the room at the end of the hallway. “This is my room, but I want you to sleep here until you are comfortable enough to make it our room. I’ll take one of the guest bedrooms until then.”
The room had a huge king-sized bed with rustic wooden furnishings on top of glistening hardwood floors. Opposite the bed, a fireplace opened up to the bathroom and allowed the fire to be easily seen and felt from a large claw foot bathtub. She walked straight through the room to French doors that led to the huge balcony she had seen from the road. The porch was decorated with dark furniture, and a worn paperback lay on a small table. This must be where Grey spent his evenings.
So big was the space, his deep voice seemed to echo when he spoke. “Marissa’s room and the other two guest rooms are on the other side of the house through the living room.”
“Are they all as big as these?” she asked, overcome with the size of the beautiful home.
Grey laughed and shook his head. “No, they are about half the size of these. They’re furnished, but I didn’t see the point in having three huge unused rooms in the house. We were almost finished building by the time I figured out Marissa would be permanent or I would have made her room bigger. She picked it out and seems to like it enough, though. Even decorated it herself. Well, she told me what she wanted and we fixed it up together,” he corrected.
Marissa was the thirteen-year-old adopted daughter of Dean, the Dallas pack’s alpha, and Rachel, his wife. Marissa would be switching to Grey’s pack to discourage other males from fighting over her. She was much too young to make a decision on a mate, and Grey was frightening enough that no one bothered her around him. Still, it burned a little. Morgan cleared her throat. “I wanted to talk to you about that.”
“Uh oh. Okay, what about?”
“I want her to be in your pack, but I want to be the first one in. I know it sounds silly, but it bothers me that I wouldn’t be the first one. And no, it’s not just my wolf wanting to be your second or anything like that. She doesn’t care. Okay, well maybe she cares a little, but it’s me, too. I know it’s selfish to come in here and ask favors, but I don’t know, I just—I want you to pick me first.”
He grinned. “Really?”
A sheepish nod from her, and he rubbed his chin like he was thinking long and hard about the request. Sinking onto the bed, he pulled her closer with a gentle tug on her giant shirt until she was pressed against the strong planes of his chest. His smile was downright delicious, and when his hands snaked up her shirt to cup her bottom, she hardly flinched. Already, he was wearing off the effects of the Montana pack’s treachery.
“Done,” he said. “You’ll be first. We’ll make it official at the next Full Moon Hunt.”
“Don’t tease me,” she said, half daring to hope.
His voice dipped low. “I’d never tease you with something like that. You just asked to join my pack. You can have anything you want, woman.”
She leaned in and kissed him, a soft stroke against his lips. Easing back, she murmured, “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you so damned much, I thought I’d die of the ache.” With a baffled shake of his head, he ran his hands farther up under the shirt until his hands splayed across her back. “I still can’t believe you’re here, that I’m touching you. That you want me.”
Resting her forehead on his, she whispered. “I always wanted you. From the first moment in the woods when you were still human.” She traced a light finger under his eye, shining bright amber. “I want you even more now.”
Pulling his hands from her back, he grabbed her palm and kissed it. “You sure you want to live here with me?”
She jumped over him, spinning and landing on her back on the plush bed. Spread out like a star, she sighed happily and stared at the spinning ceiling fan. “Grey, I was prepared to live in your crappy apartment. Or under a bridge like a troll. Or even a box would’ve done. Home is where you are.” She propped up on one elbow. “Now, are you going to tell me where you got the money for all of