Untamed: An Alpha's Promise (Paranormal Werewolf Shifter Romance) by Evelyn Glass Page B

rest,” he assured her, disappearing into the bathroom. Moments later, as she struggled out of her clothes, she heard Parker running the bath. The scent of lavender filled the air as he added her fragrant oils to the running water. She was wrestling with her hair when he came out and found her struggling to pin it up. Without a word he took the brush from her hand and drew it over her scalp and through her long tresses, in long, steady strokes. Her eyes drifted closed as she enjoyed the bristles massaging her scalp, the rhythmic motion and sound of the brush. She could hear his breath, measured and deep, behind her as he tamed her tousled locks before twisting her hair neatly into a bun and pinning it to her scalp.
     
    “How did you do that?” she marveled.
     
    “I helped Maddie get ready for ballet a lot when she was little,” he explained. “Lots of buns. Let’s take a bath.”
     
    She was surprised when he shed his own clothes and climbed in with her, cradling her to him in the deep tub, her back safely snugged against his solid chest. He massaged her neck and shoulders before teasingly dabbing her nose with some foam and kissing her neck.
     
    “I love you, Parker,” she sighed, wrinkling her nose and swiping the foam off herself as she sank into his embrace.
     
    “I love you, too,” Parker whispered in her ear, his stubble scratching against her cheek. They soaked in silence for a long time before he said, “I’m so sorry about your dad.”
     
    “It still doesn’t seem real.”
     
    “You’ve had a long, hard day.” He squeezed her tightly. “You need a good night’s sleep. You’re probably still in shock.”
     
    “Probably.” She nuzzled his arm. “He was only fifty-five. It’s so unfair.”
     
    He nodded, thinking of his own father, who would never even make it to fifty-five. “Way too young,” he agreed.
     
    “We didn’t have enough time. There was so much that we didn’t get to have.”
     
    “I know,” he crooned against her neck.
     
    “I don’t want to lose you, Parker.” The anxious words came out of nowhere, and she suddenly felt silly for having said them. But he only held her closer and buried his face in her neck.
     
    “You won’t,” he vowed. “I promise, Charmaine, you won’t.”
     
    “If I ask you something, do you promise to tell me the truth?” Her blue eyes were solemn as she looked at him intently.
     
    “Of course.”
     
    “Christopher said you were plotting to kill him.” She was certain there was no plot, but she let the words fly anyway. They hung between the two of them for a moment.
     
    “Do you believe that?” He turned her face to his, frowning. “Do you think I would ever plan the assassination of one of your family members? Even your brother?”
     
    “I don’t,” she reassured him. “I know you wouldn’t.” But she was glad to hear him say it.
     
    “I wouldn’t,” he repeated. “You need to know that beyond a shadow of a doubt. We’re going to make this happen peacefully, for our sakes and for everyone in both packs. I promise you, Baby, I’m going to end this thing. No more feuding, no more bloodshed, just a peaceful life for us and our son.”
     
    “You’re sure it’s a boy?”
     
    “I had a vision,” he whispered, his hands slipping under the water to cup her belly, which showed no signs yet of the life growing inside her. “You were holding a little boy with dark hair, and you both waved to me from the front door.”
     
    She sighed. “That sounds beautiful.”
     
    “It was beautiful.” His voice cracked just a bit at the end, just enough to make her want to turn around and cover him with kisses. But she was too exhausted to do anything but soak in the deliciously soothing bath with Parker’s solid love wrapped around her.
     
    “Is it going to be hard to renegotiate the treaty?”
     
    “Not at all. I’ve got the backing of the Council, and now it’s just a matter of working on