I checked the mirror again, brushing my hand over my neck before I finished neatening my ponytail. I still couldn’t believe it. I’d been certain I’d have scars on my neck, not that the thought had really bothered me much—Nick wasn’t the kind of guy to let something like that affect the way he looked at a person—but I didn’t have a single mark. When he’d told me I’d heal, I hadn’t thought he’d meant heal heal. As in completely. But, at only a couple of days old the wounds were completely gone. I think even he was shocked, seeing as the whole human-shifter mating thing wasn’t quite the norm he’d led me to believe. Sure, it happened. But not as often as you’d think.

Setting my brush down, I dabbed on a touch of gloss and left our bedroom, making my way to Nick’s office, where I knew he was holding court. Waving at everyone, I made my way over to Nick, giggling when he tugged me down onto his lap as if it were the most logical place for a girl to sit. After a brief kiss—way too brief—he turned his attention back to Zara and Marc. “Are you sure?” he asked.

Okay, I’d definitely missed something. “Sure about what?”

“Nick seems to think that we would like to go take over Raul’s pack.” Zara looked like she’d rather stab herself in the head with a machete.

“I need you to go down there and take control. Then, if you can find someone suitable to take over, set it up and come home.” Nick sounded like he wanted to rip his hair out. “I don’t want two packs, that wasn’t what this was about.”

I snuggled closer, distracting him and earning a wolfish grin. “No, but Raul needed to be replaced and you made that happen. I’m sure there’s someone who would be suitable, it sounds like a reasonable plan to me.”

“Well, if he’d just said that in the first place,” Zara muttered.

Marc had kept his mouth shut up until now, but he was grinning. “This is our home.”

“And you’ll always be welcome,” Nick replied.

Marc got to his feet. “Then we’ll get going. Come on, sweetheart.”

Zara stared at him, then rose without another word and followed him out. Anger radiated off her, but also astonishment. The look she was giving Marc was one of pure heat.

Alone at last, I maneuvered myself so I straddled my mate, wrapping my arms around his neck. “See? Angry, then make-up sex. They’ll be banging in the corridor, I guarantee it.”

Nick spluttered, turning it into a cough. “Banging?”

“Bang-ing.” I drew the word out, wrapping my lips around it. I’d discovered I liked trying to shock my mate, and having an American for his mate made for some interesting conversations. That usually ended up with us trying out said suggestions. I’d taken to Google and the urban dictionary for ammunition.

After a long moment filled with kisses and soft sighs, we broke apart. Reluctantly. “Samantha has agreed to watch Alex for us tonight,” Nick murmured, smoothing his hands across my ass and grinding against me.

Oh, yeah. Having a werewolf for a mate—sorry, shifter—had certain … perks. He was perpetually horny.

His words filtered through my lust filled haze. Alex. Right. My son. I was now a stepmother and I loved my new role. Basically, it was pretty much what I’d already been doing, but with the added bonus that I’d never have to leave him behind. That had been the worst thing about being a nanny, and why I’d moved jobs so often, I tended to get attached and every time I had to leave one of my charges, I lost a little bit of my heart. I had taken great pleasure in emailing the agency my resignation. “Wait. Quick question.”

Nick nipped my shoulder, where he’d been busy examining his mark. It was the only wound from that night that hadn’t healed completely, and never would according to him—complete with a smug smile and possessive glint in his eye. See? Can’t take the barbarian out of the, well, yeah, the barbarian. “Hmmmm?”

“If we have kids—”

“When.”

I shoved his shoulder. He didn’t move, just growled against my skin. “If … will they be human or wolf?”

He groaned, leaning back to answer my questions. “They’ll be wolf shifters.”

“But they’ll come out as human babies, right?”

“Of course.” Then he chuckled, catching my unease. “They’ll stay human until around six months, then they’ll shift for the first time.”

“How does that work, with me not being a wolf?” I had visions of trying to teach my children to heel. I gave myself a mental slap. Bad future mommy!

“We will be their alphas so they will automatically want to obey us.”

Okay, sounded kind of cool. And a lot easier than the terrible two tantrums. “Even as teenagers?”

He frowned. “Especially as teenagers.”

“Sweet!”

“Yes, you are, min älskling,” he replied, pulling my mouth back down to his and distracting me in the most delicious way.

An hour later, I laid sprawled over his chest, our bodies coated in sweat and my hair hanging into my eyes. I didn’t know why I even bothered trying to make an effort. Might as well throw my hairbrush in the trash. And Nick liked me just the way I was, he’d told me, over and over again. And showed me, over and over … yeah, you get the picture.

He patted me on the ass and I gave him a look. You know, the look. The give a girl chance to catch her breath look.

He chuckled, smug and low. “As much as I’d like to take you up on your offer—”

“Not offering,” I shot back, relaxing back against his chest. I was comfy here, could just take a little nap. Just a quick five minutes…

“We’re going out.”

I arched an eyebrow. Not that he could see. “We are?”

“We have a babysitter.”

Ah, the age old parental debate. If you had a babysitter, you should make an effort and go out. Even if all you wanted to do was sleep for a million years. “Fine. Where are we going?”

“Shaun’s.”

Ooooh, now he was talking my language. Burger and fries!

“He’s a lion shifter, you know.”

Talk about dropping that in there. I struggled up to sitting, fussing with my hair. Then gave up on it. “Think he’ll shift for me?”

My answer was a low growl. A glance confirmed it. Nick looked very … unhappy with the suggestion.

“I don’t want to see the man naked,” I protested, quickly adding, “I just want to see his mane. I bet it’s really pretty, all fluffy and soft.”

The growl morphed into pure laughter, involving Nick wiping his eyes and shaking his head.

“It wasn’t that funny,” I huffed, folding my arms under my breasts while scanning the room for my bra. There it was, hanging off the lamp in the corner.

“Min älskling, I take it back. Please, please ask Shane to shift, if only so you can coo at his pretty mane.”

Storming over to my bra, I plucked it off the offending lamp and shrugged it on, doing the wiggle and shuffle that all women had to do to ensure complete coverage. Then I looked up.

He was staring at me, his lips parted and a familiar look in his eyes.

“Nick…” I warned, with a scowl.

He stood and stalked toward me, shrugging his broad shoulders in answer.

“Nick…” I backed away, wagging my finger at him.

“Make up sex, min älskling. You were angry, now I want to make it up to you,” he growled, his accent sharp and pronounced.

I shivered under his stare.

Well, when he put it like that…

* * *