Page 19 of Twilight Echoes
She was his.
It was that simple.
“Well, now you’ve gone and done it,” he said, holding her gaze.
“Done what?” She cocked her head. Her mouth defied her wishes as her lips formed a small smile.
She knew exactly what he was talking about.
“I want to hear you say it.” Darrell pressed his hands on the back of a chair, his dark eyes pleading with her to express her acceptance.
But she was one of the most stubborn women on the planet. It didn’t matter that fated mates were destined to be together, their bond stronger than any others.
True love.
She wasn’t going to say it out loud while standing in her parents' dining room. Nope. He wasn’t going to push her to do that. It was bad enough she had to go and claim him without even thinking about it.
And worse.
She liked it.
“There is nothing to say.”
He arched a brow. “I told you I imprinted. I gave you the where. I’ve hid nothing from you, including the fact that I can’t take my eyes off you. All I want to do is wrap my arms around you and kiss you until you beg me to stop.”
“It’s not fair of you to ask me to say anything. You’ve had years to think about how you feel. For all I know you could be in love with me already.” She swallowed her breath, clearing her throat. “Based on what I’ve read.” She shrugged.
He smiled, and it made her heart skip.
“Love needs time to develop, so while deep in my soul it’s true, we don’t know each other very well, and if your father and Trask can figure this shit out, maybe we’ll have a chance.” Hetook a few steps closer. The heat from his muscles coated her body. “The day we danced, my life changed. Everything I did led up to the moment I could walk back into your life. The last thing I want to do is break your heart by dying.”
“Why’d you wait so long?” She chomped down on her tongue, wishing she hadn’t asked the question. It implied she wished he had come for her sooner. “I mean, you could have contacted me at any time after I became of age.”
He reached out, taking her chin between his thumb and index finger. “You’re the best dancer I’ve ever had the privilege of being paired with.”
“I was five. I’m sure there were other principal dancers?—”
He gently brushed his lips over hers like a paintbrush making the first stroke on a canvas. “No one has ever been better than you, which is why I’m concerned about your knee and ankle.”
She pursed her lips, knowing it also scrunched her nose. A look she wasn’t fond of. “I told you, it’s overuse.”
“You know there is something wrong, and I fear it has to do with me.”
“Why do you say that?”
He ran the back of his hand across her cheek. “Is it a cold, sharp pain?”
She opened her mouth, but no words came out. The frigid sensation in her knee started a few months ago. It came and went, but lately, it had increased in intensity.
“I have that same feeling in all my joints. My father also complained of that same pain before he died of heart failure. We need to find out if what you’re experiencing is in any way related to this spell.”
“Wait a minute. You imprinted on me while we were dancing, right?”
He nodded. “It’s not like I had much control over it, and while it made me happier than I’d ever been in my life, it scared me a little.”
“Did you tell anyone?”
“I spoke to my dad about it,” Darrell said, dropping his hands to her hips. “But that was on the car ride home. Hours later.”
