The Strength of the Pack (Suncoast Society #30)(52)

“Another rule. If I’m not around, you will obey Leo and Jesse, unless it directly conflicts with one of our rules or an order I’ve given you. You are still under their protection. That doesn’t change. They are now secondary to me in terms of hierarchy in our relationship, but they still have the right to protect you and keep you safe. Understand?”

“Yes, Sir.”

He sat next to her on the bed. “I will find something else you can wear as a day collar in addition to this that is mine alone.” He stroked her cheek. “Besides a ring. But Laurel won’t question that,” he said, nodding at the tag. “Hopefully. And eventually we’ll have a formal collaring ceremony. But you are now collared to me. If you ever want to be uncollared, you have to tell me that.”

“I won’t want that, Sir.”

“I bloody well hope not.” He kissed her again. “Because it would break my heart.”





Chapter Nineteen


Eva felt like she’d run a marathon. Yes, she absolutely wanted to marry this man.

When she had, deep in her heart, been convinced he would leave when she told him about the baby, not only had he surprised her, he’d surpassed any of her best-case fantasies.

Nate now knew the depths of her pain and he hadn’t shied away from it.

He’d embraced it, and her, without disgust or hesitation.

Even better, he’d embraced her pack.

She went into the master bathroom and cleaned up, washed her face, blew her now raw nose, and took a look at herself in the mirror.

If he can collar me and propose to me while I look like death warmed over, I guess he must be in love. Her eyes were red and puffy, as was her nose.

He spoke from the doorway. “I love you,” he said. “I don’t care what you look like. You still look beautiful to me.”

“That’s spooky.” She turned to him. “Seriously, how do you do that?”

He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. “You aren’t as opaque as you think you are. Not to me, not to Leo, and not to Jesse.”

“You think you can handle sharing a house with them?”

He took a moment to answer that. “I think we’ll need a bigger house. Let’s be realistic. But yes, unless they’re slobs and you’re doing a great job covering for them, I will adapt.”

“I know you like doing things your way.”

“There comes a time when a man has to decide if he wants to do things his way alone, or if he’d rather learn a new way of doing things and live with the people he loves.”

He tucked her hair behind her ears. “While having my privacy has been wonderful since Cherise moved out, I can’t lie. It’s been lonely. This was the first time in my life I’d actually lived alone. I have to admit it wasn’t as great as I thought it would be after the novelty wore off.”

“I thought you hated having a roommate?”

“Having a temporary roommate is different from someone who is part of your life. Family. Pack. Completely different. Were I sleeping with that man, or closely related to him, I might have been more tolerant of him and his habits.”

“Glad you weren’t sleeping with him,” she muttered. “Did the gay husband thing once. No offense to Leo, didn’t end so well for me in the long run. Until I met you, of course.”

“No worries, love. I am strictly heterosexual.”

“Good.” Speaking of sexual, now that the worst of the emotional debris was finally scoured out of her mental basement, she was feeling sort of…frisky.

Apparently the spooky mind stuff applied to that, too. His hands slid down her ass, fingers squeezing, pulling her against him. She felt his cock harden as it rubbed against her through their clothes.

“What kind of mood are you in tonight?” he asked.

“Master gets to choose,” she whispered.

“Master asked a question,” he said, smacking her ass with his hand. “I expect you to answer it.”

She kissed him, rising up on her toes. She loved how tall he was, the way his hair brushed against her face like this when they kissed.

“I’m in the mood to finally do something we haven’t done yet, Sir.”

He responded by digging his fingers even deeper into her ass and seductively rolling his hips against hers. “You are, are you?”

“Yeah. Because my appointment’s in three weeks, and we won’t have much time together before that.”

Nate had an intensive two-week continuing education course he’d be attending in Orlando starting next week. Between work and Laurel and Leo and Jesse’s schedules, she wouldn’t be able to get away to go see Nate.

He smiled down at her. “I can’t argue with that logic,” he said, scooping her up into his arms and carrying her back into the bedroom. He playfully dumped her onto the bed and stared down at her as he started unbuttoning his shirt.

“But once you are pregnant, love, forget about wearing panties around me. And yes, that is a rule.”

She smiled. “Yes, Sir.”

“I guess we’ll be able to save money on condoms.”

He crawled onto the bed, stalking her, pinning her hands over her head as he nibbled his way down her neck. “I plan on spending a lot of time with my cock buried inside that sweet * of yours.”