Page 15 of Fated Surrender

Grumbling, Connor picked up after their dinner and dessert carrying the dishes to the kitchen. He replayed the scene over and over again while finishing dishes and couldn’t figure out how things went so wrong, so fast.

Madison stood with her back against the bedroom door. She covered her face with her hands. Why had she balked at mating with him? It wasn’t like they had a choice. She sighed. She just wanted a little more time to get to know him. From what she had seen she was already half in love with him. Groaning, she headed to the bathroom and started the shower. She got undressed and stepped into the hot water. She washed her hair and rinsed off.

Drying off, she began to think about her mate. No one had ever made her feel like he did. His quiet, deep voice and kind smile made her feel safe. For someone who had been taking care of herself for so long it was terrifying to find that she was already leaning on him so much already. She felt complete when he was around. Digging under the sink, she found a hair dryer and started drying her hair. Shivering with only a towel wrapped around her, she searched the dresser for something to wear. She found a triple XL men’s T-shirt and smiled. She pulled the T-shirt on and shook her head as it dropped past her knees. She hand washed her panties in the sink and hung them up to dry.

Thinking of her bear, she climbed between the cold sheets. She turned on one side then the other. No matter what position she got in she could not get comfortable. Exasperated, she flopped onto her back. There was no way she couldn’t sleep because he wasn’t here, right? They hadn’t even been together for twenty-four hours. There was no way she needed him that much, already. Sighing, she flung back the sheets and got out of bed. Only one way to find out.

She found her bear lying on the couch, looking miserable. His large frame was not meant to sleep on that couch no matter how comfortable it was to sit on. She padded over to him. When she got as close as the coffee table, his eyes opened and he looked up at her, surprised. She ached to wedge herself between him and the couch back, wrapping herself in his arms. Sighing and feeling thoroughly disgusted with herself, she held out her hand.

“I’m cold,” she said and eyed him as if daring him to argue.

He smiled, and the kindness in his eyes was nearly her undoing. He stood and took her hand. “We can’t have that. Come on,” he said and led her back to the bedroom.

She pulled her hand from his and dove under the covers. He went to the dresser and pulled out a T-shirt and pajama bottoms. Winking at her, he began to undress. Lord help her, she should look away, but couldn’t. His pale body bathed in moonlight taunted her. His legs were like tree trunks supporting the most lickable set of washboard abs she had ever seen. Even with his body turned to one side she saw the outline of his package and nearly begged him to mate her right then and there. The man had one of the most beautiful cocks she had ever seen. Thick and long, as if designed to pleasure a woman in every way. She looked up when she noticed that he had stopped moving and was watching her look at him. She met his eyes and her breath caught at the heat he saw in his gaze. She turned to stare at the wall.

“You don’t have to look away. I’m your mate, Madison, my body is yours.”

She felt the bed dip as he slid in behind her. Seconds later he had pulled her into the curve of his body and draped one leg over both of hers. She felt that impressive cock against the cheeks of her ass and couldn’t help inching backward. He ran his hands up and down her arm and kissed her shoulder.

“I know that being a shifter, mates come first, but what does having a mate mean to you?” she asked, playing with the blanket. His hands stilled.

“To me it means never being alone again. It means my soul will finally be complete. That I will have someone at my side to listen to me and help me until the day I die. All my life I have hoped to have a mating like my parents,” Connor said.

“My parents aren’t mates,” she blurted.

“How did that happen?” he asked.

“Their parents made arrangements for them to mate to ensure healthy pure-blooded tiger cubs. I never really got to see what real mates were like. I know it in my mind, but I don’t know it in my heart. Not like you do,” she explained.

She felt him exhale as his breath blew across her hair.

“Why did you come to get me?” he asked gently.

She frowned until his hand reached around and tapped her between the eyes.

“Quit frowning. It’s not a hard question,” he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

“I was cold,” she admitted softly into the blanket.

“You’re not being very honest.” He sighed.

She shook her head and brought his hand up between her breasts so that she held it in hers, against her heart.

“I was cold,” she repeated.

“That is what being mates means,” he said and hugged her tight.

Her eyes filled and her throat began to ache with the effort to suppress her tears. She wept for the little girl who had stopped believing in love and hugged her mate’s arm to her tightly. Damn the man. Sex or not. Mated or not. She would never be complete without him.

“I’m glad it’s you,” she said after a while, thinking he was asleep. She felt his lips kiss the back of her head gently.

“Me, too, wildcat. Me, too.” Smiling, feeling safe and warm wrapped in the arms of her mate, she fell asleep for the first time, feeling complete.

Chapter Four

Connor was happily humming to himself the next morning finishing his homemade waffles when his mated shuffled into the kitchen. He heard a thunk and turned to see her face down at the table.

“Good morning, sunshine,” he said, his smile quickly disappearing in the face of her murderous glance when she raised her face to look at him.

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