“Don’t s-s-stop.”
“You’re freezing.” I shook my head, trying to clear the lust. I’d heard of the mating frenzy, but this was way more intense than I expected. It was only the second day, and I felt like I was drugged—intoxicated by her scent, her beauty. I would have done terrible things just to have her.
Neglecting her wellbeing didn’t make that list though.
I yanked one of the blankets from beneath us, wrapping it snugly around her shoulders. The fire crackled and wavered as I added two more logs. It was probably overkill, but the sooner the cabin was warm, the sooner I could finish claiming my mate.
Angie didn’t protest when I scooped her into my lap, throwing another blanket around both of us and sitting as close to the growing fire as possible. Her nose was cold as it traced lines along my chest, and a fresh wave of guilt had my rapid pulse slowing.
This wasn’t the right way to do this.
I should have brought her straight to my cabin. It wasn’t finished, and it didn’t have many more amenities than this place, but at least it had a bed.
A bed and a fireplace weren’t enough for a human mate. She needed running water. A kitchen. A bathroom.
Being around Angie felt so natural that I almost forgot we came from different worlds.
“Do you like the city?” What would I do if she wanted to go back there? The weeks I spent in Seattle helping the guys at Silver Bullet Security felt like long, miserable years.
“I like certain parts. The lights at night. The restaurants. Walking everywhere.” She hummed thoughtfully. “I like the rain sometimes, but I guess it rains everywhere, not just the city.”
“Did you like your job?”
“No,” she laughed. “My boss was an asshole. But maybe that was because I was always late.”
I sighed. “We need to slow down. There’s too much I haven’t told you.”
“Should I be worried?”
I should be worried.“No, it’s just…mates can’t be apart.”
“Can’tbe apart? How far are we talking here?”
“I don’t have an exact distance. We can have jobs, social lives, all the normal stuff, but if you wanted to stay in Seattle…”
“You would want to come with me.” She lifted her chin to look at me. “I hadn’t even considered any of that.”
I smiled. “I know.”
“My sisters and I would be separated by an entire country,” she whispered.
“How close are you with your sisters?”Idiot. Why didn’t you ask more questions?
“Best friends. Vicky and Sloan are my ride-or-dies.”
“I won’t ask you to leave them.”
“But what about your brothers? Your mom? Cindy needs you.”
I tried not to sound as anguished as I felt when I said, “My brothers take good care of her.”
Angie moved positions, straddling my lap so we were face to face. It took enormous effort to ignore the fact that she wasn’t wearing anything but panties. “Tyler told me there isn’t anyone who does shifter tattoos in this area.”
Of course, he did. Tyler always had my back, even if he was subtle about it.
I studied the expression on her face, hoping this was going where I thought it was going. “There isn’t.”
“I always wanted to open my own shop.”
