Page 58 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

When I turned around, the look on Jace’s face was a cross between a shocked gape and a smile. “That’s my favorite. How the hell did you know?”

I shrugged. “A little wolfie at the store told me.”

“Waylan,” Jace said, nodding knowingly. “Well, let’s eat. I’m starving.”

He set the table and poured wine while I plated the food. Once he dug in, the conversation dwindled until the only sound was his moans of pleasure as he devoured two portions.

Once he’d satisfied himself, he sat back, glass in hand, and watched me eat for several moments before speaking. “I wonder what it takes,” he said, almost thinking out loud.

“For?” I asked, wiping my mouth with a napkin.

He eyed me again. “To get you to break down those walls. To let someone new in.”

The way he said it should have been innocent, but I couldn’t help but take it another way. To let someone new in me. Desire washed over me, and a sheen of sweat formed on my lower back. It had been so long since I’d been with a man, and my body was reacting to him. To his words, the way he looked, the way my magic drew me to him.

Jace’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that? I can smell it. Hear it. Your magic is humming. Purring like a cat.”

My hands shook as I smoothed the napkin on my lap. There was no hiding it. It had to be obvious to him. Jace was a shifter. He could probably hear my heartbeat, my breathing. Oh, God. Could he smell that I was turned on? It was strange to be so exposed. All the things humans were able to hide from other humans were impossible to hide from shifters.

But he was right. My magic wanted him. Pulled me toward him. Made me desire him in a way I’d never desired a man before. I could already picture myself, flat on my back on the dinner table, Jace grunting with effort as he fucked me.

That mental picture was both delightful and terrifying. It would require me to finally lower the walls I’d so carefully built. Could I? Was it possible? Also, how could I do that until I had some idea as to what was going on in Jace’s head?

Unable to look him in the eyes, I cast a sideways glance at him. I tried to speak and stumbled over my words. Sighing in frustration, I gathered myself. No man had ever made me tongue-tied or nervous like this man did.

Swallowing, I asked, “Do you react to me the same way my magic reacts to you?”

Chapter 16

Jace

The way she looked at me, the intensity of her words, the arousal I could scent… it all pushed me to be open, raw. To tell her exactly how I felt with no subtlety. Nothing that could be misunderstood.

Sliding my chair closer, I leaned my elbows on my knees and looked deep into her eyes. “Every moment I’m around you, my wolf is clawing to get out, to come forward, to push me to claim you. He wants you more than he’s ever wanted anything. He wants me to cover you in my scent, bury myself deep inside you, and mark you.”

To my immense relief, she didn’t seem put off by my remark. In fact, the opposite proved true. Kirsten’s eyes widened, and the scent of her arousal grew even stronger, causing my cock to press painfully against the zipper of my jeans.

“Are wolves always so forceful in their desires?” she asked.

“They’re protective, yes, and passionate. But this carnal need and impulse to claim only come around when they find their fated mate. It’s instinctive. Like marking your territory.” I held up a hand to reassure her. “I want to make it clear, you are not property. You cannot be owned, but my wolf recognizes you as ours. As mine.”

Kirsten looked at me, never breaking eye contact. When she spoke, her voice was barely more than a whisper. “That’s how the wolf views me, but how do you view me?”

I swallowed hard and licked my lips. “You are the most captivating and beautiful creature I’ve ever laid eyes on. It confuses me, because I’ve never felt this before. I don’t know if I can trust the feeling. I’m afraid to trust it. This curse? It makes it hard for me to know if what I feel for you is real or just a result of magic.”

Kirsten nodded, then touched my hand. A crackle of energy coursed up my arm.

“I have a theory. I think Dorothy may have foreseen this,” she said, gesturing between us. “I think, maybe, she saw the future. She saw that I would be your fated mate and that you would be my tether. I don’t think she cursed you to ruin your life. When you kissed her, some kind of vision showed her what was to come. She prevented you from mating or finding a partner to ensure you were free when I finally came around. Does that sound crazy?”

My heart was a jackhammer in my chest, beating widely at the implication. If she was right, if Dorothy had cursed me not to punish me, but to make sure that what she saw in her vision came true, then it would mean that Kirsten was my fated mate. That it wasn’t some twist of magic, but true, unadulterated fate.

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut, and our mutual arousal pressed down on us. The food and wine were forgotten. All I could see was her, and all I could feel was what I wanted to do.

“Jace, will you kiss me?”

I didn’t hesitate, pouncing on her with my next breath, pressing my mouth to hers. The feel of her on me, the taste of her lips, and the hot caress of her tongue were so intoxicating. Nothing had ever been this good, this right. Kirsten twisted her fingers in my hair, pulling me in. We were a tangle of hands, lips, gasping breath. My cock throbbed, aching to be inside her, to bring her to a screaming orgasm.

I pulled away, gasping for breath before I went too far.

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