pull of lust clouding her thoughts.
She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her body close in invitation.
“Rest now, my darling,” he whispered to her.
“No,” she murmured, sliding her hand between them to trace his abs in pursuit of his cock.
“Not yet,” he told her, circling her wrist with his hand to stop her. “Not until you are ready to accept me as your mate. And a mate is forever.”
She made a small sound of protest, but didn’t struggle when he pulled her hand up and placed it on his chest.
“Tonight you need to sleep,” he told her. “Colton will need us early in the morning.”
He rolled onto his back, pulling her onto his chest, and traced her shoulder blades with his fingertips.
Though his body still simmered with need, he felt a sweet satisfaction as Liberty’s breathing slowed and she slept in his arms.
The rest of the night passed with peaceful slowness, and when the first soft light of morning crawled across the floor, Odin was still awake.
Soon Liberty would awaken. He had spent the night wondering how she would feel when she did.
He knew his own heart. In spite of his past, he knew that what he wanted in his future was to make her happy, whether he deserved the privilege or not.
But Liberty’s heart had belonged to another. She might wake up sad or angry, sorry that she had tarnished the memory of that other love.
And he wouldn’t resent her for it. She had not asked to draw a dragon’s bond. She had not asked for anything but a child to love and a peaceful new life on this farm.
She began to stir, and he closed his eyes, waiting for her to remember.
She stretched, moving her body deliciously over his, and made a sweet little moan of satisfaction, as if the stretch had given her pleasure.
Though he had closed his eyes to give her privacy, he couldn’t resist taking a peek.
“Are you pretending to be asleep?” she asked. Her voice was gentle, teasing and oh-so intimate.
“Maybe,” he teased back, awash in relief. “How are you feeling?”
“Wow,” she said. “Is that meant as a simple how-did-you-sleep, or more like let’s-unpack-your-feelings?”
“You decide,” he told her, lifting her hand to his lips.
“I feel good,” she said, smiling as he kissed her open palm.
“Yes, you do,” he told her, nuzzling her wrist.
Colton’s tiny cry wafted through the room.
“Oh no,” Liberty cried, hopping out of bed immediately.
Odin fell back on the bed, pretending to be upset.
“You will never be able to compete with him,” Liberty teased. “You know that, right?”
“I can’t really blame you,” he said, grinning as he sat up.
“He’s a very special baby,” she said as she pulled on clothes.
Odin watched with regret as her loveliness disappeared under her modest garments.
She hurried down the hall to his room to retrieve Colton from the secondary cradle where the sitter had put him to bed last night, leaving Odin alone with his thoughts.
He crawled out of bed, deciding to shower instead of thinking. When he was cleaned up and fully dressed, he headed out to the kitchen.
Liberty had Colton in one arm, and she was flipping cakes on the griddle with the other.
“Look at you,” he said. “Smells delicious.”
“You’re not the only one who can cook,” she said proudly. “This is my grandmother’s cook’s favorite recipe.”
“Wow,” Odin said, reminded suddenly of the fact that this modest woman had been raised in luxury.
“They didn’t want me to learn how to cook,” Liberty confided. “But I really like it. There’s such a science to it.”
“Can I help?” he asked.
“Nah, it’s almost ready,” she said. “Just keep me company.”
He smiled and pulled up a stool to watch her.
“So I guess we have a lot to do today,” she said.
“Well, we need to do everything we did yesterday,” Odin agreed. “And maybe take Colton to meet the neighbors on the next farm.”
“Sounds good,” she said, placing a plate down in front of him.
It was covered in thin cakes with some kind of brown sugar sauce shimmering on top.
“This looks amazing,” he told her.
“Eat it while it’s hot,” she said, winking.
He dug in. It tasted even better than it looked. Everything about this day was better than he had expected.
And though they hadn’t talked about the mate bond, he could feel it pulled taut between them.
It wasn’t awkward. And for once, he wasn’t angry or frustrated.
He pondered the soft edges around his mood and discovered that what he felt was peace, and maybe happiness too.
And definitely anticipation.
21
Liberty
Liberty stood in