He kissed her shoulder. “I hate that my mother will never get to hold our kids; that they’ll only know of her through whatever stories I tell them.” He tucked his face into the crook of Havana’s neck. “Gaia would have liked you. No, she’d have fucking loved you.”
Havana reached back to hook her hand around his nape. “My mom would have adored you. Rolando and my dad would have thought you were awesome, but they were so gruff and broody they probably wouldn’t have showed it.”
She and Tate sat like that for a short while, giving comfort and taking it.
“We need to get out of this tub before the water goes cold,” she finally said.
He traced her collarbone with one finger. “Not until I’ve made you come.” He dipped his hand under the water and unerringly found her clit, making a gasp fly out of her. “Feel free to scream.”
Keeping his mate close to his side, Tate stared down at the two females sitting on Havana’s sofa the next morning. “Well?” he prompted.
Aspen tilted her head. “You’re not just saying this in the hope that it’ll make Havana more comfortable about being part of your pride? You truly want to make us enforcers-slash-her personal bodyguards if we join?”
Tate hiked up a brow. “Can you think of anyone who’ll protect her more vigorously than you and Bailey would?”
“No.”
“Then there’s your answer.” Tate cut his gaze to Camden, who sat on the armchair, his expression carefully blank. “I’m open to offering you a place in the pride, Camden. You wouldn’t be the only shifter who joined when their relative mated into the pride. These girls are your family. I see that, and I don’t wish to take them from you. I couldn’t even if I tried. And I believe you’d make a loyal member of my pride.” Purely because he’d do nothing to hurt Aspen.
Havana, Bailey, and Aspen watched the tiger closely, looking hopeful.
Camden clasped the arms of the chair, seeming torn. “I don’t like being under anyone’s rule,” he said, but it wasn’t a no.
“I have no wish to run your life or take your choices from you. All I’ll want is your loyalty and for you to respect my status—the rest will automatically follow.”
Camden licked the front of his teeth. His eyes snapped to Aspen and lingered there for a long moment. Sliding his gaze back to Tate, he said, “I wouldn’t join your ranks.”
Meaning the male didn’t believe he could deal with someone directing his movements day after day, Tate understood. “I don’t require you to.”
“All right. If the girls join, I’ll join.”
Tate didn’t miss the relief that flickered across the bearcat’s face. “Good.” Tate turned back to Aspen and Bailey. “You two, however, I do wish to have in my ranks. So, what will it be?” He watched as Havana, Aspen, and Bailey each looked from one to the other, having one of those silent conversations again.
Aspen’s focus returned to him. “Okay, we accept your offer.”
“So long as you understand we’re likely to piss you off occasionally,” Bailey added.
“That has already occurred to me,” said Tate. “Once you’ve joined my pride—which can happen at any time you wish, even right this moment—”
Havana snorted. “Nice try, Garfield, but stop.”
Annoyed that she’d guessed his game, Tate inwardly sighed. Yeah, okay, so he’d thought that maybe if her girls joined now, she’d do the same. His cat thought it amusing that they struggled to get anything past their mate.
“As I was saying,” Tate went on, “once you’ve joined, I’ll arrange for you two and Camden to move to one of the pride’s complexes. This building is strictly for lone shifters. Plus, you should all be surrounded by your pride mates anyway; you need to know and feel that you belong. Your inner animals will need that, too. Do you all want to live in separate apartments?”
Her hands joined together as if in prayer, Bailey turned to Aspen. “Oh, I love having a roommate. Please be mine.”
“No way,” said Aspen. “I’d kill you within a day if we had to share the same living space. Or, more to the point, my bearcat would kill your mamba.”
“You’ll be sharing an apartment with me anyway,” Camden told Aspen.
The bearcat scratched her cheek. “I think it’ll be better if we live separately.”
The guy scowled. “How do you figure that?”
“You don’t see just how uncomfortable your partners are with me living with you,” said Aspen. “They’re suspicious of me, they feel awkward having me there, and then they do things that make me feel uncomfortable in my own home. I know a few of my exes have treated you badly, too. Living with you is a blast, but it isn’t something we can realistically keep doing.”
“The fuck we can’t,” clipped Camden. “Ever since we moved out of Corbin’s house years ago, we’ve been roommates in whatever apartment we lived in. Like you said, it’s a blast.”
“You’re not getting tired of ending relationships because your partners have bitched at me? You’re not getting tired of my dates giving you shit out of jealousy?”
“No, and no. None of those people were worth our time, or they’d have accepted that you and I are close friends.”
“Wouldn’t you prefer to live alone so that you can have a regular bachelor pad?” Bailey asked the tiger.
Camden frowned. “No. I like things the way they are. I like having my best friend living with me.”
Havana raised a finger. “Which is why Randy—”
“Don’t even mention that sack of shit,” clipped Camden.
“—and others you’ve dated have found it hard to accept Aspen,” said Havana. “You might have an easier time making your partners get along with your best friend if she isn’t living with you.”
The tiger’s face scrunched up. “I could give less of a fuck if people don’t like that she lives with me.”
“Your mate would care,” Aspen pointed out. “If you meet him or her, they’re not going to want me living with you. Come on, Camden, it’s not like we’ll never see each other—we’ll probably be living in the same building.”
But the tiger didn’t drop it, so the two disputed the matter right up until the moment they walked out the front door with an exasperated Bailey, who was pushing them to hurry so that they didn’t miss the movie they planned to go see at the theater.
Alone with Tate, Havana relaxed against him. “Thank you for giving my honorary family a place in the pride. You’re getting lucky later for sure.”
He smiled. “I’m already lucky. I have my mate right here. And she’s naked.”
Havana felt her brow furrow. “No, I’m not.”
“You are in my head,” said Tate. “It’s impossible for a man to look at you and not wonder what you look like naked. I don’t need to wonder. I know. And my mind brings up that pretty picture very often. It’s kind of distracting, but I’m good with it.” He kissed her soft and slow and languid. “I need to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.” He patted her ass and strode off.