Gone With the Wolf (18 page)

No,
she shouldn’t have left in the first place.

“Don’t do that,” he said. “None of the blame is yours.”

He could read her thoughts! She wasn’t sure how or why the concept came easier to her now—perhaps it was because now that she’d shifted she could easily see herself as a part of his pack. Whatever the reason, Emelia’s chest warmed. She’d done it. She’d shifted. And everything was going to be okay.

“I was wrong to try to convince you to get rid of this place,” he said. “It’s a part of you…you love it…which means I love it, too.”

Emelia’s heart overflowed, melting with joy. She’d thought that giving up the Knight Owl meant that she would be giving up her dream, her independence, and a little part of herself in the process. She’d always been the queen of overreaction and had blown things way out of proportion. To top off her ridiculousness, she’d fallen for a businessman…and had gotten mad at him when he talked business.

“I’ll never try to force you into something again,” he said, stroking her belly. “You can drive your Civic, work late hours here, and we can live wherever you want.”

She really didn’t care where she lived, as long as it was at his side. She never wanted to leave him again. How would they work out the fact that she’d run the Knight Owl and he’d run Wilder Financial? They’d still work in different worlds, wouldn’t they? Is that what she wanted?

“I’ve already thought about that. I brought something for you that might help,” he said, sliding from beneath her. He strode to where his shredded pants lay in a heap on the floor and dug around in his pocket. “Here,” he said, straightening a piece of paper and holding it out in front of her.

What was it?
She couldn’t tell.

“It’s your two-week notice. I don’t want my wife, my soul mate, and my life partner working as my personal secretary. It’s important that you see yourself how I see you: as my equal.”

Oh, Drake.
She was never cut out for the secretary gig. But now, when she was faced with the concept of leaving, she wasn’t sure. It’d be nice to see him every day. To work alongside him.

“Then you will,” Drake said, addressing her concerns. “Stand beside me as you did just now. Work alongside me. Be my partner in every sense of the word. I didn’t realize it before, but if we mixed my business sense with your personal flair, we just might take Seattle by storm.”

Emelia’s heart went light. She quivered with the desire to kiss him, to feel his lips on hers. As she pinched her eyes shut, thinking about Drake and the future they’d have together, her body trembled and her skin heated sun-scorching hot. She shifted back to human form and jumped into Drake’s arms.

He dropped the paper to the ground, cradled her head against him, and spun her around. “You did it,” he said. “You figured out how to change back on your own.”

“I just thought of you.” She kissed him openmouthed and slipped her tongue past his lips. Their mouths moved in a dance she didn’t want to end. When Drake pulled back to get some air, Emelia said, “For a second there, I thought Silas was going to run from the fight. I thought he was going to back down.”

“He realized the bond between us made us stronger. It made
you
stronger.” Drake massaged her back, soothing away the worry and stress.

“But how’s that possible? I mean, you guys are three hundred years old and I just learned how to shift. I’m a baby, or a pup, or whatever you’d call it.”

His hand brushed her cheek. “Newly transitioned werewolves are uncharacteristically strong for the first hundred years of their life. Mesh that with being mated to me, and you’re pretty special.”

“You mean that I’m stronger because I’ve bonded with you?”

“You’re my Luminary. There’s a piece of you in me, and a piece of me in you. That gives you strength he could never understand.”

“So it’s over?” She dared to breathe deep.

“It’s over.” He kissed her. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”

“You’re heaven-sent.” Her heart hammered wildly. “But aren’t you even a little upset about losing your father’s estate to Silas?”

“I have you,” Drake said. “It’s all I want, and all I need. Besides, we didn’t lose everything. We still have this place and Wilder Financial.”

“Yeah,” she said, realizing that he put the Knight Owl before his own business. It was actually going to work. They’d be happy, blissfully in love. “And we’ve got seven hundred years to be together. It still won’t be long enough, but I’ll take it.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Christmas day, one month later

“Watch your step,” Drake said, leading Emelia down the long, winding hall in the basement of his Seattle mansion.

Their
home
, she corrected, smiling inside.

The blindfold covering Emelia’s eyes slipped a bit, but didn’t give away whatever Drake was hiding. “The last time you blindfolded me it didn’t go over too well,” she said. “You sure you want to do this?”

“The last time I blindfolded you, I was a jackass.” Drake guided her around a corner. “Thanks to you, I’ve thoroughly learned my lesson.”

Stealing behind her, Drake looped his arms around Emelia’s waist and tugged her against him. One step at a time, he led her into a room that smelled sweetly of vanilla and wine.

The wine cellar.

“Okay,” he said, excitement lacing his voice. “You can look.”

Emelia yanked the blindfold down and gasped. He’d turned the wine cellar into a romantic sanctuary, with a plush red blanket strewn on the floor, pillows leaning against the wine racks, and tea light candles flickering in the dark. There had to be hundreds of tiny lights scattered on the marble-topped tables, the hardwood floor, and the wooden ledge of the rack.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, leaning her head back on Drake’s chest. “Thank you.”

“Merry Christmas.” He spun her around, keeping her tucked against his body, and caught her mouth. He embraced her full-bodied, hip to hip, mouth to mouth, dizzying her as his tongue swept past her lips. The kiss buzzed down to Emelia’s toes—she’d never tire of the feelings Drake gave her.

She pulled back, gazing deep into her husband’s eyes. He was her greatest wish…one she didn’t think she’d ever receive. He was everything she never knew she wanted. “Merry Christmas to you, too.”

“I thought we could exchange presents down here, before dinner.”

“Okay,” she said, unsure how Drake would respond when she gave him his gift. Luckily, she’d brought his gift with her.

“I’ve wanted to give this to you for a while.” He dug around in the pocket of his blazer and pulled out a small box wrapped in sparkly silver wrapping, tied with a fluffy red bow. “But I thought tonight would be perfect. Do you realize we met almost two months ago today?”

Her insides tingled as she took the box and twirled it in her hand. “Drake…”

“Open it.”

She untied the bow and let it fall, then tore through the wrapping. A black velvet box remained in the palm of her hand. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, but Emelia knew what came in tiny black velvety boxes. Hands shaking, Emelia unhinged the lid and opened it. Her eyes met Drake’s as tears began to fall.

“Drake, it’s…it’s beautiful.” Her throat constricted. She couldn’t speak.

“Do you really like it?”

The ring was big and sparkling and the exact opposite of what she would’ve picked for herself. A two-carat round diamond rose from the center of the ring and was surrounded by brilliant diamond clusters that wrapped around the band. It was breathtaking. The fact that he’d picked it for her, that he’d envisioned this ring on her finger when he perused hundreds of other rings, made Emelia’s heart skip a beat.

When her eyes met Drake’s again, he was kneeling in front of her. The sight almost buckled her.

“I know it’s not something you would normally wear,” he said, “but I couldn’t take my eyes off of it, just like I couldn’t take my eyes off of you the first time we met. From the first moment I met you, I’ve been completely, insanely captivated by your radiance.”

Stomach in her throat, Emelia gazed at the ring. It was elaborate, and greater than her wildest dreams. It was
Drake
.

Holding her hand, Drake took the ring and poised it at the tip of her finger. “This ring is a promise of my love to you, Emelia. It’s a symbol of my unending love, and my desire to make you happy until the end of your days.”

As he slipped the ring on her finger, Emelia choked back tears. The ring fit snugly. Perfectly. When she held up her hand to see the diamond sparkle, she saw Drake. A part of him fitting perfectly on her finger, as he fit perfectly in her heart and in her life.

“It’s perfect. I love it,” she breathed, coiling her arms around his neck. “I love you.”

“I love you ten times more.” He stood and enveloped her in a heart-tingling embrace. “And I have one more surprise for you.”

“More?” She couldn’t handle more. Drake had already given her everything she’d ever wanted.

Picking up an opened bottle of Château Lafite from the wine barrel beside them, Drake poured two glasses. “A toast…using the wine that started it all.”

Emelia laughed, eyeing the bottle, remembering how bitter she’d been that night at the party. “That’s so sweet.”

Drake offered Emelia the fuller of the two glasses. She took it, tasting the wine’s mint aroma before a drop of it passed her lips. Its aroma was robust without being overpowering. She swirled the dark liquid around the bottom and wondered how she’d tell Drake that she didn’t want a single drink of it.

“To the past, present, and future,” he said, clinking his glass against hers.

“To our future,” Emelia said, and watched him tip back the glass.

When he noticed she hadn’t drunk anything, Drake said, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not drinking tonight.” She tried to keep her thoughts quiet so he wouldn’t read them.

“Come on, Emie, it’s Christmas. Have a drink with me.”

“Well, that’s part of my present to you,” she whispered.

His eyebrows hitched as confusion set in. “You’re staying sober…as a gift to me?”

Slowly, she brought her hand to her stomach. “I’m not supposed to drink in my condition.”

“In your—your what?” His eyes went wide as a smile teased the corners of his full lips. “Are you pregnant?”

She nodded, bursting. “Four weeks. I know it’s early, but I’ve taken, like, ten tests and they all came out positive so…” She couldn’t hide her elation. Could Drake see her glowing? “Merry Christmas!”

“Emelia!” Drake swept her into his arms and swung her around, then stopped as if he realized he could hurt her. “That’s great—that’s amazing, I’m—I’m going to be a father!” He dropped to his knees, wrapped his arms around her hips, and kissed her stomach through her sweater. “Hear that, little one? I’m your father.”

Emelia swooned, brushing her hands through Drake’s dark hair. Would their baby have hair like his? Coarse and thick? Or would its hair be blond and wispy like hers? Would their baby’s eyes be wild and blue or dark and mysterious? She couldn’t wait to find out.

“I’m going to love you more than anyone else on this earth,” Drake whispered against her. “Well, I’ll love you and your mother equally. She’s a very special woman, your mother,” he said, “and I’ll be right here to make sure you treat her right.”

Her heart exploded, right then and there.

Drake rose to his feet and planted a kiss on Emelia’s lips that spoke to her soul. They’d be together now and always.

As Drake pulled away, brushing his hands lovingly down Emelia’s cheeks, she sensed a mild wave of panic brewing within him.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I might be jumping the gun, but do you need to sit down? I mean, what do you need? I want to make this pregnancy as smooth as possible for you. Do you want to find someone to take over some of the workload at the office? Or maybe hire someone to take over extra duties at the Knight Owl?”

“No,” Emelia laughed. “I’m fine. I can do everything that I could do yesterday. At some point I think I’ll probably need to stop working such late hours at the office with you, but I can’t cut back, not yet, anyway. There’s something I have to find first.”

“Something you have to
find
? What are you talking about?” His hand brushed down her back, and stopped above the round of her backside. His touch warmed her, tingling her in places he’d just visited a few hours ago.

“When I first started working at Wilder Financial,” she said, “there were some important documents that I…um, accidentally shredded that I need to locate in the computer system, reprint, and file.”

“That was
you
?” He spanked her playfully. “What a bad secretary you are.”

She smiled. “I’d like to make it up to you.”

“Now we’re talking.” He kissed her, pulled back the collar of her sweater, and continued scattering kisses across her shoulder. “If you work your shift really hard, I think you just might make Secretary of the Year.”

“Mr. Drake Wilder, I do believe that’s something I would say!” Emelia laughed at the thought that she was rubbing off on him.
What would his business associates think?

He smiled, a devious twinkle in his eye. “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a howl.”

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I have to thank the savvy ladies at Entangled Publishing. I’m so thrilled to be a part of your publishing family. Liz Pelletier and Kaleen Harding, my editors: you two are brilliant beyond words. Thank you.

As always, thanks and hugs to Nalini Akolekar, my lovely agent, for knowing what I want for my career before I do. For the record, you were right about…well, everything.

My work would be unintelligible mush without the input of my fabulous critique partners and early readers: Aggie Smith, AJ Larrieu, Lisa Sanchez, Vanessa Kier, and Virna DePaul. Thanks ladies, from the bottom of my heart.

Hugs and kisses to my family and friends who help out when deadlines loom and the words just won’t flow without a last-minute plotting session. You keep me on track. You keep me sane and make me laugh until my cheeks hurt. I don’t know where I’d be without you.

To Justin, Kelli, and Gavin: you three are my everything. Love, love, love, and heartfelt thanks for supporting me while I chase down my dream.