Chapter 12

Scout

Orion takes my hand and leads me through his beautiful house. My house, as he keeps telling me.

Yesterday we barely made it out of the pool or bed, breaking only to eat, but now he's eager to show me around. It's weird though; I feel like this house has been waiting for me all this time. Like it was all complete, and the only thing missing was me.

It's all so modern, stylish and clean. I'm really not used to clean. Or modern, or stylish, for that matter.

Every room we pass through is stunning. Orion shows me how to adjust the lighting and temperature with high-tech touchpads. It's a lot to take in for a simple prepper girl; I'll probably have to ask him to show me again later.

"What about the security system?" I ask.

"It's right here." He points to himself and grins. "These ol' ears, eyes and nose are all I need. I've also marked my entire territory. The only time anyone's breached it was yesterday, when a bunch of shifters went crazy over your scent."

I blush. "T-they could all smell me?"

"Big time."

"But won't they keep smelling me?"

"Not now you're mated." There's a possessive growl in his voice. "Now they'll know you're mine."

My cheeks get even hotter, and so does that little spot between my thighs, which hasn't quit aching since I first laid eyes on Orion. It's embarrassing, but I also kinda like the fact that I smell different now I'm no longer a virgin. Now I'm his.

"Where are your supplies?" I ask, as he continues his tour of the house.

"Supplies?"

"In case, you know, there's a national emergency or something."

He grins. "There's a whole forest of supplies out there, trust me."

A burst of alarm goes through me. He's not taking this seriously at all. "B-but what if something poisons the forest? You'll starve."

Orion turns to face me. He gives me a long look. Then he takes my hands in his. "Scout, listen to me. The chance of that happening is very, very small. I know that's how you've been raised. But you've got to quit worrying. Now it's time to have fun and enjoy your life."

I close my eyes, and something inside me releases, like a spring that's been coiled too tight for too long. I let out a long breath. "You're right. I've been fantasizing about escaping my family for years. I don't want to live like them."

He presses his lips to my forehead. "And you won't, so long as I've got anything to do with it. C'mon, I'm gonna show you the upper level." He bounds up the stairs. His enthusiasm is infectious, and I race up after him, giggling.

There are a bunch of doors coming off the hallway. He throws open the first one.

It's a gigantic games room. There's a pool table, a foosball table, and a retro arcade machine. I wander around, my mouth hanging open. There's a giant flatscreen TV with a bunch of gaming consoles and a pile of comfy beanbags beside it; a bookcase full of board games; a dartboard, and a vintage pinball machine.

My heart leaps. There used to be one in the mall close to my family's old home. My bestie and I used to spend hours on it.

I think I lose a couple of minutes, pulling on the levers and muttering to myself as the ball zips around crazily.

When I next look up, Orion is watching me, eyes crinkling at the corners.

My face gets hot. "Sorry," I mutter. "Got a little carried away."

He puts his arm around me and pulls me close, planting a kiss on top of my head. "Don't ever be sorry, Scout. "This is why I got all this stuff. To have fun with." He grabs my hand and hauls me over to the foosball table. Then he crooks his eyebrow in that sexy way of his. "You any good at this?"

I grin. "The best."

It's a good couple of hours before I'm all played out. Orion is a great opponent. He doesn't just let me win, but he encourages me a lot, and helps me with my technique.

We fall out of the room laughing and teasing each other.

"Now, I'll show you the rest of the house." Orion opens the doors to the other rooms. One is empty of furniture, but the other four are set up like luxury hotel bedrooms. They're all decorated in different styles—the one I slept in last night, all done out in pretty florals; one all white; one like a log cabin, and one in bold, contrasting colors.

"So many rooms here," I murmur.

"They'll be full of our cubs one day."

My breath catches. "We're having cubs?"

He embraces me from behind. "You'd better believe it," he growls. "I can't wait to fill your belly with my young."

A shiver goes through me as I absorb all these new words. "I wasn't sure if I'd ever have kids," I mutter.

He spins me around and stares at me, brow furrowed. "With these amazing genes? Why the hell not?"

I sigh. "I was worried I'd screw things up like my parents did."

"Scout…" I see his big chest rise and fall. "You're nothing like your parents."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because you're an incredible person, and they don't deserve you."

I stop breathing, my eyes prickling.

"And I'm gonna tell you that every day, until you believe me. You're gonna be a great mom. You're so warm and caring and strong."

He presses me against his chest, and I let myself relax into him. The truth is, I want nothing more than to have Orion's cubs.

"But for now, you've gotta pick one of the rooms to be our bedroom," he says. "I decorated them differently, because I wasn't sure which you'd like best."

I wander between them like a kid in a candy store. Each one of them is the most beautiful room I've ever seen in my life. "Where do you usually sleep?"

"Guess." He plants his hands on his hips, a sexy smile tugging at his lips.

I wander back down the hallway, peering into each room. Trying to feel Orion, in the way he says he's been feeling me. I stop in front of the room that's decked out with wood paneling. It has a stone fireplace with a vintage leather armchair beside it, and a cozy red area rug covering the floor. A plaid comforter has been laid neatly over the gigantic bed. I imagine him sleeping there, his big, sexy body all sprawled out.

"This one, for sure."

A rumbling sound escapes his lips, and I jump.

"What was that?"

"Just my bear. It's happy that you're starting to read me."

"It's because we're mates, isn't it?"

He draws me close, stroking my hair. "It sure is. And it'll only get stronger."

I press my hand to his chest, feeling that deep, vibrating sensation that comes in time with his breathing. "I like being connected with your bear. It's a nice feeling."

"Oh, little one, this is just the beginning. One day you'll see how truly connected a bear and his mate can be."

My heart flutters. I already have his mark on my neck—it's been tingling non-stop since he gave it to me—I can't wait to see what else is in store for us.

He leads me to the floral room. "Funny, before I met you, I thought you might dig this one. That's why I set up your stuff in here."

"My stuff?"

He shows me in. On the far side of the room is a walk-in closet. I might've peeked in it this morning, but when I saw it was full of someone's else's possessions, I slammed the door shut again, with a mixture of guilt and jealousy.

Now he opens it. "Everything in here is yours. I wasn't sure of your size of course, so I got a few duplicates."

My mouth falls open as I take in the racks of beautiful clothes. Underneath is a row of shoeboxes. And on the shelves, I spot a bunch of expensive toiletries.

"H-how…?" I stammer.

"Just to help you settle in. Mom gave me a hand. She said you'd be traveling light, and you wouldn't have had the opportunity to pack much stuff. Go ahead, take a look."

I feel shy. But Orion keeps encouraging me, and slowly, I pull out some of the clothes and admire them. They're gorgeous and stylish, and real feminine. I stroke the soft fabrics dreamily. I've missed dressing like a girl. All these years I've been forced to wear these tomboyish clothes, and they're really not me.

"I'm just gonna go make us some coffee," Orion says, and slips out of the room. I smile at his retreating back. He's being considerate, giving me a little space.

The moment the door shuts, the final part of me that's been holding on tight lets go. I go into a trying-on frenzy, pulling one thing over my head after another.

I love everything. His mom sure has good taste. She even picked out sets of lingerie.

When Orion returns, I'm wearing a figure-hugging silver dress. It has spaghetti straps and a plunging neckline, and I'm wearing pink lace lingerie with a strapless push-up bra. I love the way it emphasizes my tits.

I hold my breath as the door swings open.

The growl that pours from Orion's throat leaves me in no doubt about his opinion.

"You have any idea how sexy you look?" Then he tilts his head to the side. "One thing missing, though." He shuffles me backwards, until my ass lands on the bed.

I watch in curiosity as he crouches down and rifles through the shoe boxes, opening one after another.

At last, he pulls out a box. "Close your eyes, baby."

I do as he says, and a moment later, something is sliding onto my bare foot, softly encasing it.

A sound of satisfaction escapes his lips.

He does the same with my other foot.

"Okay, open them."

I gasp as two pieces of silvery magnificence reveal themselves to me. The most beautiful, elegant sandals I've ever seen in my life. And they fit me perfectly.

"Christian Louboutin," he reads off the box. "My mom said these were something special."

I look from the gorgeous shoes, to my mate's handsome face and back again. He's frowning like he's worried I'm not going to like them. My heart flips.

The shoes are gorgeous, but this, this is what's special.

I reach for him and wrap my arms around his neck. "Thank you so much," I murmur. "They're the most beautiful shoes I've ever seen."

He draws back and, keeping hold of my hands, raises me to my feet. They're real high, but somehow comfortable. Guess that's the Louboutin effect.

"Wow," he breathes. "Wow."

My heart beats fast. I've never been the kind of girl that guys say wow over. Not by a long shot. A part of me still can't believe it.

And then I see the bulge in his pants.

Okay.

Something flips in my brain. I step away from him and give him a twirl, then I follow it up with a little shimmy. He stares at me, fixated. Those dark eyes glowing gold.

"Scout, what are you doing to me?" he groans.

I purse my lips. "You don't like it?"

"You have no idea. But I was just thinking I should take you out for dinner, show you off like you deserve. Meanwhile, my beast—" He breaks off like he can't bring himself to finish the sentence.

"What?" I demand.

"Wants to ravage you again."

I break into a smile. "I don't need showing off, Orion. All I need is you… Well, you and a home cooked meal."

His grin mirrors my own. "Okay, if you say so. To be honest, my beast was getting kinda snarly about letting you out of the house, looking so sexy."

A delicious shiver runs through me. I love how possessive his beast is. And I love how man and beast are at war inside him.

"Well, tell your beast we're staying right here," I say, and at the same moment, I ease the spaghetti straps off my shoulders.