He was so fucked.
Gabe swallowed the lump in his throat. He opened his mouth to speak, but just stared at her. Her face was filled with mirth at his plight. She had to know.
When he realized his hand still held his cock in his grip, he almost died on the spot. Jesus. What the hell was wrong with him?
He jerked his hand up and stuffed his phone in his pocket.
Kathleen leaned against the wall alongside him and ducked her head. Her long thick curls curtained her face and hid her expression.
Seconds ticked by. Neither of them spoke.
What the hell was he supposed to say? Hi. So, it appears we’re mates. I’m way too old for you. How long would you like me to wait? He felt like a pervert even thinking about her wet pussy and pebbled nipples. He could smell her arousal and knew if he swiped a finger between her legs under that thin short skirt, he would find her dripping wet.
She cleared her throat. “Now what do we do?” she asked.
“I don’t know. This is strange territory,” he muttered, turning to face her, leaning his shoulder against the wall. Without the wall, he might fall on his face. He didn’t want to say the wrong things, so he went with nothing at all.
*
Kath lifted her gaze toward the man who held her heart in his hands. His look was one of confusion, and he wasn’t happy. He must have realized she was his mate when he started acting all strange in the den she’d fled to. How had she missed the clues? She knew there was something about him that rattled her, but it wasn’t until he began to speak with her father that it sunk in. She’d nearly slunk to the floor deflated when she’d realized she was his.
His social cues in the den had been all over the map. He’d been bossy and demanding and almost angry.
Why had he followed her? Obviously he knew they were mates. Did he perhaps not want a mate? Was that why he’d been in hiding all these years? Avoiding fate?
She almost felt bad for the man. Almost. He’d finally come home and made himself available, and the first woman who inadvertently pops into his quiet reverie is in fact destined for him.
Was she not what he’d expected in a mate? She knew she was young and inexperienced, but didn’t men like that in a woman? After all, he was quite old for her too. It scared the piss out of her thinking about how old he must be. At least late twenties. He’d been on his own for many years. She still lived with her parents. She must seem like such a baby to him. And she felt like one too, standing next to him in her sundress and sandals. He seemed like a man who usually spent time in the company of sophisticated women in classy outfits and high heels. The suit he was wearing cost more than her entire wardrobe.
Her family was average middle class. Her dad was a salesman for a major electronics chain. Her mom was a substitute teacher. The Albertsons, on the other hand, were wealthy. They owned several acres of land and all three of their children had attended prestigious universities. Gabriel was the oldest.
They continued to stare at each other in a sort of standoff. What was the matter with him? Why did he insist on glaring at her as though all of this were somehow her fault?
The knot in the pit of her stomach that screamed for release didn’t allow her to spend much time dwelling on his problem. She was far too consumed with her own plight. No matter how tight she squeezed her legs together, her sex still ached. She wanted to bend over at the waist and gasp for oxygen as though she’d run a race. But that would be awkward.
For whatever reason, he wasn’t pleased with this arrangement.
She was surprised she hadn’t realized he was her mate as quickly as he had. She must have been so worked up over Marcus, she couldn’t quite weed through her emotions to recognize the reason for her intense reaction to Gabriel was that they were destined for each other.
He let his gaze wander down her body and back up. She felt like she was under a microscope, trapped for his inspection. Did she not measure up?
“You know,” he finally stated. “That’s also strange.”
Why is that strange? She narrowed her gaze, trying to read him. Don’t both mates usually know they are destined for each other? She nodded. Though it wasn’t necessary.
Her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth, and she couldn’t make sentences under his scrutiny. Although his scent filled the hall, a deeply masculine smell that made her want to groan, she grew angry. Her frustration dampened her arousal.
Finally, when she thought she might scream, he reached out and grabbed a lock of her curls, brushing them between his fingers and staring at them as though they were extremely fascinating. His hand shook. He was as nervous as she.
When he released her hair, without touching her skin, he jerked his back to the wall and tipped his head toward the ceiling. He stuffed both hands in his pockets. “You’re going to be the death of me. Go find your parents.”