To Claim His Mate (11 page)

Adam looked down, saw the moisture on her cheek and realized he was crying.

“I’m sorry.” He smiled while wiping his tears away. “You gave me a scare. How do you feel?”

“Tired,” she whispered. “So tired.”

“That’s the sedative Stephanie gave you.”

Her hands flew to her belly. “But…”

“Relax.” Adam covered her hands with his own, assuring her, “Our child is just fine. We’re a tough bunch.”

Her smile warmed his heart. Through their link, he could feel sleep trying to claim her again.

“You’re not mad?” Eva asked. She was clearly struggling to remain awake enough to hear his response.

“Mad? I’m ecstatic! I love you so much, Eva. You having our child makes me so happy I can’t even describe it.” Adam gathered her up in his arms, mindful of her IV and settled onto the couch with her in his lap. “You just rest now, and we’ll talk about anything you want once you wake up. I hope you know how happy you make me, Eva. You’re my only weakness, baby. It would destroy me to lose you.” The last he spoke in a whisper as she’d already drifted off again.

Adam hugged her close, cradling his woman and child. For the first time in awhile, he couldn’t wait to have the whole family over. But he had one more thing to take care of, and it involved a very important question and a simple yes or no answer.

Chapter Eleven

Evangeline came awake slowly. She was warm and comfortable in bed—in bed? Opening her eyes, she took in the rich wood furniture and the lean, muscled arm draped over her hip.

Adam
.

She was in his room, in his bed, and he was asleep next to her. Trying not to disturb him, Eva slipped out of bed to attend to her bladder, which was ready to burst. She crept to the bathroom praying she’d make it without a cough or a sneeze, because it would be
so
attractive to pee all over herself like a toddler trying to scramble to the potty.

After taking care of business, Eva was washing up when she discovered a small bandage on the back of her left hand. Upon its removal, she noted a small bruise and a tiny dot. Stephanie must have given her an IV after she’d blacked out. The last thing she could remember clearly was being in Stephanie’s office … and seeing her baby on the ultrasound.

Oh, God
!

Feeling a little queasy, she decided to grab a glass of juice and a few crackers before heading back to the bedroom. It was still dark outside, but Eva had no idea what time it was. When she entered the kitchen, she glimpsed the clock on the stove proclaiming the time to be one-forty.

“Wow, I slept for a while.” She opened the fridge and poured a glass of orange juice as Storm nudged her leg with a cold, wet nose. “Hey, girl.”

A light scratch behind the ear sent the wolf back to the living room.

Eva munched a few crackers, and once her stomach settled, returned to the bedroom only to find Adam awake, waiting.

“I’m glad you’re awake. How do you feel?” he asked as she climbed back into the bed beside him.

“I feel a lot better, thank you.” She
did
feel better, but she was still slightly uncomfortable emotionally. She’d had the most amazing dream that she’d spoken to Adam and everything was wonderful between them. He was in love with her, happy about the baby and never wanted her to leave.
Man, those were some good drugs.

“So, do you want to talk?” He was hedging. Oh, God, how much did he know? Had Stephanie spilled the beans when he’d come to pick her up? Was he waiting to see if she would confess to the pregnancy? How would he react?

Might as well lay it all out and see where she stood. “I found out today that I’m pregnant.” She rushed on, “But don’t worry, I’m not one of those women that will try to trap you with a baby. I swear, it wasn’t intentional, but I want this child, Adam. Our child.”

Adam was smiling at her now. Smiling?

“Why are you smiling?”

“You don’t remember talking to me at the office, do you?” he asked. She shook her head in response, and he continued, “You woke up a little, and I told you I’m happy you’re having my child.” Adam pulled her to him, holding her tight, and Eva snuggled into his warmth. “I love you, Evangeline. You are my other half, the owner of my heart and soul. My God, I need you more than I need my next breath.”

It
wasn’t
a dream.

“I love you, too, Adam. So much that it hurt me so bad to even think you might not want this child or—”

He kissed her, gently, thoroughly, leaving no doubt in her mind that he treasured her.

“Don’t think like that, please. You’re mine to protect, cherish, love and spoil from now on.” He kissed the tip of her nose and smiled again. Man, but the look in his eyes made her want to give him everything.

“And you are mine to love, cherish and make happy in any way I can. I’ll even let you keep trying to teach me how to cook.”

Adam barked out a laugh, hugging her close, and Eva breathed him in, taking comfort in the spicy masculine scent that was just…
Adam
.

“Deal. Are you hungry in there?” He rubbed her stomach and grinned at her amused expression. “What?”

“You’re one of those people who loves to act all macho, but you’re a marshmallow.” He scowled and she giggled, shaking her finger at him. “Don’t even try it, buster. I know your secret now.”

“But you’ll keep my secret, because you love me.”

She cut him a sly smile.

“
Eva
.” He lowered his voice in mock warning.

“I don’t know. Stephanie and Sarah might be interested to know you’re a big pushover.”

He pounced, and she squealed as he tickled her ribs.
Evil man!

“Okay, okay,” she gasped. “You’re not a pushover.”

“Only with you.” He kissed her, the seductive power of his lips melting her, and she threaded her arms around his neck, moaned and was lost.

He poured all of his emotions into that kiss. The fear, the joy, and the depth of the love he had for her, and she met him every step of the way. She felt their connection, and his love was like a warm balm to her soul.

“I can feel
everything
,” she gasped. “Are you afraid of something?”

“I was terrified I’d lost you today. When you were unconscious, I couldn’t feel you. I guess that’s because it wasn’t a natural state of rest—I’m not sure—but I never want that to happen again.” He cupped her face in his hands, gazing intently into her eyes, his own almost desperate. “Promise me.”

“I’ll do my best to never scare you like that again, but you’ve got to promise me that you’ll never scare me, either. If something is wrong, we’ll face it together, no holding back.”

“Deal. Like right now, I think we both have too many clothes on, and that’s a problem. We should fix that.”

“Absolutely.” Yes, she needed this, too. Needed to feel connected to him in the most natural way there was.

Quickly stripping them both, he rolled her beneath him and entered her slowly. She never got tired of the feel of him stretching her slick channel, filling her completely.

Adam began a lazy rhythm that soon had her panting and writhing beneath him.

Evangeline was nearing her peak. Already, her womb tightened as her release quickly approached, but she needed more. She needed him to
take
her, to stake his claim and make her his. She’d seen the marks on the other women. They’d explained them to her on that first girls’ night and told her how these extraordinary men claimed their mates forever.

“Adam, I want you to claim me.”

He stilled, panting hard above her.

“I want to be yours.” She looked into his eyes, those gorgeous wolf eyes she loved so much. “Completely, forever.”

“You’re sure?” He shook with the fight to take her gently, with his struggle for control, and she was ready to see him lose that battle, aching for him to set his passion free.

“
Positive.
”

Adam growled low in his throat before pulling out and flipping her to her stomach. “Raise your hips to me, Eva.” His voice was a deep rumbling growl. She obeyed instantly. “Fucking beautiful.”

“Adam, I need you.”

His guttural tone was sending erotic shivers through her body, and she was sure she’d never been this turned on before in her life. He gently grasped her hips then surged forward, forcing a strangled “
Yes
” from her lips. He pulled her back against his chest, while continuing to thrust into her tight sheath, their new position allowing him to hit some hidden nerve center within her.

She felt so small against his rather large frame. He palmed her breast with one hand while the other traveled slowly south, parting her saturated folds before brushing one calloused finger over her throbbing clit.

That one touch had her back arching, pressing her breast tighter into his palm and pushing her hips back, forcing his cock deeper still as her orgasm approached.

“More. Oh God,
Adam
,” she cried out.

“I’ve got you, baby. Don’t worry.” He gently kissed from her ear to her jaw, down her slender neck to the tender flesh where it met her shoulder.

His tempo increased, drawing small mewling sounds from her lips that only seemed to spur him on. Eva was strung so tight she knew she was only seconds from climax.

As his thrusts became more frantic, he increased the pressure and speed of his rubbing on her clit and pinched her nipple between his fingers. Eva erupted in his arms as he suddenly sank his teeth into her flesh, marking her as forever his.

Claiming her as his mate.

* * * *

The sun had just risen, and Eva sat at the kitchen table as she watched Adam heat chicken and vegetables in a skillet while grating cheese, warming tortillas and preparing fresh-squeezed lemonade.

“What? Did I get something on me?” Adam asked, obviously having felt her gaze. “Did you want something to snack on while I’m cooking? I can slice some cheese and grab you some fruit. Just name it.”

“I’m jealous,” she sighed.

“Excuse me? I don’t think I heard you correctly.” He laughed.

“Oh, no, you heard right. I’m completely incapable of multi-tasking, yet here you are doing four things, practically at once, while I
might
be able to swing two. So, yeah, I’m jealous and in complete awe of your mad cooking skills.”

He puffed up his chest a bit as he proceeded to strut back to the stove, and she burst out laughing.

“I love to hear that sound.”

“I haven’t had a reason to laugh in a long time. It feels good.” Eva was happy. Being here with Adam had done her a world of good. She could almost forget about Shane and his goons…until the urge to tell her grandma about this magnificent man brought her crashing back to reality.

“Well, I’m glad you’re happy now, and laughter looks good on you. Your eyes sparkle and your face just shines.”

She blushed.

“How’s your shoulder?” he asked.

“It’s fine, I promise.”

Adam placed a small plate of apple slices and cheese in front of her, kissed her lips then chomped into the other half of the apple as he stirred.

“It smells
great
. Fajitas?” She took a bite of cheddar as she awaited his reply.

“You bet. I’ve heard that pregnant women
love
Mexican food, so I figured we’d give it a try.” He shrugged. “If you crave anything, and I mean
anything
, just let me know.”

“I’m not really craving anything. It’s just…” Eva grabbed her stomach. The lone bite of cheddar seemed to have bounced right back and was making its way up at an alarming speed. “Oh, God!”

She ran.

Adam was clearly startled by her outburst. That much was obvious as he shoved the pans from the burners and took off after her down the hall.

“Eva?” he called from the bathroom door. “What’s wrong, honey?”

“No! Please don’t come in here. It’s gross and embarrassing.” She hated vomiting, but being sick in front of other people was even worse. “I’m all red and splotchy and—
Blurg!”

Cool hands settled on her neck after lifting her hair. Hadn’t the girls explained how bull-headed these guys were? Eva should have known that the sound of her retching wouldn’t deter him.

“You don’t have to be in here. I’ll be fine in a minute.” Wow, her voice sounded
horrible
.

“Not happening, sweetheart. I had a hand in this child, and I’m not letting you suffer if I can help it.” He replaced his hands with a cool, damp rag and wrapped a rubber band in her hair. “Now, please, tell me what will make you feel better.”

“The rag has helped a lot actually. My stomach is settling down some.” She moved to stand and was lifted to her feet as if she weighed nothing at all. “Show-off,” she muttered.

“Anything to impress my lady.” He grinned and flexed the muscles in his arms, which saw her lips curving up as well. It was impossible
not
to smile when he was being playful. “So what do you think made you sick?”

“All I had was a bite of cheese.” Eva quickly rinsed her mouth in the sink and brushed her teeth, needing to get the wretched taste out before it set her off again.

“So, no more cheese then. I’ll keep that in mind when I’m cooking, and if you discover anything else, let me know.”

Eva nodded at him in the mirror and noted a little pink still staining her cheeks.

Adam moved up behind her, bringing his arms around her waist and resting his open palms over her stomach. “Sarah texted my phone while you were showering earlier. She wants to go shopping for clothes with you.”

“We just went shopping, and I don’t really need any more clothes, Adam,” Eva reminded him. The man had already bought her so many outfits she still hadn’t worn most of them.

“Maternity clothes, I think.”

She did a sort of slow blink, as she allowed her mind to process what he’d just said.

“You’ll be starting to show very soon, but if you’re not feeling up to it, I’ll just tell her it’ll have to wait.”