Claiming Emma [Novikov Clan 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (5 page)

Pacing around the room, he wasn’t sure how to proceed. Should he get into bed before her or wait for her? Should he kiss her good night or just hold her like the night before? All this was new to him. Yes, he had been with women before, he wasn’t a virgin, but this was his mate. He didn’t want to scare her away. During the kiss on the couch, he made himself relax and let her take the lead. Normally, he was an assertive man, but this woman completely threw him for a loop.

When the bathroom door finally opened, his little goddess was covered from head to toe in flannel. She looked adorable, and he winked, trying to break some of the tension in the room. She glided toward the bed and climbed on, biting her lip. She looked a little nervous, and he wondered what she was thinking. A soft smell reached his nose and he inhaled, drinking in the scent of her arousal. She wanted him. Puffing out his chest, he felt more like a man. His little mate wanted him.

He went over to the wall and shut the light off before getting into bed with her. She lay stiff, and Chayton chuckled to himself. “Come here,
ciqala
.”

“Are you going to hold me like last night?” She breathed out, moving toward him.

“Yeah.” That was his only plan, to just hold her and let her become accustomed to his presence.

Their bodies touched, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. Her shivering stopped immediately, and he willed his body heat to seep into her skin to warm her completely. They lay like that in the dark until she finally turned, putting her ass against his hardening cock and letting him spoon her.

“Tell me about your family.” She yawned.

“You know that I have two brothers. I’m the youngest…”

“How old are you?” She interrupted his story, and Chayton smiled, glad that she wanted to know more about him and his family.

“I’m thirty-three, and so is Takoda, my twin brother. He’s a few minutes older than me. Mahkah is thirty-six. I have two dads. They also have Native names, Honaw and Shiloh…”

“Wow, twins huh? That’s really great. So how does it work having two dads? Does it ever get confusing?” She interrupted him on another yawn, and Chayton wasn’t sure how much he would be telling her before she fell asleep.

“It’s wonderful having two fathers. They both loved us and took care of us growing up. They taught us how to live off the land, about our heritage, and even how to work together to be good mates in the future.” He spoke in soft hushed tones. Pausing for a minute, he wondered if she would ask a question. He held his breath, hoping that she might ask what a mate was, but she never did, so he continued.

“We all belong to a much larger clan now, with the oldest Novikov sons being our Alphas. The majority of the national park is where we hunt. We also live throughout the park, everyone securing and protecting it. We try to live off the land, getting our meat, pelts, timber, and vegetation. Sometimes we go into the bigger cities, but for the most part we stay together in our community.” Chayton stopped talking and wondered what Emma had heard out of what he said. “I’m a shifter, and you are my mate. You belong to me and my brothers.”

The room was silent. Her breathing had changed, and her body was relaxed fully against the bed. He started to move and rolled out of bed silently, going back into the living room. He grabbed his phone off the counter and called his brothers, knowing they were waiting to hear from him.

“Chayton,” Takoda said, “You’re on speaker phone.”

“Who’s listening?” He was curious. Was it just his brothers or had they involved their parents and the Alpha? This might turn ugly if he wasn’t careful with the words he used.

“It’s just me and Mahkah right now, but if we don’t get some answers soon, we’ll have to involve others.” It was a threat, plain and simple.

He could understand though. If one of his brothers were here right now in his place with Emma, he would be making threats as well. Once a mate was found, all the brothers needed to stake a claim. She became a part of their world. There had also been a lot of rumors about the Alpha’s mate, Chloe. Their younger brother had found her, and instead of bringing her home, he kept her to himself.

“It’s only been one day. I did make some progress, asking her if I could move in. She agreed.”

“Why not just bring her home to us?” Takoda asked. “Are you trying to keep her?”

“I’m not going to force her. I want her to agree to come back with me. Therefore, I need time.”

“How much time?” Mahkah cut in. “Days, weeks, years…” He growled the last word, and Chayton knew time wasn’t on his side.

“We don’t expect you to force her, but when the Novikovs took Katie, she didn’t put up much of a fight from what I’ve heard. Do you expect resistance from Emma?” Takoda added.

“I don’t know. Like I said, I’m trying to get to know her and build her trust. I’m not bringing her back home against her will.”

“We don’t want that either, but we aren’t going to wait years, Chayton. We’ve been waiting long enough for you to go out and find her,” Mahkah said, seeming to calm down a bit. Chayton understood his brothers’ desire to see their mate. After all, she belonged to all of them.

“What’s her last name?” Mahkah asked, and Chayton wasn’t sure he wanted to give that information away. He didn’t want his brothers coming to Anchorage searching for them. He needed more time.

“Why?”

“I’ll give you more time, but Takoda and I deserve to do a background check on our mate to learn more about her. If she’s in any sort of danger, we need to know.”

“Fine, Emma Steele.”

“Where is she from? Where is she living now?”

“I don’t know where she’s from, but…” He paused, wondering if he really wanted to tell them where they were. In the end though, he knew it was the best choice. His brothers were giving them more time. “We’re in Anchorage.”

“It sounds like you have more work to do then. We’ll give you time, Chayton, but I expect a phone call in two days with more information. We’ll start a background check.”

“Fine. I expect you to honor our deal. I’ll call you in two days.” Chayton clicked the
end
button on his phone, disconnecting the call. He didn’t want to talk to his brothers any longer, but he was glad he’d been given some time. They wouldn’t be coming to Anchorage for a little while. That was good enough for him, at least, right now it was.

Laying the phone on the counter, Chayton went back to the bedroom and climbed into bed with Emma. He moved in close and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight against his chest. His brothers were good men, and he knew from a young age they would share a mate, but a small part of him wanted to keep her.

He knew it was selfish, but he now understood what Conner, his clan mate, must’ve felt when he met Chloe. Instead of bringing Chloe home to meet his brothers, Adam and Brandon, Conner had kept her away for five years. There were a couple different rumors. One, she wasn’t emotionally stable and so her safety was a risk. Two, Conner had loved her too much and didn’t want his brothers claiming her.

In the end, though, Conner had died in a terrible accident and Chloe ended up in Alaska with Adam and Brandon. He wouldn’t keep Emma away that long. He just wanted to make sure she had feelings for him before taking her to meet both Mahkah and Takoda. Closing his eyes, Chayton realized that he was acting selfishly, and his parents would probably be disappointed. He wanted to create a strong bond with her, and that might exclude both his brothers, making it harder for his brothers when the time came.

He tried to not overanalyze things, but his brain wouldn’t stop. Instead, he focused on Emma’s breathing, and that helped the beast inside him to calm, and put the conversation with his brothers out of his mind. He was tired, and he had a long road ahead. He needed to gain Emma’s trust, prove to her that he was a worthy mate, and slowly explain more about his clan. The only question was, could she accept them as her mates and was she willing to move and change her whole life?

Two Weeks Later

Everything was going amazingly well. Chayton got a job as a laborer in town and didn’t seem to mind working outdoors in the cold. A few times a week, he worked half days and would hurry home to make dinner for her. On the days he worked late, she would look up new recipes and try to cook for him. Their relationship was developing slowly, and each day she told him more about her life growing up in Seattle.

At night, after dinner, they would watch a movie, play cards, or board games. She was a poor sport, so Chayton would let her win. She still smiled remembering when they played Monopoly the other night. She was losing bad and threw a mild tantrum, tossing the dice across the room. Chayton kissed her soundly on the mouth, and somehow she ended up winning.

On the weekends, instead of staying indoors, Chayton took her on adventures around Anchorage. They went hiking, fishing, canoeing, and even tried hunting. She’d lived in Anchorage a full year and had never done any of those things. Chayton showed her how fun and exciting the outdoors could actually be.

Moving around the kitchen, Emma thought about her favorite adventure when they drove to see the northern lights. Vibrant blues, pinks, greens, and yellows swayed in the sky, marking the path of the dancing aurora borealis. The colors were incredibly bright, multihued, and fast moving. He introduced her to so many wonderful things, and she was grateful.

The only problem was he never tried to make any moves on her. Yes, they kissed, and he held her every night, but he hadn’t tried anything sexual. Not once. Stirring the beef stew, she wondered why. It was obvious that he was attracted to her. He went to bed and woke up every morning with an erection. A few times, she built up her courage to make a move, but at the last minute she chickened out.

She heard the door open and knew that Chayton was home from work. Running out of the kitchen, she threw herself into his arms, and he kissed her, making her want to melt into a puddle before him. She rubbed her chest against his and tried to crawl up his body, wanting to mark him like a cat. Emma pushed her fingers through his hair, pulling out the rubber band in the process. She loved his long black hair.

“Did you miss me,
ciqala
?” He laughed, placing her back on the ground away from him, and she missed his body immediately.

“Yes.”

“I’m going to shower, and then we can have dinner.” He leaned down and kissed her once more before rushing off to the bathroom.

Disappointed, Emma went back into the kitchen and finished dinner. The shower water turned on, and she was tempted to follow him, desperately wanting to see him naked. Biting her lip, she headed for her bedroom and spotted Chayton’s dirty clothes in a pile by the bathroom door. Tiptoeing closer, she peeked inside and stared at the mirror which was covered in fog. Stomping her foot, she pushed the door open a little bit and caught his blurry outline.

She really wished at this moment that the glass was crystal clear so that she could see him better. As it was, she could barely make out his perfectly sculpted body. She leaned further in, and the door swung open, slamming into the shower stall. Emma gasped, jumping back. Chayton opened the shower stall immediately and looked right at her.

“Emma, what’s wrong?”

“Uh…I–uh…everything is fine,” she stammered, forcing herself to stare at his face instead of following the water droplets down his chest. “I just wanted to tell you that dinner is ready.” He arched a brow and made a face. He didn’t believe her.

“What’s the
real
reason you came in here?”

Swallowing hard, Emma tried to think of what to say. The truth made her seem silly. She snuck into the bathroom so that she could watch him showering. She wanted to see him naked.
Damn. What the hell am I supposed to say?

“How about the truth?” Her eyes widened, and she started to panic. Did she just say that out loud? “I know all the thoughts going through that pretty little head.”

“Fine.” Exhaling loudly, she said, “I wanted to see you naked in the shower.” She gritted through clenched teeth. A wide smile split his face, and she rolled her eyes.

“If you want me naked, all you have to do is say.” He pushed the door open, and Emma glanced down before running away from the bathroom and back into the kitchen, Chayton’s laughter following her.

* * * *

Chayton watched Emma’s eyes drop down to his cock before she ran out of the bathroom and away from him. He threw back his head and laughed, feeling like they had just turned a very important corner in their relationship. They only kissed, hugged, and cuddled. Nothing more had transpired between them. He wanted to take things slow, to give her ample time.

Over the last two weeks, they spent all of their free time together. Each night they talked, watched movies, or played a game. He loved her stories the most though. It was a way to learn more about his mate, her family, and friends. The weekends were something that he looked forward to. Chayton tried to create different adventures, wanting Emma to become familiar with the outdoors, so when he took her home, she would enjoy doing things with his family and clan.

Chayton rinsed and shut off the water. He stood there for a moment reflecting, before he climbed out. Grabbing a towel from the rack, he dried off and got dressed before heading to the kitchen. Emma was sitting at the kitchen table looking down, and he hoped the bold little vixen from a few minutes ago wasn’t gone.