King's Throne(46)

Mitch parked the snowmobile on one side of the cabin where it was hidden from view and joined her inside a moment later. The place was toasty warm and closed up for the night. Gina had shut the blackout curtains before they’d left, knowing they’d be returning after dark. And this time, she hadn’t forgotten to close a single one. They were as secure as they were going to get.
Which meant the moment of truth had arrived. Gina had been going over the discussion she’d had with her mother earlier that evening for the past hour or two. She was as certain as she could be that Mitch was her destiny. Her future. Her mate.
Drastic measures were called for in order to get him to admit what she knew in her heart was the truth. He was hers, just as she was his.
And there was no time like the present.
She shed her coat, walking up to Mitch as he did the same. She didn’t stop to think or give him time to move away. She simply stepped right into his arms and hugged him close.
He was so warm. So vital. So alive.
She could tell he was confused by her actions when his arms seemed to pause before slowly wrapping around her. He let her rest her head against his shoulder for a long moment before she felt him move back a bit to look down at her.
“What’s this all about?” A confused smile played about his masculine lips and she read uncertainty in his golden eyes.
“Something I should have done days ago. The moment the poison was out of your system and I got a taste of your natural scent, I knew you were the one,” she admitted. “I debated jumping you in the shower.” She had to laugh at herself, knowing honesty was the best policy among mates. She would start as she meant to go on—laying out the truth, fully expecting he would do the same.
“Whoa, princess—”
“No.” She felt him pulling away and she tightened her hold. She wasn’t letting him get away with putting barriers of useless titles between them. “I’m not your princess, Mitch. I’m your mate.”
There it was. The stark, undeniable truth. She saw a momentary flair of panic in his eyes. But then something settled down and he seemed to inhale very deliberately and close his eyes. When he opened them, the look in them was very different. Resigned. Concerned. And joyous.
She understood the mixed emotions very well. Mating was a big deal. He’d be cavalier if he wasn’t worried. For that matter, mating her—in their precarious political position—was something to be very concerned about. She knew it. And she knew he knew it. They’d be fools to not consider what their mating might mean in the bigger picture.#p#分页标题#e#
But it was also a biological imperative. An undeniable force of nature that demanded they come together. In all the world, his was the one soul matched to hers. He was the one man she needed as no other. And she was the same for him. She knew it in her heart.
For that’s what mating was among shifters. It was a Goddess-given bond between two souls, two people and their two inner beasts. It was sacred and special. And it could be very scary as well as intensely satisfying.
“You feel it too?” he finally asked in a rough voice, so deeply pitched it rumbled along her spine like the softest of caresses.
“Since the moment you came out of that shower without the chemicals clouding your scent. Although, if I’m honest, I’d say I was attracted to you well before then. When I first saw you in Ellie’s guest room, I knew there was something about you.” She reached up and pushed a lock of golden hair away from his face. “You’re a handsome man, Mitch. You know that. But there was more. Some inner…something…that attracted me. I liked the way you fought against the poison that would have killed almost anyone else. I liked your spirit and your determination. You were brave too. So brave when it looked like you might not win the fight. My heart broke for you, and when it came back together, you were deep inside, never to be removed. And a big chunk of it became yours.”
She smiled, stroking his stubbled cheek. The rasp of his short bristles against her fingers sent shivers down her spine to settle in her center. She loved touching him and reveled in the freedom to finally touch him like a lover.
“Gina…” he whispered, dipping his head to hers and joining their lips in a sweet, sweet kiss. He drew back but didn’t go far, his hands framing her face. “You are the most beautiful woman in the world. Your heart, your courage, your compassion and strength humble me.” He dipped closer, planting another short kiss on her parted lips. “I’ve tried to stay away. I know I’m no good for you. And I worry about the future. I could lose the challenge, and if that happens, I didn’t want to leave you alone and hurting.”