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I push off the table and start for the door. It’s making me crazy that I can still hear rain pounding down on the roof because I am in desperate need of some air.
“Tasha.” Paxton’s voice stops me before I make it to the doorway. I hesitate, but I still can’t find words for him, so I don’t turn to face him. He approaches with heavy footsteps and puts his hand on my shoulder, his fingers pointedly caressing the spot where my mark would have gone if I hadn’t…
I squeeze my eyes shut.
He taps my skin once and then pulls away. “You can have the bathroom. I want to check and see if that tree did any damage when it fell.”
“No.” My heart rate spikes again, and I jerk my head to stare at him over my shoulder. My voice is embarrassingly hoarse, but I push through. “There’s nothing you can do right now even if there is damage. Don’t go out there while it’s still storming.”
His dark eyes study me too closely for comfort. “Okay.”
“Okay.”
He looks like he wants to say more, but I can’t do this. I’m not ready to have a conversation about what just happened. In fact, I think I might be sick. Without another word, I flee the room and rush to the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. I slouch against the wall and cover my mouth to muffle the sound of the sob that escapes me.
What the hell did I just do?
16
Paxton
If there was ever a day I wanted to be able to control the weather, today would be it. The rain has tapered to a slow drizzle, and I watch it with clenched teeth. I’m fucking terrified that the second Tasha realizes the weather is clearing up she’s going to run from me as fast as she can. The only things that will keep her here once the rain stops are a sense of duty and a tenuous mate bond.
I can’t believe she marked me. Based on the horror on her face after realizing what she had done, neither could she.
Traditionally, the male marks the female. There’s a part of me that resents not getting to mark her. There’s another part of me that has to fight back a smirk at the way we managed to throw tradition out the window. There’s no rule that a male has to do the marking. I’m more than happy for us to pave our own way without following all of the archaic traditions.
Except even with the imprint of her teeth permanently etched in my skin, she’s avoiding me. The signs of the bond are obvious. She keeps finding excuses to find me in the house but then catches herself and flees again. The whole thing is exhausting already, and it’s only been a few hours.
Her footsteps move through the house toward me. This time when she tries breezing into the living room, I’m ready for her. I turn and wrap an arm around her waist, dragging her to me and ignoring the sharp gasp that falls off her lips.
“Are you ready to talk yet?” I ask her gruffly, trying not to stare down at her still swollen lips. If she’s not ready to talk, I can still think of better ways to pass the time than continuing this weird push and pull she’s doing.
“Paxton.” I force myself to meet her narrowed eyes. Her dark hair is wild around her face, and I push some strands behind her ear to see her better. “I didn’t want to be pushed into this. I wanted to make the decision for myself.”
Her frustration is irritating. “You’re the one that marked me,” I remind her.
“I know. Trust me, I know.” She huffs out a soft laugh, her eyes trailing down to the mark on my neck that’s on full display. I can’t remember how long it takes for the mark to fade to the point it’s less pronounced, but part of me hopes it never does if she keeps looking at me like this.
As much as she’s fighting this, her eyes on the mark tell a very different story. She looks earnest and a little needy. If I thought I could get away with it, I would fuck her again right here on the living room floor. In fact, I would fuck her all over every inch of this house. If I thought I was attracted to her before, it’s nothing compared to the way I’m yearning for her now. Every one one of my muscles bunches in preparation to make a move, but as if she senses it, she tenses and pulls out of my arms.
“Now that the power is back, we should see if we can find anything more about Bellesfield like we talked about.” I hadn’t even realized the lights are back on.
Do it,my wolf urges.Show her how well we work together.
“Alright, lead the way.” If I have to search through some old books to stick close to her, that’s what I’ll do. Patience isn’t my strong suit, but it looks like I have to hold on a little longer.
* * *
“I think I found something.” Tasha bites her bottom lip. I’m staring so intently at her that it takes me a second too long to react, and she looks up to catch me staring at her. She frowns. “You’re supposed to be helping.”
“I am.” I hold up the book in my hands. It’s open to a random page, but I couldn’t say what’s on it even if my life depended on it. But I’m not about to admit I’ve been watching her work instead of helping.
She narrows her eyes like she knows anyway, but she doesn’t call me on it. “Focus, Paxton. There’s a section in here about humans that have had run-ins with shifters in the last hundred years. And guess where three of the five humans are from?”
“Bellesfield?” I abandon my seat across the table from her and walk around to her side to read over her shoulder. The script on the page is so cramped I can’t read it no matter how closely I lean in, my body plastered against her back.
Her breath catches, and we both freeze. It’s only been a few hours since we were fucking on this same desk. It would be all too easy to—
