Tyler walked outside after dinner, breathing deeply of the night air. Tonight he was giving his wolf his body. He’d needed it before tonight, but after he’d almost kissed Parker again, he was desperate to shift and let the wolf take over.

He stalked toward the woods, head down. He was beginning to seriously doubt his ability to keep away from Parker, to resist her. It didn’t help that he didn’t want to, not in the least. The only thing stopping him was the worry that if he took it further, he would hurt her or the baby. Because there was no doubt in his mind that if he kissed her, it would end with her in his bed.

Ty reached the woods and pulled his shirt off before easing the zipper of his jeans down. Just the thought of kissing Parker, the thought of her in his bed, was enough to make him hard. Breath hissing out of his body, he got the zipper the rest of the way down, and then hurried to shuck his boots and his jeans. He hunched inward, and the sound of his bones breaking echoed off the trees as a blinding flash of pain shot through his body. It all happened in the blink of an eye and a moment later, his massive black wolf was shaking out his fur.

His ears perked up and he listened with hearing that was even better than it was in his human form as the wolf turned its huge head and gazed back to the house. Back to where Parker was. Apparently, the longing he felt for her was just as potent in either form.

Giving his head a shake, Ty turned around and took off at a run, streaking through the woods. He made it to the river before he slowed down, and then he took his time, sniffing his way along the bank until he came to the clearing. He sat for a moment, looking up at the sky.

Everything was always clearer in his wolf form. More simplistic. He had instincts, he had needs like hunger, but there wasn’t the bombardment of emotions, weighed down with human concerns.

As a wolf, everything was clear.

And what was the clearest of all was that he wanted Parker. All of her. The wolf thought Ty was stupid for holding back, an idiot for putting off what he thought was inevitable. Parker was theirs. The pup was theirs. Take her and keep her.

Huffing a sigh, Ty stood up, thinking he would run for a little longer before he headed back to the house. Turning for the woods, he stilled as he scented the air, his hackles raising as he scanned the surroundings.

That smell didn’t belong here. Didn’t belong on the farm, on his property, and sure as hell didn’t belong so close to Parker and his pup. He inhaled deeply, confirming his first instincts were right. There was another wolf shifter around. The scent was different than that of a normal wild wolf. This one was a female. He didn’t know any female wolf shifters, and that only made his hackles raise more.

He couldn’t allow an unknown wolf shifter around his little family.

Lowering his nose to the ground, he found the scent trail and began following it. Hitting a dead end a few minutes later when the trail ended at the water’s edge, he growled low in his throat in frustration before turning around and following it back the other way. Through the woods, winding in every direction, before it led him back to the woods around the house. His eyes narrowed at how close to the house the trail was, and he continued tracking it as it led him in a large circle around the house. It never left the woods, so whoever it was hadn’t come closer to the house, but that wasn’t much of a consolation. Anywhere on the property would have been too close.

He threw back his head and howled in frustration. This wolf shifter had to know what they were, and it was watching them. Coming onto their property from the river, where they couldn’t track without leaving MacKeltar land. Ty and Chase never left Red Moon in their wolf forms. They couldn’t attract attention, and huge wolves, much larger than a normal wolf, would attract the wrong kind of attention if they were seen.

Chase came jogging into the woods a few moments later. “You shouldn’t howl this close to the house. You’ll scare Parker.”

Shit. He hadn’t even thought of that. Ty quickly shifted back to human form, immediately telling Chase what he’d found. “The trail ends at the river, where we can’t track it further,” he finished.

“Another wolf?  A female? You’re sure about this?” Chase asked.

Ty shot him a look. “You think I would mistake something like that?”

“Shit. We’ve never had an unknown shifter here before. I don’t like this, at all. If they were here for a good reason, they would have talked to us.” Chase started pulling his clothes off. “I’m going to check it out, take in the scent so I’ll recognize it again.”

“Be careful. I’m going to go check on Parker. I don’t like that this shifter shows up just when Parker gets here.”

Chase nodded and shifted into his light brown wolf, nose down to catch the scent as he walked away. Ty turned to get his clothes and then dressed before he made his way back to the house, moving at a fast clip. He felt anxious and he knew he wouldn’t calm until he laid his eyes on Parker and reassured himself and his wolf that she was okay.

Parker finished washing her face, studying her reflection as she patted it dry with a towel. She wondered what Ty saw when he looked at her. He obviously found her attractive, and although she tried hard to see what he did, she didn’t understand it. She was still just plain old Parker. With a sigh, she put her glasses back on before opening the door and stepping out. She turned toward her room but paused when she heard heavy footsteps on the stairs.

Turning, she saw Ty reaching the top of the stairs. He hesitated when he saw her, a look of relief crossing his features that confused her.

“Hey, Ty. You get finished up outside?”

He didn’t answer, just walked forward and didn’t stop until he was almost touching her. She looked up, frowning a little, and was just opening her mouth to ask him what was wrong when he lowered his head and took her mouth with his.

Her breath left her body in a whoosh as he backed her up against the wall, plastering his body to hers. She lifted up on her tiptoes, one of her arms wrapping around his neck while she rested her other hand on his cheek so she could feel his jaw working.

He caressed her lips with his for a moment before sweeping his tongue into her mouth to duel with hers. Parker moaned as her arm tightened around his neck and she arched more body more firmly into his. Her blood was heating quickly and she could feel herself getting wet just from his kiss alone.

He’d had this effect on her four months ago, too. Full blown, instant need, right from the start.

Ty rolled his hips, rubbing his already hard length against her belly as his kiss got more aggressive. Tangling a hand in her hair, he guided her away from the wall and walked her a few steps down the hall and into his room. He kicked the door shut with his foot and then pushed her up against the bedroom wall, intensifying the kiss even more.

He licked at her mouth, seeming intent on tasting every inch of it, before he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth. He nipped it as he released it, trailing his lips across her jaw to her ear. He worked his way to her ear, where he treated it to a nip that sent lightning spreading through her body from the contact. He continued the nipping and sucking down her neck, and Parker gasped as she felt her body light up.

She tugged on his hair and he returned his mouth to hers, kissing her aggressively as his hand cupped her hips and tugged her snugly against him. Well, as snug as he could get with her growing belly between them. She took the initiative and returned the nipping kisses he’d given her. That lower lip of his had taunted her for days, and now she finally had access to it.

Ty groaned as she licked at it, and she could feel the vibration of it down to her toes. Rubbing against him, trying to relieve some of the ache she felt, Parker tugged at his hair as he tangled his tongue with hers again.

He suddenly ripped his mouth from hers and pulled away, cursing softly as he paced away from her. Chest heaving for breath, Parker leaned against the wall, body feeling bereft of the touch of him against her.

Chest heaving like hers, Ty ran a hand through his hair in agitation. “I can’t do this.”

Indignation filling her, Parker willed strength into her limbs as she straightened from the wall. “What the fuck, Tyler?” Ignoring his look of surprise at her language, she ranted on. “You keep doing this. Coming onto me and then pulling away. Every time. I want you, bad, but I’m not the one initiating this. You are. You pull me close one moment and then push me away the next. Make up your damn mind already!”

The room echoed with her words. Ty looked like he was struggling for words, opening and closing his mouth. Parker’s shoulders drooped as just as suddenly as her anger had appeared, it drained out of her and hurt and sadness took its place.

“Maybe staying here wasn’t such a good idea. I can go stay at my parent’s house. We can still get to know each other, and it would stop all of this.” She moved toward the door, placing her hand on the knob but not opening it yet. Back still to him, she said, “You know, if you don’t want to touch me… If the sight of my growing belly disgusts you, you don’t have to touch me. You don’t have to kiss me. No matter how much I’ve wanted it, I never asked for it. And my belly is only going to get bigger. Maybe you should get used to that.”

Parker twisted the knob, frowning when it wouldn’t open. Looking up, she saw that Ty was there, one big arm on the door, holding it shut. He could sure move fast when he wanted to. Maybe that was a wolf thing.

“Is that what you think, Parker? That you disgust me? That your belly disgusts me?” He crowded into her, pushing the impressive erection he still sported into her back. “Does that feel like disgust to you? How could you think that?” He backed up from the door and Parker turned around to look at him.

“What else am I supposed to think, Ty? You kiss me and then pull away. And it’s usually after you’ve felt my body against yours. That first time was after you’d touched my belly with your hand.”

Ty shook his head. “Parker, no. It’s not that. Never that. You’ve always been gorgeous, but the sight of you, belly swelling with my baby… it just makes you even more beautiful. More potent. I like it. More than you can imagine.”

Parker felt relief filling her. He didn’t think she was gross. She frowned as confusion set in. “Then what is it, Ty? Why do you keep pulling away, when we both want you to keep going?”

He exhaled heavily, closing his eyes tight for a moment. “Come sit down with me and we’ll talk. Talking about emotional shit has never been a strong suit of mine, but I obviously owe you an explanation.”

Emotional shit? Well now she was even more curious. Parker walked to his bed and sat down, finally looking around her as she did so. Ty’s room was as masculine as he was, all browns and navy blues, and stark. There were no decorations, no pictures on the walls. Just furniture. The bed dipped as Ty sat down, and Parker turned sideways to face him.

“Okay, so… it’s.. well…” Ty groaned, running his hands through his hair and tugging on the strands in frustration.

“What is it, Ty? You know you can tell me anything,” she said softly.

Ty sighed. “I think I need to give you some backstory so you understand why I feel this way.”

“Okay. Go on.”

“I’ve never talked about this before, so bear with me. Do you remember Cassie Larson?”

“I remember her. She was always one of the nicer girls in school, even though she was one of the popular crowd. She dated Jared Montgomery.”

One side of Ty’s mouth kicked up in a half smile. “Yeah, that sounds like her. Me, Cassie and Jared were close. Best friends. And yeah, she was with Jared, but I… Well, I loved her, too.”

Parker sucked in a breath. That, she hadn’t known. She was going up against some steep competition, even though she knew Cassie had passed away three or four years ago. Cassie had been everything Parker wasn’t. Gregarious and outgoing, she’d had an effervescent personality and had never met a stranger. Not to mention, she’d been beautiful, unlike Parker, who had always been on the plain side. Cassie had been curvy, too, but she’d had pleasing curves, not like Parker’s overblown ones, what most would call on the chubby side.

Oh yeah. She couldn’t compete with that.

“She chose Jared, of course,” Ty continued. “I never really thought she’d choose me, but I had to try. I never held it against either of them, though. They loved each other, and I wanted them to be happy.” He paused for a moment before taking a breath and then carrying on. “About four years ago, Cassie became pregnant. And then… she died. The baby died. Both of them, gone in the blink of an eye.”

Parker sucked in a breath. She’d forgotten that part, that Cassie had been pregnant when she died. This explained so much about Ty’s overreactions when he thought she was doing too much.

“I’m sure you’ve probably pieced together some shit,” Ty said. She snapped her eyes to him and saw that he was wearing a wry smile. “Why I flip my shit when I think you’re doing something that could hurt you or the baby. Hu—pregnant women are fragile. You could get hurt or lose the baby so easily. So much could happen.”

Parker reached over and laid her hand on his clenched fist. “There’s always a risk, but the likelihood is actually very small, Ty. I don’t take risks. The things you’ve worried about me doing are nothing. I would never, ever, do anything that might harm this baby.” Her other hand went to her belly and she watched as Ty’s eyes followed the movement. “I love him or her already. I’d die for this baby.”

His eyes snapped to hers. “Don’t say that. Neither one of you are going to die.”

Parker winced. She hadn’t meant to say it like that, not just after learning of his love for Cassie and her passing away while she was pregnant. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking when I said that, but you see what I’m getting at here.”

Ty sighed. “I know. And I know you’re not going to take any risks. Rationally, I know the odds of you getting hurt or losing the baby are slim. I just can’t help but worry you will, constantly. So I overreact when I see something as little as being half a foot off the ground while you look at the pigs.”

They were both quiet for a moment as Parker thought. So much made sense now. She would try not to get so exasperated with him in the future when he freaked out again. And he would freak out again. She’d bet anything he would.

She thought his reluctance to get intimate again made sense now, too, and she tried to push away the sense of loss she felt. She’d never really had him to lose in the first place.

“So what you’re saying is that you still love Cassie. That’s why you don’t want to take things further between us again.”

Ty’s head whipped around as he looked at her in surprise. “What? No. I mean, a part of me will always love Cassie. But I accepted that she wasn’t mine, would never be mine, a long time ago. It hurt when I saw her and Jared together, sure, but I had made my peace with it. For the most part,” he added wryly. “I did almost kill Jared when she died. I thought it was his fault, that if she had been with me, that never would have happened. I was arrogant in my belief of that. I thought I would have taken better care of her. I’m learning now, after being with you for the last few days, that he did his best. That he was more hurt by her passing than I was. You couldn’t have told me that four years ago, though. Or even a year ago. I’ve spent so much time being hurt and bitter and furious with Jared. Anyway, that’s beside the point. What I was trying to say was that yes, a part of me will always love her. She was my best friend for going on fifteen years. I’ve realized, though, that for a while, even before she died, my love for her was that of a friend. Not a lover, or wannabe lover.”

Parker took that in, relief and confusion warring inside her. Relief to know that she wasn’t in true competition with a perfect ghost, and confusion because she still wasn’t sure what was stopping him.

“You say you don’t know how to talk about your emotions, but you’re doing a pretty good job right now,” she said jokingly, trying to relieve a bit of the tension in the room.

He huffed a laugh. “You’re not feeling it from this side of the room.”

Parker smiled. “Okay, so, Cassie’s not it. Why the hesitation, then?”

Ty rubbed a hand over his face. “Because I don’t want to hurt you. Ever, Parker. You’re too important.”

Parker’s heart warmed even as she frowned. “Hurt me how? Because you don’t want a commitment?”

“No, that’s not it, not really. If I was ever going to commit to a woman, it would be you. I mean… physically. I don’t want to hurt you or the baby.”

“By having sex?” Parker asked, half in disbelief.

“I’m a lot bigger than you are, Parker. And even stronger than I look. I could do it unthinkingly. I could get too rough. I’m not a gentleman or gentle by nature, and I could get too rough by accident.”

“You did just fine last time.”

“You weren’t pregnant last time. What’s that they say about pregnant women? That they’re in a delicate condition? Delicate things need treated with delicacy, and I’m not sure I’m capable of that.”

Parker snorted. “That’s bullshit, Ty. I’m not delicate. You’re not going to hurt me or the baby if we have sex. I don’t need you to be gentle, but even if I did, I know you could be. You would never do anything that might hurt me, whether I was pregnant or not.”

“You don’t understand--.”

Parker put her hand on his mouth, cutting him off. “I understand the kind of man you are, Ty. The kind of man who worries over whether I eat, the kind of man that won’t even let me carry a bag of toiletries inside, is never going to do something that might hurt me, baby or not.”

Ty reached up, grabbing her hand and placing a lingering, scorching kiss in her palm, before lowering it to his lap and not letting it go. “You really believe that? You have that much faith in me?”

“Of course I do, Ty,” she said softly. “I just wish you had that much faith in yourself.”

Ty looked at her for a moment, a struggle going on in his eyes that she wasn’t sure she understood. Finally, he reached up and slowly removed her glasses. Parker’s breath hitched as he leaned past her to set them on the bedside table. Straightening up, he framed her face with his hands and searched her eyes before leaning in and ever so slowly sipping at her lips.

The feel of his hands gently cupping her face and his lips softly brushing hers made Parker’s heart melt. He kept the kiss slow and soft for long moments, and even through the sweetest sensations she’d ever known, Parker felt her body coming alive with tingles. This man’s touch, his kisses, were magical. Every time so far had been, and every time, it only felt more so.

He increased the intensity and pressure of the kiss in slow increments, and Parker felt her blood boiling hotter when every sweep of his tongue against her lips. She opened for him, letting him in as her hands reached up and tangled in his hair.

The slow pace was driving her insane, but it was the sweetest torture she’d ever known.

He lifted his mouth from hers, placing tender kisses down her jaw and back again before he pulled back to look into her eyes.

“Are you sure about this, Parker? This feels important to me, and I need to know you feel it, too. That you’re sure you want to do this, even knowing that.”

Parker’s heart stopped for a moment as she searched his eyes. That he thought this was big too was huge, and almost unbelievable. It seemed like he really did want her, and for more than just the baby she carried.

“I’m absolutely sure, Tyler. I feel it too, and I’m sure.”

A flash of relief, followed by triumph, flashed through his eyes before he lowered his mouth to hers again. This kiss was still gentle, but the softness was gone, replaced with a heated intensity that stole her breath. He kissed and licked and nipped, and Parker did her best to participate but it was more like she was just holding on for the ride as he ravished her mouth.

He eased her back onto the bed, following her down and lying beside her, his body big and hot against hers. He trailed his mouth back across her jaw and then down her throat as he slid one large hand up her waist. Her breath caught as his hand reached the underside of her breast, and then she moaned, half in disappointment that he didn’t go higher, and half in pleasure as he licked at her neck.

Ty nipped her throat as his hand slid back down to her waist, and she could feel him smile against her neck. He knew he was driving her insane, the ass. Not willing to let him be the only one playing, she pushed him back a bit and reached for the hem of his shirt. She felt herself blushing, but she couldn’t help it. She’d never tried to undress a man before, even during their last time together.

Luckily, Ty either didn’t notice her blush or wasn’t going to comment on it. Accommodating her, he sat up and pulled his t-shirt off. Parker stared, riveted at the sight of his muscular chest, as he tossed the shirt over the side of the bed. Before he could settle over her again, Parker brought her hands to his shoulders, sliding them down his impressive pecs before moving them over his washboard abs. He had more tattoos on his chest, and another on his side, and she wanted to trace every one of them with her tongue. She’d never seen a man look like this other than in movies or underwear ads. She hadn’t even thought that a normal man could look like this.

As normal as he could be when he turned into a wolf occasionally, she thought wryly. Then again, maybe that was part of why he looked the way he did.

Her fingers reached low, brushing against the edge of his jeans, and she secretly smiled when he hissed out a breath and his hips involuntarily jerked forward. The fact that her touch could pull that reaction from him was heady stuff, and she brushed her fingers under the waistband of his jeans just to feel it again. This time, he let out a strangled groan, and satisfied, she trailed her fingers back up again.

“Alright,” Ty said gruffly, catching her hands. “That’s enough of that torture for now.”

“Don’t like it when the tables are turned, do you?”

He brought one of her hands to her mouth, nipping the pads of her fingertips one by one, before lowering it again. “You’ll be the one who doesn’t like it when this ends too quickly. I’d like to at least be out of my jeans when that happens.”

Parker felt her eyebrows raise. “I have that kind of effect on you?”

He leaned in to kiss her lips before pulling back. “Of course you do. Since the moment I saw you in Pete’s four months ago.”

Parker knew her smile was a cross between smug and surprised, but she couldn’t help either feeling. She never would have guessed that the effect she had on him was as potent as the effect he had on her. Her-- short, chubby, plain Parker Leighton.

Her musings were cut short by Ty reaching for the hem of her shirt, and she couldn’t stop herself from stiffening. He hadn’t seen her body in almost five months, and even then, it had been relatively dark in the room, the only light coming from the streetlights outside. There was a lamp on the dresser that was turned on in his bedroom, and her body… She’d been chubby then, but she was even more filled out now. Her breasts, already large, had just gotten bigger; her belly was rounder with his child. He might not have been disgusted by feeling her body against his, but she couldn’t help thinking the sight of it would turn him off.

“Hey,” he said softly, noticing her hesitation. “What’s going through that pretty head of yours?”

She could feel a blush creeping into her cheeks, but she couldn’t stop it any more than she could answer him. Even if she wanted to, her throat has closed up tight. She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head and forcing herself to speak.

“Nothing,” she finally croaked.

“Do you want to stop?”

Eyes shooting open at that, Parker shook her head more vehemently. “No! Don’t stop. It’s fine. I’m fine. Promise.”

Ty didn’t look like he believed her, but he drew her up slightly so that he could pull her shirt off. Parker eased back down, unable to keep her eyes from closing. At least she had on her good bra tonight.

The silence was stretching on, making Parker more and more uncomfortable, when she heard a gust of breath leave Ty. “Parker,” he breathed. “You are so gorgeous.”

Did he just say she was gorgeous?

Parker slowly opened her eyes, not sure she’d heard him right. He was staring at her body with a dazed look on his face, and the look in his eyes was almost… reverent?

He reached a hand down, slowly trailing it over her shoulder, leaving a trail of fire in his wake, before tracing a finger down her bra strap. He followed it to the edge of her purple and lace bra, following the edge along her breast. She sucked in a trembling breath at the feel of him against her skin.

“Are you bigger here than you were before?” He asked, swallowing hard.

Fighting down the embarrassment she felt over her even larger than normal bust size, Parker nodded. “They’ll get even bigger than this at the end of the pregnancy,” she admitted.

He must have caught something in her tone because he frowned and looked up at her face. “Parker? What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

He continued to study her for a moment before realization dawned in his eyes. “Parker, baby. How many times do I have to tell you how beautiful you are? Everything about you. Don’t be uncomfortable. Not with me. I’ll never think you’re anything less than stunning.”

Parker was mesmerized by the sincerity that shown through his eyes, and the conviction in his voice. He really meant that. She thought maybe he always had, but it was just now becoming clear to her. No matter how anyone else saw her, no matter how she saw herself, Ty loved the way she looked. He didn’t mind her curves or her larger than average breasts. He didn’t mind that her belly wasn’t flat. And he didn’t think she was plain; he thought she was beautiful.

Warmth filled her chest as she nodded at him. “You really feel that way, don’t you? I can’t promise that I’ll overcome all of my insecurities at once, or even very quickly, but I’ll try.”

Deciding to show him that she really meant that, Parker sat up and reached behind her, unsnapping her bra and flinging it off of the bed before laying back down. She had to fight the urge cover her breasts up, but she managed it, and she was happy she had when she saw the lustful look in his eyes as he took her in.

“That’s my girl,” he said in a voice gone gravelly, before he leaned down and sucked one of her nipples into his mouth.

Parker gasped and arched her back and heat speared through her body. He filled his hands with her breasts as he lavished attention on her nipple and Parker couldn’t stop the high pitched moan that erupted from her throat.

Her breasts were so damn sensitive now! She almost couldn’t handle the sensations shooting through her body as he switched his attention to her other nipple, rolling the bud around with his tongue before he bit down gently.

She had to be soaking her panties right now. She could feel the moisture building up and she shifted her thighs together, hoping to ease the ache that was quickly building to an unbearable point.

Ty let her nipple fall out of his mouth, lifting up and kissing her passionately. Pulling back, he said, “I wanted to do this slow and gentle. I’m still going to do my damnedest to be gentle, but baby, I don’t think I can go slow anymore.”

Parker smiled at him as she caressed the nape of his neck. “I don’t need slow, Ty. I don’t even need gentle. I just need you.”

The warm chocolate of Ty’s eyes darkened to black as he nipped at her lips again. “You can’t talk me out of gentle, Parker. But slow is out the window.”

With that, Ty pulled back and shimmied out of his jeans, revealing his thick length to her eyes. Her insides clenched as she took in the size of him. She knew he’d fit, even though staring at his thick, long length was intimidating. More than that though, she knew the feel of him inside her, knew what he could do, and knew the way he could make her feel when he was rocking into her. She didn’t want to wait any longer. She needed him now.

Ty came back over her, hooking his fingers into her sleep pants and tugging at them, along with her underwear. Too full of the anxious need to have him inside of her to care about baring more of herself to him, Parker lifted her hips to help him tug the rest of her clothes off.

He pulled them off, throwing them over the side of the bed without looking, and ran his eyes up her legs to her center. She couldn’t stop her legs from parting slightly, knowing she was glistening from her desire. Her insides clenched more when he licked his lips, looking for all the world  like he would start to eat her alive at any moment. He finally pulled his eyes away and leaned up to kiss her again.

“I feel like I’ve spent the last four months waiting on this moment, Parker,” he said against her lips. “I just wanted you to know that. I wanted you to know that I’ve never wanted a woman like I want you. Never constantly thought about a woman like I think about you. You, us… this is important, sweetheart. It’s big.”

Parker’s heart stuttered and then melted at that declaration. She’d dreamed of hearing words like that fall from Ty’s lips, but she’d never, ever imagined that it would really happen. It wasn’t a declaration of love, or even a commitment, but it was more than enough for her.

Ty trailed his hand slowly down from her collarbone, never taking his eyes from hers. His fingers left fire in their wake as he dragged them between her breasts and down to her stomach where his hand paused its descent. Flattening his hand out and cupping her belly, he closed his eyes and she heard his breath catch. He opened his eyes again as he pulled back and looked to where his hand was resting.

“Parker…” he said, voice hoarse and trailing off. She understood though. She felt the same way when she touched her belly.

He scooted down the bed, trailing kisses down the same path his hand had taken, pausing to plant a few lingering kisses on her belly. His hand continued on, delving between her legs and sucking the breath from her body.

His fingers parted her folds, instantly finding her swollen nub, and oh my God, she was more sensitive there, too. Parker couldn’t stop her hips from rising to meet his fingers as her body writhed on the bed. He dragged his fingertip in a slow circle around her clit before applying more pressure. He rubbed hard and fast around her clit as he leaned up and sucked her nipple into his mouth.

She was going up in flames, destined to be incinerated at any moment. She’d never felt anything like this before in her life, even that night four months ago. Her fingers tangled in the long strands of his hair, and she knew she was pulling on them hard, but she couldn’t stop herself. She needed to come, now. He hadn’t been touching her long, but she already didn’t know how much more she could handle.

She’d been yearning for his touch again forever, and it was potent. Almost too much, on her sensitive body.

He dipped down, easing two fingers inside her, causing her to moan, before he pulled them back to her clit. She felt empty after feeling him inside her, even if it was just for a moment, but he doubled his efforts on her nub, and within moments, she was flying apart. She shook and trembled as her body clenched, and she came so hard, she thought she would black out.

Panting, she slowly drifted back down to find Ty smiling at her with a look of smugness mixed with pain. He hadn’t gotten any relief yet. As relaxed as her body was now, she knew they were just getting started, and the thought instantly had her core heating up again.

“What happened to going fast?”

Ty leaned in and sipped at her lips. “I don’t care how badly I need to be inside you, if I don’t make you come first, I’m not much of a man.”

“How about making me come while you’re inside? I need you inside of me. Now, Tyler.”

Ty growled low in his throat as he positioned himself over her, nudging her entrance with his thick cock. “Making you come while I’m buried inside you is a given, sweetheart. Every time. But that’s only the main course. I had to give you an appetizer first.”

Leaning on his forearms, Ty kept his eyes locked with hers as he slowly pushed into her. Her breath caught and her eyes rolled back in her head as she felt herself stretching and giving way for him. God, the feel of him inside her… he was barely in, but she felt it clear to her toes.

“No, don’t close those pretty eyes. I want to look into them as I have you. I need to see you.”

Parker slowly opened her eyes and forced them not to close again as she locked gazes with him. His eyes were full black, barely even discernable from his pupil, heated and intense. He pushed into her a little more and then paused, clenching his jaw. It felt amazing, but she needed more, and she needed it now.

She pushed up a little bit, trying to move things along, but he wouldn’t move. “Tyler…” she groaned.

Ty cursed through clenched teeth. “Slow, Parker. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Giving all of yourself to me is not going to hurt me, Ty. I need you inside me, all the way inside, now. Before my body explodes from want.” She knew she was pleading with him at this point but she didn’t even care. “Now move.”

Ty muttered “Fuck it,” under his breath before in one smooth move, he pushed all the way inside her.

He froze once he was seated to the hilt, and Parker couldn’t stop her eyes from sliding closed again for a moment as she took in the feeling of having him fully inside her again. She felt stretched full, almost to the point of uncomfortableness but it felt good. No, good was an understatement. It felt amazing. The feelings racing through her body were indescribable.

And her heart felt as full as her body.

She managed to open her eyes and immediately locked eyes with him again, and the emotion in his stole what little breath she had left.

“You feel so fucking good, Parker. So right. Like home.”

He began to move after that, slowly pulling out before pushing back in just as slow. The pull and drag was sweet torture as her every nerve ending felt engulfed in flames that each thrust just added more fuel to.

She wrapped her legs around his waist for leverage and began moving with him, and it wasn’t long before the bed was rocking with the force of his thrusts. The sound of their bodies slapping together was the sweetest noise she’d ever heard, and she dropped one of her legs as he leaned up and wrapped an arm around the thigh of the other.

The new position changed the angle of his thrusts and Parker threw her head back as she moaned low and long. “Oh, God, Tyler. That. That right there. Don’t ever stop.”

“Never,” he gritted out as he increased the speed.

The headboard was banging against the wall and Parker was louder than she’d ever thought she could be. She hoped like hell that no one was in the rooms around them because she had no intention of quieting down.

His cock hit that spot inside her again, the one that lit her up inside and made her eyes roll back in her head. She dug her fingers into his back, uncaring of whether she drew blood or not, and urged him on. She was so close. So… close…

She felt the breath whoosh out of her, and she froze as sensation after sensation crashed through her body. She clenched down on his cock, over and over, and was only vaguely aware of Ty cursing and then freezing. She felt him pulsing inside her, coating her in warmth, and it only pushed her higher.

She was flying and drowning all at once.

She floated slowly back down, unaware of how much time had passed. She and Ty were both still panting, their chests heaving in perfect sync, and his head was buried in her neck. She slowly unwrapped her legs from his waist and let them fall, limp, to the bed.

She was a boneless heap.

Her fingers were tangled in his hair, and she didn’t even remember putting them there. The last she remembered, her hands were busy using her fingernails to gouge holes into Ty’s back. She slowly untangled her fingers, and then just ran her fingers through his hair, slightly damp with sweat, as their breathing calmed.

Ty finally pulled back as almost unnoticeable tremors began to run through his arms. So there was a limit to his strength.

He leaned down and kissed her lips softly, lingering for a long moment, before pulling back to search her eyes.

“Parker, baby… I have no words for that. That was amazing. And well worth a four-month wait.”

He pulled gently out of her before collapsing to the bed and pulling her into his arms. Parker snuggled up to him, uncaring that they were slightly sweaty. She stroked his chest as her heart finally settled into its normal rhythm.

“Almost five.”

She felt him kiss her head. “Almost five?”

“It’s been almost five months. Five very long months.”

He felt his chest vibrate as he chuckled. “Amen to that, sweetheart. But the wait was worth it, and we don’t have to do that again. Ever.”

Parker smiled as she snuggled in even closer. She’d never get enough of him saying stuff like that, and her heart warmed to think she might never have to.

Tyler stroked Parker’s fingers with his own as they rested on his chest. He felt drained, emotionally and physically. When he’d come in from tracking the rogue wolf shifter, all he’d wanted to do was lay eyes on Parker again. See for himself that she was alright. He’d never intended to do more than that, but when he came up the stairs and saw her standing there, face freshly scrubbed, looking soft and adorable in her pajamas and clearly getting ready for bed, he hadn’t been able to help himself.

He hadn’t intended to talk about Cassie or his fears, either, but how could he not tell her what was really going through his mind at that point? She’d looked so dejected and so fucking hurt, and he couldn’t just let her go on thinking she disgusted him, or that he didn’t burn for her with the intensity of a thousand suns.

He wasn’t even being dramatic with that thought. That’s what it felt like.

How could she not realize how she looked? How beautiful she was, especially when she smiled and her light colored eyes twinkled at him? How alluring her deliciously curved body was?

She’d had a lifetime of people looking down on her and making her feel inferior because of her body type. People like Wendy and Hannah. He would skin them alive, let his wolf have them, if they ever made Parker feel like she was less than them again simply because of her body type. He didn’t even care that they were girls or humans. They wouldn’t get away with hurting her again, Wendy especially. She was the worst of the two, and from their interactions at the diner, she was definitely the one out to make Parker feel low about herself.

And there Parker was, outshining all of them. With her personality, her caring nature, her wit, and yes, that delectable body. One that pregnancy just made even more attractive. She was absolutely irresistible, and it was heady stuff to know that a woman like Parker was carrying his pup.

It felt disloyal to Cassie’s memory, but he was suddenly fiercely glad for the first time in his life that she’d chosen Jared. If she hadn’t, if she’d chosen Ty, he never would have met Parker. He never would have had what he had now. Sweet, beautiful Parker who didn’t see herself the way the sane half of the world did. And his pup, who he was sure that he already loved more than life itself. He’d do anything for them.

“What are you thinking about so intently?” Parker asked, raising a hand and smoothing her finger over the slight furrow between his eyes.

He captured her hand and placed a lingering kiss on her palm. “About how five months can feel like forever long and no time at all, all at once.”

“For me as well,” she replied softly. “I should have come back sooner, but I didn’t realize I was pregnant until I was almost three months along. And then I had things to take care of before I could. The honest truth, though, is that I was scared. Scared of seeing you again, scared of how you’d react. Just scared in general.”

Ty angled his head down to look at her, but she wouldn’t meet his gaze. “You were scared to see me again?”

He felt Parker’s sigh against his chest. “I’m not great with people, even on my best day. I don’t always react like a normal person does. It’s hard to be around others. Which is why I chose a job that I could work from home to do. I was able to be around you easily in March, but who knew if that was a fluke or not? And maybe you wouldn’t want to see me again. Maybe I’d been a one night stand and you never had any real interest, and I’d just been a warm body. Then there I am, showing up pregnant and asking to talk. I had a lot of worries over coming back here again.”

He frowned. “You were never just a warm body to me, sweetheart. I looked for you every time I went into town after that night. I wanted to see you again. I didn’t even get your last name that night. Hell, if I’d known you were Tiffany’s sister, I would have tracked her down to find you.”

She laughed wryly. “Me and Tiffany are so different, you couldn’t have realized. I didn’t exactly run in the same circles as my sister, or you. I had such a crush on you back in high school, but you never even knew I existed.”

Ty felt his eyebrows raise. “You had a crush on me?”

“Uh, yeah,” she said, her cheeks heating in a blush. “A pretty big one.”

“I wish I’d known that then.”

“I never would have told you. I couldn’t even look you in the eye when I passed you in the hall. My social anxiety was off the charts then, even worse than it is now.”

Ty was quiet for a moment. “It doesn’t matter, I guess. I wasn’t in the best place then, so maybe it was for the best. We’re here together now. That’s what matters.” He slid his hand down to her stomach. “And we have this beautiful life now. It’s okay that you waited to tell me. You could have not told me at all. I’m not upset, Parker. Not in the least.”

“I’m glad. Did you know you were my first?”

Ty froze. “You’re first? You were a virgin?” He felt her blush and nod against his chest. “Shit. I didn’t know that. And I just fucked you in a hotel room, like it was any old day.”

Parker leaned up and kissed him, shaking her head as she pulled back. “It wasn’t just any old day. It was the most amazing night of my life, Ty. I wouldn’t change a single thing about it. And it gave us this precious baby.”

Ty slid out from under her, placing a tender kiss on her lips before scooting down the bed. He gazed at her belly, rubbing his palms over it, before placing kiss on the swell of her belly and resting his cheek against it.

They laid like that for long moments. Parker smoothed his hair from his face as Ty closed his eyes, just listening and feeling for a moment.

His pup was so close to him right now. Right under his cheek. He felt his heart swelling with tenderness. He wondered what they were going to have. A strong little male wolf cub, already fierce? Or a little girl pup, just as fierce, but delicate and beautiful like her mother? He honestly didn’t care what sex the baby was, but he suddenly longed to have a little female wolf cub, with the long black curls and light bluish gray eyes of her mother.

Maybe… Maybe one day he could have that, even if this pup was a boy. Maybe he’d get to keep Parker, forever.

Wolf, he thought. Tell me that Parker is our mate. Tell me she’s destined to be with us forever.

Nothing. Nothing but his wolf sighing in the satisfaction of the moment. He was infuriatingly quiet, and now Ty was more sure than ever that he really was broken. Shouldn’t he be telling Ty what to do? Telling him if Parker was theirs or not?

Deliberately trying to push back the rapidly encroaching frustration that threatened to disrupt the quiet peacefulness of the moment, Ty turned his head and placed another long, lingering kiss on Parker’s belly. He froze as he felt the barest of bumps against his lips. Was that…?

“Ty?” Parker asked, fingers stilling in his hair. “Did… did you feel that, too?”

He pulled back, placing his hand where his lips had been. Sensing what he was trying to do, Parker reached down and moved his hand slightly, pushing his palm harder into her belly.

There it was again. Just the slightest of bumps, barely there, and the most incredible thing he’d ever felt in his life.

He looked up with a grin. “That was the baby, wasn’t it?”

“Yes!” Parker replied, a breathtaking smile on her face. “I never thought you would feel it this soon. Everything I’ve read says it’s still too early yet. This baby has his Daddy’s strength.”

The feelings coursing through Ty were indescribable. Tenderness, affection, awe. For both the pup and its mother. He frowned as he realized what she’d said. He shouldn’t be feeling it yet? Strong like him? Shit. This obviously wasn’t normal, and what if the baby was too strong and hurt Parker?

Would the fucking worries ever stop piling up? He’d need to call Jared again tomorrow. See if he had any answers. He couldn’t stand the thought of anything hurting Parker.

“Ty? What’s wrong?” Parker asked, putting a hand on his cheek.

He forced a grin and shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong. I just can’t believe I felt the baby, is all.”

He surged up and kissed her hard, hoping to distract her. He ended up distracting them both. He always lost all train of thought when his lips met hers, and all he could do was drown in sensations. He swiped his tongue over her lips, groaning when she let him and tangled her tongue with his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer as they both threatened to go up in flames.

Parker pulled back and looked at him, full lips swollen and glistening from his kiss. “We’ve had an appetizer and a main course. Is it time for dessert yet?”

Ty chuckled as his dick thumped. He swooped back in and let his kiss be his answer.