Slowly he crouched down, expecting the black wolf to growl and warn him away from her.

She didn’t, to his utter shock. She just watched him with alert eyes, keeping her chin resting on her forelegs. Hunk, on the other hand, hissed loudly at him. Dante was so close to hating that cat.

Feeling reassured, he sat cross-legged in front of her. The wolf continued to watch him, but she didn’t move or make a sound. It was strange not being growled at after four weeks of it. “Hey.” No more words came to him, most likely because there were other people in the room. He felt awkward and stupid. But they weren’t important, he told himself. All that was important right now was his mate.

He concentrated solely on her, blocking out everything else around him. “So you got out, huh.

I’m looking forward to hearing the story behind that. I know why you still haven’t retreated. I know you still feel like you have to protect yourself and Jaime. But you don’t. Not anymore. All the danger…it’s gone. It’s all over now. And I’m right here. I’ll keep both of you safe. Jaime knows that.

She trusts me, and now you need to, too. Because I miss her. Really, really miss her. Miss waking up with her and holding her and having her ignore every word I say. You have to trust that I’ll protect you both. You have to let her come back. I love the stubborn, willful, hotheaded bitch.” Dante might have felt embarrassed about the tears trailing down his cheeks if it hadn’t been for the fact that he wasn’t the only one sniffling. He was surprised when her wolf whined, even though he could sense a hint of sadness from her. He could also sense something else quite strongly. Jaime, he could sense Jaime. She was a contrary mixture of hopeful, sad, and content. The feeling was so f**king amazing that more tears filled his eyes.

What surprised him even more was that the black wolf lifted her head from her paws and placed it on his lap, peering up at him with eyes that were slightly guarded but no longer fearful and angry. In a cautious movement, he moved his hand to the spot between her ears and scratched lightly.

She didn’t growl or flinch or snap at him. Instead, she relaxed a little at his touch, half closing her eyes. For him, it was the equivalent of a miracle.

Dante stayed like that with her for hours, not daring to move for fear that the moment would be broken. When it came time to feed Kye and the baby had to be moved, Dante had expected the wolf to change back into her fearful, defensive state. Instead, she watched Taryn carefully as she scooped Kye from the crib and took him to the bed to feed him. The wolf remained at the foot of the crib with Dante, apparently content enough to simply be around Kye.

Thankfully, Taryn and Trey agreed that Dante could sleep in their room later that night. Not that he would have moved from that spot no matter what anybody said, but it was easier that they were okay with it. Being cautious, Trey insisted that Kye sleep in the huge bed between him and Taryn, but the wolf was happy to stay near the crib and Dante. So, leaning back against the chair near the crib, Dante fell asleep with his mate’s head still resting on his lap.

A huge impact to his chest and head woke him with a start later. But, strangely, there was no pain whatsoever. A millisecond later, he understood why, and he also realized that there was a naked woman on his lap wrapped around him. Instantly his arms were locked around her so damn tight he wouldn’t be surprised if he broke a few ribs. He’d promised himself that the second he had Jaime back in his arms, he’d tell her how much he loved her, but he couldn’t say a word because he found himself sobbing into the crook of her neck just as she was sobbing into his.

He didn’t need to ask how the bond had clicked right into place. He could feel why. Could feel her wolf’s trust, her clarity, her total acceptance of him, and her faith in his ability to protect her. He could also feel Jaime’s heartbeat totally in sync with his own, feel her inside him, a part of him.

He didn’t remember moving, but soon he was carrying her back to their room, wanting nothing more than to be alone with her. It wasn’t until they were inside the room that he finally lifted his face from the crook of her neck, searching out that smoky-blue gaze he’d missed so f**king much. Then his mouth was on hers, taking it almost violently. He clutched her to him, running his hands over every part of her, unable to stop touching her.

Not a word was spoken as he pressed her against the wall, reached down to snap open his fly and free his cock, and then slammed into her. It didn’t last long. It wasn’t about pleasure. It was about a need to reconnect, to know it was real, to know that she was really with him and he had her back.

Maybe that was why when his climax hit he came harder than he ever had before in his life. He had his crazy, stubborn bitch back.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Opening her eyes the next morning, Jaime found Dante wide-awake and staring at her. The fatigue on his face told her something she already knew through their bond—he hadn’t fallen back asleep after he brought her to their room. All night he’d watched her sleep, frightened that if he closed his eyes, she’d be back in her wolf form before he could do anything to stop it. Softly, she ran the tips of her fingers across his jaw. “You needed the sleep as much as I did.” His voice came out gruff. “Don’t care. I wanted to look at you. I’ve missed looking at you.

And I’m not moving from right here unless I absolutely have to.” She gasped when he flexed his c**k inside her. After taking her against the wall last night, he hadn’t pulled out of her. Instead, he’d lain down in bed, still joined with her, which had suited Jaime just fine. Then—absolutely exhausted—she’d gone straight to sleep like she’d been dealt a blow to the head.

“You don’t have to worry so much,” she told him. “My wolf…She’s not healed, but she thinks of you as safe, as ‘home.’ The bond…she’s letting it center her now. Before, she was content with it, but she wouldn’t relax into it. I think if anything can heal her, it’s the bond, our bond.” That very bond allowed Dante to know these things were true. After having her wolf distrust him for so long, it was the biggest relief to know that she now regarded him as safe. “It’s weird to think that just a little time around a baby could change everything.” Jaime shook her head. “No. It started when you rejected Bitch Face. We’ll be having a separate conversation about her in a minute, by the way. My wolf saw it as a demonstration of loyalty. When you slung Bitch Face out of the room, you also slung out Trey. I know it was because they were suggesting you put me out of my misery—I’m not feeling good about Trey right now. But what my wolf saw was you chasing away two people who she regarded as threats to her. The fact that you protected her went a long way. You might have realized that if you hadn’t walked out in a huff.” He ran a hand over her hair, wanting, no, needing to touch her. He still couldn’t quite believe she was back. “I just needed to have a minute somewhere alone to pretend that none of it was happening.”