“Oh! B-Bolt,” Anders interrupted, his voice shaking. Fucker had good reason to be nervous.
Snapping his eyes up, he eyed the prospect who was supposed to keep Ana safe, anger welling up inside him. “You’ve got some fucking explaining to do, asshole.”
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t let her out the door, I swear—”
“Stop glaring at him, Bolt,” Ana chastised, smacking his chest. “He’s telling the truth. He made me stay in when I opened the door. So I opened the window and went out that way. It’s not his fault.”
Grabbing her hand, he twined their fingers together, still glaring at Anders. That excuse didn’t fucking fly with him. When he gave an order, especially one meant to keep his mate safe, he expected it to be followed. The prospect was in for a world of hurt very soon, but he wasn’t going to let Ana know about it.
She’d feel guilty, and even though it was technically her fault too for disobeying his orders, he wasn’t going to let her feel bad for the fucker in front of him.
Jerking his head, he watched as relief mixed with knowledge crossed Anders’ features before he fled. Satisfied that he knew the beat down was coming, he turned back to Ana and cocked an eyebrow when he saw the look on her face.
“What?”
“You be nice to Prospect Pup. It really wasn’t his fault.”
It totally was, and no, he wouldn’t fucking be nice. “Prospect Pup?”
She flushed. “He annoyed me when he forced me back into the room, and I was trying to distract myself from what was going on, so… I remembered how well you reacted to the whole wolf bit, so I started calling him Prospect Pup in my head.”
He threw his head back with a laugh. “That’s the perfect name for him, baby. So perfect I think it should be his club name—if he can ever stop fucking up long enough to earn his patch.”
Rolling her eyes, she put her hands on his shoulders, went up on her tiptoes, and pressed a kiss to his mouth. “Enough about Pup. I figured something out this morning.”
Sliding his hands from her hips to her back, he pulled her in closer. “Yeah? What’s that, il mio cuore?”
Locking eyes with him, she inhaled deeply. “That whole mate thing? You thought it would take time for me to catch up. Said you’d wait forever for me to get there. But you don’t have to. I caught up faster than I ever would have thought possible. I love you, Bolt.”
A dizzying array of emotions crashed over him at her words. Surprise, elation, relief, amazement. He hadn’t expected her to realize she loved him so soon, although he’d recognized the look in her eyes and knew what it meant.
He thought he’d have to wait an eternity to hear those words from her.
“Fuck, Ana. I love you too. So fucking much.”
He would have given her more—he would have given her all the flowery words, even though he had no fucking clue how to do it—but the moment the words passed his lips, she lunged up and crashed her lips into his.
His leopard practically purred inside him as Bolt growled and deepened the kiss. He felt every single thing she felt for him in her lips, and he poured what he felt for her back into her, and when they broke the kiss, they were a panting mess of pounding hearts and the forever kind of love.
“Will you tell me what the Italian means now?” she asked breathily.
“Il mio cuore. It means ‘my heart’. That’s what you are to me.”
Her eyes widened, wonder shining in the sky-blue depths. “You started calling me that right after we met.”
He nodded. “Because I knew even then that’s what you are to me.” She leaned up and kissed him again, and he savored her lips for a long moment. “Remember when we talked about mates and claiming? I want to claim you right fucking now, baby.”
Her eyes and face sobered. “I can’t. I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
Scowling, he pulled back and searched her somber eyes. “Why the fuck not?”
“Because, Bolt, I can’t let a man claim me forever when I don’t even know his real name.”
A growl ripped up his throat as her eyes started twinkling, and then she threw her head back with a laugh, the sound beautifully carefree. He could see their future now—she was going to drive him batshit crazy within a year at the least, but fuck if he didn’t love her sass.
Leaning in, he kissed her quiet, licking into her mouth and biting down hard on her lower lip. When she moaned, her body going soft and pliant against his, he eased away and glanced around before putting his mouth against her ear.
“My real name is Henry.”
Shivering as his hot breath caressed her ear, she pulled back and gave him a smile so sweet, so full of love, that for the first time in his life, it actually made him fucking happy to have such an awful name.
His reaction was fucking disgusting—but he still wouldn’t change a damned thing.
“Because you told me so nicely, I won’t even poke fun at the badass biker having a name like that. Yes to it all,” she whispered, her eyes shining with love. “I love you, Henry. Take me inside and claim me so we can start our forever.”
Smiling, he swung her up into his arms and pressed a scorching kiss to her lips. “With pleasure, il mio cuore.”
Other books by Grace Brennan
Rogue Enforcers
Colton: Rogue Beginnings
Mountain Mermaids: Sapphire Lake
Under the Sea
Kiss the Girl
Return of the Dragons
Finding Faith
