Page 38 of B Positive

“It’s also why your temperature rises in my presence and why you’re constantly thinking of all the ways you’d like to fuck me.”

My gaze darted to his. “I do no such thing!”

He smirked at me. A gorgeous, cocky, fuck-boy smirk if ever I saw one. “You can’t lie to me, Eden. We’re mates. I know every dirty little thought you’ve ever had about me.”

My eyes widened, mouth parting in a stupid, surprised littleO.

Oh my God, can he fucking read my mind?

Unbidden, my brain cataloged and replayed, in crystal-clear detail, every sexual fantasy I’d had about him. Every time I’d wished I could rip his clothes off. Like in the study that first time when my body was fucking humming. Or when he’d pressed me against the wall of the great room.

Or how often I’d thought his voice alone could make me come.

Oh my god, how many times had I thought of him as afuckableking?!

“Just stop calling me that! I’m not anyone’s mate, okay?”

“But you are, sweet Eden. And that’s exactly what’s going to keep you safe.”

Fourteen

I paced the great room,chewing the inside of my cheek.

This couldn’t be happening. I was not some rich asshole’s mate.

Except it explained everything. Julian’s panty-melting magnetism wasn’t magnetism at all. It was mate bond bullshit. Same with my body’s reaction to his voice. Mate mumbo-jumbo. Which only made this more complicated.

I stopped mid-stride.Was that why he bought my building? Was that some strange rich guy attempt at getting closer to me?

Blech.How was I supposed to figure out if I had genuine feelings for him with this mate magic telling my body that genuine feelings didn’t matter?

“You’ll wear a hole in the marble if you keep stomping those ridiculous boots around like that.” Sunny stood at the far end of the great room, tablet tucked under her arm. Today’s dress was a deep eggplant, and it looked absolutely fantastic with her coloring.

I stole a quick glance at her shoes.

Manolos. Of course.

“He left. Which is fine. Reasonable, right? I mean he is a king, I’m sure he’s got lots of king shit to take care of, but he’s not here which means he can’t answer any of the bajillion questions I have, but maybe that’s a good thing? Maybe some distance is what I need to get my head around this? I don’t know. This mate thing has me all messed up, Sunny. I don’t know if I even want him answering my questions.”

To her credit, Sunny was unfazed by my verbal diarrhea. Instead, she tapped a few times on her tablet. “Ah, he left for a meeting with King Titus. They have some rules of engagement to discuss before things get started.”

I knew that. He’d told me so before he’d left. But that didn’t change the fact that I now had more questions than answers.

“Eden, how can I help?”

I shrugged, arms flopping to my sides. How was I supposed to know that?

“Just start with your biggest question, Eden.”

Yeah, okay. I could do that. “What—what does being mates even mean?”

She came closer and guided me toward one of the soft, honey-colored sofas. I obliged her, but the second my ass hit the seat, I popped right back up and paced the length of the area rug in front of her.

I mean, really. How could she sit at a time like this?

“Well?” I asked.

Sunny sighed. “Being mated just means…” She paused, fingers tapping as she glanced at her tablet.

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