Page 2 of Passion & Betrayal

“Cian—” she starts, but I cut her off.

“I’ll see you at the reception. Save me a dance.”

I press a quick kiss to her now-swollen lips before turning and forcing myself to walk out. I want to return to her, I want to do despicable things to her, but I know I need to take my time, or I might scare her off. In the recesses of my mind, my panther roars in outrage. I wish I could throw her over my shoulder right now and keep her forever, but I will wait.

****

Isabel

God, I can feel his eyes on me. They follow me around the room, and the heat of his gaze burns into my pores. I do my best to listen to the vows my best friend gives her mate.

I hold back my tears as I watch the newly married couple leave the church. They are mostly happy tears because I love seeing Aryanna so happy. She deserves it. But some of my tears are sad that I’ll hardly ever see Aryanna because she’s so busy with her husband and their first child on the way.

I wave as their car pulls away. I stand and watch until I can’t see them any longer. The rest of the group started heading to their cars to drive to the reception, but I stood briefly in a daze before thinking of the flower petals they’d used down the aisle. I know Aryanna would like to have some.

I pick up some of the petals when I feel the air around me sizzle and his scent wraps around me. I have to concentrate on settling my breathing, which is fast and deep, and my heart feels like it will burst from my chest.

When he crouches beside me and helps me pick up the petals, I feel the heat of a blush cover my face, and I think I might faint if he gets much closer. I have a hard time concentrating on my task. I know if I look at him, I will stare like a lovesick puppy. He is the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. His masculinity and alpha personality are what I noticed first.

“What are you doing, Beauty?”

God, I love that he calls me Beauty. It makes me feel special. I explain about the petals. I know he couldn’t care less, but I like how attentive he is.

I have a hard time keeping up with our conversation. I only want to crawl onto his lap because I know he’ll keep me safe. Or spread me out on the nearest flat surface and fuck me until I’m unconscious.

It is funny and a little weird how many dreams I’ve had with a faceless person, both of us naked, and he is between my thighs, pistoning into my cunt so many times I become raw. I vaguely guessed that Cian was my mate a few months before, but I let him make the first move.

I put Cian’s face on the faceless person in my dreams. It makes the heat of desire grow inside me. It’s a sensation I’ve never felt before. My first inclination is to be afraid of the magnitude of my desire, but the heat inside me makes thinking nearly impossible.

I suck in a breath when he tips my head up. Looking into his eyes makes the searing heat expand.

He mentions that I’m always welcome in his home to visit Aryanna. As much as I want to see my friend, I also need to give her and her husband space because I don’t want to intrude. Besides, when I visited Aryanna, I had to deal with the way Cian made me feel. Just thinking about him would make my body hum, but being close like this made it impossible for me to think.

A sigh escapes when he leans forward and takes my lips in a kiss so blatantly erotic it feels like my blood has turned to molten lava in my veins. Hell, I want him to fuck me so badly I ache. It takes me a moment to remember that we are in a church and out in the open.

I know the two of us are a mated couple. But for some reason I can’t explain, I know something is missing. Am I not supposed to feel complete when I’m with my mate? It’s something I’d talk to Aryanna about.

****

He keeps me on the dance floor at the reception and in his arms for most of the night. My feet ache, and my cheeks are sore from smiling so much.

When the party starts to shut down, Cian takes me to my father.

I was thankful Cian didn’t broach the subject of the other man, but I knew it was just a matter of time.

My father stands against the wall with his hands clasped behind his back. I can tell he isn’t pleased about us being a mated pair, not with one but two mates, but no one can fight the universe.

Cian stands tall, looking my father in the eyes. The challenge in Cian’s expression is apparent. I don’t feel intimidated by these two oversized men because I know either would set their lives down for me.

“You know we’re a mated pair.”

My father nods, but I can see the muscle in his jaw throb, telling me he is not at all happy, but there is little he can do.

“Yes, I do know. I want you to give her time to get to know you. I also want to warn you that I’ve been very protective of my daughter, and that will never stop.”

Cian nods. “I get it. I will come for your daughter tomorrow afternoon. We’ll go out on a short date.”

My father glances down at me. I can feel myself silently begging him to let me go. My father sighs. “All right, but you’ll bring her back home.”

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