Page 54 of Entering a New World

That urge to bare my soul to Rhett?

Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair.

Rhett pulled back and turned his head to face me. I didn’t know what exactly he was seeing, but his eyebrows climbed higher and higher until they almost disappeared under his hair. “You know that you’re not obligated to tell me, right?”

His words eased a bit of the pressure, but not by much. “Tell that to my brain,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair and tugging at the strands.

Rhett’s eyes widened. “Do you have problems lying to me?”

“I’m not even trying to lie to you,” I said, the exasperation and desperation in my voice so obvious, multiple heads turned in our direction. Ducking my head, I grabbed a piece of banana bread off the plate.

“But you’re trying to keep something from me?”

“Are you seriously getting mad about me respecting someone else’s privacy?” I snapped.

Fuck.

My head hurt.

My heart hurt.

My stupid fucking brain hurt.

I felt my pulse quickening, felt a wave of anger surge through me, but at the same time I wanted nothing more than to climb into Rhett’s lap, wrap my arms around him and never let go.

This was getting ridiculous.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Rhett said softly, his hand squeezing my thigh, sending a wave of warmth through me. And, of course, my stupid body relaxed. “I’m not jealous or angry or anything. I’m just… flabbergasted about how much our being mates affects you, even though we haven’t properly bonded yet.”

Great. I was an anomaly.

And I was getting all snappy and worked up about it. Taking a deep breath, I inhaled his scent. It was faint, probably nothing like the way he was able to scent me, but it was there. Moss, maple, and… man. Wolf? It was definitely not wet dog I was smelling. I didn’t really care because whatever it was it managed to calm me enough for me to be able to think clearly again.

Because honestly? It was kind of nice to be able to actually feel your date… boyfriend… mate. Whatever.

The way his presence made my body sing? Yeah, I couldn’t really be mad about that. I felt bad for my fellow humans, though. They had no idea what they were missing out on.

Following my instinct, I climbed onto Rhett’s lap, leaned into him, and sighed as his body heat seeped into me. My muscles relaxed, my eyes falling closed as I rested my head against his shoulder.

“Can we… leave?” I mumbled against his flannel shirt.

“Sure.” I felt Rhett nod. “Where do you want to go?”

Home.

The word was right there, in the forefront of my mind. But by home I didn’t mean my apartment in Vancouver. Hell, I didn’t even mean my room at the Inn. I meant…

What did I mean?

Rhett’s place? Because I’d never even been there.

“Maybe we could watch a movie at your place?” I finally said, a feeling of rightness flooding me. I might’ve not called Rhett’s house home yet, but I was pretty sure it wouldn’t take me long until I did.

“Are you sure?” Rhett asked, his voice filled with so much hope and longing, it made me shudder and my heart ache.

Was I sure?

I pondered that question for a moment.

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