7. Sandro
Sandro
Iached for the man in my arms unlike any I had ever before.
I knew I was going to have my work cut out for me to win him over.
He might eventually let me claim him, but I was certain it would take much longer than that for him to believe me when I said I was going to do everything within my power to give him everything he ever wanted in life.
I couldn’t bring his parents back, but I could have the family look into what actually happened and get him answers. Honest answers.
The sunrise was beautiful, and getting to spend it with my beloved made it even more so.
I wouldn’t have appreciated the view if not for Leo.
He didn’t know it yet, but he truly was exactly who I needed in my life.
He gave me a purpose, and I wasn’t going to waste a moment of our time together.
Perhaps Leo would have been gifted a different mate if I’d died in that warehouse, but I didn’t, and he had been gifted to me.
I was going to cherish and spoil him to the best of my abilities.
Yes, I was being a bit of an ass by not letting him go when he asked, but I didn’t want him to run away. I needed him to understand that I wanted to hold him. I wanted him in my life.
“Oh, wow,” Leo said quietly. “Look over there.”
I turned my head in the direction that Leo indicated and saw exactly what he was looking at.
The sunrise had revealed the breathtaking mountain with the lake at the base of it.
I kissed his hair again, briefly closing my eyes at the tingling in my fangs.
Being this near to my beloved revealed to me just how hungry my body was for blood from a donor.
That it was my beloved certainly added to that hunger.
“It is beautiful,” I said before opening my eyes to look at the scenery again. “I believe that Abel was onto something when he suggested we come here for whatever it is that he called it.”
“Matemoon.”
“Yes. Whatever that is supposed to be,” I said.
“I don’t believe we will need to spend a month here though.
” I knew I had a lot of work to do before I could claim Leo.
“Are you hungry? We had just finished lunch before you found us. You mentioned you were working but didn’t mention anything about eating. ”
Leo shrugged. “I could eat, but it’s not really necessary. I ate this morning when I woke.”
That was absolutely a nonanswer. “Well, how about I show you my culinary skills? I’m certainly not Rio, and I can’t simply use magic to make amazing things appear, but I am a fairly good cook.
” I loosened my hold on Leo and smiled down at him when he turned to look at me.
He was gorgeous. More so than the view beyond our cabin, but I didn’t know if he would believe me if I told him that.
“You can cook?”
I nodded. “I can. Granted, Rio is from Brazil, but he’s been with the coven long enough to realize that we eat pasta every day.
I’m certain that he’s stocked the place with all of the things we’ll need to prepare something.
” I reached down and took Leo’s hand. I couldn’t resist kissing him again and brought his hand to my mouth.
I gave it a quick kiss, closing my eyes at the throbbing in my fangs.
His vein was right there, and this close, I could hear the blood pumping through it.
I lowered his hand quickly, offering another smile at him.
“What do you say? Could you eat something?”
Leo shrugged again. “I mean, yeah, but you don’t have to go to any trouble. I can throw a sandwich together or something.”
“If that is what you desire,” I told him.
I wasn’t going to force him to eat something if he didn’t want to.
“I was simply trying to take care of you.” Time.
It would take plenty of that. He didn’t know me, nor did he fully trust me, and I could tell.
His shifter side was drawn to me because I was his mate, but his human side had reservations.
It would simply take time. I needed to show him that I could be trusted.
“Since the sun is up, how about we get you something to eat, and then perhaps we can figure out a hike or something of that nature.”
Leo looked me up and down slowly. “You hike?” He snorted. “You do not look as if you hike, Sandro. In fact, I’m sure those slacks cost more than my entire wardrobe.”
I looked down at myself. He wasn’t wrong. They were custom tailored. “I didn’t pack for the mountains,” I told him. “But if Rio brought us here, I’m sure that upstairs in one of the rooms, there is clothing that is appropriate for where we are and the activities that one would be expected to do.”
“Do you own jeans? Cargo pants?” Leo asked.
I pressed my lips together tightly. “Neither jeans or cargo pants are part of my standard wardrobe, no.” There was no need for anything other than what I was currently wearing.
“Uh-huh. You do not hike, Sandro.”
I scowled. “Just because it is not exactly my normal activity does not mean that I cannot go hiking with you. How else are we to explore the area? That is what we are here for, is it not?”
Leo snorted again. “I’m pretty sure that the last thing your coven members expected from us is hiking and things of that nature. They sent us here to claim each other. You know…sex and all that. Last time I had that, it didn’t involve clothing. And definitely not hiking.”
“That may be, but I am not expecting to get lucky enough to have sex with you anytime in the near future. Hence the offer to go hiking.” I was getting frustrated, and I pinched the bridge of my nose again to calm myself.
I needed to remember that Leo was my beloved.
He was most likely as sweet as could be.
And he’d been running from his pride because they were after him for what I was certain was a justifiable reaction to his alpha’s brother’s actions.
“Really? You don’t want to have sex with me? I mean, I get that I’m probably not nearly as sophisticated as your usual donors, but—”
“I never said I did not want to have sex with you,” I said, interrupting him.
“I said I did not expect to anytime soon. We just met. You have reservations about being mated to me, and I can understand that.” I sighed.
“Do not make things difficult, Leo. I would love nothing more than to take you inside, slowly strip your clothing off one article at a time, and worship your body unlike it’s ever been before.
I know for a fact that I will not be able to have sex with you without biting you.
That means I will claim you, and there is no undoing that. ”
“Oh.”
I nodded. “Yes. Oh.” I took a step forward.
It was wrong of me, and it was an incredibly bold move, but I needed him to understand that there was no doubt that I desired him.
I took Leo’s hand and placed it on the crotch of my pants.
Immediately, I regretted the move because his hand cupping my hard dick felt more incredible than anticipated.
I closed my eyes and bit the inside of my cheek to keep from groaning.
“Oh.”
I felt Leo’s hand slide downward and then back up, and I couldn’t bite back the moan.
It had been well over a year since I’d had sex, and although I’d used the donors for blood, it had been nothing but the need to survive for me.
They had enjoyed the exchange, but the only thing I wanted from them was blood.
This was different because this was my beloved, and he was suddenly palming my cock through my slacks.
It felt incredible, and if he didn’t stop, I would end up embarrassing myself quick enough.
“You’re playing with fire, kitten,” I warned as I reached down and grabbed his wrist, stopping the movement of his hand.
I looked down at him, not surprised that I was looking at him through a red haze.
Leo’s sudden intake of breath, combined with his step back, had me dropping his hand.
“I only meant to show you that I very much desire you. But I want all of you, and you are not ready to give yourself to me completely.” I took a step away from Leo, and then another.
“If you’d like for me to cook something for you—”
“No. I’m good with a sandwich or something,” he said before he hurried off into the cabin.
I watched him go, as I needed a moment to get myself under control.
I would never force him to do anything he wasn’t ready for, and although I knew I wasn’t a threat to him, I was still incredibly turned on, and he was my beloved.
The desire to seduce and claim was there, and if I said it wasn’t, I would be lying.
I waited a few minutes before following my beloved into the cabin. Immediately upon entering, I found him in the kitchen area. He had several things in front of him, and he looked as if he was busy making a sandwich.
“Do you need any help?” I asked.
“No, thank you though.”
I nodded. “Well then, if you don’t require my assistance, I’ll go upstairs and find the luggage. I’ll take the smaller of the rooms. You can have the main,” I told him. I started toward the stairs that were on the far side of the room.
“Why would you do that?” Leo asked.
I paused but didn’t turn. “Because you should have the nicer room,” I told him.
I hurried up the stairs, expecting to find a hallway with doors that would lead to the bedrooms, only that wasn’t the case.
It was a lovely loft room. The bed was massive, and there was a door off to the left that led to the bathroom.
But there was only one bedroom, and that meant only one bed.
I sighed. Rio didn’t know. He didn’t realize that there would be no sharing for the two of us anytime soon.