Head Hunter (City Shifters the Pack #3) - Layla Nash Page 0,122

on top of him so I straddled his hips. He set his teeth against my shoulder for a gentle love bite. “Or maybe we won’t sleep after all.”

I braced my hands on his shoulders and ground against him, already feeling that fire reignite. “You sure? You’re looking mighty tired.”

He laughed and dragged me down against his chest, squeezing me tightly. His hips pushed up against mine and I sighed and adjusted until we fit together perfectly. Dodge slapped my ass with a growl of approval. “Closest alligator to the boat.”

“I am not an alligator,” I said, just before I kissed him.

“You’re the only alligator I want near my boat.”

“Now you’re just getting ridiculous.” I laughed and released the rest of my worries.

For the time being, at least. There would be plenty more worries along the way. I had no doubt he’d drive me nuts, and I would probably drive him nuts, and eventually we would both be nuts – and parents. I closed my eyes and let myself feel every inch of him. I couldn’t believe how much my life had changed, how much it still would change. The next few months would undoubtedly stress me the hell out and test my handle on reality and sanity.

But Dodge was there. Dodge was my rock, my anchor. My true north. I still wasn’t sure I understood what being a mate meant, but it sounded perfect. And I looked forward to a lifetime of figuring out just what it meant for me, and for our family. Our pack.

Epilogue

I stood and braced my hands at the small of my back. I was only halfway and already it felt like I carried at least triplets. Possibly quads or quints. If there was only one in there, Dodge's baby was just burly as hell. The new manager at the animal sanctuary glanced at me with concern, but I waved her off, attempting a smile. "How is the moat digging going?"

She held out a checklist and showed me the latest progress for the new tiger enclosure. I mostly paid attention, since I'd taken over a lot of the responsibilities for running the animal sanctuary. Dodge purchased it while I was in the hospital; a week after I found out I was pregnant, he told me and asked me what I wanted to do.

It was an easy choice. It wasn't the animals' fault that Ms. Bridger was an awful person and her intentions for setting up the sanctuary were devious instead of pure. It took me a little while to feel comfortable going back to the site of my injuries and that awful incident in the tiger enclosure, but Dodge stayed with me every second. Gradually, I put most of those memories behind me. I occasionally had nightmares, but they were fading as well.

As I supervised the crew building the new habitat for a trio of rescued and retired circus lions we would receive in a matter of weeks, I caught sight of Dodge in the corner of my eye. He sprawled like a cat on a bench nearby, soaking up the sun. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. He would hate the comparison to a feline, but it was the most apt one I could come up with. That or a lizard. Him and Silas, basking like alligators on rocks.

The other wolf went with us almost everywhere we went, and gradually the employees at the sanctuary grew accustomed to seeing the massive beast wandering around unsupervised. He liked to tease the big cats and play chase along the fences of their enclosures, providing no end of entertainment for the cats, as well as the humans. Deirdre still had not made any break-throughs on transforming him back to his human form, while keeping his human mind in control. The one time Evershaw tried to change him by brute force... Well, it was best left forgotten.

I stretched again and yawned, patting the new manager on the back. "The invoices..."

"Maybe we call it a day," Dodge said, folding his arms around me. He moved as quiet as a cat, too, when he wanted to. "You look tired."

"It's barely noon," I said with a huff.

He grumbled and kissed the side of my neck. "I know. You still look tired."

The manager, Sara, blushed furiously and excused herself to head back to the office. Which gave me the opportunity to turn around in his arms and kiss his cheek. "Maybe I am tired. That doesn't