Chapter 10
TORIN
She didn’t believe him. Of course she didn’t.
He hadn’t treated her like she was his mate.
If he were a better wolf, he would have courted her properly instead of barking ultimatums at her and pretending to ignore her.
He needed to make it up to her because his wolf would never forgive him if he let their mate slip through his fingers.
He watched with the intensity of the predator he was as she scooped the last of her potatoes into her mouth and set her fork down with a satisfied sigh.
She was so fucking beautiful. He wanted nothing more than to pull her onto his lap and kiss the hell out of her, to unwind that messy twist piled on top of her head and plunge his hands into her silky hair as he tasted every inch of her.
“So, you’re telling me I’m your mate,” she finally said.
“Yes.” When she didn’t respond, he asked, “Do you know about shifters and their mates?”
“I’m familiar with the concept. A couple of my friends are mated, and their mates worship the ground they walk on.
” Settling back in her chair, she twisted her wineglass between her fingers.
“So, that begs the question: what’s up with you?
Because that is definitely not how you’ve been acting around me. ”
Well, she wasn’t wrong. “My wolf knew you were our mate from the first moment we scented you.”
“At the bar?”
He fought the urge to duck his head, though he’d been doing his job as alpha and looking out for his pack. “At the train station.”
“Are you kidding me? I knew it wasn’t just a dark, creepy station.” She kicked him under the table. “You freaked me out, stupid wolf.”
He grunted as her house shoes made contact with his shin. “I was patrolling. You were an unknown human in my territory. I had to keep an eye on you.”
“Oh, did you now?” Crossing one leg over the other, she leaned an elbow on the table. “So you were just keeping an eye on me, huh?”
Why did he feel defensive? A good alpha knew who was in his territory and what they were doing there, and he was a very good alpha. There was nothing wrong with that. “Yes.”
“And what about kissing me in the pub?”
He laced his fingers behind his head, his muscles flexing.
A smirk lit his face when he noticed Sophie was having trouble keeping her eyes off him.
He flexed again, enjoying how her breath caught at his movement.
“As I remember it, you’re the one who instigated that.
I was just responding to a beautiful woman throwing herself at me outside the toilets. ”
“I did not throw myself at you,” she huffed. “You ran into me, and I just… took the opportunity presented to me.” She tapped a short nail against the edge of the charger. The porcelain chimed. “You think I’m pretty?”
“You are a stunning woman, Sophie,” he said, his voice low and husky. “And I cannot wait to take you to bed and make love to you.”
A flush of red stained her cheeks, her blue eyes sparkling. “Before or after dessert?”
His mouth quirked up. “Ladies’ choice.”
They both moved at the same time, their bodies clashing as their mouths met, tongues twining together. She tasted of cherries and wine, a heady combination that made his head spin.
She giggled as he swept her up into his arms and loped up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
“Put me down.” She nipped his earlobe. “You’re going to drop me.”
“Are you doubting my strength, love?” He tossed her a few inches in the air and caught her. “I would never drop you.”
“Torin,” she squealed, her grip strangling him.
Shouldering open the door to his room, he set her down on the edge of his bed. With a finger under her chin, he tipped her face up to his. “I haven’t been an attentive mate, and I apologize for that. Bryn’s mother was human and she…” He took a deep breath.
Sophie pushed off the bed, pressed her lush curves against him, and looped her arms over his shoulders. “Did she die?” she asked quietly.
He shook his head. “It might have been easier if she had, but no. She lied, cheated, and stole from me and from the pack before abandoning us. I haven’t seen her since Bryn was a toddler.”
“Ah,” she said, stroking his arms. “I’m so sorry that happened to you and to Bryn. And I’m sure that awful behavior didn’t help your distrust of humans.”
“No, it did not.” He leaned his forehead against hers, breathing in the heady scent of her. “But I’ve come to accept that not all humans are terrible.”
She shifted, her hard nipples rubbing against his chest. Her fingernails scraped over the back of his skull. Blood rushed to his cock, and he let out a low groan.
“You just realized this, did you?” she asked, rolling her hips. She braced herself against his chest as she nipped along his jawline. “Took you long enough.”
His cock throbbed with need. “Too long,” he agreed as he fisted her hair and tugged her head back so he could reach those lovely soft lips of hers. “It won’t happen again. You have all my attention as long as you want it, my lovely mate.”
Giving him a slow smile, she pulled off her cardigan and threw it to the side. “Oh, I want.” She reached down and slid a hand over his length straining against the fabric of his pants. “I definitely want.”
“Thank fuck.” He traced his tongue over the seam of her lips, and she parted for him with a soft gasp. She tasted like the sweetest dessert, a treat he wanted to gorge himself on.
Grasping the bottom of her shirt, he pulled it over her head and tossed it away. His hand skated up her ribcage to cup her breasts. She sucked in a breath as he brushed his thumbs over her nipples. “You have the most stunning breasts, love.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Um… thanks?”
He paused, cocking his head to look at her. “Has no one ever told you that?”
“Well, plenty of men have stared at them,” she said with a small shake of her head. “But I don’t think that counts. Shows those men are pigs.”
“Fools. That’s what they are,” he said, leaning down to kiss the mounds. “Delicious.”
Rolling her eyes, she tugged at his sweater’s hem. “Come on. Take it off. I can’t be the only topless one around here.”
“Anything you want, love. In fact, I suggest we both get naked before I rip those bottoms off you, toss you on my bed, and fuck you until you can’t see straight,” he said, adding his sweater to the discard pile before shucking off his pants.
She swallowed hard. Her gaze skated over his stomach, following the trail of dark hair to his erection. She looked back up at him, her pupils blown. “You promise?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely.” His hands swept down her sides, following the curve of her waist, skimming her silky bottoms over her hips and round backside. They slid down to pool around her feet.
His breath caught as she stood naked in front of him.
Long wavy red hair tumbled over her shoulders, the bright color contrasting with the milky paleness of her porcelain skin.
Pink nipples tipped breasts that were the perfect handful.
Her generous hips and rounded stomach made his mouth water almost as much as that thatch of red hair at the juncture of her thighs did.
She was the most glorious woman he’d ever seen.
Grasping her waist, he tossed her onto his bed, taking a moment to appreciate the fact that his mate was here, in his home, and in his bed. With a possessive growl, he crawled onto the bed, giving chase as she scooted up towards the headboard, her eyes wide.
“Torin,” she whispered, reaching out to run her fingers through his hair.
“Sophie,” he answered. Parting her legs, he kissed his way up her inner thigh.
“You deserve to be worshipped and protected. To be loved for everything that you are. As my mate, that’s my job, one I’ve been failing at.
No longer love. From this moment forward, I will do everything in my power to treat you like the queen you are and to prove to you that I am worthy of your affection. ”
She licked her lips. “Wow,” she said, stroking his hair. “That’s… wow, Torin. That’s quite a speech there, especially with us both naked. I mean, I was expecting sex, not a passionate declaration of intentions.”
“I can be surprising.” He kissed her soft thigh. “And passionate.” He pushed himself up into plank position so he could look her in the eye when he asked, “Will you give me a chance?”