A Mate's Wish(28)

Beth shivered and it wasn’t because of the cold. What he described sounded horrible.

Renner cradled her cheek. “I knew you were mine at twelve. You, with your round cheeks and sweet smile and kind hands. I knew, and I wanted to protect you from a future with me. So I sabotaged us. Made sure you’d hate me. I’m so sorry for that, Bethy. You’ll never know how much.”

That’s why. Why he’d torn her up over and over again. His reasons made some sense, but why was he telling her this now?

Her fingers gripped his shirt, curling into the flannel. Why did she feel like she needed to hold onto him tighter now than ever?

“But I want you. I want you as my mate, as my partner, as my lover and friend. I want you to give me young and I want to grow old with you and when the time comes, I want to die with you. Because I love you. Because I’ve thought about you everyday since leaving. And because I can’t imagine living the rest of my life here without you.”

Beth felt the tears prick her eyes. She’d thought about him too. The times he’d let her in haunted her as much as the times he’d hurt her. Maybe even more, because she knew he had love to give. And now, he declared it in such sweet words. It made her chest ache. This was what she’d only caught a glimpse of as a child. But she’d known even then, Renner’s heart was gold. Finally, he was giving it to her.

But… she couldn’t be what he wanted. Not if it meant she was the only one committed. The thought of him with anyone else tore her to shreds.

“Renner,” her voice broke and she had to try again. “You… you’d be with others?”

His eyes went wide. “No! That’s what I’m trying to say. I want something different with you. A dual mating. We each belong to the other. Faithful to each other for the rest of our lives.” He placed a gentle kiss to her lips. “You’re the only woman I want, Bethy.”

A sob blew past her throat. The relief those words brought was powerful. It was rewriting years of doubt and miles of wrongs.

Renner dropped to his knees before her.

“If we do this, it’s forever. We can’t undo it. Can you… do you love me? Will you choose me? Us?”

Her tears were falling in earnest now, but she had to calm down enough to tell him the truth. “I do, Renner. I always have. But I never thought we’d be here, now, making choices about our future. Thing is…” She wiped away the wetness and went down to her knees too. “I can’t see myself with anyone else. Or a future without you. I did that, and it was horrible. Coming here and finding you, had to be some kind of miracle. How could I possibly let that go?”

This was it. She was jumping off a cliff, and holding on to him the whole way down.

“I’m all in,” she whispered. “I want you, need you. And I’ll give you forever as long as you give me that too. I love you.”

The storm in his eyes raged. “Say it again, Bethy. I’ve waited a long time for those words.”

She leaned forward, kissing the corner of his mouth. “I love you.”

“Fuck,” he whispered. “That turns me on more than seeing you naked.”

He stood and helped her to her feet. She let him unzip her coat and remove her shoes. The cold air blasted her bare skin, but the anticipation of what they were doing pushed the chill away. The rest of their clothes came off quickly and Ren led her into the warm water of the spring.

The steam billowed around them as their bodies made contact beneath the pool. His hard planes against her soft curves seemed like the perfect fit. Renner’s lips started at her forehead and hit every spot on the way down until he stopped at the curve of her breasts. He grazed the area with his teeth.

“These are mine.”

He took her hand and entwining his fingers with hers, brought them to his lips. He sucked a finger into his mouth, twirling his tongue around the tip.

“These are mine.”

His other hand slid down her hips, squeezing the plump area she no longer tried to hide. Reaching around, he gripped her ass.

“This beautiful thing is mine.”

Beth panted at the sensation of his hands owning her body and his hardness pressed into her thigh. His palm swept around to her belly.

“Mine.”

And down between her legs, cupping her there.

“This, sweet Bethy, is fucking mine.”

He rubbed the heel of his hand against her mound until she felt like she was about to fly. Not yet.

Beth’s hand reached out to find him under the water. Gripping his hardness brought a hiss of pleasure from his lips. She rushed forward to kiss it away. “Mine,” she whispered.

His eyes dilated and changed from blue to panther green. “Always,” he huffed, his breath coming quicker. “I need inside you.”