Page 10 of Guarded By A Savage Shifter

Her eyes widen as she looks at my chest. “You have a bear in there?”

“A grizzly, yeah.”

“Wow. I’ve never met a bear shifter before. Oh! Can I do a story on you? Are you up for an interview?”

“Gracie,” I say as I take her hand and stare into her eyes, trying to get her to focus. “I’m a bear shifter and you’re my mate.”

“Wait… What?”

I just want to take her in my arms. I want to kiss her luscious lips and feel her soft skin. I want to slide inside her and make her mine in every possible way. I want to break another bed.

“Every shifter has a fated mate,” I tell her in a soft smooth voice. “One person who completes their soul. Who is perfect for them in every way. Gracie, you are that person for me.”

She looks at me for a long time and then shakes her head, looking away. “No.”

“No?”

“I’m sorry,” she says, throwing her hands up. “I’m sure you’re a nice guy and everything, but I just can’t deal with that right now.”

My mouth drops. I wasn’t expecting that reaction.

“I have the opportunity of a lifetime here,” she says, not even looking at me as she paces around the room. “And it’s really not the time to be dating.”

“Dating?” I say as my blood pressure skyrockets. “It’s more thandating. We’re mates!”

“I don’t have time for this,” she says as she pushes me to the door. I’m so confused as I walk backward toward it. “I have to prepare for my interview tomorrow and I can’t think about this right now.”

She opens the door and pushes me into the hallway.

“I hope you understand, Ryker.”

She closes the door, but I stop it with my foot.

“Would you mind?” she asks, trying to push my foot away with hers. “I have work to do.”

“Gracie,” I say, desperately trying to make her understand. “I’ve been waiting my entire life for this moment.”

“And I’ve been waiting my entire life to be a real reporter,” she says. “So, I’d appreciate it if you drop all of this mate nonsense and let me do my job.”

I feel heat in my face. My chest is all tight. I’m so flustered, I don’t know what to say. This is not how I expected this moment to go. I’ve thought about ita lotover the years and my mate is always jumping in my arms, crying from joy, or showering me with kisses. Never did she kick me out of her room!

“Gracie,” I say in a forceful tone. “I’m not going to have my mate around thosekillers.”

She raises her eyebrows as she stares at me in a challenging way.

“You’renotdoing the interview,” I tell her.

She laughs.

“I’mdoingthe interview. With or without you.”

Why can’t she understand? She’s too precious. She’s too valuable. I’d die if something happened to her.

“It’s too dangerous,” I say, hearing the desperation in my voice.

“An hour ago, you had no problem going.”

“That was before, when…”

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