Page 14 of Naughty Elf: Wink

All I could smell was the musky aroma of his slick, overwhelming arousal making my head spin as all blood rushed to my cock. Was he feeling as out of control as I was?

So it nearly killed me that I had to put the brakes on.

I dredged up every ounce of self-control I had to slide my hands to his shoulders and move him away from me, both of us gasping. “Then I really hope you can forgive me for saying… we have to wait.”

He blinked a few times, his pupils blown wide. “W-What? But you just said we were made for each other. Why the hell would we wait?”

Sliding off the stool, I moved to the other side of the kitchen island to put some space between us. “I haven’t told you about my job history.”

Derek quirked a brow, confused. “Why would that matter? This isn’t a job interview.”

I pressed my hands flat against the counter, bracing myself to lay out some hard truths. “I’ve worked at the reindeer stable, as apprentice to the carpenter, the candy shop, bakery, present-wrapping station, the toy workshop… and every time, I’ve failed.”

“I’m still not following,” he said, trying to move around the counter to reach for me, but I moved too, mirroring his steps.

I sighed, feeling more vulnerable than I ever had, including when I got fired from the North Pole, but I owed it to my mate to get through this. He needed to know everything about me, even the bad parts. “Derek, I don’t have the best track record at… anything, really. I say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, and I’ve been given more second chances than I can count. I wasn’t just sent here to decorate your sad little tree—I wasbanished.”

Derek shook his head slowly. “I don’t understand. Do you think you won’t be happy with me?”

My shoulders sagged, and tears pricked behind my eyes. “No, sweetheart, more like I’ll fail at making you happy. Mating is forever, there’s no going back, and I would never forgive myself for tying you to me, dragging you down like some kind of anchor.”

“Hey!” he snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. “Don’t I get a say in this? I’d like to think I know what I want.”

“Except you literally just said you didn’t have a choice in the matter,” I said, repeating his words back to him.

“But that’s… not what I meant,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. “I’m not going to win this argument, am I?”

“It’s not an argument, but no,” I said matter-of-factly.

He wrapped his arms around his waist, his eyes getting watery. “So, what… that’s it? You’re just going to give up on us, all because of some hypothetical what-if?”

I reared back. “Of course not! I just think we should wait a little while, get to know each other, let our relationship progress naturally. And then if you decide you still want me—”

“And you still want me,” he interjected, trying to make a point. But of course I would still want him, that wasn’t going to change. I’d been watching him for over a month and was already halfway in love, but he wasn’t ready to hear that.

“Right. So, I’m proposing we… date.” I pulled a face at the word that seemed so small to encompass such a huge concept as mates. “How long do humans usually date before they decide to spend forever together?”

He snorted, smirking. “Well, my parents were together for less than a year before they tied the knot.”

I blushed, wondering if he’d intentionally brought upknots. My dick throbbed just thinking about it. “That doesn’t seem like the norm,” I said, clearing my throat.

He shrugged. “What can I say? When you know, you know.”

“Okay, fair enough. Shall we say… nine months then?” I asked.

Derek pursed those kissable lips of his and held his hand out across the counter to me. “It’s a deal.” When I went to shake his hand, though, he held tight. “We’d better kiss on it. Shaking hands is for humans, not fated mates.” He kept hold of my hand as if he thought I might make a break for it, then he used that connection to keep me tethered in place while he came around the island to stand at my side. “You know, a lot of things can happen in nine months,” he said, heavy with insinuation.

“You’re very right,” I said, my voice getting husky. I could see him now, round with my child, and I reached out to set my free hand on his stomach. Although who knew the gestation of a raccoon-elf hybrid.

I leaned down and kissed him, sealing the deal. He opened his mouth to grant me access, and I swept my tongue through, massaging his. The temperature quickly ramped straight back up to where it had been just minutes ago.

Groaning into my mouth, he mumbled against my lips, “I propose that our first date… be in the bedroom.”

I was already nodding when he tangled his fingers in my borrowed t-shirt and began dragging me toward his room. “Yeah, it’s a date.”

10

Derek

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