Head Hunter (City Shifters the Pack #3) - Layla Nash Page 0,125

he lounged in Deirdre's garden. Dodge tucked my hand in the crook of his elbow and kept me close to his side as he trudged toward the neighbor's house.

I looked around, frowning. "Where are you going?"

"Home."

My heart beat faster. "That isn't..." I caught the edge of his smile and groaned. "What did you do?"

"Just look." He didn't say anything else until we were on the porch and he unlocked the front door. "They'd been wanting to sell for a while but didn't think they could make enough on it. Someone came along with a generous offer, so they were only too happy to take off to Florida."

"You're nuts," I said under my breath, but even as I shook my head, I couldn't contain an answering smile. "Seriously. The apartment, and now a house?"

"Technically we own the block."

I stared at him, smacking his shoulder as he pushed the door open and peered inside. "A block? You bought a city block?"

He shrugged, then swooped me up in his arms to carry me through the doorway. "Why not?"

"You're ridiculous." I shook my head, staring around at the house. It was as large as Deirdre's but emptier, with only a few pieces of furniture.

Dodge didn't put me down as he started the tour through the downstairs. "I didn't want to run the risk of getting shitty neighbors. Two empty lots and two other houses – one was unoccupied and the other the tenants are leaving at the end of the month. We can do what we want with the properties, although it would be nice to have at least one house for pack to use when they're around."

I rested my head on his shoulder, suddenly too tired again to argue about walking on my own damn, swollen feet. "Sure. That makes sense."

"But we might need redesigns for everything," he murmured. Dodge kissed my forehead and started up the stairs. "I want to change the layout up here so it's closer to what you want. I figured you could do all the plans for it."

"I'm not that kind of an architect."

"But you're a habitat designer," he said. Dodge squeezed me tighter, meandering to the back of the house and a huge master bedroom. "This is our habitat. I want you to design it."

And just like that, the emotional whiplash was back, and my eyes prickled with a hint of tears. "Th-that's really nice."

He grumbled, though it was closer to a laugh than anything else, and held me tighter. "Good. There's also the two empty lots that we can decide what to do with. Deirdre wants more garden space but I told her to look on her own block. Evershaw didn't like that. But it's all yours to play with, whatever you want."

Before I could come up with a response, we stood in the doorway of the master bedroom. The decor hadn't been updated in a few decades, but there was a familiar bedroom set and fresh sheets and – in a reading nook near the window – a bassinet and changing table.

Dodge took a deep breath as he eased to sit on the end of the bed, me in his lap, and pointed at the far wall. "I thought we could knock down part of that wall so it leads into the next room, which could be the nursery or playroom or whatever. So the kids are close."

I wasn't ready for plural kids, but I let it slip by. My hand tightened in his shirt as I gazed around the room and envisioned all the ways our lives would change in the very near future. I liked what he'd made, and I liked even more the idea that we'd design and build it together, so it fit both of us. It would be our home, our room. Our family.

"Now," Dodge said, his voice quiet even in the silent room. "There's just one more thing to take care of."

My heart beat faster as I looked around, partially distracted by making mental notes of things to do and change and research, and I felt him reach into his pocket.

"Persephone Lawson," he started, one arm looped firmly around my waist to keep me in his lap, while the other slid a diamond ring on my left hand. "For the last goddamn time, will you marry me?"

I laughed and rested my forehead against his throat, reveling in the feel of his arms around me. "Sure."

"Sure?" He chuckled and, after he got the ring on my finger, his hand chased up my side to tickle a particularly tender spot. "Not exactly the resounding enthusiasm that a guy hopes for."

I nuzzled closer and kissed at the line of his jaw, even with the scratch of beard against my cheek. I whispered, "Closest alligator to the boat, babe."

"And here I thought we weren't calling each other alligators anymore." But his smile spread and his gaze heated. His hand slid down to the waist of my jeans and started tugging at the button.

"I said you couldn't call me an alligator," I said. "Big difference."

"Got it." He growled a little and rolled us back into the bed, shoving aside sheets and pillows, and stripped off his shirt before leaning in to kiss me hard enough my toes curled.

I shivered as I ran my hands over his chest and shoulders, wanting to touch every inch of him. I'd already memorized how he felt against me, but every time we touched I learned something new about him, or me, or love. "Here's the thing, though."

Dodge focused on unbuttoning the camp shirt I wore, all of his attention on working the buttons since I'd burst into tears the last time he tore my clothes trying to get me naked. "Uh huh."

"A wedding can wait," I breathed, working my fingers into his hair. "I just... I want to focus on us and the baby and I think that other nonsense will just... just..."

I trailed off as my shirt finally parted and he licked my stomach before unhooking my bra. Suddenly I had no idea what I meant to say. Something about planning a big ceremony being a distraction. Dodge nodded and peeled my jeans down, feathering kisses all over the swell of my stomach.

"We can get the license," he murmured. "Don't need a ceremony or anything fancy. I want to marry you tonight. Tomorrow. As soon as possible."

I sighed and relaxed as he moved up to kiss me again, his thigh a comfortable weight between mine. "Dodge..."

"Mmm?"

"I definitely want a cake."

"You can have anything you want, baby." He grinned as he bumped his nose against mine and his hand drifted down my stomach to tease under my panties. "We could go to some fancy island or up to the mountains, maybe to Paris. Anywhere you want. Whatever adventures you want, Persephone, I'm there. I'm on board. First class all the way."

I smiled and arched my back, trying to wrap my legs around his waist to keep him close even though the growing bump started to make things awkward. I'd never really wanted adventures. I thought I only wanted a normal life, a stable job and an average apartment, and a reasonable boyfriend. From the moment Dodge careened into my life, I learned how much I'd been missing. How much more I wanted. How much more I needed in my life.

I stretched and relaxed and murmured as he kept on worshiping my body. There was no telling what the next few months and years would bring, but we were ready. One alligator at a time.

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