Page 36 of His Mate

I watched her now, as she sat there in the water, her eyes closed, her lips slightly parted, and the sight of her stole the breath from my lungs. She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, and she was mine. The thought sent a surge of heat through me, fierce and unrelenting, and I knew I’d fight a thousand battles for her, tear through anyone who tried to take her from me, just to keep her here, just to keep her safe.

She opened her eyes then, and they locked onto mine, bright green, curious, and I felt my heart stutter in my chest. She was staring at me like she could see right through me, like she saw past the scars and the darkness, and it was enough to drive me insane. I could barely stand it.

“Rowan…” she whispered, and just the sound of my name on her lips had my blood roaring, my pulse pounding in my ears. I leaned forward, my hand sliding up to cup the back of her neck, and I couldn’t stop myself.

Didn’t want to. So I didn’t.

I claimed her mouth with mine, kissing her with every ounce of need, every bit of desire that had been building up inside me since the moment I’d laid eyes on her. She tasted like warmth and honey, sweet and addictive, and I couldn’t get enough. I pulled her closer, my fingers tangling in her hair, my other hand gripping her hip, feeling the softness of her skin beneath my fingertips, and I growled against her lips, deep and rough, the sound rumbling in my chest.

She gasped, her hands sliding up my arms, clinging to me, and it only made me kiss her harder, deeper, as if I could somehow brand myself into her soul, as if I could make her feel just how much I needed her.

My Kendra. Mymate.

The world around us faded into nothing, and all that existed was her—the warmth of her body pressed against mine, the way she fit so perfectly in my arms, like she’d been made for me. It didn’t matter that we were on the run, that we were being hunted. All that mattered was that she was here, that she was mine, and that nothing in this world could take her away from me.

When I finally pulled back, she was breathless, her lips swollen, her eyes half-lidded, and I felt a fierce, possessive pride swell in my chest.

“You’re mine,” I growled, my voice low, rough with need. “Do you understand that? You belong to me now.”

She nodded, still catching her breath, and I could see it in her eyes—the acceptance, the surrender. She knew, just as much as I did, that there was no escaping this, no escaping us. And it made something inside me tighten, something primal and raw that sent a shiver racing down my spine.

I pulled away, my heart still pounding in my chest, my breath ragged, and for a moment, I just looked at her. Her eyes were half-closed, her lips swollen from my kiss, and the sight of her sent a fierce, possessive heat coursing through me, every instinct screaming at me to claim her, to make her mine in every way that mattered.

I lifted her into my arms, and she didn’t protest. Didn’t try to pull away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around my neck, her fingers tangling in my hair as she let out a soft, shaky breath. I could feel the way her body melted into mine, how she fit against me like she was made for this, like she was made for me. And it only made the fire inside me burn hotter, made it harder to hold back.

I carried her back to the bed of moss, lowering her down with a gentleness I didn’t even know I was capable of. Her eyes never left mine, and I saw something in them, something that made my chest tighten, made every bit of anger and pain I’d carried with me for so long start to fade. I could see the way she trusted me, the way she’d chosen me, and it was all the permission I needed.

“So damn beautiful,” I murmured, the words slipping out before I could stop them, and I saw the way her cheeks flushed, the way her breath hitched.

I reached out, brushing a strand of hair away from her face, letting my fingers trail down her neck, her shoulder, feeling the way her skin trembled beneath my touch.

“Rowan…” She whispered my name like a prayer, and it sent a jolt of electricity straight through me, made my entire body tighten with need.

Made my cock as hard as a rock.

I couldn’t hold back any longer. I leaned in, capturing her mouth with mine, and this time, there was no gentleness, no hesitation. I kissed her like I’d die if I stopped, like she was the air I needed to breathe, and she responded in kind, her hands gripping my shoulders, pulling me closer, until there was nothing between us but heat and want.

I felt her surrender, felt the way she arched into me, and it was all I needed. All I’d ever wanted.

“Mine,” I growled against her lips, the word rough, raw, as I moved over her, as I felt her legs wrap around my waist, holding me in place, holding me to her.

“Yes,” she breathed, and the sound of it, the way she said it, made something inside me snap. I kissed her again, harder, deeper, my hands roaming over her body, claiming every inch of her, and she let me; she let me take what I needed, what I wanted, and she gave herself to me without reservation, without hesitation.

It was beautiful.

It was fate.

I pulled back just enough to look at her, to see the way her pupils had dilated, the way her lips were parted, and I knew, in that moment, that there was no going back.

I was going to take her. Right here on the forest floor.

She stared up at me, her eyes wide, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of uncertainty and fear. I cupped her face in my hand, stroking her cheek with my thumb, and the look in her eyes darkened with a heat of her own.

I slid my other hand between her thighs, feeling the way her legs trembled as I moved up, grazing her wet, waiting heat. She shuddered, her eyes fluttering closed, and I knew she wanted this, knew she needed it just as much as I did.

I rocked my hips back, stroking my cock up and down her pussy. She was so wet that my shaft slid through her sensitive folds with ease.

Her breathing was heavy, and she bit her lip as I positioned the head of my cock against her opening.

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