Page 63 of Entering a New World

“You were unconscious for almost four hours.”

“Oh,” I said. Four hours were a long time to sleep after se… wait. “Did you say unconscious?”

“Yeah.” Rhett laughed softly. His fingers took a detour and caressed my cheek, the rough skin scratching over my faint stubble. “Not gonna lie, that really, really freaked me out. I was close to putting you in my truck and racing you to Jasper’s practice. But I called ahead and Jasper reassured me that a human losing consciousness after mating wasn’t unheard of. Apparently, it has something to do with your body being flooded with magic? I didn’t really pay attention after the ‘it’s normal and he’s fine’ part. Though, I did call Kenny and Charlene to make sure Jasper was right. They’re part of our pack and Kenny’s human; maybe you know them, they own the hardware store.”

I raised my eyebrows and laughed. “A – do I look like I frequent the hardware store? And B – what exactly would I have needed to go to the hardware store for since arriving here?”

Rhett shrugged. “Don’t judge a book by its cover. You might like crafting. But you’re right, I don’t imagine there are a lot of things you could’ve done while staying at the Inn. But feel free to pick up any kind of project after moving in.”

“Soo… You’re saying I’m moving in here?” I teased.

Rhett tensed against me, and the warmth inside my chest turned icy cold.

Oh.

Ohh.

Was that… fear? It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, that was for sure.

“Hey now,” I said, turning so I was lying on my back and looking right up at him. “I was joking.”

Rhett released a breath and ran a hand through his hair, combing it out of his face. “Yeah. I know.”

He might say that, but the cold ball in my chest only warmed a fraction, so he obviously didn’t believe me.

Hey, look at that. This bond thing was quite handy. And I already know how to read it… a bit. I thought.

“Rhett. I really was joking,” I repeated, making sure to keep eye contact to let him see the truth in my eyes. “I know we need to talk about our living arrangements. Hell, we need to talk about a lot of things. Like, seriously, there are so many things we need to talk about. All the things. But I promise, I have no intention of going back to Vancouver—apart from, you know, visiting my family and packing up all my stuff.”

Rhett released a shuddering breath, but his body remained stiff and the coldness inside of me didn’t ease. Apparently, I was doing a shit job at reassuring my mate.

“And then you’ll move in?” Rhett asked.

“I can move in, I can go and look for a small apartment in town, or…”

“No!” Rhett growled, his eyes flashing. He had his lips pressed into a thin line as he looked down at me, a couple of stray strands falling into his face. “Sorry,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “It’s just that we’re mated now. And my wolf doesn’t understand why you’d even consider not moving in with us.”

“And what about you?”

Rhett furrowed his brows. “What about me?”

I snorted. “How do you feel about me possibly not moving in right away?”

The spot inside my chest turned into a giant lump of ice. I rubbed my chest, trying to ease the sting, but it didn’t help.

Did he know I could feel him like that? Could he feel me like that?

“I want you here. Period,” Rhett said. “You’re my mate, of course I want you close. To be honest, it’d be incredibly hard to stay apart from you for a longer period of time, but I’d never force you to do anything. I’m not sure how long I could keep my wolf at bay, but…”

He averted his eyes, hiding the pain his promise caused him even though it was to no avail. I knew how he felt. I felt an echo of it myself.

This wouldn’t do. We were mated, yet he was walking on eggshells around me. Like I’d run if he came on too strong.

Didn’t being mated mean I’d never run?

“Rhett,” I began before sitting up with a sigh. I wanted to have a serious conversation and needed to be on even footing—which was hard to achieve because I was still naked while he was wearing comfy sweats and a shirt. So I made do as best as I could and sat with my legs crossed under me and pulled the duvet into my lap. “How does our bond feel to you?”

The ball inside my chest pulsed and warmed.

---