The word settles between us with a heaviness that makes it hard to breathe.
Mate.
My heart gallops in my chest.
“Your… mate,” I repeat. “Like… wife mate? Life partner mate? Animal Planet mate?”
He smiles. “All of the above.”
I stare at him in stunned silence. And even though it’s a lot to drop on a girl, I know that it’s true. I can feel the truth of that statement from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. I’m his. And he’s mine.
“So… that’s it?” I say, not knowing where to go from here. “No dating. No ‘will he call me?’. We’re just leapfrogging over all that? It’s just final?”
He shrugs those big shoulders.
“And what if I leave and never come back?”
His face twists like I’ve just stabbed him in the heart, and I immediately regret asking it. “Do you want to leave?”
“No,” I say, dropping my eyes to my beer. “I don’t.”
He takes a deep breath of relief.
“Wait,” I say, perking back up. “Don’t you shifter guys like mark your mate’s neck or something?”
I feel the strong tingling under my ear and touch it. His eyes turn hungry as he watches me brushing my fingertips over the demanding spot.
“Only when you’re ready,” he says softly.
I take a long sip of my beer and sigh. “I think I need another drink.”
Boone waves the waitress over and orders us two more beers.
“And send two over to the girl over there by the pool table,” he says, not forgetting about Leanne, which I think is sweet.
It’s all starting to make sense though. Why I never wanted to date or had any crushes. Boys tried to kiss me, but I was never into it, even when the cute ones tried. I always made up an excuse or made a quick getaway. It never felt right.
But this here… sitting with Boone… inching closer to his strong safe presence… this feelsright.
This feels like what I’ve been waiting for. What I’ve beenyearningfor.
Him and his crazy grizzly bear.
“Are you okay?” he asks softly. “It’s okay to take a minute. I know it’s a lot. But I know you feel it. That pull. That connection. Just know, for me, it’s times a thousand.”
“I don’t see how that’s possible,” I say with a scared tiny laugh.
“I didn’t think it was possible either until the moment I saw you,” he says looking at me with so much love and adoration in his eyes that it makes me blush. “And then I knew, what those old mated shifters always go on about, it wasalltrue. It wasmorethan true. It was more intense than they described. You have to experience it yourself to fully understand.”
My heart aches as I watch him. I reach out and put my hand on his and his whole body loosens. It melts before my very eyes. I love that I can draw that reaction from him.
I can be that calming presence in his life too.
The waitress returns with our beers and then heads over to Leanne. She catches our eye as she takes her beers and hands one to Mr. Hot Lumberjack.
I laugh when Mr. Hot Lumberjack bends over to take a shot at pool and she pretends to hump him from behind, her tongue out, her eyes locked on me.
Boone sees it too and laughs.
