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Then something dawned on her. He’d said there were two ways lions found their mate – with a match-maker or through fate. If a lady lion wouldn’t mate with a guy who was physically flawed and low ranked, then that meant that the match-maker wouldn’t be able to do her job.
“Hey, Diesel?” she murmured softly, tilting his face until he was forced to meet her gaze. “Were you mate-matched?”
* * *
The question that Diesel hadn’t wanted to answer, had been scared as hell to ask himself, was whether his gorgeous, sweet, amazing mate would care that he’d tried to enter into a contracted mating a month earlier. He’d known he couldn’t hide his injury forever. Hell, keeping his damn jeans on while they made love had ensured she’d ask. It wasn’t just that he was ashamed he’d tried to arrange a mating, choosing to not wait for his heart-match, but he was afraid once Emberly learned that the lioness had refused him on sight because of his leg that she’d think he was too flawed to be her mate.
It was one thing to be left at the proverbial altar by a female he’d just met through a match-maker; it was an entirely different, heart-breaking thing if his heart-match would follow suit.
But deep down, he knew he couldn’t start off their mating with a lie. It was bad enough he didn’t know what it was like to be fully naked with her. That she’d think she couldn’t trust him was something he wasn’t willing to risk.
With a grunt, he rolled away from her and planted his feet on the carpet. Then he stood slowly and turned to face Emberly where she lay, half-covered by the sheet. She rose onto her elbow and tucked a lock of silky hair behind her ear, her brows raised in curiosity.
He decided to strip himself bare, not only physically but emotionally.
Shoving his jeans down his legs, he freed himself and straightened slowly, avoiding the urge to angle his body away so she couldn’t see the scars. He closed his eyes, fisting his hands involuntarily, and said, “I’m lonely. Or I was until I met you. It’s hard to be a male in a group where rank and physical prowess matter more than anything else. The day I met the female I was arranged to mate, her father saw my limp and asked about it. The moment they heard it was an old injury and not going to get any better, neither he nor his daughter wanted me to be part of their family.”
He let out a growl and dropped his head, rubbing the back of his neck. “Her father suggested I was too weak to be an effective mate. Too damaged to be a protector. I honestly wanted to crawl in a hole and never come out. I hoped I might find my heart-match someday, and that she might be willing to see past my flaw to what’s in here.” He tapped the space over his heart, where Emberly was already firmly entrenched.
He’d told Valerie’s father that he’d die for his mate and future children, but the male had scoffed at him. While that had been a true statement, now that he actually had his heart-match, he knew he wouldn’t just die for Emberly, he’d fucking lay waste to an entire city to see her safe. Nothing would keep him from keeping her safe – that much he was sure of – and aching leg or not, he’d stand by her side forever.
If she’d have him.
He hadn’t realized he’d closed his eyes again until he felt a soft touch along the largest of the scars on his bad leg from one of the first surgeries. There were scars from surgeries that crisscrossed each other like a map of pain. Opening his eyes slowly, he saw Emberly had moved to kneel on the bed in front of him, her head bowed and her fingers following each scar. He held his breath, his heart pounding in his ears. He didn’t want her to pity him, but he wanted her to understand that he’d never expected anyone to find him attractive out of his clothes. It took a lot for him not to move away from her touch.
Shit.
He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what.
* * *
Emberly felt the uneven surface of the old scar. It ran from the middle of his thigh down toward his ankle. The break must have been profound to require a surgery that would flay open his leg like a fish. She couldn’t imagine the pain from the injury, let alone what had come after the surgery. There were more scars, which she suspected were from other surgeries.
While part of her was sympathetic, she’d didn’t pity him. Not really. He was the victim of an accident that had clearly taken a toll on him physically. She didn’t understand how anyone could look at his honed body – lickable abs, a sexy V at his hips, and broad shoulders leading to thick biceps – and believe he was flawed.
She trailed her fingers over every scar, then bent and pressed her lips to the biggest one. He sucked in a harsh breath and she heard his knuckles crack as he tightened his fists at his sides. She straightened and moved her fingers up his thigh in a lazy pattern, smiling as his cock twitched when she drew near it. Her gaze followed the happy trail up to his navel, past the rows of abs that made her mouth water, to the flat discs of his nipples and the cords that stood out on his neck. His whole body was tense and a growling purr stuttered from his chest.
She finally met his gaze. His eyes were no longer caramel but dark gold. The smell she’d thought was cologne was stronger now, and she wondered if it was his lion. Whatever it was, she found the scent enticing, her body heating as she stared into his eyes.
“I don’t think you’re flawed. I think you’re the sexiest guy I’ve ever laid eyes on, and you straight up rock my world. I’m sorry you were hurt when you were young, but the only thing that I care about is whether your leg hurts right now because you’re so tense.”
He let out a breath and she realized he’d been holding it.
“I’m good.”
She cupped his face, her eyes stinging. “I brought you here because I’m crazy about you, and I think if I’d left the bar with my friends before I met you that I’d always feel like something was missing from my life. I think that lion girl was an idiot for walking away from you, but I’m glad she did because it means you and I get to be together.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you.”
She tilted her head with a frown. “You did. You didn’t go through with the mate-match.”
“I would have if she hadn’t rejected me. It kills me that I might have lost out on knowing you. I shouldn’t have tried to go into an arranged mating.”
“So it was fate’s way of looking out for you. For both of us. I’m not holding that against you, so I don’t want you to, either. We should be able to put whatever we did before we met behind us and move forward.” She touched the side of her neck. “Is that why you didn’t bite me?”
“I couldn’t bind you to myself as my mate without you knowing everything.”
“Can you do it now?”
