Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Leah felt lighter than she had all day. A lot of what he’d told her freaked her out, but she would deal with his list one thing at a time. For now, she found herself mesmerized by the mark on his wrist that peeked out from under the cuff of his shirt. She wanted to touch it. Its presence was consuming her.

Elias lifted her chin so he could meet her gaze again. “I know it’s tempting, but I think we should eat before we go down that path. We’ll need nourishment.”

Her face flushed at having been caught and called out for her obvious thoughts. “Okay. Will you let me eat whatever I want?”

“Yes, but surely we can agree on something for dinner and eat it together, yeah?”

“Probably, unless you like yucky foods.” Her reaction surprised her. Why was she challenging him like that?

He chuckled. “By definition, I only like yummy foods, Little one. Do you like yucky foods?”

She shook her head. This banter was fun. Would it last, or was it a phase of their bonding?

“Do you like spaghetti?”

Her stomach growled. She realized she was starving, and he was right, they should eat. If they started acting on their instincts, they would end up skipping eating altogether. “Yes. Do you put mushrooms in yours?”

He cocked his head to one side and looked at her. “Noooo… Should I?”

She scrunched up her face. “No. They’re gross.”

He laughed so hard her body shook on his lap. It felt good. It felt real. For the first time since she’d arrived, she felt like things might work out. She might be happy here. It was still a barbaric practice, but she was growing to understand that it wasn’t a tradition they could challenge. It was innate. Even if no one told them how to behave and what to expect, she was beginning to understand that they would follow every bit of this prescribed path the same because they wouldn’t be able to stop it.

None of this was Elias’s fault or his doing. He didn’t come down into the valley like a caveman and drag her up to his lair because he had a lack of respect for her as an individual. He did so because he couldn’t not. This claiming was inevitable and unavoidable.

It felt…right, and Leah decided to lose the attitude and enjoy getting to know her mate instead of arguing with him defensively at every turn. The end result would be the same—they would be a bonded couple unable to keep their hands to themselves for Heaven only knew how long. She was afraid to ask how long this frenzy would last.

Elias kept her in his arms as he rose to his feet, and he carried her cradled against him into the house.

She wondered if he would let her help cook after he’d said he would be doing all the cooking. That baffled her. In her home, her mother did most of the cooking. It was hard to picture Elias working hard in the kitchen while she…did what?

Her breath hitched when he headed directly for a piece of furniture she had not yet noticed. It was undeniably a highchair—the kind babies used but big enough for her.

Elias gently sat her in the seat and pulled a strap around her waist.

She held her breath, trying not to react to his dominance. When he cinched the strap tighter, she gasped. Something inside her tingled. Everything inside her tingled. Why?

He slid a tray on and snapped it into place before lifting her chin. He was smiling. “You liked the restraint.”

Her cheeks heated. Darn his super senses.

He leaned forward and nuzzled her nose with his, moaning. Or growling. It was a combination. It made her think he was struggling to restrain himself with her.

Good. She was struggling, too. Except now she was secured to a chair. A highchair.

He leaned back a few inches. “If you weren’t wearing that long dress, I would bring another strap up between your legs. In the future, I will do so. When I secure you to this highchair or any other piece of furniture, I expect you to leave the buckles alone. Understood?”

“Yes, Sir,” she whispered, goosebumps rising on her skin. “But why do I need to be buckled in? I’m not going to fall.”

He grinned again. “I will restrain you for your safety sometimes, Little one. Other times, like now, I will do so because it heightens your submission. As soon as the fastener snapped into place, your heart rate picked up. I know you’re fighting against the norms because they’re foreign to you, Little firecracker, but the sooner you let yourself follow your gut, the sooner you will be able to fully enjoy the rewards that come from being mated to an Alpha Protector.”

“The rewards?” she whispered. She immediately wished she hadn’t posed that as a question because she didn’t think she was prepared to hear the answer.

“Yes, Baby girl. It turns me on when you submit to me. It makes me want to strip this dress off you and show you what rewards I’m referring to.” He stared into her eyes, holding her gaze for long seconds.

Her mouth fell open, but she couldn’t find words.

When he released her and turned around, she felt his absence so deeply that she almost cried out for him to come back. It wasn’t as though he left the room. He only took a few strides toward the counter, where he opened a drawer and pulled out several items.

Elias returned to her and set a coloring book and colored pencils on her tray. “I don’t have paint or canvases yet, but do you think you can color me a picture while I cook, Little one?”

She almost cried. Her fingers trembled as she reached for the box of pencils. Her picture wasn’t going to be pretty because she was shaking horribly, but his thoughtfulness made her heart happy. “Thank you,” she managed to whisper without crying.

“You’re welcome, Leah.” He lifted her chin again. “Remember, I will slowly introduce you to things you are unfamiliar with, but know that I’m always thinking of your health, your safety, and your happiness.”

“Yes, Sir,” she murmured. She watched him head for the refrigerator a few yards away and decided even though this scenario was rather unconventional in her mind, she’d much rather be coloring than cooking. Maybe she was a lucky girl, even if she did have to do so while strapped in a highchair.

While she pulled out a red pencil, she thought about that strap he’d told her was left hanging between her legs. She couldn’t keep her mind from wandering to what it would feel like to have that strap stretching up over her panties between her legs. Would he tighten it so that it rubbed against parts of her she’d been nearly unaware of before today?

Elias spun around from where he’d been setting ingredients on the counter and gave her a funny look. He cocked his head to one side, inhaled deeply, and fisted his hands against his sides. “What were you just thinking about, Leah?”

Her face heated to boiling. She pursed her lips and stared at him. This ability he had to scent her arousal was maddening. How would she ever survive if he knew every time she had a sexy thought?

“Leah…” he warned. “Tell Daddy what you were thinking. I’m not going to fix dinner until you do.”

“Why?” she asked softly.

“Because I want to know what makes you tick, what makes you squirm, what makes you horny. I want to know so I can do whatever that is again or withhold it when you’re naughty.”

She sucked in a breath, her eyes wide. His promise and threat made her set the pencil down and grip the sides of the tray.

He didn’t budge. He stood right where he was, waiting for her, patiently. “Tell Daddy,” he repeated softly.

She licked her lips, deciding it couldn’t hurt. It wasn’t that bad. “I was wondering what it would feel like to have that other strap coming up between my legs,” she murmured almost too softly for him to hear.

He had super hearing, though. He could probably hear her cough from a mile away, and he certainly could smell her arousal from across the room.

Elias smiled. “Next time you sit there, I will cinch that last strap up tight so it rubs against your pussy, Leah. Now try to focus on your picture so I can make dinner without inhaling your soaking wet panties over and over.”

She clenched her thighs. His request would be darn near impossible, but he knew that. “Yes, Sir.” She spoke the words with some reverence, but he probably didn’t miss the slightly sassy snark.