“I-I thought he was interested in me. Trahern is a bit…quirky, and doesn’t have a lot of close relationships. We were friends, best friends, and I think I was so desperate to have closeness and possibly love, given what my parents did, that I latched onto it. When he recently mated someone else, it stung. But then…”
“Then what?”
She swallowed. Could she really tell him?
Do it.“Then I met you. It was all pretend, and I struggled, and you were so attentive…it made me want it to be real. I wanted someone who wanted me, all of me, and let me know with little things, like attention and dinners and the sharing of pasts. But then I remembered it was a ruse, and so I hid away. B-but was it really just pretend? Or was some of it real?”
He leaned in, nuzzled her cheek, and whispered into her ear, “On my end, it became real rather quickly. I’ve never wanted to know a female more in my life than you.” He leaned back, his pupils flashing rapidly, as he added, “Won’t you give me a chance, lass? Because this isn’t fake to me.”
As she stared into his blue eyes, Emily’s heart thudded. She wanted to scream yes. And yet, she was afraid of being hurt again.
Of being tossed aside.
Cam moved a hand to the back of her neck and moved his head closer until his lips were a hairsbreadth away from hers. “The last thing I want to do is hurt you, and I want to prove that I want you, Emily. Desperately. And I can do that by kissing you. If we’re true mates, you can drug me until it wears off. If we’re not, then I’m going to kiss you until you’re breathless and begging for more.”
She blinked. “Wait, what? You want to risk silencing your dragon for months, if we end up being true mates?”
“Aye. And when I’m myself again, I’ll still go looking for you.”
“Don’t be silly and lie to me.”
“I’m not. I’ve been hurt too, deeply so, but that pain will pale in comparison if you don’t give us a chance, lass. So what will you do?”
“But if we’re not true mates, you’ll regret it. Won’t you?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Why? Not everyone on Seahaven is true mates, and they’re all happy and in love.”
“Wait, so you all left Lochguard, even without everyone having their true mates?”
“Aye. If nothing else, the people of Seahaven believe in creating their own destinies. That includes me.”
Emily itched to lift her hand and trace Cam’s jaw. However, she resisted. “How are you so sure of things? Especially if you’ve been hurt before, as you say?”
“Nothing is guaranteed. But you’re special, Emily Davies. You call to both man and beast in a way that I’ve never experienced, and I want the chance to woo you. To convince you that maybe you came to Seahaven for a reason.”
“I thought you said Seahaven made its own destiny.”
He smiled. “We do. But sometimes we need a nudge, especially when someone is as stubborn as me.”
She smiled back at him. “Well, youarefairly stubborn.”
He pulled her body closer, until her breasts brushed his chest and he replied, “Very stubborn. So, will you let me put it to good use and date you for real?”
As she searched his eyes, her heart raced. Cam was handsome and funny and treasured his family.
And, most of all, when he looked at her, she felt as if she was the only thing in the world that mattered.
She wished she could toss caution to the wind and accept that maybe she really had come to Seahaven for a reason.
And yet…
She replied, “If you promise not to kiss me on the mouth, I’ll try dating you. But I need more time to get to know you, to trust you, before risking a mate-claim frenzy.”
He caressed her back, and she leaned more against him. “Then let me seal that deal with this.”
Cam kissed the side of her neck, and she moaned. He nibbled and licked and caressed, to the point she had to lean against him to remain upright.
Then his hand went to her arse, and he pressed her fully against him, and she gasped at his erection.
