The fact that he ran alone tonight feels meaningful. We usually run together. Jude going out alone while I was with Kara tells me something is wrong. Jude needed to deal with something he couldn’t handle in human form. Sometimes, when emotions are too big, our wolves are the only way to deal with the feelings.
My heart races as I near him. I’m so nervous, I feel shaky and scared he’ll reject me. I don’t even know how to bring up my feelings for him. For all I know he shifted because he was thinking of Ben. Longing for Ben. I’ve never felt insecure approaching anyone I had feelings for before. But the stakes have never been this high either. I truly believe that Jude is mine. We’re supposed to be together, but what if he doesn’t feel the same? Just the thought of that makes my legs almost buckle.
“You’re home earlier than I expected,” he says softly.
I grimace. “Am I?”
“On a night like tonight, you should have spent the night with Kara.” Even in the dark his gaze feels intense. “Whatever you need to say to me could have waited.”
“No, Jude, what I need to say to you couldn’t wait.” I feel breathless. If he rejects me, I don’t know what I’ll do.
“I suppose congratulations are in order.” Jude’s voice is bright, but there’s a bitter undertone. “I’ll bet Kara was over the moon. Your family will be thrilled too.” He stands, laughing roughly. He holds out his hand. “Congratulations, Liam. I hope you two will be very happy.”
“Uh, Jude—”
“And I already know I need to move out. That’s no problem.” He lets out a shaky breath. “My place isn’t ready yet, but I’m sure Ben will let me crash at his place.”
Jealousy nips at me, but then it hits me what he thinks is happening. When I told him I was having a serious talk with Kara, he assumed I was going to propose to her. Of course he’d have had no way of knowing I was going over there to break up with her.
“Jude you’ve got it all wrong. I don’t want you to move out.” He’s close now and I feel the heat of his body and his familiar scent fills my nostrils. It’s all I can do not to reach out and pull him against me. But I don’t know where his head is at, and I need to figure that out before I make a fool of myself.
“Ha.” His laugh is harsher now. “Right, Kara will love that. It’s okay, really. Ben will be cool with me staying at his house—”
“Could we maybe stop talking about Ben for five seconds?” I growl, taking a step toward him.
He hesitates, looking muddled. “I’m just trying to be respectful of Kara.”
“How about we stop talking about her too.”
He blinks at me. “What do you want to talk about?”
Heart pounding, I force myself to say, “You and me. I want to talk about you and me, Jude.”
“What… what about you and me?” His voice trembles.
The adrenaline pumping through my veins makes me light headed. But it’s now or never. Even if I’m terrified he’ll reject me, if Jude is ever going to be mine, I have to take this leap. I open my mouth, but the words are stuck in my throat. His confusion is palpable, but I can’t seem to speak.
“Liam?” he asks softly. “What’s going on?”
With a groan, I reach for him, hoping I can convey my feelings with actions if not words. I pull him against me and I bury my face in his warm neck. He smells so fucking good, and I tighten my hold. He’s shocked, that much is obvious by how rigid he is in my arms, but then he gives a needy little whimper and he melts into me, slipping his arms around my waist.
“What’s happening?” He sounds uneasy. “Are you okay?”
I lift my head and take his mouth in a hot, greedy kiss. It doesn’t matter that he’s a man, I need to taste him. Touch him. Take him. He’s mine. Just mine. Man or woman, he’s my mate. I know that now.
Primal instinct roars through me as I plunge my tongue into his mouth. I feel his surprise, but he kisses me back, moaning. He’s greedy for me, just like I am him, as he sucks on my tongue, slipping his hands down to cup my ass. He presses closer, his kisses desperate.
Once I know he still wants me, a rumble starts low in my throat as my wolf rises to the surface. I want to take what’s rightfully mine, and all rational thought blurs into nothing but lust. White hot need sears through me, and I walk him to the couch. He falls backward on it, but he holds out a hand.
“Liam, wait,” he says hoarsely, his cheeks flushed. “What about Kara?”
I fall to my knees in front of him, hands on his thighs. “I broke up with her,” I rasp.
Shock washes over his face. “You did what?”
I lick my lips, my wolf wanting to pounce but my human side understanding his need to hear what’s happened. “I’m not engaged to her. I will never be engaged to her. I want you, Jude. I… I want to be with you. Only you.”
Doubt clouds his pretty blue eyes. “Just like that?”
