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He loved seeing her like this. It had been too long.
“Should we organize some training sessions when we get back home?” he asked her. “That could be fun, right?”
She was practically dancing on her feet by his side.
“It’s important for us to be happy,” he told her. “Even if our life will be different.”
No matter the color of her fur, Athena’s eyes were always the same. She glanced up at him now, empathy in the familiar, dark brown orbs.
“It’s harder for you than it is for me,” he reminded her. “At least I understand what’s going on.”
Her ears pricked up so much he wondered if she felt the stretch.
“Though if Naomi says yes, things will change more than I can understand, too,” he admitted. “I never thought I would have a mate or child. The idea of both is…”
He trailed off, wondering how to describe the feeling.
“I feel extraordinarily lucky and terrified at the same time,” he told Athena.
How was his mate going to react when she found out who he really was and how little he had? After all, she thought she was falling for a billionaire, not a bodyguard.
Athena made a chuffing sound, as if she thought both what he was saying and what he was thinking were nonsense.
“You’re easy to talk to. You know that?” he told her fondly. “I wish you could understand me and give me some advice. I know it would be spot on.”
They walked on for a while, Gage soaking in the peace of the woods, the good feeling of an honest sweat cooling his skin, and the company of his best friend.
When the house finally appeared in the distance, his mind was more in order than before.
“I won’t claim her until she knows,” he told Athena. “And we’ll get to know each other better first.”
Athena didn’t respond, just trotted along at his side.
For some reason, he was reminded of their first meeting. She had been a fifteen-week-old puppy, already big enough to be awkward, her massive paws nearly tripping her up, telling him she would be gigantic one day.
Her fur was still deciding on a primary color. It had shifted so many times in her excitement when he greeted her that it practically strobed.
But when they walked together, she fell into his rhythm right away, even if she stepped on his foot a couple of times.
He had known from that very first day that this would be one of the most important relationships of his life.
What did it say about him, that he could commit more easily to a dog than to a mate?
He pictured Naomi, her serious eyes fixed on him as she trusted him to bring her beautiful body to life with pleasure for the very first time, so soon after they met.
“Do I even deserve her?” he wondered out loud to himself.
17
Naomi
Naomi closed her eyes and soaked in the warmth.
The scent from the water in the copper tub lifted with the steam, practically hypnotizing her with pleasure.
Soft music played somewhere, low strings with a shiver of soft bells.
Her whole body was already loosened up and euphoric from the massage drone’s work and the sweet tea she had sipped before the droids helped her strip and lower herself into the tub.
