“I know.”

He snaked a hand around her throat, ignoring the spark of irritation in her eyes. “Know this, too: if you ever get an idea like that again, I’ll know, baby, and I’ll spank your ass so damn hard there’ll be a permanent handprint right there.”

She gave him a cheeky smile. “As long as you understand there’ll be a matching one on your face.”

He smiled crookedly as he flexed his c**k inside that pu**y that was made for him. Gripping her by the waist, he gently moved her up and down on him. “So…is there any chance of you reconsidering getting my name tattooed on your ass?”

Jaime rolled her eyes at his possessiveness. “Not a chance,” she said a little breathlessly as he began to harden further inside her.

“How about my initials?”

“Not going to happen, Popeye. Get over it.”

“Now that’s just mean.”

“You have your brands all over me.”

“I know.” He smoothed his hands up and down her back, loving the velvety feel of her skin. “I just think it would be hot.”

“You really want someone touching and looking at my bare ass?” She refrained from smiling as his grin vanished, just like she’d known it would.

He cupped her ass possessively, again slowly impaling her on him. “No, I don’t. This ass is mine. Mine to look at, and touch, and bite…and f**k.”

“You truly believe I’ll let you do that, don’t you?” She patted his head patronizingly. “Aw, you’re so pretty.”

“Oh you’ll let me. Right over my office desk. You don’t want to admit it, but you want it. I knew that before we mated, and now that we are, I can feel that you’re intrigued.” Damn that freaking bond. “Intrigued and willing aren’t the same, Popeye.” He patted her head just as she had his. “Aw, you’re so full of shit.” Before she could respond with an insult or a bitch slap, he flipped her onto her back and f**ked her until neither of them had the strength to do anything other than roll onto their sides and sleep.

“I’m going to work with you this morning,” Dante declared before shoving a huge piece of bacon into his mouth.

Everyone at the dining table paused what they were doing, and Jaime knew why. He hadn’t said that he was driving her to work, he had said that he was going with her—quite different.

Although Dante had been doing fairly well with his controlling and overprotective nature, now that they were mated, things would be a little complicated. Not only would he be more possessive, jealous, controlling, and protective than ever, but as long as their bond wasn’t fully developed, he would be even worse. “Why?” It was a dare for him to admit that he couldn’t get a hold on his protective streak.

“Because I want to spend time with you, and then I want to take you out for lunch afterward.

Kind of hard to do that if you’ve got your own car with you.” She snorted, as did some of the others at the table. “You mean you don’t want to miss the expression on Shawn’s face when he sees the claiming mark.” He shrugged unapologetically. “And there’s also that little matter of you being paranoid that if you’re not with me twenty-four/seven, something terrible will befall me.”

He cupped her chin. “Something bad already happened to you. I’m not prepared to let it happen again.”

“I doubt Glory will hire another lone wolf to shoot me.”

“Probably not,” he allowed. “But that’s not to say that her brothers aren’t ready to make their next move yet. You know they will make another move soon. You yourself said that you didn’t think they’d get someone else to do their dirty work.”

She couldn’t really argue with that. She wanted to, but she couldn’t. As much as she was someone who took care of her own problems, Jaime wasn’t the type who lived in a delusional world where she could take them on by herself if those problems were as huge as people intending to kill her. Dante was right, and she’d be a suicidal idiot not to accept help.

Besides, it wouldn’t be fair not to meet him in the middle. And he was trying to meet her in the middle. She had felt his panic when she told him she was starting work again this morning. She had expected him to immediately insist that she remain on pack territory, but he hadn’t. He’d held back.

“You’ve helped me with my work, now I want to help you with yours,” he said with an innocent shrug.

Jaime sighed. “Fine.”

A suspicious look crossed his face. “That was too easy.”

“No, this is me being sensible and appreciating how hard it is for you to not hound me about going to work.”

This was why she was so perfect for him, Dante thought. She accepted his little quirks—okay, big quirks—and though she was stubborn, she compromised when she could. She let him take care of her even though she didn’t need him to, even though it often nettled her to be coddled. Dante lifted her from her seat and placed her on his lap to straddle him. “Thank you.” He buried his face in the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply. Although he loved her scent and often found himself wanting to writhe in it, he looked forward to their bond advancing and their scents finally mixing. She shuddered when he grazed her claiming mark with his teeth; he loved looking at it, loved knowing that she was irreversibly his and that everyone else would know it, too.

“Not at the breakfast table, kids,” complained their Alpha female playfully as she strolled in, but Dante simply held Jaime tighter. Trey was behind Taryn, with Kye nestled in the crook of his arm.

Instantly, most of the pack were on their feet, trying to take Kye. Rather reluctantly, Trey handed the baby to Shaya, who then swatted everyone else away.

“Your cat has not moved from my son since the second he scented him,” Taryn told Jaime as she sat. “He sleeps by his crib, like he’s protecting him. When Trey slung him out of the room, he slept outside the door. It’s so cute.”

“It’s not cute at all,” Greta insisted. “You have to be careful with cats. Some of them will sleep on a baby’s face and smother them.”

“What?” demanded Trey.

Taryn rolled her eyes. “His overprotectiveness has now transferred from me to Kye.”

“Why did you give him River as a middle name?” Greta’s face was scrunched up in an expression of distaste.

“One, I love the name. Two, I love rivers. Three, I knew you wouldn’t like it.”