Forever Is Not Enough [Council Enforcers 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)

something to eat. Then we can talk.”
    “Finally. I thought I was going to have to hold my breath forever.”
    Ignoring Mitch’s grunt as his mate elbowed him in the stomach for his comment, Ben turned to Tessa. “Do you think you can find something for Jacqi to wear so she can get cleaned up as well?”
    “No problem. While you guys get cleaned up, I’ll fix us some lunch. We can all talk while we eat.”
    Mitch and Tessa left the room, leaving Ben alone with his little mate. “Are you really okay?”
    “Yes.” Jacqi sat on the edge of the bed. “I have to admit, though, your friend scares the crap out of me the way he just glares at everyone. And the other one who guards the door is so huge. I’ve never seen another person as big as he is, shifter or human.”
    Ben laughed. “Yeah, Ken is pretty big, but he’s harmless unless you threaten his mate.” He sat next to Jacqi and wrapped his arm around her. He wanted to skip along with his wolf, who was prancing in his head at the moment, when she laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. “You don’t have to be afraid of anyone in this house. Everyone here would die to keep me safe, and if I tell them you can be trusted, they would do the same for you.”
    “Yeah, but—”
    “No buts. Do you trust me?” He held his breath and waited for his mate’s answer. He had no idea why her answer meant so much to him, but he needed to hear her say it.
    Jacqueline stared at him for a few moments before she finally nodded. That small movement made the last three months of his life worth it. Ben would have gladly done it over and over again if it always brought him and his little mate back to that exact moment. Later on in life, when his pups asked him about how he’d met their mother, he wouldn’t tell them the bad stuff. He would tell them their relationship began on the side of the bed when their mother put her trust in his hands.
    “Get your shower and we will sort everything else out later. It’ll all work out, I promise.” Ben kissed his mate’s forehead and left the room before he lost his head and threw her to the bed and ripped her clothes off. He had to keep reminding himself that he needed to take things slow with her.
     
    * * * *
     
    Jacqueline shook her head as she stood under the hot water. Her life was too weird at the moment. She has gone from living in terror to being utterly confused all in a matter of hours. She looked down and rubbed the bruise that was developing on her hip. Even though it was painful, she couldn’t find it in her heart to be mad at Mitch for knocking her to the ground. He had just been protecting his home and family from what he’d thought was the enemy. She had no doubt he could have killed her without even trying, but even as he was tackling her, Mitch had made sure not to put his full weight into it. A shifter being protective was something she wasn’t used to.
    Even though Mitch and the other large shifter had scowled and glared at her, they hadn’t touched or threatened her, which confused her. She was used to her life being threatened several times a day. She was used to the shifters who worked for her father looking at her with lust in their eyes as they described in detail what they would do to her if her father hadn’t declared her off limits. And her father hadn’t declared her off limits because he was concerned for his daughter’s innocence. No, he just didn’t want her to distract any of his guards from their mission. From what she had seen so far, the shifters she had grown up around were completely different from the ones Ben had brought her to.
    Jacqueline thought of Ben as she soaped herself. She had no idea what had possessed her to throw herself in his arms when he had walked into her room. She was just so relieved to see he was okay that she had done it without thinking. Something about him made her want to be around him. She didn’t even know the man, but ever since she’d laid eyes on him the night her father’s guards dragged him into his office unconscious, Jacqueline had felt the need to be next to him. If she was honest with herself, she needed to touch him. That need scared her more than anything. For someone who had never even been attracted to a man in her life, Jacqueline had the urge to rub herself against Ben whenever she saw him.
    She barely knew anything about Ben, but what she had seen of him so far had made her answer his question when he asked. She did trust him. So