Greyson

Grey was still panting when Etti climbed on top of him with a sly grin.

“Again?” she whimpered gently peppering his salty skin with kisses.

He fisted her silken black hair and pulled her to him, kissing her deeply. “Damn, babe. Give me a chance to catch my breath.”

She whined softly, her dark eyes glimmering with mischief as she stroked his length. “Keep up old man,” she teased.

“I’m only a few months older than you,” he growled, flipping Etti onto her back. “And I’d say I’m keeping up just fine,” Grey replied, pressing his solid length against her belly.

Etti wriggled beneath him with excitement, stroking his ego.

Grey grinned. How had he gotten so lucky? His mate was so incredibly beautiful and sexy. And she loved him! It was still beyond him how quickly he and Etti had fallen for each other. But that’s what happened with mates. Both novice shifters, Grey and Etti still had a lot to figure out, but this—the blinding hot sex—they had mastered.

It made Grey thankful that he and Etti would have time to sort through everything else together. Yes, they’d escaped the hunt for now. But he knew better than to think the rogue shifter faction was done with them. But if they were lucky, they’d have a year before they had to worry about them again.

The idea sparked a joy within Grey that he hadn’t known he possessed. He gazed down at Etti. One long blissful year of this. Etti gripped his length, tugging him back to the present and reminding him to enjoy this delicious moment while he could.

Grey happily obliged, caging Etti’s sexy curves with his muscular arms. He sunk into her slowly, making her gasp with pleasure. She bit her lip as he fixed her with a stare. His eyes roved over the artful black ink that twisted delicately over her smooth caramel skin. Her tattoos were almost as gorgeous as she was and Grey wanted to taste every perfect inch of her skin. He couldn’t get enough. “God, Etti . . .”

“What?” She grinned, wiggling her hips, taking him deeper.

“The things I want to do to you,” he growled.

“Promise?” she begged writhing against him.

“You know I do,” he whispered, sliding his arms under her back and pulling her on top of him.

Grey settled his mate astride him and Etti gasped as she adjusted to the new position. He liked her on top, where he could see all of her. He splayed his hands over her breasts, caressing them before sliding his fingers down her sides to her voluptuous hips. His hands held her firmly in place when she tried to rush things.

“We have plenty of time for this,” he said. “I want to explore each other, just the two of us.”

“We might not have as much time as you think,” Etti said quietly.

Grey stilled. “What do you mean?” Etti paled and Grey scented her fear. “Etti, if you’re worried about the hunt—”

“It’s not the hunt,” she said, suddenly angry. She climbed off of him in a huff and grabbed her clothes.

Grey was stunned. It took him a moment to catch up to Etti’s sudden mood swing. One minute they were having mind-blowing sex, the next she was storming away! By the time he got to his feet, Etti was dressed.

“Babe . . .” he started. “What’s wrong?” Because it was evident something was definitely wrong from the way Etti was pacing.

She was normally calm and level-headed—something he loved about her. But she was currently chewing her lip and wringing her hands, while he quickly pulled his pants on—since it seemed sex was off the table.

“Etti,” Grey said, taking hold of her shoulders so she would stop pacing and look at him. “What just happened?”

She looked at him with so much fear in her midnight eyes that he worried whatever she was about to tell him would cripple him. He hated seeing his mate so upset. Instinct made him pull her into his embrace even when she fought it. “Etti, please talk to me. You know whatever it is we’ll get through it together.”

She shook her head and tears spilled from her watery eyes.

Shit! This was bad. Etti never cried.

Grey took her face gently in his large hands. “Etti, sweetheart. I love you. And I promise, whatever it is, we can handle it. It’s me and you, babe, forever. Okay?”

“But it’s not!” She cried harder and pushed him away.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not just you and me anymore! And I’m sorry because I know this isn’t what you want right now, but it’s not like I planned for it either!” Etti yelled.

What the hell was she talking about? Nothing Etti was saying was making sense, but Grey’s wolf was snarling inside, wanting out to fight off whatever had his mate so agitated.

Grey was at a loss, but he kept trying. “Etti, I don’t understand . . .” he reached for her but she grabbed his hand and pressed it to her stomach.

“I’m pregnant,” she whispered.

Icy fear stabbed Grey in the chest and he stumbled, sinking to his knees, his hand still on Etti’s smooth belly. “Pregnant?” he mumbled, only able to repeat the word as it sunk in with alarming speed.

She couldn’t be. Not now! How could he even think about bringing a child into the world when a cursed group of shifters was hunting him and his mate?

This was bad.

Grey couldn’t catch his breath, and as much as his brain tried to deny it, as soon as he felt his mate’s stomach he knew it as true. He added a second trembling hand to Eddi’s belly, sliding it low, beneath the waist of her pants. It seemed to swell beneath his touch. Christ, could he already feel the heartbeat? How fast did shifter embryos grow?

“Please say something,” Etti whispered in a scared voice.

Grey pulled his hands back and ran them through his hair as he sank back on his heels. “Shit.”

“Shit? Really? Shit is all you have to say about your child?”

“Christ, Etti. I don’t know. It’s a lot to take in, alright?”

“No shit! Why do you think I’m freaking out? What are we going to do?”

“There’s not really anything we can do, is there?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know what you want me to say. Nothing’s gonna make this situation any better.”

“So that’s what it is to you? A situation?”

“Etti, no—”

“No, it’s fine,” she hissed cutting him off. “I was stupid to expect anything different. I mean we’ve only known each other a few weeks and we didn’t plan this. But at least I know where you stand. So don’t worry, I won’t bother you with my situation again.”