Page 40 of Ash

He felt her tense, just a little. It wasn't fear, but the same kind of tension when he would stop and listen to absorb the world around him.

"I can smell the flowers in the soap you used. I can feel the soft silk of your skin and the warmth of your body through the clothes covering your body. And the scent that makes you uniquely you is filling my senses, making sure that I will never again know what it feels like to be alone in the world."

The tension he'd felt mere moments before was now gone.

She leaned against him and fit perfectly into the curve of his arm that he'd wrapped around her. "Ash?"

He tore another piece of the delightful goodness of the plated cinnamon roll off with his fingers and touched it to her lips.

"Eat, Suzannah." He knew that his voice was deeper than it had been moments before. "You need to eat so that I don't have to worry that you'll faint in my arms."

Her eyes darted down at the sugary bit between his fingers. "I have a feeling that it would make things easier if I just did as you asked."

He nodded. "I need you to take care of yourself, mate."

He felt her shiver at the sound of the word on his lips.

"Now that I've found you, I need you to be safe and healthy and happy."

Ash felt something touch his chest.

Looking down, he saw her hand on him, her palm pressed over his heart. "Does that mean that I get to worry about you, too?"

His heart pounded against his ribs as if it needed to be closer to her.

"You would worry about me?"

He knew that he sounded out of breath, because he couldn't seem to fill his lungs with air.

He'd just found her.

His mate.

Suzannah.

Her smile, the way her eyes searched his, the way she seemed to breathe him in.

He understood what it meant to feel the mate bond.

They'd just met.

What would it be like tomorrow?

Would his love continue to grow this fast?

What would happen when they sealed their bond with their bodies and she became his in every way?

He couldn't imagine that he could feel more connected to her at that very moment.

Suzannah leaned closer, her forehead touching his cheek. "I imagine that caring for you would be the most amazing thing in the world, Ash. I just don't know if I'd be any good at it. I've... been alone for so long."

"I would worry about the same," he turned his head so he could brush his lips across her forehead. "I've never cared for a mate before. I could make mistake after mistake. And I-"

He felt the air in his chest freeze.

"I could scare you away."

She lifted her chin, tipping her head back until they could look into each other’s eyes again. "It looks like we have things we need to learn."

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