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She gasped and stepped back and away from him. “What did you just say?”
“You are my mate,” he repeated, slower and looking deep into her eyes. After what they’d shared, there was no reason to keep this from her any longer.
He never wanted to spend another night without her. It would be tricky with her sister staying at the cabin for those seven days, but he could help Val keep an eye on Lilliane. Maybe they could drag her out toTails and Syrupor one of the many Greenlee gatherings. Those would cheer up just about anyone.
Instead of jumping in his arms like he had anticipated, Valentine took a few more steps back. She even hugged herself as if she could take back what they had just done together.
“Love,” he cooed. “Come here.” He held out his arms for her, but Val shook her head and took a few more steps back.
“You really think I’m going to fall for that? Why would you tell me this? Now? After what we just did?” She scoffed and laughed dryly. “Though, I guess I should just be grateful that you didn’t tell mebeforeyou fucked me.” Her nostrils flared with anger. “I can’t believe you would try that shit with me. Now.”
He blinked at her in confusion as his brow puckered. “What?”
“You think because you saw me naked, drove me across a few state lines and back, helped me temporarily save my sister, and slept with you, that now you can just claim to be my mate? You think I’m some silly virgin who is just going to fall for that?”
Nero couldn’t be more confused. “What? No. Of course not. If I wanted to trick you into bed…” He looked around. “Or into the forest, I would have told you sooner.”
She shook her head with a scoff, and that’s when Nero realized he shouldn’t have gone for the joke. She was in no mood, and he really didn’t understand why she was so angry at him for being honest. His mate … his beautiful, lovely, wonderful mate … just glared at him. “I’m an idiot, but notthatmuch of an idiot.”
Without sparing him a glance, she turned on her heel and walked away. But she didn’t know the forest and soon realized she would get lost.
Seriously lost.
“Take a left here,” Nero said from behind her.
For the rest of the way, he kept a fair distance behind her, telling her where to turn. When her cabin came into view, she didn’t break her stride. She ran up the steps and locked the door behind her.
Nero wanted to chase after her. He wanted to bang on the door, huff it down, and make Valentine listen to him, but it was no use.
She was as stubborn as she was beautiful. She wouldn’t speak to him until she damn well wanted to.
Nero sighed and got back in his truck to drive around for a bit. He found himself pulling up to Reece and Celestine’s place. Unsurprisingly, the pair of them were shocked to see him at this late hour.
“Is everything okay?” Reece asked as he led him to the living room.
“Actually, I’m here to talk to your mate.” He gave Celestine a sad smile. “Think I can pick your brain about something?”
“My sister?” she guessed.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
She shrugged. “Go ahead, but you should know that I am not the expert on Valentine. That would be Lilliane.”
“Maybe it’s just a woman’s thing,” he said. “But why would she be mad at me when I told her she’s my mate?”
Celestine’s eyes went wide. “She is?”
“Sheis?” Reece barked out a laugh. “Well, I’ll be damned. What are the chances ofthat.”
Nero huffed out a breath and collapsed onto one of the big sofas. “Fuck if I know. I told her the truth, and she raged at me as if I told her she smelled bad.”
“Okay, back it up,” Celestine said. “Go from the beginning.”
He blushed and averted his eyes. “Umm... Maybe Ishouldn’ttell you the start.”
She narrowed her eyes at him in a way that reminded him of his mate. Man, just thinking about Val made his chest hurt. How was he supposed to live without her? Now that he knew how things could be between them?
It would be impossible to go on.
