Page 40 of Falling for the Werewolf
His hand fell again, but not as hard. This time, she couldn’t completely stop the moan from escaping her throat.
“What was that one for?” she asked, her voice slightly breathless.
“Because I felt like it,” he growled. He slid his hand down over her backside, between her legs. Big, thick fingers slid through her silken heat.
He flipped her easily, lifting her so she straddled his legs, her sex pressing against his granite erection, nothing but thin layers of silk and denim keeping him from where he most wanted to be.
She glared at him, fighting against the pull of those beautiful, powerful eyes.
With one arm wrapped around her waist, he caged her against him. The other he tangled in her hair, cupping the back of her head. “Marry me.”
Her eyes glowed brighter with defiance. “No.”
His eyes darkened, going from gray-green to the color of a stormy sea. “Tell me you don’t love me,” he demanded.
Some of the rebelliousness faded. “No.” She couldn’t tell him that. The blatant lie would never make it past her lips.
“Then why won’t you marry me?” he growled.
“I ... I won’t keep your child from you,” she said, her voice breaking. “You don’t have to marry me.”
If she thought Jace had been angry before, she was wrong.Nowhe was angry.
Nearly all expression left his face as his eyes darkened even more and his body went eerily still.
“Is that what you think?” he asked, his voice so low and quiet she could barely hear it, even from a few inches away. She could feel little tremors as his muscles twitched beneath the strain of his control. “That I only asked because I got you pregnant?”
Dani bit her lip. Was that what she believed?
Jace must have taken her silence as confirmation. He lifted her up and set her carefully on the bed before pacing the room. She watched him cautiously, wrapping her arms around herself to stave off the sudden chill she felt right down into her bones.
Finally, he stopped moving, standing in front of the window, his back to her. “You know,” he said without turning around, “all this time, I’ve been thinking you might actuallywantto marry me. I had these images in my head of waking up to you every morning. Of holding you in my arms every night. Of raising a house full of kids together. Beautiful little girls who looked just like their mother. Strong healthy sons that I could ...” He shook his head, as if trying to clear the pictures. “But maybe I’ve had it all wrong. Maybe youdon’twant those things. Maybe you left becausethatis what you wanted.”
He turned around then. “I love you, Danielle Evans. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. You are my mate. Do you have any idea what that means?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “It means you are it for me, Dani. My perfect woman. Even if you walk away right now, I will never want another.”
He paused, taking a breath to steady himself. “Am I happy that you’re pregnant? Fuck yes. I’m ecstatic! I couldn’t love you more right now if I tried. But what I’m trying to say is, I felt that way before I knew you were pregnant, too.”
There it was, the assurance she needed. There was no mistaking the truth in his eyes or the sincerity in his voice.
All doubt gone, Dani walked over to Jace. She laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him. “You’re not wrong.”
“About what?” he asked cautiously.
“About all of it,” she answered. “That I want to marry you. That I want to spend the rest of my life with you. That, when we made love, I wanted all of you. Just like I do right now.”
Jace lifted her up and carried her to the bed. He began undressing her, kissing each section of bared skin, savoring her like a man who had been starving for too long.
She ripped at his clothing, kneading into his heated flesh. Then Dani pulled him to her, cradling him between her hips. The tip of his swollen head pressed at her entrance as he took her hands in his, interlacing their fingers above her head.
“Marry me,” he breathed.
Dani looked deeply into his eyes. “Yes.”
Jace lowered his mouth to hers as he entered her, her slick heat providing easy passage. Nothing felt as good as having him inside her, of sharing this intimate connection. It was more than a joining of bodies. It was a joining of hearts and souls, as well.
* * *
Her sheath clenched around him as he penetrated deeper, his thickness stretching her to the limit. Jace stilled, relishing the feel of her around him. This was heaven. Having his cock buried deep inside her, throbbing in aching need while she soothed his very soul. Having her give herself to him like this—totally, completely, holding nothing back—it awed him.
