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I stilled at the sound of someone knocking on the door.
“Yes?” I called out.
“Mariam, we need to talk.” Trace’s voice sounded gruff. Was he irritated again already? That’s the last thing I felt like dealing with right now.
“Can we talk later, Trace? I’m tired.”
He paused. “You’ve already been talking to someone else, so there’s no reason you can’t talk with me.”
I frowned. Were the walls really that thin, or was the mating bond already falling in place for him? He had blocked our communication before. Did he know some trick for using it to spy on me now?
Trace tried to turn the doorknob from the hallway and let himself in, but the chair prevented him from doing it. I grinned at his dilemma, pleased that if he was going to be eavesdropping on me, at least he wasn’t able to just stroll into my room at any minute.
We will share his room now. My wolf scowled at me, unhappy with my uncharitable behavior toward the alpha.He should know about our conversations as we will know about his. We are true mates.
I could feel Trace’s uncertainty through the door, almost like he was arguing with his wolf, too.
It wouldn’t do any harm to hear him out. It’s not like I would be able to leave his house undetected, and at least right now, he wasn’t shouting or trying to break the door down. That had to be a step in the right direction. I removed the chair, setting it back on four feet.
Slowly, I turned the knob and opened the door a crack. He was standing in the hallway, looking at me with oneeyebrow crooked upward. I felt my breath catch in my throat. He was…gorgeous. More than gorgeous. The man was almost irresistible to look at. I shook my head, trying to discard the unwanted thoughts.
“Are you alright, Mariam?” His voice was soft, and it sounded almost like he genuinely cared. I blinked again, not sure why the thought of him caring suddenly mattered to me.
He frowned at my reaction. Leaning forward, he opened the door wider and welcomed himself inside. He spied the phone on the floor but didn’t say anything about it.
“Listen, I’m sorry about what happened this morning. I know you aren’t ready for all of this,” Trace said, gesturing to himself and me. “The bite wasn’t something I planned. My wolf…he isn’t the most patient creature, and I’ve been letting him call the shots too much lately, especially in matters surrounding you….”
Trace was talking, but I was no longer paying attention to the words coming out of his mouth. My eyes were on his chest and shoulders, loving how the shirt he was wearing showed off his muscles.
I reached up and traced the outline of his form lightly with my fingertips. I started at the base of his forearm and drew a line with my finger past his biceps, turning to follow the curve of his collarbone. I snaked down his chest, going lower, lower, until he stopped my hand with his own.
The way he grabbed me broke the trance and startled me out of my aroused state. I felt my wolf near the surface, sure that she was looking through my eyes hungrily at our mate.
“You are a worthy mate,” she acknowledged. “My female is pleased with your body, and I am thankful for yourdominance.”
Trace’s eyes flashed, shifting to the wolf at the compliment, and he closed the distance between us. “I will provide everything you need, female. You have my word.”
I blinked my wolf away, but the urge to jump in Trace’s arms was still there. So, I did.
I straddled him, wrapping my legs around his hips as he used one arm to support me and hold me in place. My lips found his, eager to taste him for the first time. His surprise caused him to hesitate, but soon his mouth softened and opened for me. I used my tongue to search every inch of him, and he did the same, groaning at our passionate exchange.
Trace backed me up against the wall, pinning me there so that his hands were free. Suddenly they were in my hair and on my face. One found the base of my throat, and he applied just enough pressure there to drive me wild. I bucked against him and tried to find some relief for the ache between my legs.
I was getting close to finding my orgasm from the friction I created between us when he stilled. Slowly, he untangled himself from me and stepped away. I reached out, eager to feel his body against mine again, but he moved out of my reach and ran his hands through his hair. His chest was heaving from the encounter, just like mine. I might have taken this rejection more personally in another circumstance, but right now, I just felt confused.Doesn’t he want more?
“I want a lot more,” he said, sighing and answering my unspoken question. “But the reason you feel this way is because of that bite on your neck. Until a few minutes ago,you wanted nothing to do with me, Mariam. I can’t take advantage of you like this when your animal is the one in charge.”
My breath caught in my throat, and I groaned. He was right; Trace was irresistible. His scent, his body, all of it called to me in a way that it never had before. His claim was slowly evening the playing field between us. I was getting a small taste of how he had felt the last month when I was out of reach.
“What am I going to do?” The question was directed to myself, but since I said it aloud, Trace responded.
“Weare going to try and take this slow,” he said, emphasizing the ‘we’ in his answer. “Let’s get to know each other a little better, and then being mated will feel much more natural for you.”
I looked at him with a high level of suspicion and disbelief, causing him to laugh. “I’ll admit that I’m not the most patient person, especially when it comes to you, Mariam, but I will be good. My wolf is already mellowing because he was able to mark you. Seeing your unmarked skin and knowing that another male could try and bite you was driving him crazy.”
His offer was the best that I was going to get. There wasn’t really anything else we could do, so I just nodded and turned to leave.
His fingers brushed against my arm before I could escape. Trace gently turned me so that I was facing him again. His dark eyes softened, and he reached up to touch a loose curl that had fallen out of place.
