Page 335 of Love Bites

MAGNUS

Mate.The word echoed through my mind, hard and rough against my senses. I’d met my mate. I hadn’t expected to—not after all these years—but something about that bakery had appealed to me. Something had forced my hand and made me open the door. My wolf had practically demanded it. Thank fuck I’d learned a long time ago to follow his lead or else I might have missed her.

My Coco.

A gorgeous woman with long, brown hair and a heart-shaped face who radiated warmth every time she smiled. Curves for days on her, too—the kind that made a man want to grab hold and never let go. The kind that made him want to kiss and lick every dip. And that mouth…both the shape and what came out of it. The woman was pure temptation, a decadent dessert after a disappointing meal. And I wanted to devour her.

Only problem with that? She was human.Human. Which meant I needed to take my time, introduce her to me and my wolf a little slower than if she were a fellow shifter. I couldn’t assume she felt the same strength of connection to me that I did to her or the same need to mate and complete our bond. For once in my very long life, I needed to take things slow. Give her time to learn me. To wait for the right moment.

All things I knew I absolutelyhadto do. All things driving me absolutely mad as well.

Which was how I found myself opening the door of Cake-ily Ever After for the second day in a row, unable to stay away. I’d woken up hard and aching, wishing she were in my bed. Wanting to slide inside her wet heat and watch her fall apart beneath me. I’d had to go for a run before I could even think about starting my day. My wolf had run us ragged, exhausting my muscles but not my mind. I couldn’t forget the feel of her skin under my fingertips, the taste of her lips. The softness of her body pressed against mine. One goodnight kiss and a few stolen moments of grinding on the girl, and I was whipped. Owned. Mated.

It was about damned time.

“The handsome man returns.” Ginger, the sister I’d met the day before, gave me a smile as she slid a tray of brightly colored cupcakes into the display case. “What brings you back here? And if you say anything other than my sister, I might just castrate you.”

The fact that she said that with her grin still in place might have been scarier than if she’d been more serious. “Thanks for the warning, but rest assured—I’m here for Coco.”

“Good. C’mon back—she’s working on the macarons for an event order.” She snagged a piece of waxed paper along the way, reaching into a case and grabbing what looked like a small bun of some sort.

“Breton butter cake,” she said as she handed it to me. “Coco trained with a French pastry chef after culinary school. Her éclairs are to die for, but these are a staple.”

I took a bite, wishing I could get a taste of my mate instead, but the sweet, buttery flavor knocked every thought from my mind in an instant. Okay, not every thought—I was a man who could smell his mate in the air for fuck’s sake—but enough of them to focus on pastry for just a moment. “This is delicious.”

“It is, and she makes them every day. If you’re lucky, she might even make them at home for you.” Her grin turned positively wicked as she backed through the door into the kitchen. “Hope you don’t mind working out.”

I rolled my eyes at her teasing even as I figured an extra run a day might be good for me. Between the sweets and the need bubbling up inside of me, a little exertion would go a long way toward keeping both me and my wolf under control. Besides, Kinship Cove was the perfect place to spend a little extra time in my wolf form. Between the woods, the other shifters, and the waterfront on the western side of the village, the place was made for a man like me. One who preferred a little freedom to get his animal on.

Of course, then I saw Coco standing over a tray of pink discs with a triangular white bag thing in her hand. All thoughts of being away from her even for a minute vanished.Mate. Mine.

“Hey, cookie lady,” Ginger said in a loud voice. “You’ve got a delivery.”

But Coco didn’t look up. “Five minutes. I just need five minutes to put these together before the filling sets up too much and I can’t get them to stick right.”

“I can wait.” I grinned and took a bite of the bun as Coco’s head shot up. That smile, those dark eyes…fuck, she was beautiful. I wanted to toss her ass on the floor and rut her for days. Instead, I devoured her sweet baked good and looked her over. “You look gorgeous this morning, though that doesn’t surprise me in the least. It’s hard to hide such beauty.”

Her smile set my chest on fire, and the slight flush that rose up her neck made other parts of me warmer as well. “What are you doing here?”

“I told you I’d see you tomorrow. It’s tomorrow.”

“You said you’d call.”

“Seeing you in person seemed like a better idea.”

Sweet. Sweet smile, sweet duck of her head, sweet little blush…everything about this woman was sweet. My mouth watered at the thought of finding out just how sweet every inch of her was.

She shook her head, biting her lip as if to hold back her grin. “I’m happy you’re here, but I need—”

“Five minutes. Go ahead and finish your work. I’ll wait for you.”

That must have been the right answer because instead of going back to work, Coco rushed over to me. I barely had enough time to grab hold of her hips before her lips were on mine, her scent surrounding me, her taste on my tongue. I growled, unable to hold it back, wishing for more time with my mate…preferably with fewer clothes on.

“Hi,” she whispered when she finally broke the kiss and settled with her hand against my chest. “I’m so glad you stopped by.”

“I am too. Is it too forward of me to say I missed you last night?” I kissed her nose after she gave me a small head shake. “Good. Because I did miss you. Now, go get your work done so I can have you to myself for a while.”

“Okay. It’ll only be a few minutes.”

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