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She leaned back a little and stared at him. “Really?”
He nodded solemnly. “I don’t want to freak you out, but I knew the moment I laid eyes on you that you were my heart-match.” He put his hands up. “I don’t want you to think I’m just trying to get in your pants, because it’s not about that. I just want to spend time with you, and I don’t care if all we do is talk. I just don’t want us to part ways anytime soon.”
She let that roll around in her mind for a few moments. Yes, it was incredibly fast, but it felt right. And maybe it explained why she felt so drawn to him.
“The heart-matches in the pride now… Did the women feel the same way right away?”
“The women knew on sight. They didn’t necessarily know what the feelings meant, but they knew they wanted to be with the guys.”
“I felt drawn to you immediately. It’s not a human thing, though. You know that, right?”
“It’s not like love-at-first-sight, necessarily,” he said. “It’s just fate. You and I were made for each other. I’m one hundred percent sure of that.”
“Then I want to spend time with you. My place or yours, it’s up to you.”
“Where would you be most comfortable?”
He rose to his feet and she caught the tiniest hint of a wince on his face as he straightened. He schooled his features so quickly that she wasn’t sure she’d actually seen it. Was he hurt? She wanted to ask but was afraid to pry. They’d only just met, and while he seemed to be an open book, she didn’t know just how far that would go. Pushing those thoughts aside, she took his offered hand.
“Let’s go to my place,” she said. “I live in my grandparents’ house while they’re traveling the States.”
“Okay. Did you drive here?” he asked.
Shaking her head, she said, “No, one of the girls in the bridal party picked me up and we all came on the party bus. They’re long gone.”
“Then I’ll drive.”
He led her to a truck in the parking lot, unlocked and opened the passenger door for her. He shut her in, and she smiled at the gesture. He was a gentleman, and she loved it. She told him where her home was.
“Your grandparents like traveling that much, huh?” he asked.
“It was one of those things they always talked about, but no one ever thought they’d do it. When Grandpa showed up with the RV and declared they were going to live their dream, I honestly thought Grandma would have a stroke. But it turned out she really wanted to do it, too. They post a ton of pictures on social media, and they make their way through town a few times a year to exchange their seasonal clothing. She makes the best biscuits and gravy, so I love when they stay, even if I have to give up the master bedroom.”
“It was nice of them to let you have the place while they’re gone.”
“Definitely. I didn’t want to keep living at home. I work with my parents, so seeing them all day and all night was just... I don’t know. Too much parenting, I guess. Especially since my mom’s always trying to fix me up.”
He didn’t say anything for a few moments, and she glanced over at him. He was frowning deeply and concentrating on the road.
“Diesel? Is everything okay?”
He exhaled, and it was a mixture of a sigh and growl. “Your friend doesn’t like shifters.”
“Yeah.”
“What about your parents?”
“Are you wondering if they’ll like you?”
“Yes. My parents were mate-matched, and my father left us behind and found another mate in a different pride, and we haven’t seen him since. My mom is still in the pride and I see her often. She doesn’t care whether I have a heart-match or a mate-match, or whether she’s human or a shifter. She only wants me to be happy. I know when I tell her about you that she’ll be thrilled and want to meet you right away.”
Em smiled. “My parents will want to meet you, too. And they don’t have a problem with shifters. Even though I didn’t grow up around shifters, it always surprises me when someone says they don’t like them. I mean, what does it matter what anyone is as long as they’re a nice person?”
“It would be nice if the whole world felt that way.”
“Well, I’m glad that I won’t be the reason you aren’t with your people.”
He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “You’d be worth it.”
