Freya considered what he said. He was right, she solely concentrated on what happened within the Alpha’s house because that was the only place she spent any time when at the compound. She ignored everyone else. It was surprising to find she was noticed by the others. She had just assumed they had ignored her as she had them.
“They’re still idiots.”
Dayton laughed again. “They are that. I will be having a word with them about what’s appropriate though they may still look until we’re mated. I can’t very well blame them for that because it is such a delicious view.” He leaned down and kissed her again, only this time it was more tender; the heat of the first kiss nowhere in sight.
He broke away but kept a hold of her hand, tugging her towards the trees. She went willingly, anxious to get some breathing space from all the eyes she suddenly felt were now on her. Was everyone watching so they could see her fail?
“Why the sudden need to be with me?” Dayton asked, stopping just into the trees and unbuttoning his shirt.
Freya swallowed hard as he stripped it off easily, her heart kicking up a beat at the sheer perfection of his hard, muscled chest. She couldn’t help herself, she licked her lips.
“I missed you.” Her words trailed off as he unsnapped his jeans. She swallowed again. Her mouth was unaccountably dry at the moment.
“I like the sound of that. I missed you too, honey. I thought you were spending time with Liam though. That should have kept you occupied.”
Her eyes met his, the reluctance with which she looked away evident on her face. “What are you doing?”
Dayton’s lips curled in a slow smile, his eyes glinting with laughter. “I want to go for a run with you. I’d prefer to have clothes to change into when we get back. You haven’t answered my question.”
She groaned loudly. “You’re stripping naked in front of me and you want to have a conversation?” She kept her eyes on his. If she watched him peel his jeans off she would probably go insane and pounce on him. “And it wasn’t a question, it was a statement.”
“Semantics, vampire. Did something happen with Liam?” He sat down and tugged his boots and socks off as he watched her carefully. He knew he was teasing her mercilessly. If she only knew just how much this was crippling him too.
From the moment he’d scented her coming out of the Alpha’s house he’d been hard and aching for her. Keeping his distance was driving him crazy but he wasn’t going to rush her. Taming his vampire had to be done slowly and very carefully. He stood up again and pushed down his jeans. Like most wolves he didn’t bother with underwear.
“I was thinking over your words about having babies, examining my interaction with him so I could decide if I had the capacity within me to be a mother,” Freya choked out, her eyes following his movements, taking in the male beauty of his body.
Heat engulfed her, warmth spreading downwards to pool between her thighs. He was beautiful, so strong and vital. His erection pulsed to the beat of his heart and she wanted to taste it, feel it in her mouth as she licked and sucked until he cried out with pleasure.
“Stop thinking naughty thoughts and tell me what conclusion you came to.” Dayton’s voice had dropped an octave, a husky note whispering through his words. It brought her eyes back to his and she could see he was struggling just as much as she was. It somehow made her feel less feral.
“I think I can do it, be a mother,” she confessed, her cheeks suddenly burning hotly. “If that is what you want.”
Dayton almost choked but managed to contain himself. When he’d talked with her earlier he had worried he was moving too fast for her. Now she was standing there calmly telling him she wanted to have babies with him. Granted, she had a unique way of discussing parenthood but he wasn’t complaining. Just the thought of his child growing inside her was enough to make his cock twitch hard.
“What about what you want, Freya?” he asked gently moving towards her. He gathered her into his arms and tilted her head back so he could look into her eyes. “Becoming parents is a joint decision. Both partners should want a child so it’s conceived in love.”
She tried to look away but his gaze was mesmerising. She realised she couldn’t hear him breathing and knew her answer had to be so important to him if he was holding his breath. The heat of his body so close to hers was distracting and she had to bite back a moan as she felt his harness pressing into her.
“I would like to have children with you one day,” she whispered. “I want to be a family with you, to have what Nors and Ashleigh have.”
Dayton’s breath sighed out and he leaned down and kissed her gently. “And I will gladly give them to you, Freya. Anything your heart desires I will give to you. All you have to do is tell me what you want and if it’s in my power then it’s yours.”
He kissed her again, a little more lingeringly this time but nothing too passionate. If he gave into his desire he’d be taking this exquisite woman who made his blood boil with a crippling need. But that wasn’t what he wanted for her right now.
She had made a big decision today. He was under no illusions of just how huge a leap it was for her to consider becoming a mother. That decision meant she was accepting him as her mate. The emotions she would be dealing with at the moment would most probably be overwhelming her. He wanted to show her how to relax and embrace those emotions.
“Run with me, Freya,” he breathed against her lips. “Feel the wind in your hair, the earth beneath your feet; the sheer joy of being free to race through the trees. Let the forest into your soul; embrace the sounds and textures all around you. Let your spirit fly.”
He shifted into wolf form, growled softly at her once and took off into the trees. She stared after him and then she began to run, following his scent, staying behind him as she let him guide her through the forest. She listened to the bird song on the air, the rustle of creatures in the underbrush. The scent of the forest filled her and it smelled of Dayton. This was who he was, what he loved and had lost for so long.
It didn’t escape her that the last person he’d probably run with like this had been his first mate. Inviting her to run with him was another way of opening his heart to her. He would be remembering Faith, remembering the consequences of that last run with her. He was offering every single piece of himself, trusting her to protect his heart.
Freya knew she was going to accept everything he offered her. He was in her soul now, buried so deep in her heart that she would cease to exist the moment he did. She ran after her wolf and her heart soared as the freedom he offered her embraced her completely.