Page 21 of Protector Dragon's Shattered Mate

She squeezed her eyes shut. It hurt, but it was a delicious pain, one that she wanted to relish forever. He slid all the way in, breaching her virgin pussy.

“I’m inside you,” he whispered, which made her shudder all over.

He rocked his hips, thrusting into her. She moaned as he put his fingers on her swollen clit. She was already close. “Come for me,” he said.

How could she not? She let go, letting the orgasm rip through every nerve. He came right after her, spilling his seed with a shout.

He immediately pulled her close and didn’t let her go.

14

Levi

He woke up with Sofia in his arms. She was snuggled close, with her head pressed right up against his chest. He was hungry, and he wanted to shift and hunt, but there was no way he was going to give up any time with Sofia.

He inhaled her scent. Just a breath of it was enough to arouse him.

It was clear that she was his mate. The night they’d shared had been unlike anything he’d ever experienced. As far as he could tell, their lovemaking had been just as powerful for her as it had been for him.

She snuggled even closer, burrowing right up next to him.

Thiswas how he’d wake up for the rest of their lives.

Now that he had a mate, he’d finally take Kellan up on his offer. The four brothers had been asking him to move out to the property for months. But he didn’t want to be the odd man out.

He pressed his lips against her forehead. “Would you like to go back to Texas, or do you want to go ahead and meet Rhett right now?” he asked.

She frowned. “What do you mean, go back with you?” She pushed herself up on one elbow. “I’m not going back to Texas. Bears don’t belong in Texas. We’re too conspicuous.”

“You’re not still planning to stay with Rhett are you, not after the night we shared?”

Her brow furrowed. She scooted even further away from him. “I don’t understand.”

He didn’t like the distance between them. Needing to reconnect with her, he ran his hand down on her arm. “Sofia. We’re mates.”

“Mates? What do you mean?” she asked.

Oh hell. How had this not occurred to her? Even if her upbringing was less than ideal, she was a shifter. She had instincts. She had to understand what mates were to each other. Could she not feel what he did? Or maybe shedidn’tfeel that way.

Had he ever heard of a shifter whose mate didn’t return the other’s affection and love? He’d heard of rejections for various reasons, but never because the partner flat-out rejected the concept.

“I mean exactly what I said. I think that we’re mates, as in, we are meant to be together,” he said. He did his best to keep his voice neutral, but he most likely failed.

“But you’re a dragon. And I’m a bear,” she said.

“That doesn’t matter. Either of us could mate with a human. It happens all the time.”

“I seriously doubt that a human could truly be a mate,” she said. “I know some of your clan mates with humans but it’s not the same. And anyway, it doesn’t matter. I am not going to take a mate.”

His heart sank. How had this not come up? It was true they hadn’t known each other for very long, but they’d had severalmeaningful conversations. How had she failed to mention this one very crucial piece of information? “Why not?”

She moved out of his reach and crossed her arms. “It’s just a way to trap someone.”

“It doesn’t have to be like that. You’ve seen Kellan, Quinn, Liam, and Brennan. You’ve seen how happy they are.”

“Yes, I’ve seenthem. The males only. I haven’t seen them with their mates, so Idon’tactually know what they’re like as partners at all.”

“I had no idea you felt that way.”

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