Page 19 of Confusing Hearts

“I’m sorry I hurt you earlier. It’ll never happen again,” he said sweetly.

I wanted to believe him, but there was simply no way things could ever work between us.

“Chase, you’re a dog.”

“And you’re a beautiful black cat,” he interrupted. “So what? I know you feel it too, Jenna. I can see it in your eyes. You are my one true mate.”

My back stiffened and I pulled away. “Don’t say that.”

“Are you denying it?”

“I didn’t say that,” I confessed, unable to deny the bond between us. “But we can’t. You don’t understand. Nothing can ever happen between us.”

The pain was evident on his face. “I don’t understand it either, Jenna, but you are my mate. I don’t know a lot about panthers, but to a wolf, that means everything. Nothing else in this world matters to me, but you.”

“My father, he’ll never allow it. You can’t possibly understand.”

“Actually, I can, to an extent. I’m an Alpha’s son, and the Westin Pack is unarguably the largest and wealthiest of all wolf packs. That kind of makes me a little like royalty too, princess.”

I appreciated what he was trying to do, but really wished he hadn’t brought the dimples into the conversation when he smiled at the end of his speech. It made my body go from stubborn confidence to complete mush in zero to five seconds.

“It’s not the same. Before coming here, I had only ever met a few jaguar shifters. I had been sheltered to only black panthers my entire life. We don’t live in groups the way you do. I don’t even know if I could. I like my space. Yeah, my family’s close, but Daddy’s very strict about no fraternizing outside the panthers, but outside my species? A canine? It would kill him if he ever found out, and trust me, the sisters will be equally against it.”

“Anita’s our friend. Don’t you think she just wants to see us happy? You happy?” he argued.

I shook my head. “No. Sure, she may feel sorry for me, but she would never support us either.”

“It doesn’t matter. I can support us. I will take care of you. You’ll never want for anything,” he told me, offering me the world, yet it remained too far out of reach.

I started to cry again. I had never been much of a crier, but I had never experienced emotions like Chase Westin invoked in me before.

“Please don’t cry, princess. I don’t know how we’re going to make it work, but we will. I’ll find a way for as long as you’ll have me.”

I hiccupped. I couldn’t drag it out. “The more we’re together the harder it will be on both of us, Chase. It’ll be best if we just end it now before it’s too late.”

He took my hand and laid it against his chest.

“Do you feel that?” I nodded as the soft rhythm of his heart steadily beat against my open palm. “That’s not my heart you’re feeling. That’s yours, because it already belongs to you.”

My breath caught in my throat and I nibbled on my lower lip involuntarily as I stared into his eyes. His gaze dropped to my lips and I saw raw desire in his eyes, and a tiny bit of mischief. He pulled me closer and covered my mouth with his, sucking my bottom lip into his mouth, his teeth grazing against it as he nibbled. The world was starting to spin when I remembered to breathe again. He kissed my lower lip as it escaped his teeth and he planted a light kiss against my full lips before pulling back with a smile.

“You have no idea how crazy it makes me when you do that.”

I knew he was referring to my nervous habit of chewing on my lip. He had definitely made his point, but I couldn’t help but stare in wonder and surprise he’d even noticed.

“I don’t know if I’m strong enough to do this, Chase,” I admitted, wanting him more than I had ever wanted anything in my entire life.

“One day at a time,” he said, as he leaned his forehead against mine. “Just give me one day at a time.”

I nodded. I could do that, as long as no one found out. “My sisters can’t find out. They’ll never understand. I don’t even understand. But they’d tell Daddy and he’d have me removed from here faster than you can blink an eye.” There was no doubt in my heart it was true, too.

“Okay, but you have to promise me something.”

“What?” I said, even knowing I’d agree to anything he asked.

“Promise me I can see you on days we don’t have class together. It can be a quick run in the woods, lunch, studying in the library, I don’t care what. It’s just really hard on the days I don’t see you.”

He looked so vulnerable, raw even, that I instantly melted.

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