Page 46 of Choosing the Rejected Mate

“That phrase is becoming concerning.”

Her lips curve.“You say that a lot.”

“Because I’m usually concerned.”

“About me?”

“About my sanity.”

She laughs, but it’s breathier this time.Her gaze drops to my mouth, and just like that, the clearing disappears.There’s no creek.No trees.No cool air.Only her.

Only the heat of her skin and the bond humming between us like a live wire.She shifts, and her thigh brushes my cock.

I bite back a groan so hard my jaw aches, and Holly’s eyes widen.Not with fear.With power, a little spark I want to see more of.Not terror.Not shame.Not the shadow of whatever bastard taught her wanting made her weak.

Power.

She did that to me.She knows it.And for the first time tonight, she looks pleased by it.

“You’re very affected,” she whispers.

I huff out a strained laugh.“Sweetheart, affected is what happens when a sad movie comes on, or someone cancels dinner plans.I’m currently one deep breath away from begging.”

Her pupils flare.Good, let her know.Let her see that wanting her does not make me dangerous unless I stop listening.Let her understand that desire is not the enemy.

Her hand settles on my chest, right over my heart.“You’d beg?”

“For you?”My voice drops before I can stop it.“Yes.”

The scent of her arousal sharpens.Fuck.I grip the grass at my sides.Holly watches my hands, then looks back at my face.“You’re doing it again.”

“What?”

“Not touching me.”

“Because we stopped.Because I’m not sure if you want me to.”

“I’m lying on top of you naked.”

“One of my favorite developments, honestly.”Her mouth twitches.“But that isn’t the same as yes,” I add.

The humor fades from her face, but not in a bad way.She goes still, thoughtful, like the words have to travel through old scar tissue before they can settle.

Then she sits up.

The loss of her body against mine is immediate and awful.I nearly reach for her before I remember myself.She kneels beside me in the grass, moonlight sliding over the soft curves of her breasts, her stomach, her thighs.Her hair tumbles over one shoulder, wild from the run, and her cheeks are flushed.

She’s the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.Not delicate.Not broken.Fucking spectacular.My wolf goes quiet inside me.Reverent.

“I want you to touch me,” she says, and my mouth goes dry.

“Where?”I ask, because I may die tonight, but at least I will die doing one thing right.

Her breath shivers out.She takes my hand and brings it to her waist.That first place she allowed me after our kiss in the bakery.It hits me harder than if she put my hand somewhere more intimate.

Trust always does.

My palm spreads over her skin.She’s warm.Soft.Alive beneath my touch.My thumb moves once, slowly, over her hipbone, and her lashes flutter.