Primal Possession (36 page)

Feeling miserable and even guiltier, he nodded. “I swear I never meant to do this to you. Your life span will be substantially longer, like mine, but your—our baby will be born human. I didn’t shift for the first time until I was four and that’s pretty normal for most shifters.”

When she wrapped her arms around herself, he wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms. Tell her everything would be okay. But he didn’t know how to voice that. He could smell the fear and confusion rolling off her. Maybe she was afraid of what the town would think. Or maybe she was afraid of him. That thought was excruciating. He could deal with anything she threw at him, but not her fear. “I promise that no matter what happens, I’ll make sure you and the baby are taken care
of. If you don’t want to live here, that’s fine. I’ll work something out, buy you a place anywhere you want.”

She stared at him for a moment, then shoved him in the chest. Hard. “I never thought I’d say this, Liam Armstrong, but you’re a Grade A asshole.” Then she spun around and headed for the gate.

He started to go after her but didn’t know what to say. Or what he’d said wrong. He needed to figure some shit out first. Figure out how they were going to make this work. If she didn’t want to move, would he live with her? Would she live at the ranch? And more important, he desperately needed to figure out how to knock down the walls between them. She was his and this divide between them was his fault.

The last few days without her had been the worst days of his life. Nothing could have prepared him for the ache that had settled inside him and spread bone deep.

“You just gonna let her go?” Erin’s soft voice startled him as she sidled up next to him.

He hadn’t even heard the she-wolf approach, which said a lot for how messed up he was. “She’s angry.”

“Duh. I don’t blame her either. You’re acting like an idiot.” She shook her head disapprovingly.

He glared down at her. “What the hell do you know?”

“I know that December is one of the nicest, strongest humans I’ve ever met. I know that she gave up a lot to be with you. Then when
you
decided that you thought it would be best, you pulled away from her like an idiot. Then, after she’s probably had the worst couple weeks of her life, including her brother being in the hospital and seeing her best friend bloody and standing at death’s door, you barely touch her or console her afterward. Then you kick her out of your life. And now she’s pregnant? So
you, what, tell her you’ll take care of her or find her someplace to live? Dumb, dumb, dumb.”

“I
will
take care of her,” he growled. Why the hell was the she-wolf eavesdropping anyway?

She shook her head again and this time a spark of undeniable annoyance popped off her as she turned away.

Gritting his teeth, he let her leave and turned back toward December, who was already heading back down the drive. As the weight of Erin’s words sank in, he realized what he had to do.

W
earing a long-sleeved pink and red striped pajama set, December savored the warmth of the thick flannel material. Curled up on her couch, she took another bite of rocky road ice cream while she waited for Kat to return.

They’d decided to have a girls’ night complete with ice cream, movies, and wine…. Well, Kat was drinking. December wasn’t.

Kat walked back into the living room carrying a bowl of popcorn and collapsed on the couch next to her. “Want some?”

December shook her head and took another cold bite. “No thanks.” She planned to eat her weight in ice cream tonight. Liam was such a jackass and hadn’t even tried to contact her all day. Even after her parents had died, she hadn’t felt so abandoned and alone. Right now, it was as if her heart had been ripped out and she didn’t know that things would ever be right in her world again. After everything they’d shared, she’d expected more from him. Especially now.

Looked like men were the same, no matter the species.

As she started to press play, the doorbell rang. Kat sat straight up against the couch and shot December a nervous glance. “It’s Liam,” she whispered.

December frowned. “How do you know?”

“I can smell him. Or—I think it’s him. I’m still getting used to this heightened-senses stuff,” she whispered again.

Gritting her teeth, December looked away from her friend and back at the television. Now that she concentrated, she could actually smell him too. Ana had called December after she’d left the ranch that morning, because she’d been worried about her—and the other woman had promised to come by tomorrow to answer all December’s questions about the changes she was going through—but Ana had already explained that Kat had more noticeable abilities since she’d been bitten. Since December was pregnant by a shifter, she had heightened senses—which made her nausea even worse—but she wouldn’t fully develop all her extrasensory abilities until after her baby was born. Ana had also explained that even though December’s body had adapted to her child’s, her strength level would remain human until later. It was all too much to digest right now. And seeing Liam would just make it that much harder after the way he’d acted earlier. Pretending not to notice the faint masculine scent that reminded her of the forest in spring subtly twining around her, she pressed play.

“What are you doing?” Kat sat her popcorn bowl down and started to get up.

“Do not answer that! I don’t want to see him.” She did, but not right now. Not when her head was so messed up. He’d ignored her all day. He could suffer too.

Her friend eyed her disbelievingly and sat back on the couch. “You’re sure?”

“What if it was Jayce at the door?”

Nodding, she picked her bowl up and sat fully back. “Good point.”

When the doorbell sounded again, she turned the volume up. After the way he’d tried to brush her off earlier, telling her he’d take care of her or move her out of town as if she were some shameful secret, she had a lot of things she wanted to tell him but knew all she’d do was cry if confronted now. Next time they met, she wanted a level head.

Next the banging started but she ignored that too. Rolling her eyes, she shoved the thick blanket off and headed for the kitchen. As she put the ice cream back in the freezer, she heard the movie stop; then the front door opened.

When she heard Kat and Liam talking, she wanted to scream. What the hell? A few seconds later Kat walked into the kitchen. “I want to watch the movie and we can’t do that with all that racket. Just talk to him, please.”

December knew Kat didn’t give a crap about the movie. She started to respond when Liam stepped into the kitchen.

“And that’s my cue to leave.” Kat quickly disappeared, leaving her alone with Liam.

He had bags under his eyes. She’d noticed it at the ranch, but they seemed more pronounced now under the bright lights of her kitchen. Some perverse part of her was happy he wasn’t sleeping well.

When he took a couple more steps inside, she moved back until she hit the counter. She wanted to curse herself for showing weakness, but the reaction was instinctive.

Liam stopped dead in his tracks and spread his hands out. “I’m so sorry, December.”

“For what?”

“For everything.”

She glared at him. “It’s easy to say that. What are you sorry for?”

“For…abandoning you when you needed me most. I saw how messed up Jayce was when Kat got taken and I thought…I thought it’d be easier on you if I was out of your life. I’ve brought you nothing but pain since we’ve met. You never would have been a target if not for me. I thought…” He shook his head slowly.

“You thought you’d make a decision about
our
future without consulting me?”

He jerked back at her question. “It wasn’t like that.”

“It’s
exactly
like that. Since we’ve met, you do things
you
think are right without asking me first.” She took a few steps closer to him, needing to fill some of the gap. Needing to gain control.

When she did, he also took a few tentative steps toward her but didn’t respond.

“So why are you here?” She tried to keep her voice cold but couldn’t. It cracked on the last word. He still hadn’t explained himself.

Taking her off guard, he fell to his knees in a completely submissive position. “To beg your forgiveness and ask you to take me back. When I said I’d take care of you and the baby, I meant it, but I think you misunderstood what I said. I didn’t mean without me. Unless you want to live without me of course.” When she didn’t respond, he shoved his hands in his pockets and suddenly looked so lost and confused, it made her anger waver.

Hating to see him like this, she covered the distance
between them until they were inches apart. Grabbing his hands, she tugged on him so he’d stand.

His dark eyes instantly flared with undeniable lust and she smelled something…spicy, masculine. Maybe it was an effect of the pregnancy. Or maybe she was just scenting his lust. “Will I turn into a wolf now too?” she blurted. She hadn’t had any weird animal urges and she’d been so angry earlier she’d forgotten to ask. When she’d spoken to Ana, her anger had faded, but by then she’d been too afraid of the answer, so she’d skirted the subject, figuring she’d find out when Ana came to see her.

Half smiling, he reached out and cupped her cheek gently. “Not while you’re pregnant, but later you will…. Speaking of, you need to see a doctor soon. A shifter doctor. I found one in the next county who handles pregnancies.”

Even though she was still confused about her feelings, she stepped closer into his embrace and wrapped her arms around his waist. The feel of all that raw strength brought back so many naked images, but she forced them away. They still needed to talk. “Why can’t I go to mine? I thought you said the baby would be born…human.”

He nodded. “He will, but…shifter pregnancies are shorter by about two months. That’s probably why you got sick so fast. I don’t really know, though. This is all new to me too. I was only eight when my father’s pack…uh, well, when my first pack died. I don’t have much experience with cubs.”

“Wait, did you say
he
? You know something I don’t?” Her eyebrows lifted.

“We’re having a boy. I don’t think I can deal with a girl.” He actually looked terrified at the thought.

“Are you going to love this baby any less if it
is
a girl?”

“No! I just…I don’t know what I’d do with a girl. And if she looked like you, I’d be screwed. You two would gang up on me and get your way with everything, I know it.”

Clenching her jaw against a smile, she shook her head. “It’d serve you right to have a little girl.” She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment when he didn’t respond. “I’m still pretty mad at you.”

“I’m still mad at myself.” He tightened his arms around her.

From where they stood, she had a clear shot of the hallway that led to the front door. For the first time since he’d arrived, she noticed two big bags sat in the foyer. “What are those?”

“If you’ll have me, I plan on staying here with you. I know living on the ranch would be too hard on you and—”

She stiffened slightly. “You assumed I’d forgive you?”

He winced and shook his head. “No, I just hoped.”

“I need to know something, and you better not lie to me. If I wasn’t pregnant, would you still be standing here in front of me?”

“Yes.” His answer was immediate and soothing. He reached up and took her face between his big hands. The contact sent tingles scattering across her skin, and when she met his eyes, she saw the depth of his feelings for her. They were raw and primal and he wasn’t holding anything back from her now. “I love you, December. The short time apart was enough to kill me. It made me realize I’m not strong enough to walk away from you. Life isn’t going to be easy for you in the beginning. Not all people accept shifters and—”

“I don’t care about that. And don’t ever try to make a decision about our future or my life without consulting me first. I won’t live like that.” She
couldn’t
live like that.

“I won’t, but I probably will screw up from time to time. You bring out all my protective instincts.” His deep voice enveloped her like a warm embrace. One she’d been desperately craving the past few days.

Smiling at his honesty, she leaned up on her tiptoes. “I love you too, Liam.”

A low growl tore from him and those dark eyes of his went molten hot as he covered her mouth with his in a hungry, frantic dance. She couldn’t help it. Tears sprang to her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. When he tasted the saltiness, he pulled back, uneasiness in his gaze.

“These are happy tears. I’m pregnant, I can’t help it,” she murmured.

Immediately he broke into a wide grin. “You’re going to be a great mom.”

The statement surprised her. She hadn’t really thought about it. Except for the morning sickness, it almost didn’t feel real. Her eyebrows pulled down as another thought occurred to her.

“What is it?”

“So what exactly…uh, do shifters get…” Crap, she didn’t want to be the one to bring up marriage, but she didn’t know if shifters even got married. She knew that bondmates stayed together forever. Or she thought they did. But if she understood correctly, mates could still leave each other. And he hadn’t said anything else about bonding.

“Do you not think I’ll be a good dad?” The question was asked with such raw honesty she jerked back. His dark eyes were filled with concern and uncertainty.

She shook her head. “No! I mean, of course I think
you’ll be a wonderful dad. Probably too overprotective, but that’s okay. I just wondered if shifters married or, uh, not that I think we should get married just because—”

His lips covered hers again. This time not so demanding. Just sweet, probing, and made her abdomen clench with need. No one could ever make her feel as good as this man.

When one of his hands grabbed her behind and pulled her flush against his erection, she moaned at the feel of him. But when he grabbed her left hand and slipped something onto her ring finger, she pulled back.

Staring, her eyes widened at the glittering diamond on her ring finger. The marquise cut was at least two carats. And damn near flawless. Her chest tightened for a moment, but she found her breath. “What the heck is this?”