But there was more of a chance today than there had been a day ago, and I wasn’t entirely sure what to do with that knowledge.Not true.As I stared down at his beautiful face, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
I kissed him again.Deeply.Then got off his lap and took my own seat while he visibly struggled to stay where he was.
“Do you have any idea how desperate I am for you to climb back onto my lap and keep kissing me like that?”
“A fairly good idea, actually.”
He groaned and closed his eyes just as the light above the door blinked.
“Food’s here.Be good and keep your eyes closed.”
He did, not that the server paid either of us much attention.She just placed the plates, asked if we needed anything else, and left.
I was halfway through my burger before Konni opened his eyes again.It’d given me the time I needed to think.
Oddly enough, the mini makeout session had helped me see things more clearly and acknowledge a few truths.
My attraction to Konni was undeniable.
The mark scared me because I was afraid of being trapped in a relationship I didn’t want.Which, according to him, would never happen.I needed to want to be his mate for the bond to grow.
That the mark had already changed meant that I wanted more than Konni’s body.And the fear I felt when I thought of more wasn’t because I didn’t like him.I was letting what happened to my parents dictate our relationship.He’d done nothing to give me any reason not to want to see where we might go together.
So, I waited until his mouth was full of burger to ask my first question.
“How will the mark change as the bond grows, and what will I need to do to get it to fade?”
He seemed unbothered by the second part as he swallowed his bite.
“Each mark is unique to the owner, so I can’t say exactly how it will change.But the colors grow more vibrant and the flames more defined.The bond’s most complete version would be exquisite in color and detail.
“It would fade with any mistreatment, as that would change the way the mates feel about each other.A neglected mate would feel unloved, and the bond would weaken, dulling and then fading until it’s almost invisible, but never disappearing.”
“And how is a bond broken?”
He watched me as he chewed the large bite he’d just taken, his gaze strangely serious.
“To completely break the bond, which would remove the mark, you need to break your mate’s heart, or they need to break yours.I heard of a mate who was tricked into sex by another female.It broke their bond for years.He never gave up and mended their bond in the end, after making those who hurt his mate through him pay.”
“Yeah, you keep going back to a forever bond.If you want me in your bed, you need to give me an out.How can I make sure this won’t be forever if I don’t want it to be?”
“The surest way to break a bond is to kill your mate—a fatal blow delivered by your hand.It would mean you have no love in your heart for me.”
I gave up eating and scowled at him.
“You are probably the biggest pain in my ass right now.You know that’s not what I meant.”
He shrugged.“I won’t lie to you.That’s the surest way.But what if I promised to do at least one thing a day to mildly upset you so you don’t grow too attached to me?”
“Isn’t that the opposite of what you just said dragons do, which is everything possible to please their mates?”
“Wouldn’t it make you happy to know I was trying to help you prevent a bond from forming?”
He had me there.
I took my last bite of burger while I weighed the pros and cons.
Cons: he was rich; my dad would try to use our relationship to benefit himself; and people would say I’m like my dad and that I'm using Konni to social-climb.Also, Konni was a dragon, which meant I’d need to say more than “I do.”It would be forever if I fell much further.
