Page 23 of Unbreakable Bond
Damn it, he didn’t know whether to cry or scream, to hug her close or to run in the otherdirection.
“Rafe?”
He jerked his head up at the sound of his name. Her voice was rough from sleep, raspy and sexy as hell. He’d wrapped her in a blanket but hadn’t redressed her and she was naked under that quilt. His heart twisted in his chest. He thought anything and everything she ever did or said would be sexy to him. Not just because she was his mate but because she washer.
Zoey.
He’d been of age before he left Noir. He’d felt the pull towards her. He couldn’t deny it, wouldn’t, notanymore.
It had made him feel guilty. Lusting after his brother’s girlfriend. Everyone had known,known, that Zoey and Michael would mate when they came ofage.
So he’d tried to ignore the pull he felt towards her. He’d kept his distance from her, and from Michael when he could, because he couldn’t wrap his head around how or why he was so fascinated by her. By her beauty. By her sense of humor. By her intelligence and wit. So when he’d been forced to interact with her he’d hidden it underderision.
She must’ve hated him backthen.
He smiled at the thought of telling her about it now. Now, since she was looking at him with that soft, sleepy, look of affection. What he’d have given for her to look at him like that all those years ago. If she had, maybe he would have stayed. But she couldn’t have known, just as he hadn’t, thatthiswas what awaitedthem.
“Rafe?” Her smile faded and her brows furrowed, “What’swrong?”
“Nothing.” He caught her hand when she reached for him and pressed a kiss to each of her fingers. “Nothing atall.”
Her lips flickered but she shook her head as she sat upright, holding the blanket over her chest, so they were face to face where he sat on the coffee table, “I wish I believedthat.”
Rafe was captivated by the electricity that jolted through him at her touch. He nuzzled her hand. Moved it so he could stroke her soft skin against his cheek. He wanted his stubble to leave a mark, to mark her in every way that he could. He wanted her scent all over him and his all over her. Rafe found her pulse at her wrist, felt it speed, and couldn’t stop himself from licking over it, lapping at her and taking her scent inside ofhim.
“Rafe…” His name was almost a moan this time when she said it and he growled, low in his throat, becausethatwas a sound he wanted to hear for the rest of his life. “Rafe,wait…”
He growled when she jerked her hand away from him and she giggled slightly. He met her gaze but despite the sound there wasn’t humor there. She was watching him with those intelligent multi-colored eyes and he sighed, knowing that she wasn’t going to let him ignore herquestion.
“What’s wrong?” She tilted her head slightly and raised her hand of her own accord to stroke his cheek thistime.
He shook his head and raised his palm to cover hers, to keep her touch there, “It’snothing.”
“It’s not nothing.” She scooted closer to him, “I can feel it, Rafe. I can feelyou. It’s the bond. It’s still forming, it’s not complete, but I can feel you already, sense your emotions. Something is wrong and you’reworried.”
“Zo, I don’t want to scare you. Let it be. Fornow…”
“No.” She stated sharply and firmly, “You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to shut me out and claim it’s for my own good. Not now.” She cupped his face with both hands and forced him to meet her steady gaze, “You claimed me. You said I’m yours. You said you’re mine. That means you have to talk to me. You have to tell me what’s got you soscared.”
Rafe winced, wanting to pull back. He wanted to run. He wanted to turn his back so she couldn’t see it but that was the thing. She wasn’t just seeing it. She could feel it. And no denying it would convince her even if he hated that word because hewasscared.
“Rafe, please, you’re not going to scare me away. I promise. Nothing can do that. I feel you, here.” She moved one of her hands to take his and press it to her chest so he could feel her heart beating in time with his, syncing with his as the bond worked between them, “I’m not naïve enough to believe this is love. Not yet. But I care about you and I want you, all of you. You’re already in my heart so don’t break it. Tell me what’swrong.”
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She was right of course. She deserved to know what she was getting herself into. She deserved to know everything, especially the parts that scared him because they were what would hurt her the worst. The bond was there but to seal it, she had to trust him and to do that, she had to know thetruth.
“The bond isn’t fully formed because I didn’t bite you when we mated. I heldback.”
