Phoebe had her phone out in front of her and was scrolling. “Do you know anything about how to take care of him? I mean, Malamutes can have issues, Ransom. There are things we have to learn to make him comfortable.”
I pulled her phone from her hands and pointed to his bed where he was already curled up. “He looks plenty comfortable. And he has everything he needs. You’ll be an excellent pet parent.”
I pulled her left hand and turned it so I could kiss her wrist.
She gazed up at me through her lashes biting her lower lip.
I felt a rumble in my chest. I didn’t want to wait another second to get started.
Her breath came out in pants. “Um, Chief?” She glanced beyond me. “He’s staring at us.”
I glanced over and saw Shadow sat five feet away staring right at us. “Back to your bed!” I commanded, but he didn’t move. “Back to your bed!”
Phoebe got down on Shadow’s level, kneeling and driving me fucking crazy in those pants. “Mommy and Daddy need to have some time to ourselves, Shadow. So, no matter what you hear from our room, Mommy and Daddy are okay. We’re not being hurt even if we scream. Okay?”
Shadow leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
She smiled and gave him a rub. “Good boy. Now, you stay out here on the sofa.”
Shadow gave her another kiss, then jumped up onto the sofa and settled in nicely. When Phoebe rose, I watched her powerful legs, her curvy ass, and the way those faux leather pants hugged her.
She grabbed my hand and gave me a tug. “Now I need you to be a good boy.”
Her raised eyebrow was all the encouragement I needed. It was already clear who the alpha was in the house and I didn’t even care. She could be the alpha with Shadow, hell even with me outside the bedroom. But once we crossed that threshold, the growl that tore through my chest left no doubt who was in charge of my woman’s pleasure. As I stole her breath, took her lips, and stripped her bare, her cries for me showed me her raw desire. With every thrust, every caress, every breath I would take the rest of my life, I proved to her she was my every dream come true.
EPILOGUE
PHOEBE
Ten months later…
“I’m so glad you could come! Oh, and you brought baby Scarlett with you!” I squealed with gimme fingers. “I need her in my arms more than my next breath.”
Maddy’s bright smile said it all. She was enjoying motherhood but didn’t mind when someone else in her circle helped share the load.
Hefting Maddy and Hank’s beautiful sleeping baby girl onto my shoulder, I felt completely at peace. Maddy quickly placed a rag between her mouth and my dress.
I patted little Scarlett on her back while I bounced her gently. “Go find a chair and collapse among friends.”
She gave Scarlett a kiss on the head. “Hank has the cooler. When she screams, just give her to him.”
I smiled and looked across the room and saw Hank’s intense gaze. “He looks protective.”
Maddy snorted. “You have no idea. He’s already ridiculous.”
I giggled, but tried to keep it quiet. Yeah, I could definitely see Hank scaring off the boys with his gun collection someday. But I could also see Scarlett stand right up to him defiantly. It was going to be so much fun watching this little family grow up.
“There she is!” Kiley cooed softly. “How’s the book launch going?”
I snickered. “Honestly, I have no idea. Regina told me to be here, to schmooze, and that’s what I’ve been doing. Considering the topic, I wasn’t expecting a huge turnout, but with the hockey teams supporting me, people are actually interested in buying it.”
Kiley set a hand on my shoulder. “We’re all interested to find out what really happened that day, sweetie. You’ve never really talked about it.”
I nodded. “I know. I wanted to turn the experience into something positive. I journaled to help me recover. Then I used my notes to help me write a book. When I pitched the idea to Regina, she loved it. So, I wrote it and here we are months later. I’m already in talks with another victim of crime to write her story.”
Kiley teared up. “I’m just so happy for you, sweetie. And you just look beautiful.”
Molly came bounding up. “She’s right, you do!”