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Images of Opal devoured him. Remembering the sound of his name on her pouting lips caused him to readjust himself in his pants.
We should find her,his tiger insisted.
When he didn't respond, another wave of lust hit him. It moved across his skin, molten and daring. Stopping him in his tracks. This was how he would lose. He remembered Gerri’s words, nothing but her. To deny his tiger was to be consumed and out of control. His tiger would writhe and wrestle for control until he submitted to finding her. He clicked his tongue. He had no other options.
Checkmate,his tiger gloated.
For now,he shot back.
He made his way back to Opal, trying to stuff down the excitement that coursed through him as he got closer. His tiger paced back and forth, anxious to be within arm’s reach of Opal. He spotted her standing near a table by herself. She had a clipboard in her hand, looking quite pleased with herself.
She was displaced in the room of ordinary people. An ethereal goddess amongst mortals. He traced the curves of her waist and hips with his eyes, and his mouth went dry. She was his.
Ours,his tiger corrected.
He needed to have her alone with him. To have her eyes looking into his. He needed to know her more than he needed air. The closer he came, the more he felt the link that feathered between them strengthen. It ripped his logic from his mind and forced him to see the possibility of the future standing in front of him.
Hecoulddeny his tiger.
But if he were being honest with himself, he didn't want to.
Benton took a deep breath, steadying his heart rate. His tiger writhed beneath his skin as he picked up her scent. It wrapped around him like a siren's call. He moved closer, stopping just outside of an arm’s reach.
She looked up at him, a hint of excitement crossing her timid gaze.
There was no turning back.
FIVE
OPAL
Opal looked around the room for the hundredth time. She scanned the preset tables in the center of the room, grazing over the seating chart. The sponsors all responded to their RSVPs, and the drinks and food were already at the venue.
A night preparation staff would be arriving soon to ensure that the second the guests’ feet crossed the threshold, the tournament would be live and ready. Everything was perfect. She sighed, holding the checked-off clipboard to her chest. Everything was in place for the tournament tomorrow.
Still, she couldn't bring herself to pack up and leave just yet. She should have been happy that everything was running this smoothly, but she couldn't shake the fear that anything could happen if she wasn’t here.
There was too much riding on this to let it fail. The seniors counted on her when they had no one else. The success of this competition meant everything for the next steps in her nonprofit. She wanted to expand, and she needed to if she wanted to truly make an impact.
That was why she took Gerri up on her offer. She needed an MVP who could bring that money home. She never expected to have her true mate walk through the door. If looks were the determining factor for skill, she’d say he was the best.
He strode through the door next to Gerri. His long, muscular form gained lustful glances from the women he passed by. His dirty blonde hair was windswept and effortless as it fell across the hard lines of his jaw, ending on his shoulders. When his gray eyes had finally set on hers, she had to lock her knees to keep from falling over. Her tiger took control, inhaling the cool musk of cinnamon and smoke. She had extended her hand to him, feeling something click within her.
Even now, she couldn't shake off the spark that tore through her when she met Benton. Nothing had stopped her hand from feeling the ghost of his.
Her champion.
Her mate.
She chewed on the edge of her pen, trying to force away the smile that crept onto her lips. The sound of his name…even uttered in her mind…sent shivers blazing down her spine. Her tiger purred, eager to meet him again.
She was too.
Opal had given up on finding her mate when she left her streak. It was a necessary sacrifice as far as she was concerned. It didn't make it hurt any less, though. Ironically, she had to live with the possibility of being alone, which was the consequence of having a heart.
Now that she had found him, nothing else mattered.
Maybe she could have it all.
