Page 7 of Wild Fated Mate
“You make me crazy, too.” I covered my mouth with my free hand. That wasn’t supposed to be out loud. “I never did anything to you, and you … you … can’t stand me.”
I hated the way my throat closed from my words. I had half fallen in love with him before we’d met. I’d heard so many stories about Gavin thanks to Olivia. Everything she’d told me added up to a man who sounded too good to be real. It turned out Gavin was less of a dream and more of a nightmare when we finally met in person. Olivia hadn’t stopped apologizing. But it wasn’t her fault, not really. More than anything, the painful meeting crushed my romantic, optimistic soul as I realized the story I secretly nurtured in my heart about falling in love with him at first sight wasn’t coming true. That stung.
But more than that, his behavior whenever we were in the same area, even if for mere seconds, brought it all back again.
There was only so long I could smile.
I hopped off the log to move in front of him, sorry I’d ever started this conversation. Maybe it really was better not to know. Ignorance is bliss, right?
Even seated, he was still taller than I was. It wouldn’t have taken much to look me in the eyes. Except he kept his body slightly turned away from me, and that tipped me over the edge.
I was used to people dropping their eyes to my boobs instead of my face, but Gavin never looked at me. It was as if he always knew when I was around, and he put an invisible force field up so he never had to really see me.
At first, I was confused. Then hurt.
Now I was plain mad.
I was a person, dammit. And he was damn well going to look at me.
“Turn around,” I demanded again, except I couldn’t help the way hurt and anger crackled in my voice.
A noise like a wounded animal sounded nearby, and I moved closer to Gavin.
Some part of me knew he’d protect me, even if he didn’t like me. He wouldn’t show up with an empty piece of rope dangling from his wrist and say, “Oops, she was eaten by a bear.”
He groaned and tried to pull away, to reduce the space between us again.
That did it. Wild animal or no wild animal, he was not going to act as though I was so disgusting he couldn’t bear to touch me.
“Gav—”
“Drop it, Serena.” His voice was more gravelly than usual.
And why did I shiver hearing my name spoken in that commanding tone of his? I had issues.
“No.”
“Serena,” he growled, finally meeting my eyes.
His weren’t just a deep, dark brown. They had flashes of cinnamon and gold flecks, as though the light in this shaded part of the forest shone through to highlight him at the perfect moment.
I couldn’t catch a breath. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t think.
And all I could hear in my head was the minemineminemineminemine soundtrack beating in time with my pulse.
Gavin stared at me before running his gaze from my face down, down, down my body, as if he was really looking at me for the first time.
His visual tour made a round trip, and then he was looking into my eyes again.
Intently. Silently. Boldly.
The expected hardness was there. But so was an unexpected hunger and something I couldn’t name. This was the kind of moment where people usually got struck dumb by love.
But this was Gavin. He didn’t even like me.
Fine. If he had the nerve to shut me out then look me over like he was starving and I was dinner, it was only fair that I look?—
“Ohmygod,” I gasped.
