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I give him a sad smile. “There’s no need,” I murmur. “You’ve done more than enough.”
He shakes his head. “So fucking selfless,” he murmurs, then leans closer to me. He kisses me tenderly, his lips barely brushing mine.
I hum contently against his mouth. “I’m sorry I threw toothpaste at you,” I say as I pull away.
He grins. “It’s sexy when you get violent. Next time throw a knife at me.”
I burst out laughing but stop when a devastating cramp hits me. I double over on the couch and hiss as pain radiates in my womb.
“Fuck, Skylar, where are your meds?” he asks, as slick pours out of me and into my panties.
“Blue bottle,” I gasp. “It’s the anti-cramping medicine.”
River returns quickly with the pills and a glass of water. I drink them down, then roll onto my side and groan.
“Let’s get you in bed,” he says, scooping me into his arms. I whimper as he places me down on the mattress, helping to rearrange the nesting blankets so I’m covered and comfortable.
He sits at the edge of the mattress and strokes my hair as I look up at him. His pupils are almost black, and I can tell my scent is affecting him. “I hate watching you go through this,” he mutters. “Even hearing you today…it’s too fucking much. No one should have to experience what you’ve been through.”
“You mean being kidnapped and held prisoner for a month, or my body going through severe suppressant withdrawal and an inevitable wild Heat?”
He narrows his eyes. “All of it, smartass,” he says, and I stick my tongue out at him, even though the cramps continue to pummel me.
“Keep that thing in your mouth,” he warns. “Or I can’t be held responsible for my actions.”
It makes me laugh, and his gaze softens as he looks down at me. “There was something else that helped me through those attacks,” he admits. “That smile. The first time I saw you do it, it was like a punch in the gut. I memorized everything about you in that moment. And when the attacks would get bad…I’d go back to that first time you smiled.”
“Will you hold me?” I ask, doing my best to not burst into tears at his words.
River. My complicated, wild, sensitive Alpha.
“You never have to ask, baby,” he murmurs. “I’d do it every second if you’d let me.”
The bed dips with his weight and he pulls me to him, my back flush against his chest as his body curls around me.
His spicy scent mingles with mine, and I sigh in contentment. The cramps are still there, but not as painful as when I’m in River’s arms.
His purr resonates throughout his chest, and I start to doze.
I’m almost fully asleep when he speaks.
“Vincent talked to me today.”
My eye snap open. “About what?”
“About…you. How we navigate this.”
“And?” I ask, my heart beating wildly in my chest.
He sighs against me. “I still think he’s an old prick. I can’t stand him,” he mutters, and I tense. His arms squeeze around me. “But,” he counters, “I know how much he cares about you. And…if us fighting is going to hurt you, it stops now.”
I swallow. “He told me about what happened. The last case you worked on together.”
“I know.”
“Do you think one day you’ll be able to forgive him?” I ask quietly.
There’s a long pause behind me, and his purr stops. His scent darkens, the spice mixing with a bit of smoke. “Before I met you, I would have said no,” he says.
