The Alpha's Temporary Mate (Fated Match)(71)

“Worth it,” she breathed, staring up at the stars above them.

No matter what happened next, she would never forget her werewolf lover. Not even if she lived hundreds of years.

“Told you,” he said, pulling her close. “I totally won.”

Her laugher echoed in the clearing around them. “Says you. I’m hanging that flag in the main hall before we go back to our cabin.”

“Mm.” He nuzzled against her throat. “Let’s do that immediately. The sooner we get back to the cabin, my witch, the sooner I can have you naked beneath me again.”

Though she’d just survived the most intensive orgasm of her life, her body clenched at his words.

“Yes,” she agreed. “That’s a plan I can get behind.”

As she gathered her clothes, Chloe knew she was in for a long night.

And looked forward to every second of it.





Chapter Sixteen

The sound of birds singing woke her.

Chloe opened her eyes, disorientation momentarily overtaking her. It took a minute to remember why sunlight was streaming into a cabin and not a penthouse. And a second more to realize the arm wrapped around her waist wasn’t a figment of her imagination.

A smile tugged at her lips. For the first time in ages, she was waking up next to someone. The experience wasn’t one she often repeated. Usually either she or her lovers would leave before sleeping arrangements came up. It wasn’t that she disliked the intimacy, but she’d always slept better in her own bed.

Not so last night. Curled in Kieran’s arms, she’d slept like the dead. There was something to be said for feeling all warm, safe and…cared for.

Trying to move as little as possible, she turned her head to glimpse the man behind her, only to find his brown eyes on her.

“You’re awake?” she whispered, spinning the rest of the way so that she faced him.

“Not long,” he replied. His arm tightened around her waist to pull her closer.

Chloe pillowed her hands under her head as she watched him. “Are you trying to think of a polite way to hustle me out of bed?” she teased.

He shook his head. “You’re exactly where you belong.”

Yes, her inner voice agreed. For the first time in a century she was perfectly happy. Something deep inside her had clicked into place, banishing the worries that had followed her since the day she was born. Gone was the fear she’d make the wrong decision and lose the life she’d built, that she’d end up alone and scared once more. No matter how successful Fated Match grew or how secure her life became, those doubts had been impossible to scrub from her mind.

But right now they were silent.

Because I’m not alone anymore. The M-word would send Kieran running for the hills, but she didn’t know any other way to explain what was happening to her. This wasn’t about sex. She wasn’t a stranger to taking lovers. Kieran was simply different. He was changing her, changing the direction she’d thought her life was taking.

She just prayed she was having the same effect on him.

“Deep thoughts,” he said, brushing a thumb over her cheek.

“Yeah.”

“Regrets?”

She shook her head. “Never. No matter how this plays out.”

A grin split his face. “I’ll tell you how this plays out. We get through a day full of my advisors snipping at our relationship then we fall back into bed tonight. Rinse and repeat until this retreat is over.”

“And then?”

“Then we go home,” he replied.

Home. A pang of longing squeezed her heart. “Yours or mine?” she asked.

An infinitely gentle expression slid over his face. “I have a feeling they are the same thing.”

She nodded, her throat tight.

“We go home,” he continued. “And turn this charade into a reality.”

“A real relationship. I thought you were allergic to those.”

“Me, too. Then I wound up in your office, and you took a wrecking ball to my life.”

She propped herself up on his chest, staring down at him. “You say the sweetest things.”

Her wolf smiled, curling her hair around his fingers. “I never thought I’d be saying these things to another woman ever again.”

“Lisette did a real number on you.”

“An experience like that…”

“Can break you to pieces,” she said. Leaning down she pressed a light kiss over his heart. “Luckily, I love a challenge.”

“I’ll try,” he promised. “To be whole for you.”

She watched him silently. A tiny nugget of worry reformed. The truth of the matter was, her lover’s heart had been destroyed before they met. As much as she wanted to believe she was enough to reform it, there was always the chance that some wounds were just too deep. What if he could never love her the way she needed?