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

I leaned back and clenched my hands together in my lap. There was no way that I could describe what I was feeling right now, but the one thing I did know was that I did not think that I could handle speaking with my parents right now. They had just kept too many secrets from me. Although I understood why they did it, it still felt like they had betrayed me.

“I don’t think that I’m ready to talk to them yet. You know how it has always been for me with them. I just don’t think I can handle it right now. It’s hard to imagine that everything has changed,” I told him softly. He pulled me against him again.

“You scared me,” he whispered against my ear. “You weren’t breathing, and I couldn’t get you to take a breath. When you collapsed, I thought…well, I thought I was losing you,” he said, and I could hear the anguish in his voice.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you. It was just too much all at once. But I guess there really was no ‘good’ way to break all of this to me. I just need some time. It’s overwhelming,” I replied. With that, he stood from the bed.

“I’ll leave you alone then,” he said, and turned towards the door.

“No, Zeke. Not from you. You are the one who makes me feel grounded. I can’t face this without you. I need you, Zeke.” My voice sounded desperate, but I had never spoken more honest words.

He returned to the bed and took my hands in his. His eyes studied me again, even though the room was dark. Then he reached up and cupped my cheek with his hand, his fingers gently caressing me.

“I will be here for you always. Whatever you need,” he said gently. I turned my head enough that I could kiss the palm of his hand, and his thumb trailed over my lips. Just then my stomach growled, and Zeke chuckled. I grinned up at him.

“You were out for several hours. I’ve never been more worried,” he said. “Are you up for some dinner?” he asked me, and I nodded.

He took my hand and helped me from the bed. Together, we left the bedroom and walked into the kitchen. The leftover food from the resort restaurant was laid out on the bar, and Zeke led me over to the one empty bar stool and pulled it out for me. Brady and Emily had already arrived, and everyone was seated at the bar eating.

“I’ll fix you something,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. All conversation had stopped when we walked into the room, and I turned and looked at Jessica who was seated beside me.

“Jessica, thank you. Thank you for being my friend and supporting me through this thing called life. It’s turned out way crazier than I ever could have imagined, but thanks for taking that ride with me,” I told her.

She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly. I relaxed into her embrace. This was definitely something that was familiar. We had both used each other’s shoulder to cry on numerous times over the years.

“I love you, Chelsea, and I’m happy that you found Zeke. He’s a great guy, and a hot hunk,” she said in humor. I leaned back and chucked her on the arm and laughed.

“And he’s mine, so don’t go getting any ideas,” I told her with a grin, and it was her turn to laugh.

“He told me that you are his mate,” she said next. “I can smell his scent on you. Wolves mate for life, Chelsea. You don’t ever have to worry about someone taking your man. It’s just the way things are with us,” she continued. I glanced over at Zeke in surprise.

He smiled that adorable smile that I was so in love with, and his eyes met mine. Then he nodded in agreement with what Jessica had just said. I guess he and I still had a lot to talk about, but since I would be officially staying with him for a while, I guess we had plenty of time.

Chapter 14

Zeke set a plate down in front of me and then he stood next to me at the edge of the bar with his own plate. Thankfully, someone changed the subject, and for the next hour, we talked about Tucson. Jessica had never been here before either, and Zeke, Brady, and Emily all took turns telling her about the sights.

I focused on my food, even though I could hear the conversation around me. It was better than having just quiet. Quiet would drive me crazy right now, and I appreciated the voices carrying on around me, even though I didn’t join in the conversation.

Jessica had been given a bedroom upstairs, and Zeke told her to stay as long as she wanted. She had taken a full week off work. Brady and Emily were planning to stay here for a few days as well. We still needed to figure out who was after me, and Brady and Zeke would be working on that together. I wondered if my biological father would know.

“Zeke,” I said suddenly, causing the chatter around me to stop suddenly. All eyes turned on me. I guess they hadn’t expected me to speak.

“Do you celebrate Christmas?” I asked, my gaze moving from one face to the next until it landed on Zeke once again.

“Well, of course. Why do you ask?” he asked me with a hint of confusion on his voice. The expression on his face was adorable, and I felt the corners of my lips lifting in a slight smile.

“Why don’t you have a Christmas tree or any Christmas decorations? I mean, Christmas is just a few weeks away,” I asked him. He hesitated for just a moment before walking around the edge of the bar and standing in front of me. Then he lifted