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Va’roush have her a single nod.

“And lastly, I have a question for you,” she said, walking toward him.

He pushed his chair away from the table, preparing to rise if necessary.

Mel reached him, and instead of just standing there speaking to him, she dropped onto his lap and put her arms around his neck, causing him to tense.

He swallowed, the strain of self control easy to see.

“My question is, does instinct tell you to do anything other than simply protect me?”

His eyes had been focused on the pulse in her neck, but quickly lifted to her eyes to see if he understood her properly.

“You heard me,” she said.

“I don’t like to be touched,” he answered.

“Because it hurts?” she asked.

Va’roush shook his head. “Because no one likes to touch me, so I stopped allowing touch.”

“I understand.”

“Good.”

“I understand that you’re going to have to get over that, because if I agree to belong to my fated mate — that is what you’re telling me, right — that I’m your fated mate? If I agree to that, which I’m very much inclined to do, then I expect to be touched and often.”

“You don’t mean that,” he said.

“Oh, I really do.”

“You want to be my female?” he asked, his hesitation almost fearful.

“As much as you want to be my male.”

Va’roush closed his eyes, his hands finding their way to her hips, and resting there as he tried to maintain control. When next he opened his eyes, they were glowing, as he looked at her.

Instead of being afraid, she smiled at him. “And there are those eyes I’ve seen watching me for months. I love those eyes. They comforted me. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, kissing him slowly and gently. She pulled back and looked at him. “What does claiming me involve?”

He dared to lift a hand and stroke the underside of her breast through her shirt as he kept his gaze on her face.

“Sex,” she said.

He nodded slowly.

“Then claim me.”

“I cannot.”

“Why not? You said I belong to you.”

“You do.”

“Then why can’t you claim me?”

“It cannot be undone.”

“I like that. You won’t leave.”

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