Series: Mated for Life Series by Stacey Espino
Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 44685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
The intimacy sparked in the air.
“It’s an emerald.”
“Don’t you like it?” It was hard for him to gauge her reactions. Human emotions and customs were still a bit of a mystery at times.
“I love it. I mean, it’s perfect … but it’s too much.”
He tilted his head, wondering how he managed to fuck this up. “Too much?”
“It’s only our second date. Guys don’t usually invest in a woman until much later. This has to cost a lot. I can’t accept it.”
He cupped her face, forcing her to look up at him. She was so much smaller, a precious little female—his female. “I’d give you the world if I could. I don’t need a timeline to express myself, Bethany. I knew from the moment we met that you were the one for me.”
She chuckled softly. “You can’t be serious.”
“I don’t know about men in the city, but when I commit to something, I don’t do it lightly.” He didn’t want to scare her off by going too far. The truth was he already planned forever with her. There was no way he’d turn back now or ever. He was only biding his time until he felt she was ready to mate.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll be my ma—” He caught himself quickly. “My girlfriend.”
She bit her lip, trying to hide a little smile. “This is happening so fast. I’ve never been someone’s girlfriend before.”
Caleb leaned down and kissed her. She melted against him, no hesitation. He deepened the kiss, savoring her taste and the feel of her tongue in his mouth.
Within minutes, the palette of color in the sky faded into darkness. The full moon grew in strength, giving a wash of white light to the valley below. Wolves howled in the distance. Some were his packmates.
She clutched his shirt, pressing her body closer. “You hear that? Now what?”
“Shhh, relax, little one. Now we enjoy the full moon.” He pointed at the sky. “Do you know what legends say about the moon?”
Bethany shook her head.
“That some men turn into wolves. Do you believe in shapeshifters?”
“Don’t try to scare me, Caleb.”
He smirked, tilting her chin up. “That’s the last thing I want to do.” He kissed her lips again, a light caress. “Remember what I told you? I’ll protect you from anything.”
****
How could he protect her from those hell hounds? He was only a man, flesh and blood, the same as her. Memories of werewolf movies that had terrified her as a child came rushing back. She didn’t want to end up as human roadkill.
“You’re shaking,” he said.
“I’m not used to this. Maybe we should go back.” The thought of traversing the forest again to get to his truck almost put her into a full-blown panic attack. She didn’t want to be rude when they’d just shared the most romantic moment of her life, but now it was dark and eerie out.
She couldn’t even focus on the fact she had the world’s hottest boyfriend.
“Nothing will hurt you. Trust me a little,” he said. “Please.”
Reluctantly, she agreed to follow him. She held his hand again, loving the intimacy of holding his big, warm hand. His skin was slightly rough from manual labor, a real man. They weaved their way down the side of the low cliff until they reached the pebbly edge of a lake.
“Watch,” he said.
He squatted down and skipped a stone across the dark surface of the water. When the ripples settled, she noticed the reflection of the moon on the lake. It was a work of art, the mirror image of the sky. If she wasn’t so damn nervous, she’d be able to truly embrace the beauty of what Caleb was showing her. She felt his pride and didn’t want to ruin the night. She had been dreaming of finding a good man all her adult life. Someone who’d love and care for her—like no one ever had.
“Can you feel it at all?” he asked. He stood and took her hand, pressing it to his heart. “I feel the power of the moon right here. With each breath, it feeds me, strengthens me. I’m never as alive as I am on the full moon.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her desire for the man next to her was incomparable. Yes, he was rock solid and tempting, but there was more, a deeper connection. After only two dates she trusted him, felt drawn to him more than any other man. “I do feel something,” she said. Bethany wasn’t about to tell him those feelings were mostly between her legs.
“Then you understand why I trust my intuition?”
She palmed the emerald in her hand, still in shock that this man appeared to really want her as much as she wanted him. All her life, she’d craved a man to put her first. It was so hard to believe this was for real.