“I told you, you have a choice when it comes to our fated mate connection. I have a choice too.”
Her hand is still in mine. I press it to my stomach, then move it lower until she’s cupping my straining cock.
“This is what you do to me. Your body, your mind, your soul.”
She snorts and covers her mouth with her free hand.
“What?”
She shakes her head.
“Tell me,” I demand, dropping my hold on her.
After nearly a minute of trying to control her humor, she clears her throat.
“You’re so dramatic,” she says in a deep voice that mocks me. “Your body, your mind, your soul.”
I try to turn away, feigning offense, but her hand on my forearm stops me. “I like dramatic.”
She slides her palm down to my wrist and lifts my hand to inspect it like I’d just done with hers. She skims her fingertips over every inch, across my palm and along each of my four fingers.
She’s careful not to touch my claws.
“Do these always stay out?”
She yelps when I retract them.
“Oh,” she whispers. Her eyes lift to meet mine, and they’re glazed over with impending tears. “I’m scared, Locheran.”
The words are barely a whisper.
“What if my family—”
I cut off the rest of her words by bringing her into a hug, wrapping my large arms around her fragile frame.
She cries into my chest while I console her, smoothing my palm up and down her spine.
I don’t know if she’s scared about being my mate or about her family finding out. Possibly both.
“Tell me what you need,” I say.
“Water,” she mumbles into my chest.
I release her but take her hand to lead her into the kitchen. After grabbing her empty cup from the living room, and filling it with ice and water, I hand it to her.
She gulps down nearly half of it.
Her eyes are red from crying, but I don’t miss the way they scan me from head to toe.
I have to stifle the groan when the scent of her decadent arousal fills my nose.
It’s stronger now that we’re mated.
It’s intoxicating.
She huffs and sets the glass down. “I can’t think right now. All I want to do is touch you.”
“It’s the bond.”
