Page 60 of The Return
Yes, please. Anything to prove to me that he was here, safe and healthy. “I’d like that.”
Before I could say anything else, Jonas scooped me into his arms. “We’ll be back later,” he called out.
“Alpha?”
Jonas stopped and turned to Kinsey. “Yeah?”
“Thank you for coming back to us.”
That got a smile. “Thank you for taking care of Corey.”
Kinsey gave a terse nod. “We’ll always take care of him, I promise.”
We got to the bathroom, and Jonas sat me on the toilet seat. I was about to stand when he turned and frowned at me.
“Don’t move,” he ordered.
“I wanna help.”
He turned on the taps, then came and knelt beside me, taking my hand in his. “You are helping, I promise. You’re here safe, where I can keep an eye on you.” He leaned against me. “If it means anything, I was doing a lot of ‘what-if’ thinking too.”
It did. I was glad to know I wasn’t the only one with a brain that wouldn’t quit.
Jonas put his hands on my shoulders, and when I looked up at him, he was smiling as he peered into my eyes. “Every moment I spend with you is a gift. I’ve felt that way since we were kids. The day you walked into school, so scared, it was like…. I don’t even know how to describe it. Kinda like sticking my finger into a thousand light sockets during an electrical storm. You were awe-inspiring.”
I snorted. “I don’t think I inspire awe in anyone.”
“You do, but you won’t let yourself see it. People in the pack are grateful you’re here, because you settle us. You have an ear and a hand to lend to anyone who needs help. I protect the pack from things outside, but you? You’re the one who guards them here. Our jobs are equally important, because neither of us could do it without the other. You might not believe it, but the people in the pack look to you for so much, and as you become more comfortable in your role, they’ll reach out to you even more.”
For some reason, that didn’t scare me as much as I thought it would. These were my people, even if all of them could become something I’d never be.
I was lost in thought for several long moments, but then I noticed Jonas lifting my arms and sliding my shirt off. He let his fingers trail down my chest, his eyes alight.
“You are the most perfect thing I’ve ever seen, you know,” he whispered.
“I’m no one special,” I assured him.
“You have no idea of your worth. To me. To our pack. To everyone who’s met you.”
I knew it wasn’t true. When we were younger, I was picked on for being… well, apparently for being human, but they couched it with me being gay. After I found out what the people in Harken’s Corners were, it made me laugh that they didn’t give a damn I was gay—it was because I was human.
Jonas turned off the taps, and scented steam rose from the water.
“That’s nice,” I said. “Warm and sweet. Very woodsy.”
“I ordered it overnight,” Jonas explained. “I wanted something that would appeal to you so you’d let me get you in the tub.”
“If you’re going to be with me, I’ll be more than happy to take a bath.”
“It’s a date.” He grinned as his eyes raked over me. “I can’t believe you’re finally mine.”
“Oh, I’ve always been yours. You don’t know how many times I wanted to drag you into my room and offer you a blow job.”
“Why didn’t you?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I wanted to, but it didn’t seem like you were interested in me.”
“Believe me, I was. It’s just…. If we’d done that, it probably would have triggered the change way earlier, and I would have likely ended up hurting you. Worse, you’d have found out what I was. Imagine having a furry dick in your mouth.”
