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"Fruit boill tide you over till dinner"

Not the least abashed, Marlee grabbed an apple on her way to hug Lucy "Hi, Lucy! Are you staying for dinner? Want to see my art project?"

"Yes, stay, Lucy," Lara said "I’m in thea dinner party of seven One of Toby’s friends had perht ho late getting back from their work outside den territory

As they sat down to eat, her mate reached over and ran his knuckles down her cheek, the affectionate gesture ainst her skin

"Hey, you," she whispered

He tipped up her chin, kissed her to the delight of the children and Lucy, before turning back to the table It wasn’t until after everyone had filled their plates that she saw hi with the pup who’d come home with Walker, while the boys chatted to Lucy about the effectiveness of a twist in a recent ood spirits, but there was so in Walker’s eyes, the sa, as Toby spun Marlee She knew in that e of what had taken place in his life immediately before his defection

"Walker?" She touched her fingers to his thigh "Sweetheart, what is it?" He closed his hand over hers

"Soh tone so low, it reached her ears alone, "and I rehter didn’t understand what it was to be happy Only what it was to be hurt" His gaze shifted to a grinning Toby, the memories a quiet ache in his voice as he spoke "And Toby, he was in so much pain after Kristine’s suicide, I was terrified we’d lose hinant sadness of his words wrenched at her Tangling their fingers together, she "spoke" to hi bond, showering hi his mate, in the cheerful contentaze sharpened, the shadows fading to be replaced by a deep happiness that

And she knew she wouldn’t ask hiht No, she would love hi whispers of sadness with affection, pleasure, and touch He would tell her when he was ready - she had faith in the trust that linked theer afraid she’d never know the heart of this incredible man as her own

Perhaps it would take a little more time, a little more patiencebut they had a lifetiainst hi the night without her at his side Even the idea of it caused an agony of pain inside his chest It was a startling sensation for a man who had always come to a cold bed, believed hiht

He wanted a forever tinged with the warainst his skin, her hand on his heart, her curls tickling the botto with care so he could look down at her sleeping face, he ran his finger along the delicate shell of her ear

His ood That hat ht be a SnowDancer, but should he bring her the broken body of a Psy Councilor, she’d do her best to heal the eneht one day strike her dead

That ho she was

It was also why she needed hiood He’d do whatever it took to protect her fro He knew Lara saw that ability to kill in him, understood his moral compass wasn’t like her own, but she loved him just the same

He didn’t knohat he’d done to deserve her, deserve this life where he was so passionately loved that it was an incandescent glow against his heart, but he knew he’d fight to the death to hold on to her Lara was his

Texture of Inti her in her sleep, he felt his lips curve when she wrinkled up her nose before falling asleep again It was so she did every time he cleared away a curl - and he loved that he knew that As he knew that if he ran a finger down her throat, she’d sigh and turn into the touch, her hand flexing on his skin It h he’d shared skin privileges passionate and exquisite with her ahis focus, he played with the thin strap on her left shoulder, his callused fingertip scraping against her skin He didn’t pull back - Lara had made it clear she loved his hands