Page 34 of Reclaiming His Lost Mate
As I glanced around the café, I took in the soft glow of the hanging lights that illuminated the uneven tables, the barista’s seamless ebb in and out behind the counter, and the gentle hum of conversation enough to draw me away from the heaviness of my run-in with Tom.
“Guess you’re missing having Mia after school, what with her exciting sleepover tonight?” Lyvia remarked.
“It is quiet without her,” I admitted. “But I thought I might ask Selina if she wanted to get dinner tonight.” My heart raced as I looked at Lyvia, gauging her reaction, knowing she was close to Selina. Perhaps she could offer me some guidance as to how to ask her.
But my stomach sank as I saw Lyvia’s face fall. “Oh… she told me Tom’s staying at hers tonight,” she said.
The words hit me like a physical blow.
Overnight? My insides twisted in a storm of nausea. All the laughter and smiles I had witnessed between them suddenly crystallized into unyielding dread. Were they already together? Had they been seeing each other? I’d thought it was friendship. I’d suspected that Tom had designs on Selina. After all, who wouldn’t? She was clever, talented, and beautiful—anyone who spent time around her couldn’t help but be captivated, but I’d thought that I had time; time to earn her trust again.
“Excuse me,” I murmured, hardly aware of the words spilling out of my mouth as I stumbled up, dropping a five-dollar bill on the counterbefore shooting out of the café. The need to confirm the truth clawed at me with a desperation I hadn’t known was possible.
I sprinted down the street, each stride fueled by frantic energy and clenched fists. A whirlwind of emotions churned within me as I reached Selina’s cabin, my heart thundering as I knocked on Selina’s door.
“Hey, I—” Selina began as she opened it, clearly expecting someone else. The surprise flickering across her face confirmed my fears. Was she already anticipating Tom? She froze in the doorway, her expression shifting from surprise to concern.
I inhaled sharply, trying to rein in my urgency; the last thing I wanted was to scare her, but I needed to voice the turmoil tearing me apart.
“Please, Selina, you're too generous to toy with me,” I implored, my voice low but charged with feeling. “I need to know where we stand. Is there any chance for us, or are you and Tom together?”
For a heartbeat, her expression softened, and I thought I glimpsed a spark of desire flicker in her gaze before it was quickly replaced by a cloud of uncertainty. “I don’t know yet,” she responded, her voice steady but strained. “You being part of Mia’s and my life... it’s been… a lot. I need to think about things more before—”
She trailed off, wrapping her arms around herself as if wanting comfort. How I longed to hold her, to tell her that I’d be whatever she needed me to be.
“Before what?” I urged, feeling hope bloom in the pit of my stomach. Did that mean there was a chance for us?
My heart drummed at the thought that she might entertain the idea of us as a possibility. A flurry of hope shot through my veins.
But she looked like she was done, her expression closing off a little as she said, “Listen, Tom’s go–”
My heart thundered, a cold blast cutting through the tenderness of the moment, and before I knew what I was doing, I closed the distance between us in an instant. I couldn’t bear the thought of hearing what I had rushed through the streets to confirm, the fear of what her next words might mean. The idea of her saying she was withTom felt like the final straw, a crushing blow to my already hopeless heart.
It was as though my body acted of its own accord—my lips found hers before any rational thought could intervene. The heated collision of our mouths obliterated every lingering doubt. My own terror transformed into passion, electrifying the air between us.
Selina let out a soft purr of satisfaction as I tasted her plush lips, our mouths melding together, and elation surged through me. The little hum she made sent a jolt of searing heat through me because she couldn’t disguise the want in it. As her tongue tangled with mine, my need deepened, my hands coming up to cradle the back of her head.
In that monumental moment, each of her kisses kindled hope and heat, stoking the need in me, and I wanted more.
Chapter 16
Selina
Alexis’s mouth crashed against mine with a fervor that ignited something primal and deep within me. It was a kiss so electric that it burned away all thoughts of Tom. I had opened my mouth to tell Alexis that Tom was on his way, about to suggest that we talk about things tomorrow, when a look crossed his face that made my breath hitch. His brows lowered, and a fierce intensity overshadowing his usual warmth revealed an almost predatory glint in his stormy eyes.
I melted into the kiss, heat radiating across my skin, the tightness that I’d been feeling over my skin relaxing as Alexis's hands tangled in my hair, sending a thrill down my spine.
Every nerve in my body ignited as my fingers found their way to his chest, exhilaration coursing through me as I felt the pounding of his heart beneath the chiseled contours of his physique. His lips were soft yet commanding—a delicious blend of urgency and warmth that drew me deeper into a dizzying oblivion. This wasn’t just a kiss; it was a declaration, one that made the world around us fade into nonexistence.
But then, a creak from the cabin steps intruded.
Somehow, I managed to pull away, breathless. My heart raced asreality crashed down around me. I looked past Alexis to see Tom standing on the porch. The surprise etched across his features mirrored my own shock as he took in the scene—my kiss-bruised lips, my disheveled hair, the remnants of an all-consuming passion that I felt had already burned me to cinders, and that had only been a kiss.
My face heated with embarrassment, a crimson blush burning my cheeks. Alexis had turned sideways, angling his powerful body so that he stood between inside the cabin and Tom out on the porch, practically in the doorway as if he were barring the way to Tom.
My wolf seemed to shimmy at the thought. Why did Alexis’s protective stance thrill her? I was still thinking with my wolf’s want, and all she wanted was Alexis’s lips, the hard lines of his body, and the heat of him pressed up against us.
Something that was essential I stop doing because I needed to address this awkward situation. Uh...” I stammered, feeling painfully aware of the atmosphere thickening around us like a brewing storm. My heart thumped a thousand beats a minute because I could sense what was coming.
