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Holding anything back is impossible now. My head tips back, a long, loud low leaving my mouth as I sink deeper inside her body.
She cries out, panting, grabbing my hips, her nails digging in. “Yes, ohh…”
Buried as deep as her body can take me, I lean forward, rocking, pressing against her clit until her walls squeeze me while she comes. “Gods, Natalie, you feel so good. So fucking good, my mate.” Growling, I kiss her as deeply and thoroughly as I’m fucking her, getting lost in the taste of her, the feel of her, the lines between us blurring, meshing.
My mate. Her voice is crystal clear in my mind. The words unmistakable. Her arms wind behind my neck, her fingers thread through my hair, and her gentle sigh fills my mouth.
Breaking the kiss only because I want to look in her eyes, I ease back that small bit, fighting the words that are desperate to leave my mouth. The questions. The declarations. The promise to love her for eternity.
“Did you hear me?” Her cheeks tint with an adorable blush. “In your head, I mean. I’m sure you heard all the other things.”
“I heard it all. Your beautiful, sexy sounds and your words through our bond. I loved all of it.”
“I did too. And I meant it, meant those words. I know you’re my mate, just as much as I’m yours.” Emotions swirl in her eyes as she pulls her bottom lip, still puffy from everything we shared, between her teeth.
“But you still haven’t decided what the future holds for us.”
“I need more time. To sort through things. Not things about us. I know how I feel, just not what I’m going to do with those feelings. And until I do…” Her soft fingers trail along my face, my nose, my lips. “It wouldn’t be fair for me to commit yet, to claim you as my mate.”
Whether she formalizes it or not, verbalizes it or doesn’t, I am hers already. I always will be. Telling her that would seem like pressure. So, in this moment, I do what’s right for her. I kiss her. And I wait.
Twelve
CONSTANTINE
The past week went by with the smoothness of silk. Mornings of waking up with Natalie in my arms. Days divided between me showing her around Fate’s Falls, or putting in some work while she and Rosetta dive into wedding prep for the upcoming event, or Natalie tapping into what she describes as fresh creative mojo. Hours can go by in a blink when she gets in a drawing groove. And I could sit and just watch. There’s something magical about her all the time, but practically glows when she’s drawing.
All evenings have been spent together. Some, we grabbed dinner at one of the restaurants in town. Others, I cooked for my mate, pride roaring inside me when she moaned in delight at the food I fed her, especially when she allowed me to hand-feed her.
I love feeding her. Food. My cum. Especially that. I knew it was part of some species’ mating practices, but I never had the urge to do it until I met Natalie. Watching the thick, milky substance puddle in her mouth before her lips close, hearing her hum and moan as she swallows… it stirs primal instincts I didn’t know I possessed.
Every night together is passion and pleasure, each time easier and deeper than the one before. Preparation no longer required. Her body welcomes mine, eagerly stretching to take me inside. Molding to my cock, milking endless cum from my balls.
Everything is perfect—except waiting for Natalie’s decision. With half her planned time here gone, the clock is running down. I swear I hear the hands ticking in my mind, moving faster with each day that passes.
I don’t know what I’ll do if she leaves. If she let me, I could follow her back to Toronto. Live in seclusion, venturing out under the cover of night, hiding what I am beneath hoods and other coverings. I’d be with her, but I wouldn’t be the mate I am now. Would that version of me be enough for her? It shouldn’t be. She deserves someone who can take care of her, not an oversized house pet.
“Hey, boss—whoa,” Shay says, popping her head inside the back office at The Brew, mid-Monday morning. “I was going to tell you Natalie’s out front, and that you should pack up whatever work you’re doing to go check on her because she looks kind of down, but you look just as bad off. Everything okay on the home front? I have no basis for giving relationship advice, but I’m here if you need a sounding board.”
“Appreciate the offer, but it’s just something I have to wait out.”
Shay nods. “Gotcha.” There’s a good chance she knows what’s going on, without me saying more. Natalie and Rosetta share every detail of their lives, and much of that recent togetherness has taken place in the coffee shop, under Shay’s watchful eye and misses-nothing ears.
“Thanks for letting me know Natalie’s here.”
“Sure thing. I’ve got your back, you know. Here at work and as a friend.”
“Ditto, Shay.” I give her a nod, close the programs I was too distracted to actually use, then tuck the chair under the desk and head out front to the customer area.
Every cell in my body wakes up when Natalie enters my view. Her gaze snaps to mine, and she brightens, but not before I see the expression Shay described. Even Natalie’s beautiful smile doesn’t entirely hide the clouds in her eyes. Doesn’t matter that we’ve only known each other a short time, we’ve spent it learning about each other. Even without our mate bond, I’d be tuned-in to her emotions. Something’s weighing on her. If I can alleviate that weight, I will. Whatever it takes.
“Hi,” she says as I pull the nearest chair as close to her as possible and take a seat. Her hands rest on the table, and I cover both with one of mine, completely engulfing them.
I lean in for a brief kiss. Not the kind she prefers, but publicly appropriate. “I thought you were working on a commission piece this morning.”
“I was. I started to, anyway. Then I got a call and now I’m here.”
“Rosetta wants to do something?”
