Page 31 of Stripe for the Picking
"I do too," she admitted softly. "Every day here feels like it's filled with excitement and new possibilities."
Rylan stood up then, clearing their plates and refilling their wine glasses. He then gestured toward his living area. "Come sit with me?"
Wren stood up and headed toward the living area with her wine glass, settling onto his leather couch. She was hyperaware of his proximity as he joined her, and the space between them felt charged with possibility.
"So," she said, deflecting some of the sexual tension with playful banter, "about that ferocious tiger of yours..."
His eyes darkened with unmistakable desire. "What about him?"
"He was pretty impressive. All that protective fury and raw power." She took a sip of wine, watching his reaction over the rim of her glass. "Definitely the sexiest thing I've ever seen."
Rylan's smile was pure predator. "Is that so?"
"Mmm-hmm." She nodded, noticing how his gaze dropped to her lips. "Though I have to say, the human version is pretty compelling too."
The last few inches of space between them on the couch suddenly felt like an impossible chasm. Wren's pulse thundered as Rylan leaned slightly closer, his masculine scent wrapping around her like a drug.
Kiss me,she thought desperately.Kiss me again.
As if he could read her mind, he grabbed her wine glass out of her hand and set it down on his coffee table with deliberate precision. Then he crashed his lips against hers with a desperate hunger, like she was the oxygen he needed to survive.
God, yes,she thought, melting into him as heat exploded through her veins. She grabbed onto his neck and pulled him impossibly closer, her fingers threading through his dark blonde hair. The kiss was everything their first kiss hadn't been—deep, consuming, and utterly intoxicating.
Rylan's control seemed to snap as he pushed her gently down onto the leather couch, his solid weight settling over her. His hand began exploring her body over her green blouse, mapping every curve with reverent touches that made her arch beneath him.
"Wren," he murmured against her lips, her name a prayer on his tongue.
She gasped as his hand slipped under her blouse, his palm finding her breasts. The sensation sent electric shocks through her nervous system, pleasure tingling from her core to her fingertips. When his lips moved from her mouth to her neck, finding that sensitive spot that drove her wild, she couldn't suppress the soft moan that escaped.
This is happening,she thought dizzily.This gorgeous, powerful man wants me.
But just as Wren was drowning in the pleasure tingles racing across her skin, Rylan pulled back suddenly. His blue eyes were dark with desire, but there was something else there—vulnerability mixed with determination.
"You know…" he said, his voice filled with want, "Gerri didn't just 'find' you by chance. She orchestrated this—brought you to me because she knew you'd be the one to help me, and… perhaps, to find me as well."
Wren's eyes widened, her heart racing for entirely different reasons now. "What do you mean exactly?"
Her analytical mind kicked into overdrive, connecting dots she'd been too distracted to see before. The way Gerri had appeared at exactly the right moment in the coffee shop. How she'd known Wren's name before introducing herself. The calculating gleam in those blue-gold eyes.
It wasn't coincidence,she realized with growing awe.She planned all of this.
"I mean, you're not just helping me here, Wren." Rylan's gaze softened, his voice dropping to an intimate whisper. "You're essential to me. You're… my fated mate."
"Fated mate?" The words felt foreign on her tongue, but something deep inside her recognized their truth. "What is that exactly?"
Rylan's thumb traced gentle circles on her cheek. "To a tiger shifter, a fated mate is the other half of our soul. The one person who completes us fully. We can sense the mate bond instantly—I felt it the moment we shook hands when we first met."
That electric shock,she thought, remembering the jolt that had raced through her when their skin first touched.That magnetic pull I've felt every second since.
"Why didn't you mention it sooner?" she asked, though part of her already knew the answer.
His jaw tightened slightly. "Because I was trying to deny it. I was scared of what it might mean for me, for us. I've spent my entire adult life convinced that love was a weakness, a distraction I couldn't afford." His eyes met hers with raw honesty. "But I don't want to deny it anymore, Wren. I want you. All of you."
A surge of warmth gushed through her—not just physical desire, but something deeper. That mysterious connection she'd felt from the beginning suddenly had a name and a purpose. The mate bond wasn't just attraction; it was recognition at a soul-deep level.
"I want to discover what this mate bond thing means," she said softly. "What fated mates has to offer."
"Are you sure about that?" His voice carried an edge of alpha possessiveness that caused her blood to heat with desire. "Are you not worried about what you're getting into?"
