muscles gripped him, pulsing around him, setting off a chain reaction.
Caleb jerked into her, filling her with his seed, calling out her name as if to tell the world around them that she was his.
As they lay spent in each other’s arms, Elise accepted that knowledge. As she accepted utterly and completely that she was a shifter’s mate.
And no one would ever change that.
Chapter Eighteen – Caleb
“Good morning.” He kissed her lips as her eyes fluttered open.
“Is it morning?” She blinked rapidly and rubbed her hand across her eyes.
“It’s early. I thought we could enjoy the sunrise together over a cup of coffee before we head back home.” He tucked the sleeping bag around her as he slipped away and went to light the fire.
“You brought coffee?” she asked.
“I did.” He went to his pack and opened one of the side pockets. “Instant. But coffee is coffee.”
“It sure is.” She yawned and stretched her arms above her head before quickly putting them back inside the sleeping bag. “Aren’t you cold?”
He glanced down at his bare arms. He’d pulled on his jeans and a T-shirt, but he hadn’t retrieved his sweater yet. “I have hot shifter blood. I don’t get cold.”
Her teeth chattered as a light breeze ruffled her hair. “Once you have the fire lit, can you come back to bed?”
“Try and stop me.” He grinned, his teeth flashing in the half-light. He wanted nothing more than to slide back into the sleeping bag and hold her in his arms.
Caleb switched his attention to the small amount of kindling leftover from last night and quickly lit it, adding a few dry twigs to the fire. Cupping his hands around it to protect it from the breeze, he nurtured it, placing larger twigs on the small pile until the flames crackled and sparked.
Caleb sat back on his haunches, aware of Elise’s eyes on him as he prepared a pan of water. When the fire was hot enough, he placed the pan on the fire, waited to ensure it wasn’t going to tip over, and then got up and padded back to his mate.
“I think I could get used to seeing you in the morning.” She ruffled his hair as he climbed inside the sleeping bag. “Oh, your feet are cold! I thought you said you were hot-blooded.”
“They don’t feel cold to me.” He ran his foot down her calf and chuckled as she jumped away from him.
“They’re cold!” She placed her hands on his chest. “This part is warm.”
“Then let me hold you close.” He wrapped his arms around her, and she nestled against him. “I want to wake up like this every morning.”
“I know.” Elise leaned on his shoulder. “We came here to pick up the items I needed for the recipe I wanted to prepare for Ivan. I thought it would make things simpler, but it’s made things more complicated.”
“In what way?” Caleb asked.
“You’ve woken something inside me. A deep longing I’d buried.” She looked up at him, her eyes locked with his. “I want this to work. For us to work. But I don’t see how that’s going to happen.”
“We’ll figure out a way.” He kissed her shoulder.
“We’ve just agreed to rent the house. Karros can’t afford it on his own but there’s no way the three of us could share the house together.” She sighed and stared at the fire.
“He could take my apartment and I could move in with you there,” Caleb suggested. He could barely breathe at the thought of living with his mate. He’d figured it would take her a while to come around to the idea.
“He’s committed to creating a beautiful yard at the house and then making a new business in town. I can’t ask him to leave. I think he’s planning on working on the yard every hour of the day and some of the night.” She chuckled. “Yesterday morning, he was drawing his plans while we ate breakfast. I think he was looking forward to having the day to himself so that he could make a real start.”
“We’ll figure it out. I could stay with you some nights and you could stay with me. Split the time between our homes. And I suppose I could live without you a couple of evenings a week if you want to spend time with Karros.”
“And I thought you couldn’t bear to spend one single night away from me. Since I’m your mate,” she teased.