Page 30 of Burned By My Mate

“Can you…talk to your bear?”

“Yes. I can hear him in my head, and we can communicate.”

“Does that get annoying, or is it cool?”

“Both.”

“What else?” She asks.

“We can heal faster than regular humans. Our hearing and vision are better, too.”

“And what happens if I become your mate?”

I swallow hard. I know how important it is to get this conversation right. My entire future and happiness ride on it.

“Then we’re together. For life. I’ll never want another woman. I’ll never even look at anyone else. I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe and happy. My bear and I won’t rest unless you’re happy. You’ll get some of my traits. You’ll be able to heal a little faster. You’ll be able to see and smell a little better. It won’t be as good as mine, but it will be heightened.”

“And if I say no?”

“Then I’ll try to change your mind until you ask me to stop. I’ll give you as much time as you need. I’ll give you anything that you nee?—”

She launches herself at me, and I catch her easily.

“Emerson,” I breathe, and she smiles.

“I want to be yours.”

“You are mine. And I’m yours.”

Her legs tighten around my waist, and I swear I forget how to breathe.

She’s in my arms, exactly where she belongs—pressed up against the wall of my cabin, her soft curves molding to every hard line of my body like she was made to fit there. Her arms are looped around my neck, and her fingers are tangled in my hair, tugging just enough to make me growl low in my throat.

“Logan…” she whispers, her breath brushing over my lips.

“Yeah, baby?” I rasp, my voice hoarse with how badly I want her.

Emerson leans in, her mouth grazing mine. Teasing. Testing. Tempting. Then she kisses me again, deeper this time, and it’s like a dam breaks.

I kiss her like I’ve been starving for it—because I have. Holding back, watching her walk around my place in those paint-stained leggings and oversized shirts, smelling like lavender and sunshine, pretending I wasn’t dying to touch her, taste her,claimher. It’s been torture.

Now that I have her, I’m not letting go.

Her lips are soft and sweet, but the way she kisses me? It’s fire. Her tongue brushes against mine, and I groan, gripping her tighter as I push her back against the wall. She gasps into my mouth, and I take the sound greedily, swallowing it like it’s the only thing that can satisfy the aching need coiled low in my gut.

Her thighs squeeze my hips, dragging me closer, and I can feel the heat of her pressed against me. My hands slide down her back, cupping her ass, and I lift her a little higher so I can kiss her neck, her jaw, that sweet spot just beneath her ear, making her shiver.

“You drive me crazy,” I murmur against her skin, nipping lightly. “You have no idea what you do to me.”

She tilts her head, giving me more access, and I take full advantage, licking and sucking at her pulse until she moans and arches against me.

“Logan…”

God, hearing my name like that—needy and breathless—makes my control snap another thread.

I pull back just enough to look at her, her flushed cheeks, her kiss-swollen lips, her wild red hair a mess from my hands. Her eyes meet mine, and there’s no fear in them. Just heat. Trust.Want.

And that’s all it takes.

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