Page 81 of Brazen

I was reveling in his presence. Oh, how I’d missed his scent. How he looked. Felt. There were dark circles under his eyes, but he looked freshly showered and shaved, and the way his eyes were glued to my face told me nothing had changed for him.

“I went to the shop to see you.”

“I was here,” I said, realizing I was an idiot.

He smiled softly. Carefully. “Yeah, I know.”

“What were you doing–”

“You fixed my trailer.” We spoke over each other again.

“You said the axle was broken, and you needed it for the rodeo,” I explained.

“You–” he cleared his throat “–you did that for me even though…?”

“I did it because you needed it fixed and because I fucked everything up.”

Suddenly, I found myself wrapped up in Sam’s strong arms. “You didn’t fuck anything up, Sparks,” he said softly. “You aren’t sure of me yet, and that’s okay–”

“No, I am. I am sure of you, Sam. More sure than I’ve ever been in my life. You’re mine, and I’m yours.”

“Sparks.” His voice hitched.

“I’m sorry I panicked. I’m sorry I’ve been closed off from the start because of what Ted and his pack did. I didn’t give you a fair chance.”

He stroked my hair. “No, I get it. You were scared. Your most important job is taking care of your pup, and you felt threatened.”

My vision went blurry. “Sam,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry. I compared you to Ted. Compared your pack to his. I was wrong.”

He shook his head. “You were being careful.”

“Too careful. You didn’t give me any reason to doubt.”

He blinked hard. “Thank you.” He kissed the top of my head. “I should’ve proved myself enough so that no matter what anyone said, I was the one you turned to for answers.”

Silly man. He’d proved himself plenty.

“I love you!” I blurted.

Sam swayed on his feet, like my words nearly bowled him over. Then he cupped my face and said fiercely, “I love you so much, Clio. More than anything. Do you believe that?”

I nodded.

“I want you to feel safe with me. With the pack. So I want you to know, if there’s ever any situation–if you ever feel uncomfortable or threatened by my pack–I will leave it in a heartbeat to be with you.”

My eyes widened, and my mouth fell open. “What?”

“I choose you. I choose JT. I choose us.”

“I choose you, too, Sam. I choose us.”

Sam grinned. “You sure? There’s no going back now.”

I knew I was sure because I felt so buoyant I thought I might float right off the ground. “I’m sure.”

“You’ll be my mate? Carry our pups?”

“Are you going to claim me?”