I know my face is flushed from the way I misspoke. I didn’t mean to say he loved me, but a part of me feels like he does. He’s done more for me than my own family has.
He crowds against me, pushing his hard body against mine. His hands caress down my shoulders, down my back, and then squeeze each cheek of my ass. “You were right the first time.”
My forehead creases. “What?” I’ve lost my train of thought with his hands on me.
He bends down resting his forehead on mine. “You were right the first time. I love you.”
I start to pull away, but his hand comes up to stop me. “There’s no running from this, Mona. You’re mine now. Nothing and no one will change that.”
“You love me?” I ask him, wanting to hear him say it again.
He smiles widely. “I love you. And I’m getting your necklace back.”
I jerk away from him then, but he grabs my hand before I get too far. “I can’t stand for Mandala to have a piece of you and I’m going for the necklace.”
“But – “
He leans down, pulling me up into his arms, holding me against his chest tightly as he starts to walk toward the house. I start to struggle, but his hold gets tighter. “There’s no buts. I’m getting your necklace.”
I stop resisting and look at him with pleading eyes. “No, Klaus. Please don’t do this.”
He smiles at me, carrying me through the house and not stopping until he’s setting me on the floor by the bed. As soon as I’m standing on my own two feet, I rest my hands on his chest. “No please, don’t do this. I can’t lose you.”
But he just keeps smiling.
“What are you smiling about? I’m dead serious, you can’t do this.”
He lifts up the hem of my shirt, pulling it over my head. But he doesn’t stop there. He starts pulling at my bra, my shorts and doesn’t stop until I’m standing before him completely naked. I haven’t exerted myself at all, but my heart is racing like I just ran a marathon.
I reach up, wrapping my hands around the back of his neck, forcing him to look at me. “Tell me what you’re smiling about.”
He tilts his head with a shrug. “You don’t want me hurt.”
Confused, I shake my head. “Of course I don’t want you hurt. Have you not been listening to anything I said?”
He tips my chin and reaches down to kiss me lightly on the lips. “You’ve said a lot. But you haven’t said it.”
He kisses me again, his tongue delving into my mouth. I’m overcome from the passion in his kiss, but when I realize what he’s saying, I pull away from him quickly. “Wait. You mean I love you? You want me to say it?” I stutter to him.
He pulls off his boots and jeans, kicking his underwear onto the floor before he reaches for me again, pushing me onto the bed and falling down with me.
We no sooner get settled on the bed and he’s suckling at my breast. It feels so good, but I need to talk to him. I need to say the words.
I pull him up my body, but he doesn’t stop kissing every inch of bare skin on the way up. When he gets to my face, I kiss him, trying to show him exactly what he means to me. When we finally pull apart, we are both breathless, but I still have to say it. “I love you, Klaus.”
I say it with all sincerity, my eyes trained on his, wanting him to see and understand what I’m saying to him. He nods his head. “I know you do. You wouldn’t have given yourself to me if you didn’t, honey.”
I close my eyes, reveling in the fact that he knows me, the real me. When I open my eyes, I’m staring at him. “You’re right. And it’s because I love you that I don’t want to lose you. Please, just forget about my necklace.”
Chapter 12
Klaus
I can’t lie to her. I can’t tell her that I’ll forget about the necklace because now, more than ever, I want to get it back for her. These past few days since she walked back into my life have been everything. There are so many reasons why we shouldn’t be together. I’m a bear shifter and she’s a wolf shifter. She’s younger than me. My family, my club will forbid it. But no matter what reason I’m faced with, the truth is I can’t imagine letting her go now. As long as I have her, as long as she’s my family, I can do anything.
And that includes getting that necklace back from Mandala. Instead of promising her anything, I kiss my way down her body, taking her mind off what we were talking about.