Chapter 735
Gavin’s POV
I heard the soft, padded footsteps on the marble floor around the same time I was putting on my coat. The kitchen was quiet this evening; most of the staff were off duty until the morning. Taylor had gone home to his mate; Irene was out with Chuck, who was back for the weekend, while Matt was asleep in bed because he had school tomorrow.
I didn’t have to look to know who was behind me.
“You should be resting,” I said, fastening the last button on my coat before turning to face her.
Judy’s tired eyes stared back at me; she was worrying her bottom lip, and her cheeks looked a bit flushed.
My heart squeezed in my chest at the sight. I hated that she was tired, but even more so that she was worried. I didn’t want anything to worry her; I wanted her to be stress-free so she could deliver a healthy baby boy into this world.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she said softly, her eyes scanning my face before shifting to the coat. “It’s late. Where are you going at this hour?”
I stepped closer to her, my arms wrapping around her. I couldn’t tell her where I was going without explaining what was going on. I needed to shield her from this as much as possible.
“I have some business I need to tend to,” I tell her. “I’ll be at the office.”
The lie tasted bitter in my mouth; I couldn’t stand lying to her, but I was doing this for her own good.
She frowned, the lines forming on the corner of her pretty lips as she stared up at me. I couldn’t tell if she believed me or not; I had tried to mask my feelings through the mate bond so she couldn’t detect the lie. I had gotten good at masking certain parts of myself, though I knew it drove her crazy.
But if only she knew what was swirling through my mind right now, it would stress her to the max and put our baby in jeopardy.
“Will you be back soon?” She asked, her voice dropping to a whisper like she was afraid to wake the walls.
“Yes,” I assured her, pulling her into my arms and inhaling her sweet honey scent. I allowed the scent to calm me as it so often did. Her soft, wavy hair tickled my nose as I buried my face in it. I kissed her temple, and she let out a breath. I knew she still had anxiety over the fact that I was leaving so late, but she trusted me.
The thought of lying to her and breaking that trust killed me.
I cupped her face and forced her to look at me.
“I love you,” I told her, and as it so often did, my words caused her to melt a little. Neither she nor I would ever get used to this level of love… even without the mate bond, it was overpowering. But since finding out we were second-chance mates and finally marking one another, it only amplified the feelings that were already there.
“I love you too,” she said softly, stepping up on her toes to kiss my lips. She started to pull back after a peck, but I wouldn’t let her go that easily. I held her tighter, wrapping my arms firmly around her waist and pulling her flush against me, deepening the kiss. My tongue dipped between her lips, tasting what was mine.
She moaned into my mouth, allowing me to explore her for a moment longer before I reluctantly pulled back.
“Save this for later,” I murmured against her mouth before giving her one last peck on the lips and releasing her.
“Get some rest, and I’ll be home snuggling you soon enough.”
She looked at me for a moment longer before she relented and nodded. “Okay,” she whispered before she turned away and left the kitchen.
I stared after her for a moment longer as the door swung shut behind her. My heart was squeezing painfully in my chest; the lie was resting in my mind over and over again. I hated having to do that, but as I said, it was for her own good, and I would do anything to keep Judy and our baby protected. She was part of my family now, and I would never let anything happen to her.
I left the villa, getting into my car. I had no idea what I was doing. This was probably the stupidest thing to do, but I needed answers, and there was only one person I knew who could get me at least some of them.
I started the engine and pulled away from my home; it got smaller in the rearview mirror, I felt my wolf’s tug, wanting to return to our mate and mark her all over again. He’s been adamant about claiming her time and time again. Every time our mark heals on her and it fades into a little pink line, he wants to freshen it and make it brand new.
He’s obsessed with her, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t obsessed with her as well. I wanted to spend all my waking hours with her and even my non- waking hours. I wanted to hold her and mark her and kiss her, … I wanted to make love to her so she would never forget who she belongs to and who I belong to.
I was hers… fully.
I had always been hers.
I couldn’t believe I spent so long without her, and I couldn’t believe even more that my wolf hadn’t recognized her as ours until the moment my teeth sank into her. He had always been drawn to her, but it was nothing in comparison to this.