It would take a long, long time to replace the rest of my mother's family. Alena's memories of her youth were coming back slowly, but she couldn't describe to sketch artists what her lost siblings and cousins looked like. We could only hire investigators to carry on the

work and try to replace our family through other means, like how we had discovered Alena through a medical system.

I understood. I was frustrated, but what could I do? We could only be patient.

Strong arms slid around me from behind, holding me tight. "I'm glad you're back now," Evan whispered as I unpacked the last of my luggage on the bed. "It felt like you were gone for ages. Don't leave me again." "It was only a week."

"Still felt like centuries. Besides, you missed me too, didn't you? And the boys couldn't be peeled off you the moment you came in the door."

I smiled and leaned back into his chest. Evan was so warm. Even with the room being ice-cold, he was like a warm furnace, heating me up from top to bottom. I never wanted to move away.

Wait...

"Did you turn up the thermostat in here on purpose?" I wriggled in his arms, but he held me tighter and refused to let me turn around to face him. "Evan! Answer me. You made it cold on purpose, didn't you?"

"... Maybe." He dropped his lips to my shoulder. "I thought it might persuade you to want to warm up faster."

"Evan! You... you p******!"

"p*****t? After all we've done? We have twins, love... If I'm a p*****t, you're a p*****t just like me."

My whole face flamed up. He wasn't wrong. Evan's libido was something else, and my body always responded fiercely in kind whenever he rose up. But really! I had just gotten back! Things were serious, with the plans to transition Alena to our care in a Scarlet territory hospital, and Lucas Hanson promising to track down the rest of our family, and even Jonah who had reluctantly promised to consider moving here with his family so he could be closer to Alena. That was just the start of everything we had to take care of in the morning!

And yet here I was, melting into his embrace like we were first time lovers. Luckily, Peelle and Osborn had fallen asleep in the pillow fort Evan made for them on the first floor, which meant we were alone in our bedroom for once. And it was in the middle of the night. Who would interrupt us?

"You're more beautiful every time I look at you." He slid the hem of my shirt up and caressed my waist with loving strokes. "I thought of you every minute of the day. I just wanted you back. You don't know what you do to me..."

"I missed you too. It was good to replace my aunt, but I wanted to come back here and be where I'm meant to be." I guided his hand to the button of my jeans, and he undid it with reverent fingers. My shirt came next, and soon his clothes, too. When he picked me up and placed me on the bed, it was the warmest I had been since I left. The cold that had entered my heart thawed under his worshipful gaze, and he lowered himself to press our bodies together, just to touch. Our fingers laced together on the sheets. His butterfly kisses went from shoulder to shoulder, rested at the base of my throat, and traveled up to my lips. When his joined mine, there was only bliss, blossoming heat. My mate... "Claudia, do you know how irresistible you are?"

"Mm..."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

He made love to me slowly, gently. There were other times when he let out his primal side and took me roughly, and I loved it. The strength and aggression in all he did was so intense when he put it into our lovemaking. But after a week apart and the boys safely ensconced downstairs, there was a bone-deep relaxation in our bodies aching to slide out and embrace.

"Claudia..."

"Evan!"

I arched up into him when his hand found me wanting. My thighs parted for him, and he guided himself into me, torturously slow. I gasped and moaned as he rocked slightly, working himself into me with careful half-strokes. "Evan... Yes."

His hands slid up my waist before replaceing my breasts. Rough fingers stroked my n*****s, and more needy moans left my throat. He pinched and squeezed, putting more force into it with each tease, until I was almost sobbing. Even before pregnancy my breasts had always been sensitive, but now...

"Don't come for me yet," he whispered. "I want to make this last."

But even if he said so, I couldn't stop it. When he began pumping in and out of me, pushing his length inside to stroke my innermost places, all the strength in my body left me, replaced by sensual, creamy satisfaction.

"Your scent is so good, Claudia." He let out a long, muffled groan by my ear. "I missed it so much."

I tangled my fingers in his hair when he brought his lips down to my b****t. He traced the swell of it with teasing strokes of his tongue before taking the crest between his teeth. But it didn't stay there long. He picked up speed, bracing me against the bed as he pumped harder and harder.

"Evan! Evan-" "Claudia!"

I came first, then second, then a third time. He refused to stop, sweat dampening his brow as he struggled to keep from climaxing. He stopped several times to give himself a few seconds to calm back down, no matter how I begged him to let go and come with me. "I have to have you for as long as I can. I'm going to make love to you until the morning."

He made good on his promise. I was so exhausted that when he was finally done, after climaxing twice himself and me I didn't even know how many times, I passed out like a rock just as the sun started to come up.

If only I weren't such a light sleeper. Or maybe it was because I'd slept so much on the train ride back home. Either way, three hours later, I opened my eyes to Evan laying a breakfast tray on the bed next to me. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

"Oh, Moon Goddess. You brought me breakfast in bed."

"Of course I did. I couldn't wake you. It was too cruel."

I laughed and sat up, careful not to topple the tray. But wait... "Someone helped you cook these, right? You can't scramble eggs to save your life, but these look flawless."

"Well..." He scratched the back of his neck. "I had the kitchen experts help me. I didn't want to burn down the house again."

We were still laughing as we shared breakfast. Evan explained the boys were still conked out. Apparently, werewolf children could sleep far more heavily than I'd ever managed when I was young.

I was glad for it. Sleep, my loves, I thought softly. I hoped for all their lives, they could sleep as much as they wished, whenever and wherever they wanted.

"All right. If Sleeping Beauty is awake now, maybe she can be persuaded to shower together?"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't call me that. I'm so not a Sleeping Beauty."

"Then my Cinderella." He grinned as he lifted me up from the bed and carried me to the master bathroom. "My lovely Cinderella who I found all on my own."

"With my scent, that you remembered. Because I found you first." I reached up and tweaked his nose. "Fine. I'm afraid of what other princess names you're going to call me. Cinderella isn't too bad, all things considered."

Evan kissed away the rest of my words. He lovingly cleaned me up in the shower, massaging the shampoo into my hair, lathering me down, and trying me off with the fuzziest towel in our arsenal. Really, he was too dangerous. How could I have ever thought I could resist him?

We slow danced bare-skinned in the bedroom. He had his vinyl records around, and he had placed an old vintage song on the record player. Naked but clothed in each other's love, we swayed and spun slow circles to the crooning music...

Oh, take me higher and higher, my love

While we have the cha-a-a-nce,

Forget all of our troubles for a while and

Keep me in your arms and dance.

"You turned the thermostat back up, Evan?"

"I did."

"You sneak. I was so cold last night when I came in."

"I warmed you up just fine though, didn't I?"

I slapped his bottom as we danced, and we laughed and laughed.

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