A Mate's Bite(28)

“I care about you too. More than you realize.” He squeezed her hand. “Stop fighting it. You know deep inside what I’m saying is true.”

“I…”

He leaned forward, cupping her cheek with his other hand. “Sometimes, we need to take chances in life. I won’t make any promises. You’ll see for yourself what I mean. I won’t let you down.”

She had trouble finding the words to speak. He had truly been doing a great job at talking to her more. There was unending patience from him when he dealt with her. But fear, God how she hated feeling vulnerable with him, kept her from opening up some more. Time would tell.

Lips met in a kiss. A tender meeting of more than mouths. It was an awakening of feelings she’d been desperately trying to fight. Each brush unlocked a new hidden area in her heart. Until her entire body felt overcome with more than lust. A deeper urge. Past the wanting of flesh on flesh. Past the sizzle of arousal. The feeling, much stronger than anything she’d ever felt before, unlocked doorways and poked at an area she’d not given much use to. The area she’d hidden away love in order not to get hurt. Nate, with his kisses and sexy words, had coaxed that tenuous feeling to the surface.



Karla waved her friends goodbye. It had taken everyone a single back and forth look between the sisters to know an argument was brewing. Jordan and Ellie suggested they head home and call it a night on account of Emma and Nicole needing to sleep off all the wine they’d drunk. Her friends were a bit tipsy and would be dropped off since they hadn’t driven their own cars. Braced with as much patience as she could muster, she turned to Kass, who sat on a sofa with her feet curled under her.

“So…”

Kass lifted a dark brow. “If it bothers you to have me here, I can go.”

“No, you don’t have to go. I’m just surprised you’re here. I mean you and I never talk. You talk to Kel more than me. I’m not really sure what it is you want from me.”

Her sister’s features, which mirrored her own, were set in sad lines. “Mom has been going through a rough time.”

“Oh?” Karla really didn’t want to hear her mother’s latest problems, but didn’t want to sound rude either.

“She’s been sick, and her boyfriend left with the money she’d gotten from Kel.”

Her brother had always been soft when it came to their mother. He’d been sending her small amounts of money to help her get by. Even though he knew she used it on men, he still sent her money for her bills and expenses. He was a good son. Karla was better at ignoring than him. Though their mother had gotten to her a few times, she’d been good about keeping a distance and not letting her pressure Karla into sending money she’d only use to buy off men.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” She sat down across from Kass, crossing her arms over her chest.

The last time she’d spoken to her mother, she’d been sick with guilt over not sending her money for a full week. It went against her nature not to help. But all her mom had ever done was emotionally drag her down until she felt so low she gave in. Reminding her of how much she’d done for her as a child. Things most parents had to do for their children were things her mother considered privileges. She’d hated having kids and wished she’d aborted them. That was a conversation she’d never forget.

Kass sighed dramatically. “Yes, and I lost the job I had.”

Now that was a first. Kass had never worked from what she knew. “You had a job?”

She smiled, leaned forward, and winked. “Well, it was more of a past time. I was between boyfriends, and they were giving me money to do what I wanted.”

Figured. “And what happened?”

She shrugged. “One caught me with the other and didn’t like it.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I don’t understand why men get possessive. It’s not like I promised either one I’d marry him.”

She could feel herself getting angry at the insensitive way Kass treated people. “Maybe they didn’t want to be played with.”

“Whatever. It wasn’t that big of a deal. Men play with women all the time. It’s about time someone showed them we’re not toys.”

Karla bit her tongue to keep from tossing out a couple of choice words. “Not all men are the same.”

She stopped. Not all men were the same. Nate wasn’t like the men she’d grown up around. She’d seen that. Yet she continued to fight what she knew was the truth. Instinct told her to give the man a chance. God dammit! Her heart told her to give him a break. To trust him and allow their relationship to flourish. But insecurity pushed her to close her eyes to what was obvious and ignore it. With Kass there now, a relationship with Nate sounded like a farfetched idea.