Page 67 of Wild

“Oh my God,” she whispered, staring.

I jumped onto the bed, sank to my belly and lowered my head to her lap.

She held her hand out, and I licked it. “Wow,” she breathed, studying me. She stroked my ears. “You’re so soft.” She buried her face in my fur. “You’re magnificent, Colton.”

I let my wolf take a moment to revel in her attention, then shifted back. With my head in her lap still, she stroked my hair. “Wow,” she said again.

“Not too freaked?” I asked, moving slowly, so I settled her on the bed in my arms. We stayed like that for a while, quiet. I’d thrown so much at her, I wanted her to think, to work through everything. I’d wait for her questions, and I’d answer them all. No secrets.

When I thought she’d fallen asleep, she drew in a long shaky breath. “What now?”

“Whatever you want, Marina. Whatever is best for you.”

“I don’t want to go to LA” She sounded surprised, but sure. “I don’t even like college. I hate engineering.”

I stroked my thumb across her cheek. “I didn’t want to fuck up your career path, little girl.”

“You didn’t. I did that--by choosing the career my dad wanted for me. I don’t know--maybe I’ll finish online or something, but I’m definitely not going back. I’m going wherever you go. North Carolina. Here. I don’t care. I needed a fresh start but didn’t realize it was with you. Hell, itisyou.”

I stopped to feel the resonance of her words. To notice how my wolf had quieted. The intensity around Marina was the same--the need to focus all my attention on her, to give to her. To protect her. But that crazy, gnawing need had diminished. In its place was warmth. And something else--something I hadn’t experienced before.

What was it?

Fuck. It was contentment.

I was Marina’s fresh start.

And she was mine.

It was fucking perfect.

Epilogue

MARINA

We walkedin the back door of the main house the next day.Late.It had been close to two in the morning when Colton found me at the motel and even later when I’d fallen asleep. No, I hadn’t fallen asleep. I’d passed out from too many orgasms. We didn’t stir until after eleven when housekeeping knocked on the door. While the motel was like a little sex cocoon for us, we didn’t need to stay any longer. Reality was A-OK with me.

The bite on my side didn’t hurt, but I could feel it. When I’d put my fingers to it, turning to the side and lifting my arm up in the bathroom mirror, I’d seen the wound was closing. I’d grinned at the mark because I knew it wouldn’t disappear. They would be small scars from Colton’s teeth.

It didn’t scare me. It thrilled me. For the rest of my life, I’d have his mark to remember what we’d just shared, that it would last forever.

Colton drove us back to the ranch in his big truck. He said he didn’t give a shit about the rental, that the company could come pick it up for all the good the thing could do in Montana. I wasn’t going to argue because I agreed. They needed to give it back to the circus where they’d found it. Secretly, I thought he didn’t want me out of his sight, or away from the ability to touch me. Again, I wasn’t going to argue. I didn’t want to stop touching him either.

So when the screen door slapped shut behind us, we froze and stared, hand in hand. Sitting at the large kitchen table was… everyone. Rob, Levi, Johnny, Clint and the other ranch hands whose names I couldn’t remember. Boyd and Audrey were there too. In the middle of the table was the wedding cake, half decimated. Everyone had empty plates--coated with a few crumbs and dabs of frosting on them--and mugs of coffee.

We stared. They stared back.

Then Rob began to clap. All eyes turned to him, but when Colton pulled me into his side, and I looked up and saw his grin. So did everyone else. They clapped, too.

Boyd stood, came around the table and slapped Colton on the back. “Way to go, brother.”

“Oh, my God, are they clapping because you… because we--”

Colton looked down at me. Winked. “They don’t need to see the mark to know I claimed you.” He sniffed, blatantly, and I caught on.

Mortified that everyone was aware we’d had sex, and I’d been bitten by a shifter, I buried my face in his chest, face hot.

“Welcome to the family, Marina,” Rob said. I lifted my head, and he was right there before me. I had to tilt my head back to meet his gaze, and I thought I saw the corner of his mouth tip up in a smile. He reached out, stroked my hair in a brotherly way, which made Colton growl until Rob went back to his seat.