Page 28 of Monster Mate

She hadn’t given too much thought to children. The world was such a dumpster fire that the thought of bringing kids into it seemed almost cruel. But she wasn’t going to lie to herself. There was something about the thought of a son or daughter with her spirit and Riordan’s kindness and openness that was really enticing.

Roxie cleared her throat to get rid of the annoying lump of emotion that had settled there. “What else? I get the idea you’re holding back a little.”

He sighed. “I don’t want to scare you off, but I don’t want to lie to you, either. It’s a fine line I’m walking.”

“I can handle it. Just spit it out.”

Riordan looked skeptical, but eventually said, “If you accept me as your mate, we’ll have a psychic bond to match our emotional and physical one. I’ll know where you are and how you’re feeling, and vice versa.”

She blinked at him. Wow. That was huge. The thought of someone knowing that much about her at all times was…daunting. “Isn’t that a little, I don’t know, intrusive?”

“I can see why it would feel that way to you now. But if you agreed to be mine, the bond would be more of a comfort than anything else. A guarantee that you’d never walk alone for the rest of your life.”

He probably didn’t know it, but he’d just poked a bruise. Loneliness, feeling like no one was ever on her side, was something she’d always struggled with. She’d assumed it was a side effect of her years in the foster care system. Was it possible that part of her soul—Riordan—had just been missing up until now and that was why she felt lonely so often?

She shook the thought off immediately. She just wasn’t ready to think like that. Not yet, anyway. “What other genetic gifts would we share? Would I be able to teleport, too?” Because that’d be hella handy. She’d never get stuck in rush hour traffic again! In fact, she’d probably never drive or take a flight anywhere ever again. What would be the point?

He chuckled. “Eventually. It will take you quite a bit of time to perfect the ability. But the good news is that you’ll have plenty of time. Mating with me will…dramatically improve your lifespan.”

She sat up on her elbows. “How dramatic are we talking here? Just how old are you, Riordan?”

He averted his eyes. “I’m not entirely sure. Time passes differently in my dimension.”

She narrowed her eyes on him. “Ballpark it for me,” she said dryly.

There was that negligent little shrug again. “I dunno. A few…thousand decades, maybe?”

Roxie’s jaw dropped. “Thousand…decades…you’re saying I’d be freakin’ immortal?”

“No,” he said defensively. “We wouldn’t be immortal. We could be killed. Just not by age or disease.”

She flopped back down on the mattress. “That’s a lot to think about.”

“It is.”

If he was disappointed she didn’t immediately agree to be his mate when near-immortality was on the table, he didn’t let on. Instead, he let one of his hands glide down her shoulder, lightly over her breast, across her stomach, straight down to her…

She gasped, then moaned as one of his talons circled her overstimulated clit.

“But,” he said conversationally. “We don’t have to think about it tonight. We don’t have to think about anything tonight.”

Holy. Shit.

He was as good as his word. She didn’t think about anything else.

All. Night. Long.

CHAPTER 18

The next two weeks were the best of Riordan’s life.

He’d spent nearly every moment with Roxie, from the time he woke up with her sprawled across his chest, to the time he fell asleep spooned around her. It was the closest he imagined a demon like himself would ever get to Heaven.

Even mundane things like running errands and puttering around in the house and garden seemed extraordinary with Roxie at his side.

They talked for hours, about everything and nothing. Serious conversations, silly conversations, and everything in between. Being with her was by far the best time he’d ever had.

He’d grown very fond of Waldo and Winston, as well. More so Waldo. But Winston wasn’t without his charms. Occasionally. When he wasn’t being a complete asshole. That wasn’t the point, though.

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