Page 13 of An Unending Claim
Nathan sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees, his silver pools darkening. “Then trust me about us, Peyton. Believe in us. Trust is a solid foundation to build a relationship on. Add that to being true mates and having a strong friendship—we’d be rock solid, something that would last lifetimes over.”
“I believe we could be great together,” I admitted.
His eyes rolled to the ceiling, and he exhaled slowly before looking at me again. I didn’t need our emotional connection to sense his frustration. “But?”
“Who says there is a ‘but?’”
“Because there always is with you, Peyton.”
Should I be offended by that?I honestly didn’t know because I’d long ago stopped caring what people thought of me, so I didn’t have much context for what should be insulting. I did care what Nathan and his pack thought of me, though. Which drove me batshit crazy.
“Peyton.” Nathan’s tone had turned angry, and aggression came off of him in waves, but I could see him reaching deep for control. “You’re still keeping secrets.”
Nothing I was willing to say would satisfy him, so I stayed silent.
“Your lack of response only condemns you, Peyton.” He stood abruptly and grasped my biceps, pulling me to my feet. “Chasing you is sexy as hell, baby. You want to keep running after we catch the bastard hunting you? Be my guest. I’ll catch you every time and enjoy every fucking second of your spankings.” Heat sparked in his silver pools and just like that, the sexual chemistry that had taken a backseat to the morning’s event came roaring back with a vengeance.
His hands tightened and he dragged my body up against his. “I’m more than happy to give you a demonstration any time you want.” He bent his head and captured my mouth in a slow, sensual kiss that had my toes curling. I whimpered when he pulled back, but he didn’t seem to notice. “Now I have a ‘but’ for you.”
The words penetrated the fog of lust he’d created and brought reality screaming back to me.
“I’ll only let you shut me out for so long. Secrets have a way of being revealed no matter how hard we hold onto them. And I’ve never been a person who let go of what I wanted. I think it’s safe to say that I’ll learn your truth eventually. The question is, would it be better coming from you?”
It would. And when the time came, if I had no other option, I’d tell him. That time hadn’t come yet, though.
“Don’t you need to call Geoff’s family?”
Nathan’s expression hardened and he released me, but made sure I was steady on my feet before he stalked away. When he reached the hallway that led to his office, he paused and turned back. “Does anyone know? Is there anyone who knows you completely?”
I’d shared bits and pieces with different people, but no one, not even Sam and Linette, knew everything. Even Sam, who’d somehow drawn the story of my childhood out of me, didn’t know who my grandfather was. Who I really was.
I shook my head. “You know me better than anyone ever has. I don’t do vulnerable with people, but you’ve seen me at my weakest, most vulnerable moments. I’ve given you parts of me that no one else will ever know.”
Nathan listened with a deadpan face and our emotional connection slammed shut. “Perhaps I should take solace in knowing that. But I’m never going to be satisfied with less than all of you, whether someone else knows you that way or not. Although, if there did happen to be someone and they tried to hurt you or come between us, I doubt they’d live much longer.”
I wanted to laugh, as if he’d made a joke, except… I didn’t see even the smallest twinkle of humor.
“Don’t underestimate me or the lengths I will go to protect you and do what needs to be done, Peyton. Adding more red to my ledger means nothing to me if I get what I want.”
CHAPTERSIX
NATHAN
Ihung up my phone and leaned back in my desk chair before swiveling it around to stare out the window. That hadn’t been the hardest call I’d had to make to a family in my pack, but it still hurt like a son of a bitch. They were great people, and Geoff’s loss would be felt deeply throughout the pack.
My mood had already been fucked when I made the call, but now I felt like breaking shit.
The sun shone brightly into my yard, making the brook shimmer and the small amount of dew left on the grass sparkle. I desperately wanted to go for a run, or give in to my violent desires and head to KBO where I could beat the fuck out of someone.
But I’d heard Peyton’s footsteps walk by the door shortly after settling at my desk and they hadn’t returned. Listening carefully, I picked up her slow, even breaths, confirming my hunch that she’d taken a nap. Considering what she’d been through, her body needed the rest. I could have called an enforcer to watch her and taken off, but I wasn’t ready to leave her yet.
My parents made being mates look so fucking easy, and it was the natural order of things. So, when I’d realized Peyton was my true mate, it hadn’t occurred to me that she wouldn’t fall in line immediately. Never would I have expected that it would be this much work. Then again, perhaps I’d brought this headache on myself because, as I’d said, I didn’t settle. All or nothing.
My cell phone vibrated on the desk and I rotated my chair around to grab it. When I spied the Russian number on the screen, my brows rose. It had been a longer stretch than usual since I’d heard from the caller.
“Privet mudak.”
“Hello to you, too, asshole,” Dimitri Ivanov drawled in a voice that dripped with condescension, as only vampire Russian royalty could pull off. Particularly when said Russian royal was the rightful heir to the throne. And future king when he got his ass in gear.