Page 65 of His Wild Mate

But if he didn't sleep, I wasn't going to give him the option tomorrow night. He looked so exhausted it broke my heart.

“You're here. That's all I need,” he insisted.

We both got naked and climbed into bed. I loved that he was comfortable in his skin and didn't insist on wearing clothes, especially when sleeping. They were so restrictive, and I hated them. Wearinghis wasn't quite as bad. They were big and loose, not as confining as others I'd worn. And more importantly, they smelled like him.

I snuggled up against his side, draping my arm over his abdomen and resting my head on his chest. He was so familiar to me after only a few days. It was a bit terrifying.

“I'm so lost. I don't know what to do,” I whispered.

“You're not lost anymore. You're right where you're supposed to be.”

I looked up at him. He was so handsome, and his delicious scent was potent to me. I'd never been attracted to anyone before, but with him, I was a lost cause.

“My brain tells me to run. I know I need to get the hell out of here and run far, far away. But my heart says stay . . . with you.”

He swore under his breath, clearly not liking my truth. “Just listen to your heart then. Please. I can't lose you.”

He sounded so vulnerable that it nearly broke my heart. So, I slowly nodded and laid my head back down.

Sleep came quickly.

*****

I awoke with a jolt. The sun was shining through the windows and Emmett was still fast asleep. I wasn't even sure either of us moved at all in our sleep.

There were noises coming from down the hall.

My body tensed and a low growl resonated through me. Emmett sprung up on full alert.

“What is it?” he asked, followed by a growl.

I knew he was just feeding off my emotions.

“Someone's in the house,” I whispered.

He looked confused because we both knew we'd locked up everything before bed.

A clatter had the hair on his arms standing up and for a second I thought he was going to shift. With a deep breath he reined it back in.

“Hide. I'll check it out,” he whispered so softly that I barely heard him.

I nodded as he pointed to the closet. I didn't have the heart to tell him that the closet no longer felt safe after the trespasser stole my favorite blanket.

Still, I walked over to it as he got up and quietly put on a pair of sweatpants before creeping out of the room.

I had two options. I could shift and cower in my wolf form, or I could have my mate's back. I quickly dressed in one of his T-shirts and a pair of his boxers that had to be tied off at the waist to keep from falling off me.

I knew from my time in the closet that he had a baseball bat in there. I grabbed it and held it up over my shoulder ready to strike and tipped toed after him.

Just before he reached the end of the hallway, hugging the wall to remain unseen, he saw me. The scowl on his face told me he wasn't happy about it either. My chin jutted out in defiance and his face scrunched up in frustration. It was so cute, I couldn't help but smile despite the situation.

Man, I had it bad for this guy. Rational decisions were getting difficult. If they weren't, I'd already be long gone from this place.

He slowly peeked around the corner and then back again. Confusion was written all over his face. I wanted to pull him back as he left the wall and stepped out of the hallway and into the open.

I shook my head, but I could see in his stance that he was much more relaxed now.

“Mom, what the hell are you doing here?”

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