Page 27 of Wanderer

Long moments passed as we made out on the lawn until the cold nipped too harshly at us. We broke apart breathlessly, grinning at each other.

Riley grabbed my hand. “Come inside with me. Stay, please.” His dark hair was tousled, his lips kiss swollen, eyes bright. He was so beautiful.

There wasn’t a thing inside me that could deny him. “Okay.”

Thirteen

Riley

Each time Gareth had failed to touch me with his magic, a weight had lifted from me. It renewed my faith in the fates little by little, until I could finally thank them for giving me a fated mate. Even if he was a warlock.

No, it was important that he was one. Gareth was going to restore my opinion of mages, sorcerers, and warlocks, like spending time with Oscar had made me feel better about witches.

I found myself drifting toward him, pulled along by our connection, my soul crying out for its other half. Touching him was a lesson in patience. I wanted so much more than the warmth of his skin next to mine.

It ripped the final shred of denial away when Gareth confessed he would come with me when I had to leave. The relief I felt at no longer being alone was indescribable. Just offering meant a lot to me, even if I didn’t want to tear him from his home. Perhaps he could work from Greyhaven and help me figure out how to break this curse. Maybe he would come with me and together we’d end my stepfather together, hopefully freeing me in the process. Then we could return to Greyhaven and make it our forever home.

Getting in my head about it, I nearly didn’t ask for the one thing I really wanted: his lips on mine.

Resisting this bond had been painful. Knowing I had a mate, and having seen him, had hurt, especially knowing it was my hangup that was keeping us apart.

My clever, special, gorgeous mate had found the perfect solution. He’d spent hours finding examples only for me to throw that out and ask for a demonstration instead. I was sure he was going to find me difficult to get along with, because I was. After being alone for years, I was too used to doing everything my own way, never having to consider anyone else’s feelings. All the brief relationships I’d gotten into had floundered for that very reason. I was too independent. It was going to take me some time to learn how to be with someone else for longer than a month.

The kiss rocked my world on its axis. The feel of his arms surrounding me, the taste of the wine he’d been drinking on his lips, all of it came together to shove all sense out of my mind.

I knew what I was doing when I invited him inside. It wasn’t just to tell him the sad story of my past; it was to get my mate into my bed. Talking would have to wait.

We went through the cabin directly to my bedroom, not even bothering with the pretense that anything else was going to happen.

There was a brief moment of hesitation from Gareth before he brushed his lips against mine again. That small taste was like lighting a match. All I could focus on was getting more. More skin. More of his kisses and touches.

I stripped him of all his clothes and pushed him back onto the bed. Gods, he was perfect. Long and lean all over with just a thin spread of chest hair and a tantalizing happy trail down to his pretty cock. “What do you like?” I asked, my voice husky. I shoved my pants down and threw my T‑shirt across the room so I was standing naked in front of him.

“Anything. You. Whatever you want.” His voice was a rasp. His eyes never left my body, drinking me in as greedily as I did him. He clung to the comforter as if he was holding himself back. I didn’t want him to hesitate to touch me. He’d proven he was safe to me. We could have it all.

“Can I top you? I like both.”

“Me too, and yes,” he whispered eagerly.

He moved up the bed as I crawled on. I straddled his lap, groaning as our cocks brushed. There was no way I was going to last long with how divine he felt.

I reached for the lube I’d stashed in the drawer next to the bed, then I pushed him until he was lying on his back. Gareth grasped my hand. “Are we going too fast?” It looked as if it pained him to ask.

Pressing a kiss to his lips, I said, “I might only have a few weeks with you. Why don’t we make the most of it?”

He was right, it was fast, but he didn’t understand all the things I’d learned over the last few years holding this curse within me. Life was too short to get bogged down with expectations. “Too fast” only existed for people who had time to spare. That didn’t apply to us. If we couldn’t break this curse, I’d have to leave, and there was no guarantee he’d want to come with me. Sure, he’d said it outside, but would that hold true in three weeks once he got to know the real me?

I brushed those thoughts aside and focused my attention on my mate underneath me. Fuck, he was stunning. His skin was heating in the warmth of the bedroom, making his scent rise, drawing me closer to him. I opened the lube and coated my fingers with it.

Gareth frowned up at me. “I don’t think you understand, Riley. Now I’ve had a taste of you, I’m never letting you go. If you leave, I’ll track you down.”

I laughed. “That’s starting to sound a little sinister there, Gar.”

His expression softened. “Until you say you don’t want me and really mean it, then you’re stuck with me.”

“I’m okay with that.” He was too sweet. If he kept saying things like that, I’d end up believing him.

“Also, always call me Gar. I love it.”