Page 27 of Saving Penny
Her fingers grazed the scruff on his jawline, and traced her fingers down to his perfectly sculpted chest.
“Well, you certainly age well,” she breathed. “So, I belong to you?”
“Not in the sense of a piece of property. As in, life partners. Think of it as Fate playing matchmaker, pairing you with the other half of your soul. I now understand the dreams. For years, I dreamt of a penny. I thought it was my subconscious telling me that I needed to be careful with my money.”
Her body stiffened as she thought of the amount of money now sitting in her bank account, and the amount that she was due over the next twenty-six years. Was he trying to say that he was looking for someone with money?
“Penny, I don’t want or need your money,” he growled, as if sensing her thoughts. Her eyes flew to his and embarrassment settled in. He grabbed her by her waist and placed her on the counter. “Just to comfort you, I’m worth a billion in my own right.”
Her eyes widened, and she immediately felt like a fool. Of course he didn’t want her money. “I’m sorry for even thinking along those lines.”
“Don’t be. You’re just protecting yourself.” He tipped her chin up so that he could look into her eyes. He began to tell her the history of his dreams: how frequently they came, and how they morphed into a dream where she began to appear.
“So when you showed up to my office asking for me, I recognized you from my dream before you even told me your name. You are the penny that my unconscious mind has been predicting. I think the Gods were giving me a clue as to who my mate was the minute you were born.”
“That’s beautiful,” she whispered as tears formed in her eyes. She fought to keep them from spilling.
“You are my Penny. Mine, if only you will have me,” he murmured, placing a soft, gentle kiss on her lips. He pulled back, and she could see an internal battle in his eyes.
“So, I don’t have to choose to stay with you?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I would never force you to do anything that you didn’t want to do.”
“What would happen to you if I chose to walk out that door and never return?” she whispered.
“My heart would break. My wolf would—”
“You’re heart? You love me?” She cut him off, her heart jumping at his words. Did he love her? It wasn’t just his animal wanting to smack his mark on her to possess her? He actually had feelings for her? Warmth spread throughout her body because she knew that she had fallen in love with this man the moment he had trusted her enough to reveal his animal to her.
“Penny, I love you more than running through the woods during a full moon,” he proclaimed. She hopped into his arms, holding him tight.
“I love you too, Drake,” she squealed as she buried her head against his neck. He released a deep breath as he brought her closer to him. “How do I claim you?”
The sound of her phone ringing interrupted their intimate moment. It was Tori’s ringtone. She frowned, knowing her friend wouldn’t call her unless it was an emergency.
“Go ahead and grab it. I need to use the facilities,” Drake said, gently putting her on the ground. She hurried over to the nightstand and scooped her cell phone up. “We can finish this conversation in a bit.”
“Hello?” she answered.
“Penny, it’s me.” Tori’s worried voice came onto the line. Penny grabbed the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around her in a toga fashion. “Have you been to your place today?”
“No, why?” she asked, a chill running down her back.
“Well, I’m at your door now, and it’s slightly open.” Tori had agreed to drop in here and there for Penny, to make sure her mail was picked up. Drake had allowed her to tell her best friend the truth about what was going on. Hell, if it weren’t for Tommy and Tori, she never would have met Drake. Fear burned through her body as she thought of Tori in her apartment alone, with only God knew who in it.
“Don’t go in there,” she cried out, pacing along the side of the bed.
“I just want to see why the door is open. Maybe maintenance went in and didn’t shut the door. Since you’ve been with Drake, there hasn’t been a word from your stalker.”
“What’s wrong?” Drake asked as he stepped out of the bathroom. Her face must have given away her fear. He stalked over to her and took the phone from her hand.
“Who is this?” he demanded fiercely. “Tori, don’t go in there. Call 911 and go wait by your car. Listen to me, Tori. Call. The. Police. We’ll meet you there.”
Penny started scrambling for clothes.
“Don’t touch anything…” He paused, then growled. “Tori!” he shouted, snatching the phone from his ear and holding it tight in his fist. Pure fury filled his eyes as he turned to her. She trembled as she pulled her jeans up and snapped them.
“What happened?” she asked, frozen in place.
