Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 448(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 448(@300wpm)
‘Can you honestly claim I’m wrong?’
‘No,’ she confessed. ‘Much as I hate to be soppy, I’ll admit I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone.’
Pure male satisfaction lit his eyes.
‘This isn’t just about us, though. You’re an Alpha. If we claimed each other, I’d be Alpha female of your clan. They might not be too pleased about that.’
‘You’re wrong there. With the exception of CeCe and her crowd, they like and respect you. They see your strength of character, how powerful you are. They know you could protect them if necessary. It would comfort them, not put them off.’
She hummed, a little dubious.
‘Did you know they all refer to you to others as “Ripper’s witch”?’
Surprise fluttered through her. ‘No.’
‘It’s an indication that they acknowledge and support my claim to you; that they understand this is serious for me. If any of them had reservations, I would have sensed it.’
Probably. And the twins would have surely told her.
‘You’re used to being alone. It’d be pretty normal for you to feel at least a little leery about adopting an entire clan of werewolves. I’d be surprised if you weren’t. In your position, I probably would have felt that way. But I’d have considered you worth it.’
She gaped. ‘Oh, now that was sly. You worded that in a way that insinuates I won’t consider you worth all that comes with mating you if I don’t agree.’
His eyes lit with an unrepentant smile. ‘I’m not going to play fair here. Fact is I wouldn’t have the first clue how to give you up, and I’m not going to. You belong to me, with me – and you know it. I’m yours just the same.’
‘Stop making me feel gooey inside, I don’t like it.’
The smile lighting his eyes kicked up a notch, his affection clear in the warmth in his expression. He made no attempt to hide it from her. ‘Just to note, I wouldn’t ask that you move to Ashwood. I got no problem moving in here.’
‘But what about your home?’
‘It’s just a building, Em. This place . . . it’s special in ways that are freaky as fuck, but I know how much it means to you.’
‘You love your house, though.’
‘I love you more.’
Oh, she was gonna cry.
Right then, the phone on the side table rang.
It was almost a relief to get a break from the gooeyness. ‘It’s for you,’ she told him.
He frowned. ‘How do you know?’
‘I just know.’
Squinting, Ripper scooted along the sofa and lifted the receiver from the phone. ‘Hello?’ His eyes narrowed further. ‘Kerr,’ he greeted, sliding her a quick glance.
She smiled at the unnerved look on his face. But her smile faded when his expression tightened.
‘You are shitting me.’ A curse sputtered out of him. ‘I’ll be right there.’
‘What’s wrong?’ she asked when he set the receiver down.
‘A fight broke out at Yvette’s diner,’ he replied, pushing off the sofa. ‘Again. Fuckers should know better.’ He swooped down and claimed her mouth in a brief but possessive kiss. ‘I’ll be back after I’ve dealt with it. We have more talking to do.’
That they did, she conceded as he left the room.
Hearing the front door swing shut behind him, she rubbed at her cheek, still a little thrown. Maybe his declaration of intent shouldn’t have caught her so off-guard, but she’d thought he might suggest they claim each other in the future. Not so soon. And not out of nowhere when she was tired and her defenses were down.
He’d said he’d give her time, but she didn’t want to spend weeks chewing on it. Leaving the matter unresolved would eat at her. As would knowing that – though he’d never let her see it – her needing such time would hurt him. He was just so damn sure of her, of them.
Had she never mated Michael, she probably wouldn’t be so knotted up inside right now. Which meant that Ripper was right: she was letting her past impact her decision. Emberlyn didn’t want to do that.
Ripper would never do what Michael had done. Would never betray her, never hide any fuckups from her, never refuse to apologize if he hurt her. He was too loyal, had too much integrity. And he loved her. Loved her as she did him.
‘You weren’t meant for him. You were meant to be mine. We just didn’t get that until now.’
It sure did feel that way. Everything she felt toward Ripper had come to her so easily, so naturally . . . as if it had been inevitable.
She supposed it didn’t make much of a difference if they claimed each other now rather than later. Because she would say yes in the future. Why insist on more time now? Especially when a sense of such sheer rightness thundered through her at the thought of saying yes. She could—