28. Ryoch
28
RYOCH
C harlotte was distracted.
She’d taken a rideshare to the hospital so that we could leave in the same car, a signal that she was giving me more trust. But that seemed to be her limit today, and I was careful not to push. We didn’t talk about mating bonds, or anything of substance, over a pleasant lunch at a sunny bistro.
In the twenty-four hours we’d been apart, I’d already needed another dose of medication for separation symptoms. I would gladly continue using it, for as long as it took, until she was ready to accept our bond.
My hospital shift was over, with nothing scheduled the rest of the day. I paid the check and suggested we go for a drive, and her face lit up. It didn’t take long until the city was behind us, valley farms and tree-covered hills stretching ahead.
“This is beautiful,” she said, looking out the window as we drove past a field dotted with wildflowers.
“It is.” I was looking at her, not the field. With some effort, I focused my attention back on the road.
“You know…” The serious tone in her voice had me sitting up straighter. “I can’t think of a single good reason not to bond with you, or not to leave Earth.” She blew out a breath. “But I’m still terrified.”
My grip on the steering wheel tightened. “I don’t want you to be terrified.”
Never. She should be certain and happy. I would never mark her otherwise.
“But maybe it’s healthy if I am? I mean, I can’t imagine more of a commitment. Not only a permanent relationship, but a permanent relocation.”
It hurt my heart that a permanent bond would frighten her. “I understand. But I also love you. I’ll always love you, and no one else. Even if I never mark you, I’m yours.”
The stillness in the car was heavy. Had I said something wrong?
“You…love me?”
I pulled over onto the shoulder, braking hard, and Charlotte gasped. The car skidded on gravel, throwing rocks and dust into the air. Our seatbelts tightened as I instinctively used a ta’lap to brace across her chest.
We came to a stop next to a small green hill topped by one solitary oak tree. I put the car into park and turned off the ignition. There were no other vehicles on the road, but I wasn’t sure if I cared anyway. I shifted. For this, I wanted her to see me.
Charlotte turned in her seat toward me, her eyes wide. The distance between us felt too far, even though it was only about a foot, and my heart hammered in my chest. She didn’t know? If she was in any doubt about my feelings for her, I had to make it clear.
“Yes. I love you, Charlotte.” My throat was dry. I glanced out the window, then back to her. “It’s a fine day for love . ”
She startled a little, recognizing the dialog she’d written. It was from one of her most powerful scenes in Score One for Love . Her lips tipped up in a smile.
“Did you memorize my books, Ryoch?”
“I remember everything I read.”
She hadn’t responded, not really, so I waited. I resisted the urge to reach for her, worried she was overwhelmed.
“I love you, Ryoch,” she said, her smile growing. “I’m still going to be scared about that, it’s just how I’m wired. But I want to take the chance. I want to leap with you.”
Another quote from the same book. It was from a scene that seemed like a dark moment, when the main characters thought they had no hope of escape from the roof of a mafia boss’s compound. But they jumped together, survived, and of course lived happily ever after.
Charlotte loved me. She was ready to jump. Hearing her say it made my heart swell with joy.
But was she ready for all of it?
“I want to bond with you, Ryoch.” She reached over to squeeze my thigh, answering the question I hadn’t asked out loud. “Take me home.”
Need crashed into me, shocking in its intensity. Instinct and desire pushed a growl from my chest. Charlotte was ready to be mine. My sta’la .
I leaned across the console and slid my fingers into her hair, pulling her to me. Our mouths met in a fiery kiss, her lips opening for me, both of us groaning. My teeth were sharp against my lithis , growing sharper and longer in preparation for marking her. She twisted in her seat, the scent of her arousal filling the car, and I wondered if I had the strength to drive us back.
Not on the side of the road. She’s your mate.
Clinging to my last thread of control, I slowly pulled back, still holding her jaw. She was panting, catching her breath, her pupils blown.
“Soon, love. Hold on.” It was all I could manage.
I shifted back to human, but one ta’lap remained, wrapping around her shoulders to stroke at the spot on her neck where I would bite. She shivered, her scent telling me exactly how much she liked that idea.
We rumbled back onto the road, gravel scattering, and I tried to breathe as little as possible the rest of the way back.