A Mating Dance Read Online Free Page B

and down against his chest. “Can I have my own room?”
    “Of course. I’ll design it any way you want.”
    “That would be great.”
    The scent of jasmine grew stronger as Cameron drifted into the dining room. He lifted his gaze to her and sagged in relief. Max was peacefully sleeping with his head on Cameron’s shoulder as she held his small body to her, his arms and legs hanging limp.
    Sammie stepped to the side, allowing Graham to stand. He brushed Max’s white-blond hair from his round baby face and smiled. “He needs a haircut.”
    Cameron let out a soft laugh. “Maybe a little around his face.”
    Graham lifted his gaze to hers and offered a shy smile. It was weird how the Fates worked. He’d never truly looked into a female’s eyes before now and wonder how soft her lips were. Would Cameron welcome his kiss? Most likely not, but he’d take the chance. For her and the sexy male he smelled all over her. Their mingled scents drove Graham insane and made him want to risk embarrassing himself just to see if they’d welcome a third into their lives.
    He averted his gaze to watch Max sleep and asked, “Don’t you have to work?”
    She shrugged. “I’m off rotation for a couple of days. With about two dozen total enforcers and sentries, Keegan and Luna think it’s good that each of us rest and have ‘playtime’.”
    He nodded. It made sense. A Pack needed strong, clear-headed soldiers to protect its members. Graham went to take Max, but Cameron twisted to put the toddler out of his reach. “Let me,” she said quietly.
    He studied her for a moment. There was a longing in her golden-brown eyes that made his heart ache. He wasn’t empathic like his stepbrother, but his shifter senses told him she’d suffered a loss. Had she lost a child?
    Pushing the thought aside, he motioned her to follow him to the room where he stayed. Inside the bedroom, he felt closed in with Cameron’s scent dominating the space. Damn, how the hell was he going to sleep tonight? She would haunt his dreams for sure. Not to mention Max had her scent all over him.
    She doesn’t belong to you.
    Yet, he couldn’t keep his eyes off her as she turned down the covers, laid Max on the bed, and tucked him in. “He’s so precious.”
    “Yes. He’s always been a happy baby.”
    “Do you think they hurt him?” Her gaze met his as she straightened.
    “Sammie said no, but as you said he’s touch-starved.”
    Cameron nodded. “Yes. It’s like he craves touch now and fears it at the same time.”
    Graham fisted his hands by his side. He truly didn’t understand how anyone would lock up children, especially shifter children, with no one to hold them, shower them with kisses, and just be with them. Sure Max had his sister, but toddlers needed touch from a loving adult. Without it they could withdraw from everyone and even become desensitized by it.
    Nevan had said that even human children, if they didn’t get the proper love and parental touches from their guardians, would go into a state of withdrawal so bad that touch could become painful. They would even develop a fear of being touched.
    He took a step forward, closing the space between them, unable to fight the growing curiosity any longer. Lifting his hand, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She blinked at the sudden movement but didn’t move. When his fingers touched her cheek, she sucked in a breath. He shouldn’t touch her. He had no right to, yet he found it nearly impossible to stop himself. Drunk on her scent and the raging need building inside him, he cupped the back of her head and drew her in for a kiss.
    When his lips touched hers, he was lost. She tasted as divine as she looked and smelled. Moaning, he pressed her body to his, all reasons why this was so wrong on a multitude of levels gone.
    A sharp, stabbing pain on his lower lip forced him to release her and step back. He pressed his fingers to his lip and pulled them back to see blood. Meeting her angry