“I love you,” she replied, her ass pressing into him. “I love you.”

Unable to wait, Eggie pushed his cock inside her and both of them groaned. Darla’s arms stretched across the counter, her body lengthening as she bent forward to give him better access to her body. He took her then, his cock stroking inside her.

Every time Eggie pushed in, her pussy tightened, the muscles rippling around him. Without much effort, this one little She-wolf was effectively sucking his brains out. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t reason. The Lord himself could walk into the room and Eggie wouldn’t be able to stop.

He reached around Darla, his fingers, still wet from her pussy, gripped her nipples. He played with them, teased them, until Darla’s body was shaking as she writhed beneath him. It was all too much.

Eggie came, a growl torn from him, his body tightening around Darla’s. His hands holding her breasts, his face pressed against her neck.

Darla cried out with him, surprising Eggie because he didn’t think he’d manage to get her to come again. Not so soon and not with him being completely lost in his own pleasure. Of course, he would have taken care of her as soon as he could think straight again, but he was glad he hadn’t left her behind. The human male in him was proud of that.

He carefully pulled out of her, stroked his hand down her back. “Don’t move,” he told her.

Eyes closed, the top half of her body resting against the counter, Darla weakly raised her hand and sighed, “Oooookay.”

They sat on the kitchen floor, Darla between Eggie’s incredibly long legs, and he cleaned off her wound. It had already started to heal but would still leave a scar, letting any shifter know that she’d been marked and mated.

“You sure you’re all right?” he asked again.

Darla smiled, patted his knee. “I’m fine. Stop worrying.”

“You’re very quiet.”

“Just happy. Nothing to say when you’re just happy.”

Eggie put aside the first aid kit and wrapped his arms around her, held her tight. Darla never felt trapped in his arms. Never felt scared or worried or annoyed. She just felt . . . safe. And loved. Very loved.

They sat like that for a very long time, just holding onto each other. Until Eggie asked, “Any chance you hid one of those pies away before you headed over to Momma’s?”

Darla looked up at her mate, raised a brow. “Pecan work for you?”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Francine and Roberta showed up with a list of requests for pie and a list of supplies they’d need for all the baking. They decided to wait for their other sisters before going shopping and got out what few supplies they had left to get started on some prep work.

Darla took them into the kitchen and while they chatted and got to work, Eggie trotted down the stairs in his wolf form. Hecame into the kitchen, circled around Darla’s legs, his body pushing against her, his tail curling around her knees. Francine opened the back door and he went out, leaving them alone.

“Where’s he off to?” Francine asked.

“Got me.”

“When will he be back?”

“No idea.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“Yeah. He always comes back with half a deer or something, so he’s clearly thinking of me.”

Roberta giggled but when she saw Francine glaring at her, she stopped and went back to cutting up butter.

“He marked you last night, little sister,” Francine said. “I can smell it.”

“Even though I showered this morning?”

Roberta giggled again.

“Are you sure about this, Darla?” Francine pushed. “I don’t have a real problem with Eggie—other than the fact his nickname is Eggie—but still . . . he’s not like his brothers.”

Thank the Lord for small favors.

“No. He’s not. But I’m willing to make that sacrifice.” And Darla was sure she almost sounded serious rather than sarcastic.

“Daddy and the boys won’t be happy.” The “boys” being their brothers, but Darla had already known that. But once she talked to her father, she’d be able to smooth things over. She always had before.

“I love him, Francine.”

“I know you do. But does he love you?”

“He told me he did last night.”

Francine blinked and looked over at Roberta. “He said that to you? Actually spoke the words?”

“More than once.” In fact, all night long, but that wasn’t her sisters’ business, just hers. Always hers.

Suddenly tears rolled down Francine’s face. “Oh, baby sister!” Then she was hugging a very confused Darla. “He does love you!”

“I know.”

“You think you know,” Francine explained when she pulled back. “But you don’t really. But if Eggie Ray Smith actually said the words . . . he must have meant them. Benji says Eggie never says anything he doesn’t mean. Ever.”

“Oh. So my sense about it is meaningless.”

“You’re the same woman who thinks she can look into people’s souls. I mean . . .” She shook her head.

“You know, if you opened your mind and allowed yourself to experience things, you might actually learn to read people just like I do.”

“Did you learn to read people before or after you ended up with the Manson Family?”

Darla stomped her foot hard. “I did not end up with the Manson Family! I was there for less than an hour! And I knew he was a nut even then!”