Page 18 of Tolerated By the Sigma (Mate Hunt 7)

My eyebrows lifted, but my body flushed. “That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

“It probably isn’t.” He leaned closer, and his lips brushed mine as he whisper-growled, “You might be my wolf’s redemption, but you’remyfantasy. A dream I didn’t dare hold on to, a hope I never thought I’d live to see.”

My body heated further, but I murmured, “That still doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

He lifted his lips to my ear and added in a low growl, “It took me a hell of a lot longer to find you than it should’ve, but now, you’ll never be free of me. I want everything from you, Charly—your body, your heart, your soul. And I’ll hunt you to the ends of the fucking earth to get it, in both of my forms.”

His tongue flicked over my ear, playing with the two fake diamonds I had in my side-by-side piercings.

When he finally pulled away, I was panting a bit, all hot and bothered.

My eyes lingered on Ryder as he went back to cutting vegetables, but this time, they didn’t track his muscles.

They tracked his face.

SEVEN

Things werequiet while Ryder cooked, but not awkward. Honestly, I was still pretty exhausted after all the drama and shifting the night before. My horniness faded as sleepiness began to drag me down, and I ended up draped over the table, my cheek on the countertop and my arms around my head.

I woke up when Ryder carefully picked me up off the stool, cradling me to his chest as he carried me to my bedroom. After he tucked me into my bed, he disappeared out the door.

He woke me again a minute later with a brush of the backs of his fingers over my neck. “I need you to eat, Char.”

I made a face. “Not hungry.”

My stomach growled in disagreement, and he chuckled softly. “Come on, Kelley. Eat, and then you can nap.”

I made a noise of complaint at his use of my last name, and didn’t move to start eating. The sounds of a fork moving met my ears, and then he murmured, “Open up.”

I scoffed, and he shoved a forkful of food into my mouth.

Before I could complain again, the flavors mingled on my tongue, and I moaned. “Holy shit, you can cook,” I said, though it came out more like, “Ooe hhh oo ca oo.”

“Zed taught me a few things last year, and I went to culinary school afterward. Graduated last month.”

My eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. “Whaa?”

Yeah, my mouth was still full. Not sexy, I know.

“I haven’t been applying for restaurant jobs, so no one in town knows. My dad needs the help with his business, so I’ll be working with him until I’m gone.”

After he finished speaking, he paused.

My eyes narrowed at him as I chewed.

He finally revised his words. “Or until I take over his business, now that I no longer have an expiration date.”

That was better.

I swallowed the food in my mouth. “Then why did you go to culinary school?”

He shrugged slightly. “Getting as close to dying as I did pushes a person to do more. To see more. To want to enjoy everything you possibly can with the time you have left. Life stops feeling like a chore, and starts feeling like a gift.” He lifted a finger back to my throat and slowly began to trace the marks of the new scar on my neck.

“That’s kind of beautiful,” I admitted.

“You’rekind of beautiful.”

I scowled. “Asshole.”

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