Page 13 of Two Wrong Turns

I shook my head. “I can’t.”

Chapter 6

Nolan

My mouth connectedwith Barrett’s, and my entire world shifted. If I’d had any question of his mate status — which I didn’t — then it would have been settled the moment his lips touched mine.

I felt as if I’d come alive. Like there had been nothing before this kiss.

There was only after.

Tilting my head, I took advantage of the angle to deepen the connection. Barrett’s hands moved up my chest and onto my shoulders. He gripped them tightly, like he was afraid he’d fall without holding onto me.

As if I’d ever let that happen.

My mate would be protected forever. I’d vow to give him the safest life where all he knew was love and happiness until the end of his days.

His tongue traced over my lips, pulling me from the errant thoughts. I opened for him, accepting whatever he was willing to give. This would go as far as he allowed. I’d have to stop him before he saw my knot, because there was no getting around that small fact.

I almost laughed.

Small wasn’t the right word. Nothing about my knot was small.

“Need you,” he whimpered. His hands dug into my shoulders like he wanted to climb me.

Oh, baby. Look what you’ve done.

I lifted him from the ground, putting his body on the railing of the porch as I brought our bodies together again. It was a precarious scenario given one wrong move would have him tumbling over.

Part of my choice was to see how much he trusted me. Did he believe I’d keep him safe no matter what?

The other reason I put him here was because I couldn’t be fucking bothered to move the party inside. He could come out of this haze at any moment and decide to back down. While I’d respect whatever he wanted right away, I knew I’d feel the loss of our connection.

I wanted him to continue kissing me. I needed him wrapped around me, begging for more of what only I could give him.

His hips rocked forward, his hard dick pressing against my own. He whined as he jerked away from the kiss.

I kept my hands on his waist as I shifted just the slightest amount. The new position created a different angle, one that would give me more leverage to rut against him.

“Is this what you want? You need to feel how hard I am for you?”

He gasped against my mouth, the sound so filthy and hungry I almost said, ‘Fuck it’ and took him right there. While I hoped we could overcome something like that, I knew the slow and steady path was better for us.

Well, slow and steady compared to most shifter matings. Had he been a shifter, I’d have tugged him out of the diner yesterday and fucked him in the alley to cement our bond. There was no formality when our beasts were involved.

Humans were different though. He needed time and assurances.

Right now, he needed to get off. Then he’d be able to think a bit better over what I had to offer him.

I increased the speed of my hips as my grip tightened. It was almost too much. I had to focus more than once to ensure my claws didn’t come out and that my strength remained at a reasonable level.

If I hurt my mate, I’d never forgive myself. As a human, he wouldn’t be able to heal easily like shifters could.

The thought had my grip loosening a little more. My mate mewled at the loss of pressure, which only served to make my cock ache even harder.

“I’ve got you, baby. What do you need? Tell me and it’s yours,” I panted.

He leaned back enough to look me in the eyes. Blown pupils, puffy lips, and wild hair. He was gorgeous.

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