Love at Stake (Entangled Covet)(65)

The door closed behind her as she tried to collect herself. Why was it the first time you saw an ex you looked a mess? She plucked at her sweatpants and tried to avoid thinking what chaos her hair had gotten into.

“So,” he said, following her the few steps it took to reach the living room.

Throwing back her shoulders, she twirled to face him. “So.”

Seeing him this close was a shock to her system. If the next guy she attempted to date was anywhere near as handsome as her supernatural men, she’d run in the other direction.

He looked good, she noted. Their breakup had obviously gone much better for him than her.

Which brought up the question—what was he doing here?

“I came for you,” he said, as if reading her thoughts.

Abbey took a wary step back. “Why?”

“Because I knew the vampire would screw it up eventually.”

She looked away. “Says the wolf who mauled him to shreds.”

Christian winced. “I tried to apologize for that. You don’t know what it’s like to have an animal caged inside you. I didn’t react in time that night. But Abbey, never would I ever hurt you. Not on purpose. Not like you’re hurting now.

“I don’t want to talk about Lucian.”

“Neither do I.” He took back the space she’d yielded and touched her arm. “I want to talk about you and me.”

“There is no you and me.”

A faint smile twisted his lips. “No?”

Tugging her hand, he pulled her off-balance. She fell into his arms and before a word of protest could escape her, his lips were on hers.

Abbey gasped at the unexpected assault, but Christian gave her no chance to think. He dominated her, kissing her with a passion designed to overwhelm. As his lips slanted over hers, she couldn’t help acknowledging the man knew what he was doing. For a brief second, Lucian wasn’t at the forefront of her mind.

His tongue teased against hers as he deepened the kiss. Helpless to resist, she twined her arms around his neck and wondered how wrong it would be to let him take away the pain. She could fall into bed with him and not have to think of anything but pleasure.

And regret it tenfold in the morning.

“Stop,” she moaned, pushing against his broad chest. “Christian, stop.”

He eased back, trailing his lips over hers one last time.

“Think about it, honey,” he murmured. “We’re not a bad match.”

“Is that why you’re here? The damn 96 percent?”

The werewolf shrugged. “I’ve spent decades looking for a woman who fits me half as well as you do. Your own agency provides the proof of my claim. We belong together. Think of the life we could have.”

And God help her, she did.

With Christian by her side, she’d never be insecure. She’d never wonder if some gorgeous woman would walk by and steal him away from her. When wolves mated, it was for life. She’d have a faithful mate, one who put her needs first and lived to see her happy.

Her fingers played over his cheek. The life he offered was an attractive one.

“We’re too similar,” she whispered, her gaze dropping to his lips.

“I disagree.”

That brought a smile to her face. “You’re pursuing this because you want to settle down and no one matches you as high as I do.”

“Maybe.” He tucked his arm snugly around her waist. “But it’s more than that. I think of a future with you, and I see the life we could have. White picket fence, 2.5 kids, the fairy tale—we could have it all.”

“What about love?” She looked up into his amber eyes.

“I told you. The mating bond isn’t always explosive. Sometimes it grows more slowly, but that doesn’t mean the connection is any less real. You’ll grow to love me.”

“I love Lucian now.” Abbey knew the words were cruel, but he needed to understand. This wasn’t some girlish crush to disappear just because she wished it to.

His expression darkened but all he said was, “You won’t always. And when you realize that, I want to be the one by your side.”

Right words, wrong man. She closed her eyes as her heart bled a little more. Part of her longed to take what Christian was offering. To jump in blindly and let him be her distraction.

What sort of horrible woman was she?

“Both you and Lucian talk about mates and destiny and the implications of being supernatural, but have you ever really thought about the implications of my being human?”

He blinked. “Of course. When the time comes, we will find a suitable method for transformation.”

“And if I don’t want it?” she asked. “What if I like being exactly as I am?”