gone to bed feeling ill and could only hold down some toast.

His gaze jerked up from the pan he was cooking eggs in to stare at her belly then up to her eyes. “Hungry?”

Heat crawled over her cheeks. “From the sounds of my stomach you’d think I’m starving.”

He smiled and pointed to her dining table with a spatula. “Have a seat. I’m about done.”

She glanced at the coffee maker. Damn. He hadn’t made coffee.

“I put some juice on the table for you,” he said.

She searched for the coffee in the usual spot but there was nothing there, and she didn’t feel like figuring out where she might have put it. “Thanks.”

She filled a glass with apple juice and drank it while he served them breakfast. It was weird and nice. “So?”

“So what?” He sat down after placing plate piled high with food in front of her.

“Are we sharing all this food or what? I can’t eat all this.” Though she would certainly try. She picked up a piece of bacon and sighed. Yeah, that was the good stuff. “Aren’t you supposed to be helping Caleb?”

“I’ll see to him in a while.”

She frowned. Helping Caleb get his pack back had been a priority to Nate and Jake lately. Even Nic had mentioned how little she saw of the pain in the ass Wolfe brother also known as Jake.

“I haven’t seen you in too long,” he said, staring deep into her eyes. “I missed you.”

Well, damn. That was nicer than she’d expected. She opened her mouth to tell him, when her cell phone rang.

“Hey, Kel.” She tried the nonchalant approach, hoping he didn’t read into her emotional turmoil. His perception when it came to her was spot on, and she didn’t want to worry him.

“How are you feeling?” Her brother asked.

“Pretty good. I’m about to head in soon.”

“I need to talk to you about mom.”

Uh-oh. Whenever he said that it meant that their mother either needed money because she’d given it to her latest boyfriend, or their sister spent whatever she had on living the high life.

“I’ll see you when I get to school,” she said, not wanting Nate to listen to the family drama she had to deal with regularly. That side of her life wasn’t something she liked to share with anyone.

They ate in silence, and once it was time to go, she noticed Nate watching her.

“Are you okay?” She asked. He’d been quiet and thoughtful. Probably because he preferred to be out doing things with Jake and Caleb than sitting there with her.

“Yeah, how are you feeling?”

She blinked. Oh boy. Tell him now or tell him later? The way he searched her face, as if looking for an extra nose decided it for her. Tell him later. He had a lot on his mind already. “Good.”

“Anything new?”

“Like what?”

Jordan had said she could tell she smelled different. He could probably smell it too. Damn. There went the coward’s way out.

He smiled, showing perfect white teeth. “Oh, I don’t know. Anything you need to tell me?”

She slapped her forehead. Maybe she’d really lost her mind to think a shifter wouldn’t notice. A shifter. “How long have you known?”

He guffawed and she felt stupid for thinking it would be overlooked. “Since I got here last night. Your scent’s changed.”

“I heard,” she mumbled. It was disconcerting to hear him talk about her pregnancy. She still needed to come to terms with it. The idea of being a parent to anything, child or animal scared the bejesus out of her. Hell, thinking of the growing baby turned the juice she’d had into a tornado in her stomach. She stood to grab her work bag but squeaked when he tugged her down to his lap, landing her sideways on him.