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Not as much as Magnus, though. The door flew open a second after my back hit the wall, and he was there—all big and bold and looking completely wild. His wolf in control. But what struck me wasn’t the animal side of him. It was the dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept in days, the frenzied stare he shot me. The way his hands trembled as he reached for me.
“I’ve missed you so much today, beautiful.”
I’d missed him too. So, so much. But still, I couldn’t move. Couldn’t surrender to how much I needed him. There was so much wrong between us, so many ways this could end with my heart shattered on the floor like glass. Everything already hurt, and I’d only been around him a few days. How bad would it be if I spent months falling in love with him? If he left me after years because he’d found his mate? I couldn’t.
I wouldn’t.
“Magnus, I don’t think—”
“You’re my mate.” He stepped toward me, and my world tilted sideways.Mate?
“What?”
“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you right away. I assumed you’d need time to get to know me before I laid something so heavy and intense at your feet. I didn’t realize you’d been around so many shifters and knew exactly what mating means to us.” He inched closer still, keeping his eyes on mine. Pinning me in place with a look. “I didn’t know you’d already had your heart broken by a careless shifter who should have known not to play with it.”
“Magnus, I—”
“I’m not playing, Coco. Not with you or your heart or any of this. You’re my mate, the one person the fates deemed perfect for me. Nothing else matters—not Nico, not your interwoven pasts, not this damned spectacle of a wedding. All that matters is you and me.” He ran a finger over my cheek, sending shock waves through my body. “I’ve waited so damn long to find you. I’ll do anything for you.”
I almost closed my eyes, almost turned away from him. The joy his words fueled soothed the ache in my heart, but could I trust it? Could I trusthim? Could we get past…the Nico situation?
I couldn’t take that step without knowing. “You’re missing your son’s rehearsal dinner.”
“That’s really not…” Magnus sighed, “My son’s an asshole sometimes.”
“I’m not going to argue with you there.”
“He never should have played with your emotions the way he did, and he certainly shouldn’t have said one damn word about you and me being together. He has no right to question fate.” He inched closer, sharing his warmth with me. Wrapping me in his scent. “His mother was human and raised him like one. I didn’t even know he existed until I ran across him on a business trip and recognized my scent within him. The shifter traditions and codes are practically lost on him because he wasn’t raised with them, and that doesn’t give us a lot in common. I’ve been trying to build something with him—some sort of relationship—for the last couple of months because I missed so much. Trying hard but… But Coco, he’s a grown man. He’s not a child who needs me to be in his life every day. I love him because he’s a part of me, but I don’t know him. And to be honest, what I do know, I don’t like very much.”
“But he’s your son.”
“And you’re my mate. My future. You’re mine forever…if you’ll have me.”
I reached for him, pulling him against me as I pressed my lips to his. How could I not after all that? I was his mate—hismate—which meant we would have a bond humans could only dream of. Strong, powerful, and unbreakable. Everything I could have wanted, I suddenly had in my arms.
And there was no way I was letting it or him go.
Without true intention, the kiss turned wilder. Magnus lifted me by my thighs, pinning me to the wall with his hips and assaulting my pussy with the thick ridge of his cock. I groaned and pulled him closer. Needing more. Not caring that the front door sat open and the world outside could see us. Let them. Most of my neighbors were shifters of one sort or another—they’d understand the draw of mates.
God, I couldn’t stop thinking that word.Mate.
Magnus finally broke the kiss, his eyes bright as they met mine. His breaths hard and fast as he said, “I’ve waited over a hundred years to find my mate, and here you are. But I’m not a young man, Coco. I don’t have the patience to play the sort of games my son would. So tell me you’ll be mine—tell me we can figure this out. Because I’ve waited a century to claim my mate, and I don’t want to wait another second.”
This night had become magical. So much better than watchingFriendsreruns. “Yes, Magnus. To everything…yes.”
“Thank the fates.” He pushed off the wall, carrying me across the hall so he could kick the door closed, and then he was racing up the stairs as I laughed.
“You’re going to throw your back out, old man.”
His growl made my pussy throb. “I’m not old yet, beautiful. Just experienced. And I’m going to use everything I know about pleasing a woman to keep you satisfied and happy.” He set me down when we reached my bedroom door, grinning down at me. “I like these pants, by the way.”
“Because they’re clingy?”
“No, because they tear easily.” With a swipe of his hand, he ripped my yoga pants from my body. Ripped. My. Yoga. Pants.
Some things were not easy to forgive, no matter the motivation. “Those were my favorite.”
“I’ll buy you more. It’s naked time.”
