Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
“You can zoom in and out like this,” she says, showing me the controls. She shouldn’t show me that. I’ll zoom in on her gorgeous face and never once look at the man she’s interviewing.
“I’ll give it to you to practice with,” she says as she hands it to me. My hand brushes hers and I see her body reacting. She flinches and her cheeks turn an adorable shade of pink.
She’s my mate, so these feelings should be hitting her too. Is she being drawn to me like I’m being drawn to her? Her feelings won’t be as strong since she’s not a shifter, but it should still be affecting her.
Maybe she’s too nervous and preoccupied with the dangerous interview to be paying any attention.
She stills a little after we touch and her eyes rise to my mouth. They linger there before she looks up. “Have we met before?”
I shake my head. “No. I would definitely remember meeting you.”
“Yeah, I think I would remember meeting you too. It’s just… I kind of feel like I’ve met you before.”
I can let this play out and drag it on, or I can tell her right now and get it over with. I’ve gone thirty-four years without her as my mate and I don’t want to go another second.
She has a right to know we belong together. She has a right to know she’s mine.
“I know why you’re feeling this way,” I say as she puts her hands on her hips and looks up at me.
“So, we have met.”
I shake my head. “Not exactly. I’m a bear shifter.”
Her eyes widen as she looks at my chest. “You have a bear in there?”
“A grizzly, yeah.”
“Wow. I’ve never met a bear shifter before. Oh! Can I do a story on you? Are you up for an interview?”
“Gracie,” I say as I take her hand and stare into her eyes, trying to get her to focus. “I’m a bear shifter and you’re my mate.”
“Wait… What?”
I just want to take her in my arms. I want to kiss her luscious lips and feel her soft skin. I want to slide inside her and make her mine in every possible way. I want to break another bed.
“Every shifter has a fated mate,” I tell her in a soft smooth voice. “One person who completes their soul. Who is perfect for them in every way. Gracie, you are that person for me.”
She looks at me for a long time and then shakes her head, looking away. “No.”
“No?”
“I’m sorry,” she says, throwing her hands up. “I’m sure you’re a nice guy and everything, but I just can’t deal with that right now.”
My mouth drops. I wasn’t expecting that reaction.
“I have the opportunity of a lifetime here,” she says, not even looking at me as she paces around the room. “And it’s really not the time to be dating.”
“Dating?” I say as my blood pressure skyrockets. “It’s more than dating. We’re mates!”
“I don’t have time for this,” she says as she pushes me to the door. I’m so confused as I walk backward toward it. “I have to prepare for my interview tomorrow and I can’t think about this right now.”
She opens the door and pushes me into the hallway.
“I hope you understand, Ryker.”
She closes the door, but I stop it with my foot.
“Would you mind?” she asks, trying to push my foot away with hers. “I have work to do.”
“Gracie,” I say, desperately trying to make her understand. “I’ve been waiting my entire life for this moment.”
“And I’ve been waiting my entire life to be a real reporter,” she says. “So, I’d appreciate it if you drop all of this mate nonsense and let me do my job.”
I feel heat in my face. My chest is all tight. I’m so flustered, I don’t know what to say. This is not how I expected this moment to go. I’ve thought about it a lot over the years and my mate is always jumping in my arms, crying from joy, or showering me with kisses. Never did she kick me out of her room!
“Gracie,” I say in a forceful tone. “I’m not going to have my mate around those killers.”
She raises her eyebrows as she stares at me in a challenging way.
“You’re not doing the interview,” I tell her.
She laughs.
“I’m doing the interview. With or without you.”
Why can’t she understand? She’s too precious. She’s too valuable. I’d die if something happened to her.
“It’s too dangerous,” I say, hearing the desperation in my voice.
“An hour ago, you had no problem going.”
“That was before, when…”
“When what?” she asks with her hands on her hips.
“When you weren’t in my life and I didn’t care if I made it out alive.”
“And now all of a sudden you care?”
“Yes!”
She rolls her eyes and kicks my foot. “You’re the worst security guard in the world! I’ll go by myself.”