abraded her skin. “But if I transform, I’ll not only be able to do all those things I would’ve otherwise missed, I’ll also have the memories of them to see me through the darkness when I lose her.” She pressed a kiss to his lips. “And I’ll have you. Through it all, Nick, I’ll have you.” She kissed him again, then narrowed her eyes playfully. “I will have you, right?”
“Hell yes, you will,” he vowed. “As long as you want me, you’ll have me.” He stroked the nape of her neck. “I love you, Kayla. I’ve known for some time now that I want to spend eternity with you.”
“You never said anything.”
One side of his lips quirked up wryly. “I was afraid to. I’ve loved you for years. You haven’t loved me for nearly as long.”
She smiled. “I’m not so sure about that.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Just think about it. Please. And know that I want to be with you either way. You don’t have to decide tonight.”
“I’ve already decided.”
He stilled. “You have?”
She nodded. “I want you to transform me.”
Relief blanketed his features before he drew her into a hug so tight it constricted her breathing. “Thank you.”
Patting his back, she wheezed, “Just don’t crush me to death before you do it.”
His hold immediately loosened. “Sorry.”
She laughed. “It’s okay.”
He stared into her eyes, his a brilliant amber now. “You’re sure you want to transform?”
“I’m sure.” She didn’t know how the hell they were going to explain it all to Becca, but she was certain this was what she wanted to do.
Much of the tension left his body. “Would it be okay if I asked Aidan or Roland to transform you?”
She frowned. “Why don’t you want to do it?” Should she feel hurt about that? Because she kinda did.
“I do. But Aidan and Roland are both older than me and far more powerful. They’re also healers. And we’ve discovered in recent years that gifted ones who are transformed by elder or ancient immortal healers always end up being stronger and faster than those who are transformed by younger immortals like myself or by vampires.” He slid his big hand from her nape to cup her cheek. “I want you to be stronger, Kayla. I want you to be faster and have greater regenerative capabilities. And if Aidan transforms you, you’ll likely even be able to spend more time in the sun than I can without it burning you, so you’ll be able to take your grandchildren to the playground.”
She arched a brow. “Would I be stronger than you?”
“Definitely.”
Incredible. Nick was freaking powerful.
But didn’t most men react badly to women who were stronger than they were, whether that strength was physical, intellectual, political, or applied to the woman’s position in the work force?
She studied him closely and could find no objection in his features, no hesitation whatsoever. Her grandmother had once told her that only a strong man could love a strong woman, that a weaker man would resent her.
Nick was strong. As far as she could tell, he bore no weaknesses at all.
“How much stronger would I be?”
He smiled. “A lot stronger.”
She drew a teasing finger down his chest. “So I would be able to… overpower you and make you do my bidding?”
His lips stretched in a wide grin. “Sweetheart, you don’t have to overpower me to get me to do your bidding. All you have to do is ask. I’m always up for it.”
She laughed. “Yes, you are. I just worried you might not like me being stronger than you. Some men wouldn’t, I think.”
He shrugged. “Only if they’re pussies.”
Again she laughed.
“Real men love strong women,” he stated matter-of-factly. “Real men admire them. Your strength is one of the many things that drew me to you, Kayla. Gaining more of it won’t turn me off. It will turn me on.”
“What doesn’t turn you on?”
He winked. “With you? Nothing. You’re a walking, breathing aphrodisiac. I love everything about you and want you constantly.” His smile faded a bit but didn’t disappear entirely. “I do wish I could give you children though.”
“Me, too.” She had been a mother for eighteen years. Nick had never had the chance to be a father. She wished she could give him that.
“We could always adopt,” he suggested hopefully. “Roland and Sarah adopted a little boy, a gifted one who lost his mother. I heard one of the other immortals mention that sometimes the network has a hard time helping orphaned gifted one children