Chapter 20

Walker

Lindsey still didn"t get it. No matter how many times I told her I loved her, she still stared at me with the same shocked expression as if it were the first time. So over the next few days while she regained her strength, I made it a habit to say the words as often as possible. Maybe then she"d get it through that thick stubborn skull of hers.

She was completely healed now and almost back to full strength. I"d been keeping everyone away except for Grant, so he could do is daily visit to check on her progress, and Ben and Shelby, who refused to stay away.

A part of me just wanted alone time with my mate, but I"d quickly learned that there really isn"t such a thing when you have kids. And make no mistake, after all we"d been through in such a short time, those kids were mine, and I"d kill anyone who tried to take them from me. Well, not Lindsey, but anyone else.

I had this unfounded fear that she would get bored with me and just fly off into the sunset and leave me behind. There was nothing logical about it, and it didn"t stem from some deep-rooted abandonment issue or anything, though Lachlan would have had a field day with something like that.

It was Friday and the kids had just left for school. Lindsey was still asleep, and I was laying in bed next to her catching up on my emails.

She scooted closer and rested her head on my shoulder. I turned and kissed the top of her head then went back to scrolling.

This is what I wanted everyday in life. She still seemed to struggle to grasp that, but I could be patient and wear her down until she truly came to understand that this wasn"t a joke to me. I didn"t think I"d survive it if she and the kids left me now.

I shot a text off to Michael, letting him know I"d be returning to work on Monday.

Fifteen minutes later there was a knock at my door.

When I didn"t move to answer it, Lindsey stiffened next to me, and then my phone dinged.

MICHAEL – Open up. If you"re good enough to return to work. You"re good enough to finally introduce us to your mate.

"Us?" I said aloud. "Shit!"

"What"s wrong?" she asked.

"Michael"s here with company. I don't know how many. We should get dressed."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. I"ve just kept you to myself for as long as they"re going to allow. Sorry about this. Don"t freak out though. They"re just excited to meet you."

I got up and dressed, then went to let them in, relieved to find only Michael and Callie.

She hugged me.

"How are you holding up?" Callie asked.

"Better. I"m actually getting some sleep these days. When people aren"t stopping by at all hours of the morning," I grumbled.

Michael grabbed my arm and hugged me. "Dude, it"s almost ten in the morning." He stepped back and looked me over. "You look a lot better than the last time I saw you."

I gave a sheepish grin, remembering how he and the guys had to hold me back to keep from attacking Grant every time he checked on my mate.

"Did you seal the deal already?" Callie asked.

"No." I didn"t bother to mention that maybe I would have today if they hadn"t barged in. Though I wasn"t certain we weren't quite there yet.

"So where is she?" Callie said this time.

I shook my head. "Wait in the living room."

I jogged back to the bedroom to find Lindsey dressed but sitting nervously on the side of the bed.

"Hey, you don"t need to be nervous. I promise they won"t hurt you. They"re excited to meet you."

"If you say so."

"Open mind? They"re like family to me. Just like Shelby and Ben."

She rolled her eyes. "How many people are you going to try and use that line with me on?"

I shrugged. "Only dozen or so more."

Stealing a quick kiss, I took her hand in mine and dragged her from the room.

I wasn"t going to point it out to her, but since she"d awaken, she"d actually been calmer here, less aggressive and more even-tempered. I liked to think it had something to do with me, but I really wasn"t sure. The ironic thing was that I"d become more ill-tempered and aggressive through the ordeal.

"Hi," Callie said, her whole face lighting up when we entered the room.

She walked right over to Lindsey and hugged her. I wished I had a camera to capture the look on my mate"s face.

"Does she know what I am?"

I nodded. "She knows."

"Is she insane?"

Callie started laughing, taking a step back.

"Probably a little," Michael told her.

"Hey. I resemble that remark."

"Linds, this is Callie, and this is Michael. Michael is leader of Delta team."

"And Callie is his mate, the police officer," she finished for me. "What he hasn"t told me already about everyone, Maya and Dante have filled me in on."

"They"re great kids," Callie gushed.

"We won"t stay long. We just wanted to officially meet you and welcome you to the family," Michael explained.

His mate pouted. "But we just got here and I"ve been waiting for days."

"You"ll have a lifetime to get to know her if this guy would just seal the deal already."

This time Lindsey didn"t say anything, but I knew her pretty well now and knew she was always shocked when someone said that. Maybe I shouldn't have kept her to myself for so long. I made a personal vow to introduce her around and show her all that San Marco had to offer today.

"When Walker returns to work on Monday, how about I come by and keep you company?"

"You"re returning to work on Monday?" she asked.

"Dude, you didn"t tell her?"

I shrugged.

He shook his head. "You have a lot to learn about mated-life."

"It"ll just be for a few hours," I assured her. I was pretty sure Michael understood that too. I felt guilty for all the time off, but my wolf was going to freak being away from her for long.

Callie hugged her again. "Monday. We"ll have a little girl chat."

"Uh, okay."

Almost as soon as they left, there was another knock on the door and then another as Linc and his mate Christine arrived, followed by Tucker and his mate Abby. Both women had welcome baskets for Lindsey and also welcomed her to the family.

My girl was getting more than a little overwhelmed, but much to my surprise, she didn"t freak out.

"Callie's coming back to hang out on Monday while Walker"s at work," I heard her tell the ladies.

"I should be able to get off work for the morning. Why don"t we plan on making it a Delta ladies" day," Christine suggested. "You aren"t on a deadline right now, right Abby?"

"Nope. I"m a writer," she explained. "My next book isn"t due to my publisher for another two months and I"m almost through the first draft already."

"So that settles it then. I"ll send a text and let everyone know."

"Everyone?" Lindsey asked with a gulp.

"Don"t worry," Abby said. "I know they can be a little overwhelming at first, but they mean well. Delta"s only a six-man team and Lachlan is still single. So really, it"s just the three of us, Callie, and Mirage."

"I haven"t met Mirage."

"You will," she assured me.

"Um, okay," she agreed.

"Great. Okay, well we were told not to stay too long today and just wanted to stop by and say hello. If you need anything at all, just call or text. Can I have your number before we go?"

"My number? I don"t have a number."

"Your cell phone number," she clarified.

Lindsey shook her head and shrugged at the same time.

"Walker. Are you trying to keep her prisoner here? She doesn"t have a phone?"

I gave them a sheepish look. "I guess I"ll be rectifying that today."

"You damn well better and make sure you program in all of our numbers when you do. Don't worry. We"ve got your back," Christine assured her. Checking her phone, she frowned. "I told Liam I"d be in the office by noon, so we need to run if we"re going to grab lunch first."

They arrived like a whirlwind and left in the same manner.

"Sorry about that."

"Don't be. They seem nice. You"re sure they really know about me?"

I knew what she was asking and nodded. "They really do."

"It"s so bizarre. If they saw me they wouldn"t be acting like this."

I shrugged. "You mean like Shelby?"

"She"s different."

I snorted. "Keep telling yourself that. Now, would you like to get out of here and take a tour of San Marco?" Because I really want you to like it here and call this place home, but I didn"t say that part.

"Is anyone else coming by this morning?"

"Not that I know of."

She bit her lip and blushed. "Could we maybe do something else before we go?"

"Sure, what did you have in mind?"

She completely stunned me when she boldly walked over and put her arms around my neck and kissed me, initiating it for the first time.

We hadn"t been truly intimate since before the attack, and we"d only had sex that one time, but damn I wanted her so badly. Every day I reminded myself that she was injured and having sex would make things harder, knowing my wolf was getting agitated and wanted to stake his claim. At this point, I was pretty sure that having sex would only make him more aggressive, at least until we sealed our bond.

"Lindsey," I said in a strained voice.

But I was silenced as she rubbed herself against me and moaned.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked.

"Yes."

There was no way I could tell this woman no.

I knew right then that I would go anywhere, do anything, be whatever she needed me to be because I was head over heels in love with her. All I needed in life was to make her mine.

We both knew that hadn"t been what I had asked her, but in the excitement of her advances, my wolf didn"t seem to get that memo.

Each little mewl or soft moan that she gave only egged it on.

I couldn"t even manage to make it back to the bedroom. She"d given me the green light and I hadn"t even known I"d been waiting for it, but now I couldn"t even think straight. I needed her with a desperation that should have terrified me.

Lifting her up, she wrapped her legs around my waist and I carried her to the kitchen table. She deserved better, but in that moment as I cleared whatever was on it table with one swoop of my arm, even the crash of broken dishes on the tiles didn"t sway me.

"Mine!" I growled hungrily.

"I"m yours,"she confirmed.

I was half delirious with need as I ripped her clothes from her body and positioned myself between her legs.

My teeth elongated and I stepped back to show her.

She gasped and just slightly angled her head to the side.

Taking that as an invitation, I howled and sank my teeth into her neck.

The taste of blood coated my throat and I pushed myself inside her in one hard thrust. I"d never felt so feral or so alive as I pumped a steady rhythm into her. Lost in the moment it took me a second to realize she hadn"t bitten me back.