“You called me Gabe.”
“Yes.” Chay frowned. “Is that a problem? I can call you Gabriel if you want.”
“No.” Another sweet smile spread across Gabriel’s lips. “I like it when you call me Gabe.”
God, it was all Chay could do not to lean in and kiss his mate. His vivid blue eyes were so expressive. Chay didn’t know if that was due to the fact that they were mates, or if Gabriel was that way with everyone. He just knew he felt as if he could see the world in Gabriel’s eyes.
“So, I’m going to go,” Dom said. “Call me if you need anything.”
Chay waved, not wanting to look away from Gabriel.
Dom snickered and then walked out of the room. A moment later, the garage door opened and closed. A motorcycle started up and then drove away from the house. Chay just continued to sit there and stare at Gabriel, holding on to his hand.
He really couldn’t think of any place he’d rather be.
“This is weird,” Gabriel whispered.
“What is?”
“I want to kiss you so bad I ache for it. I feel as if I don’t, my entire world will explode.”
“Then kiss me.” Chay was in full favor of that action.
Gabriel’s eyes lowered as his gaze went to Chay’s lips. “I don’t know you.” His eyes flickered up. “Why do I feel like I do?”
“We share a soul, remember? You may not know what my favorite color is, but you know who I am. Your soul recognizes mine.”
Chay’s entire body hummed to life when Gabriel leaned in and pressed their lips together. It was all he could do to not take over the kiss and ravish the gorgeous man. Instead, he let Gabriel take the lead, accepting the gentle caress of Gabriel’s tongue against his own.
When Gabriel groaned and leaned toward him, Chay grabbed him and hauled him closer until Gabriel was straddling his thighs and they were chest to chest. Instead of letting Gabriel take the lead this time, Chay fisted a handful of the man’s beautiful hair and gave in to his need to dominate the kiss. He thrust his tongue past Gabriel’s lips then proceeded to explore and conquer his mate’s mouth.
Kissing his mate for the very first time was heady stuff. Chay’s mind whirled. His entire body stiffened, poised on the edge of a lust so potent he was afraid of what would happen if he gave in to it. He wanted to do more than ravage Gabriel. He wanted to consume him.
When the need for air forced them apart, Chay kept Gabriel where he was. He refused to loosen his hold on the man unless forced to. He watched as a soft flush filled Gabriel’s cheeks, his dark eyelashes fluttering as he tried to look anywhere but at Chay.
“Hey,” Chay said in a quiet whisper. Once Gabriel looked at him, he said, “I don’t know about you, but I feel like the earth just moved.”
Gabriel let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah.”
“It’s that way between mates, you know.”
Gabriel’s eyes rounded. “All the time?”
“Pretty much.” And Chay couldn’t have been happier about that. “Like I said, the bond between mates in unbreakable. It’s sacred. I will never be unfaithful to you. I will never leave. And I will always do everything within my power to make sure you are happy and safe.”
Chay did not like the sadness that flooded Gabriel’s blue eyes.
“Yeah,” Gabriel said, “but that’s just the soul flame thingy talking.”
“No, it’s not,” Chay insisted. “It just brings us together. They don’t have to make us like each other. Some mates don’t, and they never bond.”
Everything in Chay protested telling Gabriel that, but the man needed all the facts. As much as his desire to claim his mate rode him, he wanted Gabriel to choose him because that’s what he wanted.
Gabriel was right. The mating bond was fucked up. He might not have said it in so many words, but the sentiment was the same. Chay would always believe that the fates did the right thing when they brought two mates together, but from there things sometimes just kind of went to hell.
“You already know I’m attracted to you.” Understatement. “My instincts are to protect you. I will admit that. I am pretty sure that is a mate thing. Once bonded, though, mates don’t stray. It just doesn’t happen. We’re incapable of being unfaithful. We also never hurt our mates. It would be like sticking a knife in my heart. I suspect that too is a mate thing. But the rest of it…”
Chay smiled as he stroked a hand down Gabriel’s cheek. “The fates brought us together, Gabe. They didn’t give me the desire to know what your favorite food is or if you like dancing in the rain. They didn’t tell me that one of my greatest fantasies was going to be what you look like first thing in the morning, of how much I look forward to waking up next to you. Those things are all mine.”
