“My mom is strong. She put us kids first. After she threw him out, she threatened to take him for everything he owned if he contested the divorce.”
“Did anything happen to your brother?”
“No, except he wanted to kill my stepfather when he found out. He was always my protector.”
“Well, now you have me.”
Surprised, Roz stiffened momentarily, then offered him a weak smile. “Thanks, that’s sweet of you, but we just met.”
“So?”
Roz chuckled. “Seems like I’ve picked up another protector, whether I like it or not.”
“Oh, you’ll like it, all right.”
She halted, and her eyes widened.
“Oh, no. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. Please don’t worry. I’ll never pressure you.” A second later, the thought, “I hope” popped into his mind.
Roz took a couple of steps away from him. “You hope? What the hell does that mean?”
“I…I would never… It’s just that I’m so attracted to you, it’s like…I can’t explain it. Just know that I’ll never hurt you or let anyone else hurt you, either.” He shook his head vigorously. “Never, ever.” He enveloped her in a tender hug. “I promise.”
***
His mate.He’d found her! At last. Telepathic communication didn’t happen by accident. He had heard of it only in mated couples. Even then, not every couple was lucky enough to experience it.
His canine tooth accidentally scraped her tongue. Her blood must have triggered the telepathy. Now he was burning to find out if they were compatible in bed, but if he rushed her, he could scare her off.Especially with her history.
She interrupted his thoughts. “What’s so special about my history?”
“Huh?”
“You were saying…or rather thinking, something about my history. Something special?”
“Oh. It was nothing.”Damn, this telepathy is going to be a pain in the ass.
“Tell me about it.”
“Shit. You heard that too?”
Roz giggled. “This is really weird. Kind of fun, but totally bizarro.”
Konrad took a deep breath. “Let’s go home and try not to think until we get there. Are you up for a jog?”
“Sure. If I get tired, I’ll walk and meet you there.”
“Or I can carry you.”
Roz burst out laughing. “Yeah, right. I may not weigh as much as a ton of frozen food, but I’m no lightweight.”
“Sure you are.” He turned his back to her and squatted slightly. “Hop on.”
“What? Are you nuts? You want to give me a piggyback?”
“Why not? We’re going to the same place, and we want to get there quickly.”
“I’ll slow you to a crawl.”
