His to Protect: Book 1 in the Bound to Him Series by Sandra Antoni (the reading list TXT) 📗

About an hour later, the tables had all been cleared away and the living room was full of people. Some of the extra chairs remained, but some people were still left standing. It was time for the annual Christmas present exchange.

“I didn’t bring anything. I didn’t know we were supposed to,” Chelsea whispered anxiously in my ear.

“That’s okay. I brought two,” I whispered back, and she visibly relaxed. The moment Brady had asked me to bring her, I’d arranged for a second present for the party. It was not something that she needed to worry about.

Several hours later, I finally led Chelsea back to my car. She had a radiant smile on her face and had given hugs to all the women present before we left. She held the wooden Christmas ornament that she had received in her hands.

It was a handcrafted ornament made by one of the members of our pack. That had been the present she received in our gift exchange. The smile was still on her face when we got in the car. I shut her door and walked around and got in.

It was a cool night, and I knew that she had to be freezing in that dress. She had more skin showing than was covered. I tossed her the blanket that I had thrown in the back, and she quickly covered herself with it and flashed me another brilliant smile. It would be a few minutes before the car warmed up and provided enough heat to fill the car and keep her warm.

“Did you have fun tonight?” I asked her once I turned the car onto the main road and was headed back to my house.

“I did. Your friends are wonderful. They treated me like family from the moment I walked in,” she answered with admiration in her voice.

“What’s not to like? You have an amazing personality, Chelsea,” I told her, reaching for her hand. She laced her fingers with mine.

I wanted to tell her about the pack so badly, but I wasn’t sure that she was ready to hear it yet. I still needed confirmation from Brady that she was a shifter. Not that it mattered to me. I had already claimed her, and she was mine. Nothing would change that, shifter or human.

When we arrived back at my house, I helped her from the car. I had been sporting a hard-on most of the night, and every time my eyes grazed over her body, I had to adjust myself. I felt like a randy teenager. My cock was desperate to be inside her once again.

When we entered the house, I turned her to face me. Her eyes met mine, and I saw so much in them.

“You still need to call your parents,” I told her, and I saw her shoulders slump. That made me smile.

“Come on. You might as well relax first,” I said, and led her into the living room. When she was seated comfortably on the couch, she pulled out her cellphone.

“Hi, mom…Yeah, I’m back…No, it’s late. I’m just heading to bed. I wanted to call and let you guys know that I’m fine…I love you too. Goodnight.”

She hung up the call and looked over at me. I could not quite read her expression, but I knew what she was feeling.

“Hey, if there is anything that I have learned about you, it’s that you are an extremely capable adult. You were almost down that mountain when I found you, and you are a fighter. The fact that you endure this for them tells me how big your heart is. Chelsea, you are an amazing woman,” I told her sincerely. I hoped that she would believe me.

She turned towards me and lifted my hand in hers. I watched her face closely as her eyes went to our joined hands. She had something on her mind, but I wasn’t sure what it was.

“Zeke, will you make love to me?” she asked softly, then lifted her eyes to mine. I could see the vulnerability on her face. There was nothing that I wanted more than to make love to her, and the fact that she had used those specific words told me a lot.

I reached for her and slipped my arms under her legs and back. Pulling her against me, I lifted her in my arms and headed towards my bedroom. This was the one place that I needed her. She was the only one who could complete me, and she would be the only woman who I ever brought here. She was it for me.

I set her down on the bed and reached for the zipper on the back of her dress. She stood up and the dress fell to her feet. She stood in front of me in a strapless bra and matching panties, and my cock tented against the front of my pants. She was all that I needed. All that I would ever need, and she was mine.

Chapter 11

Chelsea

I stood in front of him in just my bra and panties. Zeke seemed completely overdressed for the occasion, but all in good time. I turned and faced him. There was nothing that I wanted more than to feel his skin against mine and his cock deep inside of me.

Reaching for his shoulders, I slid his jacket off and down his arms and laid it on the bed beside us. His lips kissed my forehead, and I reached up and began to unbutton his shirt. Neither of us seemed to be in a hurry, and we both know where this was going.

His hands kneaded my back, and his fingers felt like a caress on my skin. My breath hitched, and when his shirt was completely unbuttoned, I reached for the button on his slacks. He pulled my hips against his.

I could already feel his erection pushing against my belly. He was hard for me, and I let my hand skim over his length before