Page 15 of Gabe's Lone Wolf

“Deeply.”

Truth was, I hadn’t slept that well in far too long.

“I’m glad.”

He brushed a finger beneath my eye then cupped my face and tilted it up to his. His lips skimmed slowly across mine then trailed along my jaw before moving back to my lips. His second kiss was less soft and slow and more firm and demanding. His tongue took full advantage of my gasp, slipping inside my mouth and sensually twining with mine. I wrapped around him, one leg rising to hook behind his thigh and pull him even closer.

He broke on a chuckle, hands holding my hips as he eased us slightly apart. I wanted to jerk him back to me and rub wantonly against the erection he couldn’t hide.

“You make it really hard to think,” he muttered.

“You could have stopped before the last two words,” I offered and was rewarded with another chuckle.

It washed over me, bringing goose flesh to the surface. How could he make me smile and laugh yet still want him with an intensity that had my legs trembling beneath me? It would take nothing more than a look from him to have me running back to his bed, stripping naked, and rediscovering all those touches that drove us both to the edge.

Realization hit me so hard in that moment that I couldn’t doubt it any longer. Gabe was my mate. There’d be no walking away from him or the James Pack.

“What are you thinking?” Gabe asked, his gaze probing.

“Wondering how long before we head back to bed. I bet the sheets are still warm.”

His eyes smoldered, and I couldn’t hold back. I pounced for him, jumping with no care to whether he caught me or not. He did. Strong hands cupped then clenched my naked ass cheeks as I wrapped my legs around his waist and claimed his mouth. He groaned, his erection pulsing against my slick folds.

“Fuck,” he growled as he ran his teeth along my neck. “I didn’t realize you were naked under my shirt.”

“You guaranteed that when you shredded my panties off me last night.”

His teeth grazed my flesh, the promise of that bite lingering between us. I tensed, wanting it yet wanting to wait at the same time. My mate. The one person in the world meant for me and only me. Gabe was proof I was not Cam Lockhart’s anything. Not that I’d ever needed verification, but others might. I didn’t want to use Gabe that way, though. He couldn’t be the only reason my old pack finally left me alone. I’d come here looking for someone to stand with me, not someone to stand behind. Plus, what if even our mating wasn’t enough to knock sense into Cam’s head? What if mating me put Gabe in danger?

“Did I lose you?” he murmured, and I realized I’d stopped being an equal participant in our play.

“Sorry. I got caught in my head for a moment.”

He patted my ass then eased me back to my feet and took my hand instead, tugging me along with him back toward the sliding glass door.

“Why don’t we get some breakfast and talk. Then maybe, later, we can shift and go for a run if you want.”

“A run?”

“I think our wolves should meet.”

He gave my hand a squeeze as he pushed open the door and let me slip into the cool and dark of his bedroom. The smell of our sex still scented the air, and I wanted to gorge myself on it. I focused on his words instead and offered him my own.

“Because we’re mates?”

The door snicked shut behind us, and Gabe stilled, staring at me as if trying to read my every thought and the emotions on my face.

“That’s part of it,” he admitted, not moving from his spot in front of the door. “When did you realize?”

“Probably the moment I saw you, if I’m honest. The better question would be when did I accept it wasn’t a figment of my exhausted mind. Which was moments ago.” I nodded toward where we’d just been. “Out there with you. When did you know?”

“I heard the call of your scent before I ever laid eyes on you. I was watching the door. Waiting to see the woman who’d walk through it. Knowing you’d make me feel invincible yet bring me to my knees.”

I smiled softly. “And you didn’t run.”

“I would have run to you, but as soon as the door opened and you stepped inside, I couldn’t feel my legs. You stole the air from me.”

“You say the most amazing things.”

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