Page 82 of Mated To My Boss

“What's the matter?” I ask. “Is there a problem with the food?”

Madeline suddenly looks like she's on the verge of tears. “I feel so guilty.”

“Why?” I take the plate away and draw closer to my mate. “Talk to me.”

“You're wasting your time with me,” she says. “You could use that time to work or have fun or something, you know? You could be doing something you really want to do.”

“I want to be here with you,” I tell her. “That's the option I'm taking, the same one I'm going to keep taking.”

“I've been here for more than a week and you've made me feel like a princess for every second of it. I feel bad because I knowyou have a lot of important things to do. I'm your intern, so I also know the insane workload you'll have when you get back to the office.”

“Why do you think I'm going to the office without you?” I joke. “We'll sort through the paperwork together, the same way we're waiting for you to get better.”

I rest on my side and Madeline turns to face me. She looks at me for only a second, proceeding to bury her face in my chest. She grabs hold of the fabric and pulls it even closer to her face.

“Don't waste your time on me,” she says.

“Time with you will never be a waste,” Nate says. “You're my mate and I would spend every second with you if I could. I love you.” The words almost seem real. They come out of my mouth like a dream. “I love you.”

“I never thought I'd hear you say that to me,” Madeline says, her face still nestled against my chest.

“It still seems unreal,” I confess. “Yet, nothing feels more honest than that.”

“Can I be honest?”

“Of course, you definitely can,” he answers.

She pulls away from my shirt and finds my eyes. “I'm a little scared to say it,” Madeline admits.

The revelation catches me off guard. “What? Why?”

“Because of what happened the last time I said it to you at my house. You ran out on me. I don't want that to happen again.” I feel a pang of guilt rising in my chest. I'm pretty sure she can hear my heart tightening given her proximity to me. “I don't want you to ever be mad at me again.”

“I wasn't mad at you,” I say with a heavy sigh. “Madeline, I was mad at myself. I told myself repeatedly not to fall for you, but it was a game I kept losing. Not a lot of things scare me, but you confessing like that, it did the trick.”

“That wasn't my intention.”

“I know.” I kiss her forehead. “It's not on you, it's on me. I wasn't brave enough to just lean into my feelings the way you did. That took a level of bravery I'm still coming to terms with.”

“I don't think I was brave,” she giggles. “I just say whatever comes to mind whether there are consequences or not.”

We both share a small laugh. “I can't believe I hated that about you. I love it now.” I kiss her again, this time on her nose. We lie in each other's arms for a while, just savoring the moment.I wish we could stay like this forever.

“I'm sorry for leaving you,” I apologize.

“You don't have to—”

“I do. I'm sorry for hurting your feelings like that and leaving you the way I did. You didn't deserve to be treated like that and I can assure you it will never happen again.”

“I believe you,” Madeline says. “You seem pretty obsessed with me right now.”

“Oh, you have no idea,” I chuckle. “Thank you for coming into my life. I tried to run away, which was a foolish thing to do in the first place–but you tracked me down. Now, my life is a hundred times better because of you.”

I physically feel the weight lifting off my chest. Madeline tightens her grip on me. “I know how you can thank me.”

“I know, too.”

Chapter 32

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