Possession (The Mate Games 3)

“I’ll bet you are.” His eyes sparkled as he smirked down at me. “So do you share...everything?”

The way his lips curled around the word left little doubt what he was referring to. He wasn’t asking me about G.I. Joes or the OJ in the fridge. My Viking wanted to know about our bedroom games.

“Sometimes. Others are more, um, intimate. It just depends on who’s around when things start to head in that direction. If it feels right to add in more participants, that’s what happens.” Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. “Is that a problem?”

We’d just reached the front door when he stopped and turned to face me, lifting his free hand to cup my cheek. “I won’t lie to you and say it comes naturally to me to share you. But I also won’t lie and say the idea doesn’t hold appeal either. I’m a big man with large appetites. I’m interested in anything that brings you pleasure. All I know for sure is that when we were parted, a piece of me felt like it was missing, and now that I know that piece was you, I am willing to try anything if it means never losing you again.”

There he was. My Alek. The swoony, sexy Norseman.

Something lifted from my shoulders, the invisible weight of tension between us. “Okay.”

Was it poetic? No. Did it get to the point? Yep.

“Now come along. We’re going to be late.”

“I didn’t realize there was a timeline.”

He cocked a brow. “We have many lost hours to make up for.”

“Well let’s get going then.”

I was surprised when Alek started leading me toward the forest path, walking with no hint of hesitation, and then I remembered. It wasn’t the school he’d forgotten, just me. There was a momentary pang at the reminder. But when he led me to a part of the grounds I hadn’t been to before, it was hard to be upset.

The greenhouse’s doors stood open wide, twinkle lights visible through the glass panes. Soft music permeated the air, and a small table filled with all kinds of treats was positioned inside. He’d obviously put a lot of thought into our date and gone out of his way to make it special for me.

“This is so pretty,” I whispered as we stepped through the entrance and into the warmth of the structure. “You did all of this?”

“I might’ve had a little help.”

As if on cue, Moira popped out from behind a table of orchids, giving me a little wink and a wave as she and her periwinkle bob made a hasty exit, closing the doors behind her. Of course, she knew exactly what I’d need in this moment.

“Do you like it?” The raw vulnerability in his question made my heart ache.

“I love it. I really do.”

He reached out a hesitant hand, and I leaned in, needing his touch as he brushed a lock of hair behind my ear.

I sucked in a sharp breath as tingles raced down my body at the contact, igniting a fire I knew he would not be able to extinguish. His touch was so innocent, but I wasn’t the one without the memories of all the other times his hands had been on me. My mind knew we needed to go slow. My body didn’t care.

He locked eyes with me, uncertainty in the depths of his blues. “I’m sorry, is it too soon?”

“No, of course not. It’s not like you kissed me or anything.” I felt so stupid for reacting to his small gesture.

“So is that off the table then?” he teased, his lips hitching up.

“Not if you play your cards right.”

His eyes dropped to the soft swell of my belly. “I feel good about my odds.”

A slight giggle escaped me. “You’re not wrong. It’s so easy to forget that you... well, forgot everything.”

We were standing close enough that I couldn’t miss the flare of anger in the back of his eyes, but I knew it wasn’t aimed at me. “I do feel like I’m at a bit of a disadvantage. You know everything about me, and I know so little about you. But maybe we can remedy that.”

“I like the sound of that.”

Resting his large palm on my lower back, Alek ushered me over to the table, helping me take a seat in the wrought iron chair. Then he popped the cork on a bottle of sparkling cider and filled a champagne flute for each of us. “Pretend this is the real deal, yeah?”

“You thought of everything.” I brought the glass to my lips, smiling as the bubbles tickled my nose.