“Looking forward to it,” I whisper to her. “I’m looking forward to everything.”
She’s still sleeping in my arms when we arrive back on the ranch.
I’m far from the pool, but close enough that my brothers and their mates can see what I found in the forest. I have to bite back a laugh when they stand up and stare in shock as I walk naked to the house with a sleeping woman in my arms.
I don’t stop to explain, I just head into the house with my precious girl cradled safely in my arms.
She’s sleeping so heavily that she must know deep down that she’s safe from all harm.
I head into my wing of the house and lay her on my big bed. She curls up into a ball and lets out a long breath.
Before I run her a bath, I stop and admire her for a minute.
The sight of her takes my breath away. She’s stunning.
She looks so tiny and vulnerable laying there. It ramps up the protectiveness in me. I’ll kill anyone who tries to hurt her. I’ll be a vicious guard dog when it comes to protecting my mate. She has nothing to fear ever again.
Mark her, my bear grumbles from inside.
I clench my jaw as I tell him to bugger off. This sweet girl needs rest, not my teeth sinking into her neck.
She stirs on the bed, moving her head and stretching her legs. Her silky black hair is splayed out around her, her face so calm and serene. I’m already in love.
It’s more than that. I’m obsessed with this girl. I’m crazy for her.
I want to wake her up and talk to her. I want to know everything about her. Every detail and secret she has. I need to know everything.
But I’m not that selfish. I have to put her needs first and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. We’re going to be together forever and each moment of discovery over the years will be a little treasure for me to collect.
It takes a lot of effort to peel my eyes off her. I take one last look at her body, wondering what’s hiding underneath that big bulky jumpsuit she’s wearing. It’s one more discovery I can’t wait to treasure.
With a reluctant breath, I rip my eyes away from my beauty, throw jeans and a t-shirt on, and head into the bathroom. I run a hot bath and rush over to Mary and Cameron’s bathroom to steal some bubble bath while it’s running.
I try to make the room perfect with a clean fluffy towel folded on the corner of the tub, candles, and clean clothes for her to change into after.
There’s a fluttering in my chest as I head over to wake her up when it’s ready. I stare at her face for a long moment, studying the slender curve of her jaw, the sharp slope of her nose, the curve of her eyelashes, the tempting softness of her lips. I could stare at her for hours, but I don’t want to wake her up to a cold tub, so I gently shake her awake.
“Ivy,” I whisper. “Ivy wake up.”
Her eyes open softly and then jerk wide open when she sees where she is.
“It’s okay,” I quickly say when she leaps up to her feet, looking around like a panicked cat.
“Where am I?”
“You’re in my house.”
“Your house?” she says as she clenches her hands into fists and puts them up in warning. She’s so adorable. I love how feisty she is. “Why am I here?”
“Well, I wasn’t about to leave you in the forest for another night,” I say softly. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”
She rushes over to the window and glances outside. Her eyes dart back to mine. “Who are those people outside?”
“My brothers and their mates. They live here.”
“You all live in the same house?”
“It’s a big house, but yeah.”
She starts to calm down a little as she circles over to the door with her fists still up.
“I ran you a bath.”
“A bath?”
“I thought you’d need it after a cold night in the rain.”
She just stares at me like she’s watching a stray dog that she doesn’t know if she can trust.
“It’s nice and hot.”
When she shuffles over to the bathroom and peeks inside, I know I got her.
“That’s for me?”
I nod. “All for you. While you’re in there relaxing, I’ll make you something to eat. Then, you can take a nap.”
“Where?”
“In my bed.”
She glances at the bed and then back to me.
“I don’t want to sleep here,” she says with wide eyes. “Take me back to my friends in town.”
“All right,” I tell her with my fingers crossed behind my back. “Take a bath and have something to eat, and then I’ll take you back to your friends.”
“Take me back now.”
I drop my shoulders and tilt my head. “The water is getting cold.”