Page 28 of Sweet Giant

Well. When he put it that way, I found it even more difficult to hold a grudge against him. But I needed assurance. I needed his promise that if things didn’t work out between us, I would have a way out.

“I’ll go with you to your tribe’s cavern willingly, Mastorr, if you can make me a promise.” Would he agree to the stipulation I was about to set forth? Or would he balk and continue insisting that one day, no matter what, I would agree to become his lifemate?

“What kind of promise?” A hint of worry flashed in his eyes, but when he blinked, it vanished. He tightened his grip on my hands.

“If we haven’t mated by the time spring arrives—if I haven’t invited you to claim me—you will agree to let me go. You’ll let me leave the Starblessed lands and you won’t try to stop me.” Sickness twisted my insides as I laid out my proposal, and an unexpected ache pressed upon my chest, making it difficult to breathe. Why did my very soul seem to be rejecting my idea of a safety net?

“Summer,” Mastorr blurted. His jaw tensed and he suddenly appeared quite formal, standing taller and projecting a businesslike persona that I’d never seen him exude before. “If we haven’t mated by the time summer arrives, I will let you go. I will escort you to a safe place—not this cabin, not anywhere the evil man might think to look—and I will let you go. I promise,” he said, his voice cracking over the last few words.

I swallowed hard and squeezed his hands. “All right. It’s a deal.”

Chapter23

MASTORR

I countedthe moon cycles until summer.Seven. I had seven moon cycles to make Liv accept me as her mate.

I would make every day count.

Reaching for her hair, I smoothed my hands through her locks. I lowered my face to hers and nuzzled her nose, and when she curled her fingers into my chest fur and returned my nuzzle of affection, my spirits lifted on the wings of hope.

I would find a way to convince her to become mine. I would shower her with affection and treat her with kindness, and I would make sure she was physically comfortable in my personal alcove within my tribe’s cavern. Whatever human amenities she needed, I would secure them, even if it meant I needed to leave the Starblessed territory to raid a distant cabin or even a house in a human town.

“Thank you for agreeing to my counteroffer, sweet one,” I said once I finished nuzzling her nose. “I am eager to bring you home with me, eager to show you what life in my tribe is like.”

She offered no reply. Her eyes gleamed with tears, but she blinked fast, and the moisture disappeared. However, she didn’t appear sad… and I wasn’t quite sure what to think of her emotional state. Perhaps a hug would help. She’d been hesitant to accept my closeness at first, but I thought she was starting to enjoy having my arms around her.

I wrapped her in an affectionate embrace and pressed my lips to the top of her head, kissing her in the way I’d seen other Montikaan males kiss their human females. From my observations, I knew kisses didn’t always happen on a female’s lips, and I found myself wanting to kiss her all over, to strip off her clothing and slowly move my mouth along every little part of her body.

Her stomach abruptly rumbled, and I withdrew partially from the hug, though I kept my hands on her waist, unwilling to let her completely go.

“Have you eaten breakfast yet, sweet one?”

She shook her head. “No, I haven’t eaten yet. I made some coffee, but that’s it. I saw that you left a bowl of pokklam berries for me—thank you for that, by the way—but I was so worried about you that I didn’t have much of an appetite.”

“Let’s go downstairs,” I suggested. “You can eat the berries while I show you the items I raided from the other cabin.”

She chuckled. “Dinner and a show. Er, uh, breakfast and a show. Sounds like a plan.”

She made to walk past me, but I swiftly lifted her up in my arms and carried her downstairs. As was her habit, she pressed her ear directly over my heart, and she released a contented sigh that filled me with hope anew.

Seven moon cycles. If I held her every day, continued bringing her gifts, protected her, and saw to her every comfort, surely she would agree to mate with me before our agreement expired.

Perhaps I would ask my brothers or other males from my tribe for advice on how to best woo my sweet one.

I set Liv on the couch, then rushed to the kitchen for the basket of berries. After handing her the basket, I opened the front door just long enough to pull the container inside. The blast of cold snow was quick but brutal. The temperature had plunged since my return, and I was glad I’d come back before she’d managed to go looking for me. I still couldn’t believe she thought I might need help, though her concern was touching.

Once I set the container in front of Liv, I removed the lid and reached for the first item I saw—a large tub that held a light brown substance.

“Peanut butter!” She gave an approving nod. “I ran out of that a few weeks ago. Thank you, Mastorr.”

I beamed inwardly, happy that she liked my first offering. After setting the peanut butter aside, I pulled several cans out that she referred to assoup, followed by other items she named as soda, dried mangos, pistachios, tomato sauce, yarn, and crochet hooks.

I strived to remember the name of each item as I continued showing her the raided goods.

Once I pulled the final item from the bin—a bottle of whiskey—a frown tugged at Liv’s lips and her eyes shone with concern.

“Is something wrong?” I asked with a glance at the bottle in my hand. “Do you not like this drink?”

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