Page 31 of Monster Mate

She looked like she could tear him apart with her bare hands. Good. Now she knew how he felt. “No. But you’re acting like one. You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met until feelings are involved. Then you retreat, insisting you can handle everything on your own, like you had to do as a child. But what you refuse to admit is that you’re not alone anymore. I’m standing right fucking here, Roxie. I have been since we met. I’ve never once retreated or given you any indication that I can’t handle the emotionally stunted mess you carry as baggage. And still, you don’t trust me. What else do I have to do to convince you I’m worthy of your trust?”

“This has nothing to do with trust,” she practically hissed at him. “This is about me not wanting you to get hurt. Why can’t you see that?”

He gestured to his body with both hands. “Because I’m 7’feet tall, fireproof, and can teleport. A human with a rocket launcher couldn’t hurt me. And you expect me to believe you’re concerned that your ex-boyfriend is somehow a threat to me?” He shook his head. “Just admit it. This has nothing to do with him or me. You’re using that as an excuse to run so you don’t get hurt.”

“Since when is self-preservation a bad thing?” she blurted. “That guy threatened to kill me if I left him! I had to run.”

“Not that kind of hurt,” he said through gritted teeth. “You know I can protect you. Hell, you know you can protect yourself. You ran from him because it was the smart thing to do. But running from me isn’t smart. You’re just afraid to admit you might actually need me.”

She shot to her feet and shoved him back a step with a surprising amount of strength for her willowy frame. “Of course, I’m afraid to need you! I’m already relying on you for the roof over my head. Now I’m supposed to let you fight my battles for me with a psychopath who’s willing to ignore a restraining order and cross the country to hunt me down? No way. It’s too much.”

He crowded her space again. “That’s what a mate is supposed to do.”

“I never agreed to be your mate!”

“That doesn’t change what we are to each other. I love you, damn it!”

Her chest heaved with her angry breaths. “Well…I love you too, damn it!”

He leaned down so that they were nose to nose and said, “Then quit trying to run away and fight for us, you little fool.”

Her cheeks flushed and a muscle in her jaw jumped, but she grated out a very terse, “Fine.”

“Fine.”

He wasn’t sure who moved first. It might’ve been him. But he couldn’t swear to it. All he knew was that one minute, they were glaring daggers at each other, and the next, they were kissing the hell out of each other, almost violent in their passion.

Humans. What a mystery they were.

* * *

Roxie wrapped her legs around his waist as Riordan scooped her up and slammed her back against the bedroom door.

He didn’t bother teleporting her clothes away this time. He shredded them like a rabid, feral animal as she clawed at his pants.

“Accept my mating bond,” he growled, nipping her bottom lip. “It’ll help protect you.”

“No,” she snarled. He groaned as she grabbed his balls. Hard. “I’m not accepting the mating bond out of fear.”

Her mouth fell open on a sharp hiss as he lowered her onto his cock, not giving her even a second to adjust to his size. “Then accept it because you love me and I love you,” he said, punctuating every word with a hard thrust.

She dug her heels into the small of his back, pulling him in tighter. “Not until this is all over.”

With an angry growl, he drove into her hard and fast, desperate. She pushed back with equal ferocity. It was animalistic, like they were at war and only the one who fucked the hardest would survive.

“Come now,” he said through bared teeth.

“Stop bossing me around!”

He shifted his hands and pulled her tighter against him, slamming into her so hard she was surprised the door was holding up under that kind of punishment.

But she wasn’t taking it easy on him, either. She was pushing back with all her strength, and she had a grip on his balls that might’ve killed a human.

“You’re mine,” he hissed.

“You’re goddamned right I am,” she snarled back.

“Why." Hard thrust. “Won’t.” Hard thrust. “You.” Thrust so hard the entire wall shook. “Just.” Hard thrust. “Accept.” Hard thrust. “The.” Hard thrust. “Bond.”

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