I knew she was meeting Sally around five o'clock, so when seven-thirty rolled around and there was still no sign of her, I began to panic. By eight o'clock I was grabbing my keys and heading for the door when I saw car lights flash across my living room. My senses went on full alert. I swung my door open and immediately relaxed being greeted by her scent. That delicious scent that tormented me every day while bringing a peace and calm only her smell could produce.
“Hey,” she said, stepping on the porch grinning. “You were right, my wolf definitely knows this place. It's the cabin where I first came to when I let my wolf out to run that night, right?”
I smiled. She remembered. All I could do was nod. She looked happy and a tiny bit glassy eyed. I wondered just how many drinks she'd had. She didn't hesitate to stretch up and kiss my cheek before pushing past me into my house, ahead of me. I just shook my head. At least we hadn't explained that one to her yet.
“Did you have fun tonight?” I asked.
“I did! Sally's really nice, and Cole was there too. I hadn't seen him in a few days and we had a lot to catch up on. Did you know his wolf is almost solid black? That stinker tried to get me to put his wolf on my body.”
I growled slightly before reigning it in. I didn't like hearing she had been with another male and I was finding it harder and harder to keep my feelings for her to myself.
She patted my arm like she was calming a small child. “Relax, only your wolf gets to mark up this body.”
I could see the moment she realized what she was saying. She whipped around and caught my stare as her hand flew to her mouth and her face turned all splotchy in embarrassment. I couldn't help but laugh. She looked ridiculously cute.
I stepped closer to her, fascinated by a loose strand of hair that had escaped the ponytail she was wearing and I wiped it from her face and tucked it back behind her ear. I had meant to keep things light but the way she was looking at me wasn't helping.
“Only mine,” I said in a voice deeper and huskier than my usual one.
Her pupils dilated in acknowledgement seconds before my lips crushed against hers. I'm not sure which of us it shocked more. I had sworn I wouldn't try anything with her, but when our lips touched it was a slight breath of hesitation before we both seemed to combust. Her mouth opened and she sighed this sexy moan right into my mouth and I was a goner. I wasted no time exploring every inch of her mouth and it was more glorious than anything I had ever imagined. She kissed me back full of passion and I had no doubt my mate desired me as much as I her
Her hands seemed to have a mind of their own as they unashamedly began exploring my body. She was driving me wild, and when her hands found their way under my shirt and she moaned, happily exploring every ridge across my abdomen with her hands, I knew it was stop things now or I would take exactly what I had wanted since the first moment I caught her scent, before I even laid eyes on my beautiful mate.
I tried to do the gentlemanly thing. I slowed our kisses and she responded in kind. It didn't stop the intensity between us, though. It only brought on a new kind of pleasure and I continued memorizing every crevice of her mouth, every motion that made her moan again. When I nibbled her bottom lip, I was rewarded as she wrapped her arms around me and pulled our bodies together. Every inch of her pressed against every inch of me and there was no hiding my desire for her as she rocked against me. I pulled back with a groan.
“Babe, what are you doing to me?” I asked in a voice I barely recognized, trying to catch my breath, and put a little distance between us.
I saw a panicked look in her eyes and realized too late she took it to mean she was doing something wrong. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her in close, allowing myself full access to her neck as I nuzzled into it, kissing her and blowing my scent on her. I wanted everyone within ten packs to know this one was mine. Only mine.
“That was meant as a compliment.”
I felt the tension that had quickly stiffened her, relax and I could feel her smile against my chest.
“Are you hungry?” I asked, slowly regaining my brain.
“Is that a loaded question?”
I laughed out loud at her unexpected response. Keeping my arm around her, I led her the rest of the way into my house, realizing we hadn't even managed to close the front door when our welcome frenzy began. I ran a hand through my hair in frustration at the thought of any wolf strolling by and seeing me and my mate in an intimate exchange. I knew I lived more remote than the others who all preferred to stay close by and live in groups, but still, the woods surrounding my home was often used for late night runs.
I felt a warm hand on my cheek as Kelsey angled my face to look down at her.
“Are you okay?”
Her brow was furrowed with worry. Worry for me, I realized.
I smiled reassuringly. “Everything's perfect, and I did cook dinner if you are hungry.... for food.” I added in jest and chuckled, enjoying her squirm in embarrassment.
She pouted. Her bottom lip, still swollen from my kisses, was clearing jutting out in an actual pout.
“I guess we can eat then.” She sounded disappointed, then immediately back to her normal self. “Did you really cook?”
“Yup, I did. I'm not entirely helpless. You may even find I'm good for a few things.”
“Oh, I've clearly already discovered one tonight.”
She winked at me and I was floored by this new intimate, playful side of her. Who knew? She was always so formal and by the books at work. I loved it. I loved her. The realization almost knocked the breath out of me.
“So, what are we having?” She asked, unaware of my internal discovery.
“Um, chicken alfredo? I made it from scratch.”
“Very impressive. And fortunately for you, I have very limited tastes in gourmet foods. And I'm a terrible cook. I know enough not to starve, but bouncing from one foster family or girls home to the next didn't exactly provide me with much in the way of domestic skills. So an unburnt box of mac and cheese would have impressed me just as much.”
“Good thing for you then, I happen to be a great cook and a bit of a foodie, so get used to eating a whole lot better, babe.”
She shied but smiled and I realized I had just alluded to us being something beyond today. Shit! I swore I wasn't going to scare her off. So far I'd managed two major screw ups in my plan.
“Okay, then, so impress me with your mad cooking skills.”
I relaxed and dished out a sizable plate of pasta and chicken for both of us. A side of steamed lemon garlic broccoli and some garlic bread finished off the meal. I had bought a bottle of wine and there were grapes and various cheeses already awaiting us on the table. I filled her glass and took my seat when I was satisfied with my presentation.
“You know, you probably shouldn't be giving me anymore alcohol. I think I've already had more than I normally consume in a year tonight.”
She seemed fine. Maybe a little looser and more playful than normal, but in a genuine way, not in a drunk way. I wondered again, just how many drinks did she have?
Mmmmm. Her moans of appraisal as she ate the meal I had prepared her jolted my attention back to her. The satisfied look of sheer pleasure on her face told me she more than liked it.
“Kyle, this is by far the best thing I have ever eaten in my life. Oh my gosh, it's delicious. You really cooked this all by yourself?”
“I swear it.”
The way she was looking at me was going to quickly lead back to where we left off at the door. Not that I'd mind that, but I did need to talk to her and explain some things to her. Mostly I needed to explain about mating and what was going on between us. It wasn't fair to her that she didn't already know before we acted on it.
“So, how was The Crate tonight?”
She smirked at me. It was the sexiest look I'd ever seen on a woman and had me ready to pick her up and drag her off into my bedroom and finish what we had started.
“If I tell you, are you going to
freak out and try to attack me again?”
I frowned, “No.” I would never attack her. I wasn't even capable of hurting her.
“Damn, that's a shame.”
I choked on the sip of wine I had just downed. I had certainly not expected that!
“Well, after work I drove over to The Crate and Sally wasn't there yet. I didn't really know what to do. I had never been in a bar before. No one has ever asked me out for drinks like that, so I had no clue what I was doing or where to sit or anything. Fortunately, Cole Anderson was there and it helped to see a familiar face. So I hung out with him and we caught up over drinks waiting for Sally to arrive. Apparently, everyone's talking about the big race. I had a few guys buy me a round as congratulations.” She paused and frowned. “Sorry.”
“I can take the heat of losing to a girl.” I laughed.
“Oh, um, yeah, okay.”
She was hesitating and I needed to know why, so I asked her. No more beating about the bush with us now that things were coming out in the open. Mates aren't supposed to hide anything from each other and I wanted to know everything about her.
“It's just, I don't know. I'm not very good with this stuff so I could be way off mark here, but it's just that you seem to get a little, uh, upset, when I mention other guys.”
Okay, she was definitely onboard with brutal honesty.
“Guess I haven't been keeping that in check as much as I thought I was.”
“It's okay, you kind of flipped out the other day about the, uh, tattoo when you saw it and I can, I don't know how to explain it, but I can feel when you're unhappy about something. I don't always know what, but I know when something's bothering you and I just didn't want to upset you realizing I was talking about the guys in the bar buying me drinks.”
“You feel my emotions?”
She nodded. All this time I thought she wasn't really feeling the connection and the call to mating, but maybe I was wrong.
“What else do you feel?”
She shrugged and I knew there was more.
“I know when you're watching me. I always know when you are in the woods in your wolf form guarding my house. Like last night. I knew you were there all night. I almost called you in just so you'd get some sleep. You were very restless last night.”
I know I stared at her in shock. I really shouldn't be. I mean, I had noticed I was more and more in tune with her too, especially since our first kiss, so why wouldn't she reciprocate? But the enormity of what she was saying was still stunning. We hadn't even mated and yet what I had been feeling and what she was telling me sounded very much like what I had always been told about the bond between mates.
She sighed, “I'm not supposed to be feeling that, am I?”
I could see the disappointment on her face.
“No, not yet, it's too soon.” The look she gave felt like pure rejection, like I'd just shamed her over what she'd told me and I had to make it right no matter how crazy it sounded. “Kelsey, we aren't supposed to feel each other on that level. Only bonded mates are supposed to be that aware of each other.” I lifted her downcast head to face me. She wouldn't make eye contact and I missed looking into her beautiful brown eyes. “But I feel it too. I always know exactly what room you're in. I know when you're scared or stressed or disappointed with yourself or something someone's told you.”
Her eyes flew to mine and we held each other's stare. Even as mates, we shouldn't be able to do that for this long either. I knew deep down that whatever this was between us was different, special.
She licked her lips and didn't break eye contact as she boldly asked, “So, you're my mate, right?”
I know I blushed. Guys aren't supposed to blush. I needed to pull it together.
“Uh, um, yeah, who told you about that?”
She giggled. “You're cute when you get flustered. Elise and Lily were cluing me in on a few things today that they didn't think you had any business discussing with me.” She frowned. “They don't know, do they?”
I shook my head. “No, and I'm sorry you had to find out from them.”
“From what they described, males in particular are extremely possessive and territorial. They can become aggressive when other males are near, and sometimes females, if they feel there's a threat, warranted or not. It's been two years, Kyle. How could you possibly control what they described all this time and never let on that you felt anything at all?”
She looked disappointed. I didn't know how to explain and I knew before I opened my mouth I was about to become a bumbling idiot.
“Kelsey, I just didn't know what to do. At first it was such a shock. Do you remember that first day we met? I could barely hold it together and couldn't get away from you fast enough. You didn't show any signs whatsoever that you felt anything at all, which made me angry and, well, hurt.”
“Oh, I felt plenty. Too much. I considered running it freaked me out so much, but I love my little cottage and was determined to make it work. It wasn't easy, but I tried to maintain strict professionalism with you. I knew if I let it slip even a little there was no turning back, and,” she chewed on her bottom lip, “well, one slip and look what happened.”
He grinned. “Are you sorry? Cause Lord knows I'm not!”
She grinned back at me and shook her head no. My heart nearly leapt from my chest. I took her hand and lovingly stroked it with my thumb as I had longed to do.
“Do you have any questions? About mating and stuff?”
She squirmed uncomfortably then sighed and shook her head yes.
“Everything we are feeling, you say we shouldn't be. What should I be feeling, Kyle?”
“There's nothing wrong with you, babe. You're worrying too much. Mating is perfectly natural. It's rare that one finds their one true mate, especially so young. We're lucky there.”
“One true mate? They didn't mention anything about that. They said I could have several compatible mates.”
I wanted to smack my sisters.
“That's true, you could have many compatible mates, but only ever one true mate. It's rare to find your one true mate, so for several generations shifters have just stopped waiting for it and settled for compatible mates instead.” I wanted her to understand the impact of what I was saying, and for once I was grateful that she didn't turn away from my gaze. “I knew I could never settle for anyone less than my one true mate.”
Kelsey
Chapter 15
What Elise and Lily had told me about mates was not the same thing as what I suspected Kyle was talking about. One true mate? Did he really mean that as it sounded, like I was the only mate for him and he for me?
Elise had described it much like normal human dating. A strong attraction, a getting to know you period, followed by sex to seal the bond. Though she was vague on that part, and we were rushed in our discussion and my limited lunch break. I knew wolves mated for life. Once I took a mate there would never be another for me. I was okay with that. I was even okay with thinking of Kyle Westin in the forever sense.
“What did you mean earlier about the bond between mates?”
“Only true mates can fully bond. It's a closeness of sorts, they can feel and sense each other more deeply than compatible mates.”
I nodded, not knowing what to say or think about that. We were clearly already sensing and feeling each other, though according to what the girls told me we hadn't actually mated or bonded, we were just potential mates.
“I still don't really understand the whole mating thing. How does that differ from just dating, engagement, marriage sorta thing?”
He looked flustered again. God was he cute when he got like that. Several times through the evening he had caught himself raking his hand through his hair. It was quite mussed at this point. I wasn't used to seeing the calm, cool, collected Kyle Westin so frazzled. I liked that I was the one to loosen him up.
My thoughts drifted to earlier. I would have let him take me right there in the open doorway and not thought twice about
it. I had never allowed myself to want a guy in that way. I didn't think it would ever be possible for me. Now that I knew otherwise, all I wanted was to be underneath Kyle Westin and whatever else this mating bond thingy he was trying to explain called for.
Crap, he was talking again and I missed it.
“Does that make sense?”
I stared at him blankly. “Didn't hear a word you said.”
He looked at me like I was crazy and ran his fingers through his hair again. Hmmm, I loved when he did that, though I wished it were my hands.
He laughed and I blinked back to present.
“Sorry,” I knew I was blushing.
“What were you thinking just then?”
I couldn't possibly tell him that. I shook my head.
“I told you already, true mates share everything. There's no secrets between them.”
It was my turn to laugh. “We aren't off to a very good start then, are we?”
I didn't know why my tongue was so loose around him tonight. I had only a couple of drinks at the bar. Plus those three shots. Shoot, what did they call them again? Some sort of bombs? I didn't feel drunk, though. I felt relaxed, but then that make-out session alone was enough to cause that. Who knew kissing would feel like that?
I saw Kyle stand up and take the plates to the sink. I think maybe I was zoning out on him again. I got up and joined him at the sink. I took the dirty dishes from him and started washing them in the already filling soapy water side. I noticed he was just staring at me, but didn't move to stop me, so when I was done washing the first dish I handed it to him and moved the water to his side of the double sink. We worked side by side in silence and it was nice and comfortable and just felt right. I had never in my life just felt so completely right.
When the last dish was washed and dried and put away he turned to me. I could see in his eyes that he was more than ready for more of what we'd done earlier. I didn't want to feel nervous, but the nerves were definitely starting to sink in. The whole domestic thing we'd just done seemed quite intimate in an odd way.
One True Mate (Westin Pack Book 1) Page 11