Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23981 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23981 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
“Sorry, it wasn’t little,” I blurt out, not quite knowing what I’m saying until it’s too late. “It was quite… never mind. What did you put in this soup? Is that celery I taste?”
I’m staring at the bowl with wide eyes, cursing myself for being so damn embarrassing.
What was that?! Get it together, girl!
After a long, soul-crushing moment, I force my eyes up and look at him. He doesn’t look mad or embarrassed. He looks amused, like he can’t wait to hear what moronic thing I’ll say next.
“So, is she going to be mad?”
“My mate?”
“Yeah.”
“You tell me.”
I sigh. She’s going to be pissed. I know I would be if some dumb broad got herself into trouble and then ended up seeing my man’s naked cock, curled up with him in my bed to warm up, took a bath in front of him, and then spent the night alone with him by candlelight. I would be apocalyptic.
She’s probably going to give me two black eyes to go along with my bloody nose.
And I’ll deserve it.
“I think—”
The power goes out and I forget all about Leo’s mate wanting to kill me. The lights turn off in the kitchen, the music stops, and the hum of the fridge dies down as we stare at each other in shock.
Only the gentle swaying light from the candles and the warm glow of the fire are lighting up the room.
And my host looks more gorgeous than ever.
Chapter Six
Leo
The sight of this girl at my kitchen table bathed in candlelight is filling me with a majestic awe. It’s hard to take my eyes off her. I don’t want to look away.
I can’t believe I told my brothers that I didn’t need her. That I would be fine without my mate. That I would be okay without this mesmerizing girl in my life.
One look at her smiling shyly while eating her soup is enough to know that I was a complete and utter fool.
I need her. I need her more than I need to eat. More than I need to breathe.
I need her like I haven’t needed anything before.
My heart beats for her. Our souls are connected.
My mate is in my life now and there’s no going back.
“How long do you think we’ll lose power for?” she asks as she looks around the dark room.
“It won’t come back until the storm is over at least,” I say, only looking at her. Those green eyes are entrancing. “It might even be a few days.”
“Is your mate okay?” she asks as she pulls my t-shirt up a little higher on her chest.
I fight back a growl when I see her round breasts jiggling with the movement. She’s not wearing a bra and it’s driving me crazy.
“Is she traveling in the storm? Is she coming back tonight?”
This poor girl. I know she must feel the draw to me, just as I’m feeling it for her. It must be torture for her to think her mate is taken. To think that there’s someone else. I know because I felt those same torturous thoughts when I saw her in a wedding dress.
“Tara,” I say in a soft voice.
Her back straightens as she looks at me. “Yeah?”
“I thought it was strange that my grizzly bear wanted to wander around in the middle of the worst blizzard in the past decade,” I say, keeping my eyes on hers. “But then I realized, it was fate guiding us along. Pushing us into the storm.”
“Totally,” she says, nodding as she stares back at me with focused green eyes. “Wait, what?”
“My mate was out there, in danger, and I had to save her.”
“Your mate was in the storm?” she says, darting to her feet. “Is she still there? Should we go look for her? Oh shit, I’m sorry that I distracted you from finding her! What should we do?”
I can’t help but smile as I look at her starting to panic. She’s fucking adorable.
“Tara,” I say softly as I tilt my head forward and raise my eyebrows.
“What? Oh…”
It sinks in.
“Oh!”
She slides back into the chair, but her body is all tense as she stares at me.
“I’m your Tara?”
I nod. “You’re my Tara. You’re my mate.”
“Oh…”
She stares at me for a long while as a million thoughts race through her mind.
Her eyes suddenly narrow on me skeptically. “How can you be so sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
She nibbles her bottom lip as she considers it and the sexy sight makes me groan involuntarily.
“Well, I’m not sold on the matter,” she finally says. “You’re going to have to prove it.”
“Alright.”
I take a deep breath as I stand up. Her alert green eyes follow me as I move around the table and walk right up to her.
I gently take her jaw in my big hand, slowly lean down, and I kiss her.