I gasped as he was suddenly in front of me and grabbed my neck to pull me into a kiss. It wasn’t so much the kiss buthowhe reached for me. It wasn’t simply pulling me to him.
No, it was his large hand on mythroatin a possessive and controlling way.
And then he kissed me in a way that I’d only felt once before.
Thorn leaned back and ran his thumb over my bottom lip. “Remember now, Sagan?”
I shivered when he said my name. It echoed in my mind like a fleeting memory I couldn’t quite grab. “It was you.”
“It was me,” he chuffed before brushing his lips over mine again. “You didn’t—you didn’t remember. You weren’t being a spoiled bitch and—”
“What?” I gasped and pulled away from him. “How am I the bad guy in—”
He stepped with me and pulled me back to him. “You brushed me off when I tried to talk to you the next day. You slip out of my bed and I’m still trying to be a good guy and warn you, but you were so ridiculous and cold. Like you’d never seen me or…”
I pushed at his arm until he got the idea and let me go. I took a step back and focused over his shoulder. “I would neverhave—even if there was a misunderstanding or—I would think I deserved a bit of understanding.”
“For blowing off the man you slept with the night before?” he hedged. “Yeah, it makes sense now that I—”
I met his gaze and didn’t hide my anger, glad when he flinched. “I buried myparentsWednesday. I’ve faced a fucking coup and trying to be forced to mate preselected men. Every fucking Alpha pressured me to have this meeting days later to get a member of their family in my fucking bed like I’m a fucking whore. Not to mention the elders—I get a fucking pass.”
I went to step around him before I said more than I already had—more than I should have said—but his next words froze me.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
I took in a slow breath and let it out, trying to understand if the situation was reversed. I couldn’t calm down though.
Not until he wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled my neck. “I’m sorry, Sagan. You’re not the only one struggling. I did realize I was being—it was why I tried to come talk to you after the meeting.”
“I don’t understand,” I admitted as I moved my hand over his, half hugging his arm to me.
“I thought about how I was in such a blur after my dad died and that I couldn’t handle anything,” he explained, his soft lips kissing under my ear. “Yes, I was younger, but—grief is grief. And given what happened with Kole… Yeah, you got a pass.”
I let out a slow breath. “Thank you.” I turned in his arms and stared up into his pretty eyes. “I don’t know—I have flashes. Your eyes. The way you kissed me.” I flushed lava hot.
A slow, sexy grin spread on his lips. “Clearly, a few other things that you enjoyed.” He ran his fingers down my cheek. “I more than enjoyed it as well.”
It took everything I had not to shiver. “I woke in my bed and wrecked. My heat has never been—”
Worry filled his eyes again and he grabbed my upper arms. “Listen to me. I thought you were poisoned, but you said it was just your heat. If you don’t remember—I’m worried.”
“It could just be the grief and my first time being in likerealheat,” I muttered. “I’ve heard of it being a blur for other women.”
He searched my eyes. “I couldn’t tell you about that, but you have to consider it.”
“We are,” I admitted. If he was being so honest and—I couldn’t hide that when he was worried. I cleared my throat and moved my hands to his chest.
He got the hint and let go of my upper arms.
Something he said hit me though, so when he reached to touch my face again, I took a step back. I ignored his frown and focused on his chest. “What were you going to warn me about?” I did a double take and the next step away from him was much bigger.
He swallowed loudly. “I didn’t know about—my uncle was too giddy about the funeral. Not that your parents died but being here and what would happen after. He was acting like a jackass—more than normal. It pissed me off and all the whispers with elders and—I thought…”
“What?” I whispered.
“You were a trap, but then you were upset and scared. You were—I thought you were poisoned and then you begged me to sate your heat and it was—well, you know.”
I chuffed as I put the pieces together. “No, I don’t actually, but I’m getting to see now.”
