Page 16 of Shattered Mates

His steps continue forward, and he manages to keep me tight against his chest with one hand as he opens my door with the other.

“Nothing about you being my mate or me being yours has been easy for either of us,” he says, staring at me with a reverence I can’t quite comprehend. “But I’m going to do my best to change that, starting right now.”

Walking inside, River kicks the door closed behind us, and the thud echoes through my small living space. The sound rings in my ears almost as if it’s marking the significance of this moment, amping up my nerves. Though, I quickly push them down.

This is River Pierce. He’s the kindest man I’ve ever met, the perfect mate, and someone I know will do anything for not only me, but those he cares about.

I have no reason to be nervous, not with him.

He scans the area, seeming to slowly take in the kitchen and eating area to our left and the living room on our right. “As nice as this is, I’d love nothing more than to lay with you in bed if that’s okay with you.”

His words go right to my heart, and I smile up at him. “That’s more than okay with me.”

Without asking where to go, he heads toward the small hallway and peeks inside the first door, which is the bathroom. I almost say as much, but he quickly figures things out on his own.

My room is the last on the right. Considering it’s the middle of the night and the curtains are closed to block out ambient light, there’s not much to see. Still, River finds his way and settles me onto the mattress.

“I’m going to take a shower.” His hands hold my face, and I can barely see his eyes, but they still hold me captive as I wait for his next move. “I’ll be back in three minutes, tops.”

His lips press against my forehead, warm and soft. I almost let out a whimper as he walks away, but I manage to restrain myself.

Gods, this man is going to destroy me in all the best ways.

As soon as I hear the bathroom door close, I jump up and start to undress, but then pause. Do I stay naked or put pajamas on? What is he going to expect from me?

With a solid shake of my head, I push those thoughts from my mind again and remind myself of my earlier musings. This is River. He’s not expecting anything from me. Keeping that in mind, I go to my dresser and grab the shirt of his that I’ve been sleeping in and a pair of boy shorts.

Once I’m dressed, I grab a hair tie and toss my long locks into a bun, not even bothering to check how messy it might be. I’m not going to overthink this. I’ve waited too long to have him in any capacity to ruin whatever might happen next.

I pull my comforter back and slip into bed. The sheets are cold, but my body temperature will take care of that soon enough. Just as I get my pillow comfortable, I hear the shower turn off. The loose towel holder rattles and then there’s silence as I assume he dries off.

In the next minute, I hear the bathroom door open and his footfalls coming down the hallway. I pull in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as my chest burns with anticipation.

River’s silhouette appears in the doorway like a beacon in the night. He doesn’t pause as he enters the room. A thud sounds, one that I assume is his shoes and possibly clothing hitting the ground. He walks to the other side of the bed, but there’s no dip in the mattress.

“If you’d rather I sleep on the couch, I will,” he says a second later.

I roll over and reach for him, grabbing his arm before I yank him into bed. “Absolutely not.”

His chuckle warms me from the inside out. “Thank the Moon Goddess.”

He inches closer and lays on his side while I settle onto my back. His arm moves to hold up his head and he stares down at me. “I know we didn’t get to really know each other before I…you know, but I’ve missed you, Jules. Maybe not in my mind,” he reaches for my hand and presses my palm to his chest, “but in my heart, I never forgot you.”

My skin pebbles from the intensity of his words, and I can’t help shivering. “I’ve missed you, too. So damn much.”

I catch his grin as he plucks at my shirt. “At least you had pieces of me.”

“Not a trade I would have willingly taken, I assure you, but your scent was better than nothing.” Some days it was a curse, but he doesn’t need to know that. I don’t want my mate to hurt any more than he already has and still is.

His fingers trace lightly over my stomach, then move over to my wrist before finding their way up my arm, leaving a trail of fire in their wake.

Except I’m left immobilized by the intensity of this moment. I don’t know how to react or what I’m supposed to do. For so long, I couldn’t have this man. Now he’s here and all mine and I’m frozen.

“I have no expectations of you, Jules,” he says as if he can read my mind. “You might be older now, but that doesn’t mean we have to be anything more right now than friends. Just the fact that you didn’t ask me to stay in the pack house is enough. But don’t take that to mean that I don’t want you, because there’s nothing more that I want in this world than the woman you are now.”

As if all of the pain from missing him just disappears, I can’t fathom being any luckier than I am right now.

I reach over and grab his shirt to pull him closer. One of his legs crosses over mine, and I realize he’s ditched his pants and I’m not at all mad about that. “Kiss me, River.”

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