I was totally confused.
But of course my body grew wet and ready, my feelings for him too strong to deny … too heady to pretend weren’t real.
We stood like that, perilously close to kissing, but then he wrenched himself away from me. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He took my hand and started moving briskly toward camp.
“What the hell are you doing?” I tried to pull my arm free, but he only tightened his grip.
His answer was a throaty growl
His thumb started a slow, gentle caress on the inside of my wrist, a stark contrast to the animalistic need around him. I finally saw where he was leading me—to his and Chase’s cabin. Instantly my heart started to jackknife in my chest.
“Wait. Xavier.” I dug my feet in the ground and yanked my arm back, not sure what in the hell was going on. My wolf had risen to the surface, the instinct to show strength riding me strong, even if this was Xavier, one of the men I loved.
The force of my actions and the strength I was exerting must have surprised Xavier, because I ended up pulling out of his hold and falling backward. Before I could hit the ground Xavier was there, cradling my body to his, our breath mingling, our gazes clashing. And despite the urgency in his actions, he started to lower his head toward my mouth, as if he couldn’t stop himself, couldn’t help his desire.
I scented his need for me instantly, let it coat me, and as shocking as it might have been, I didn’t want this moment to end. Before our lips fused, the front door to the cabin he shared with Chase opened. I was so caught up in the moment I hadn’t even realized we were already here.
Xavier set me on my feet, and I faced Chase, scenting his need, as well.
What in the hell is going on?
“This isn’t the place for the things we have planned for you,” he said in a gruff tone, looking between Xavier and me.
“Come on.”
I shivered at Chase’s words and let Xavier lead me up the steps of the porch and into the cabin. When the door shut behind me, Chase and Xavier moved to stand in front of me. I kept my back to the door, looking between the two of them.
“Um, can you tell me what’s going on?” Of course what was slamming into my head on repeat was the fact these two males had been with me, had claimed me, eased me. My body recognized them as mine, and I hated I couldn’t be the mate they were looking for.
There was no “fate” at play when mates got together. There was just a deep-rooted need to be with the other. Of course I wanted them as such, but mating couldn’t be one way.
As the silence stretched, I could sense the tension within them.
“What’s going on?” I asked again, waiting for a reply. But all I got was their gazes focused on me. Whatever they needed to say was on the surface, hanging between us.
“You really don’t know?” Xavier asked, tilting his head to the side as he looked at me right in the eyes.
My stomach jumped up into my throat. The only logical thing coming to mind was that they wanted sex again. I could smell their desire for me coat the air. But that wasn’t going to happen. I was not going to be pussy on demand, not even for the men I loved.
My heart was racing as I opened and closed my mouth, knowing what I wanted, but not daring to actually say the words for fear of humiliating myself if I was wrong.
“You know, Ophelia.” Chase spoke softly, and took a step toward me. “You feel what we feel.”
“We’ve always known there was something special about you,” Xavier said, “but we wanted to give you time to grow, to come into yourself.” Xavier took a step closer. “We wanted to make everything perfect, right.” They both took a step closer. “And then we scented you in your heat, and we knew without a doubt we couldn’t wait any longer.”
“I…” I swallowed and felt myself start to shake, my emotions and what was transpiring overwhelming me.
“We always knew you were ours, Ophelia, but Xavier is right,” Chase spoke softly. “We wanted to wait until you were older. We didn’t want to rush you.”
I shook my head, confused. “You never acted interested in me at all, never even gave me the time of day.” I backed up. This wasn’t happening. This confused me, made me feel like I was drowning.
“Mate,” Chase and Xavier seemed to say at the same time.
Xavier held his hand out to me. “If we let our basic urges, our bears, come forward, we wouldn’t have been able to stop ourselves.”
I sucked in a great lungful of air.
“You’re still so young, nearly a decade younger than we are, Ophelia,” Chase said, this softness coming over his face. “Rushing you, making you our mate before you were really ready, is not how we wanted to start things.” Chase made this low growl.