Page 28 of Hunting for her Heart
“What about a kiss?” he asks, his eyes darting down to my lips as I suck in a sharp breath of surprise. What I now know must be desire swirls inside my core. The thought ofhis lips touching mine has my heart racing faster than I’ve ever felt before.
Slowly, his head starts to lower toward mine, and I realize that this is it. This is the moment I get my first kiss. “Watch out!” Bo yells, grabbing my hips and yanking me into his arms as he stands and backs away.
I look down at Ronan, my eyes wide as I take in the vine slowly creeping across his lap, as if it were growing right before our eyes. Bo readjusts me so my legs are around his waist and my arms around his neck as we watch. The grassy spot has spread to cover the entire area where we’d been sitting.
I worry the vine will try to harm Ronan, but when he nudges it aside, it doesn’t fight back. In fact, it doesn’t seem to be growing anymore.
“I don’t like this,” Hawk says, standing beside us. “Maybe we should find another spot.”
“I hate to leave such a well-protected area,” Ronan says as he pushes to his feet and stares back at the grass that somehow grew right underneath where he’d been sitting.
“But this cave seems almost… sentient,” Bo says, clearly in favor of leaving as he rubs his large hand up and down my back. “It might be mad we’re in its space.”
Ronan nods, looking reluctant. “We have a few hours of daylight left. If we leave now, we have a chance of finding somewhere to stop for the night.”
“I have an idea,” Hawk says, looking between us. “That waterfall we were at earlier? I’m pretty sure there was a small cave behind it.”
“Behind the falls?” Bo asks.
“Yes.”
Ronan nods as he steps toward the cave entrance. “That’sour best chance then. Let’s put out this fire and go.” He steps out of the cave, coming back a few moments later with his hands full of dirt. He dumps it on the flames, and it immediately dies down. He does this again until there is nothing left but rising smoke.
“Willow, Bo will carry you on his back. That way, his hands are free for defense.” I nod as I unhook my feet from his waist, and he lowers me to the ground. Then he spins around and squats low, allowing me to climb on his back.
Once I’m secure, he picks up his two swords, sheathing one at his side and carrying the other in his right hand. He uses his free hand to hold my thigh as we follow Hawk out into the forest.
“Try not to speak unless necessary. We never know who’s in earshot,” Bo whispers quietly, and I nod, the side of my head brushing against his, to let him know I understand.
As I’m carried through the forest, my mind tries to wrap itself around everything I’ve just been told. They are my fated mates. My soul mates. I still don’t fully understand that, but a part of me still worries it’s similar to how my father had promised me to Paul. Now I’ve been promised to these three men, by fate.
Except I’m not repulsed by them like I was by my father’s second in command. No, it’s the complete opposite. Even now as I cling to Bo’s back, my fingers itch to move against his bare skin, to explore his body and know what he feels like. I’ve never touched a man before meeting them.
Suddenly, I’m wondering what he looks like between his thighs. Of course, I learned all about the male anatomy and how procreation works when I attended school in the cult, but I’ve neverseen onebefore. Not even a drawing. The way it was described made it impossible to picture.
I feel my cheeks heat in embarrassment from where my mind has drifted, but I know I can at least bask in the knowledge that he can’t see my face right now and doesn’t know what I’m thinking.
That is… until he speaks.
Chapter Eleven
Bo
“Little one,” I whisper softly. “You’re pushing me to my limits here.” I hear her inhale sharply as I try to focus on our surroundings and not my little mate squirming against my back like she’s desperate for a rutting.
“W-what?” she stutters out, sounding worried.
“If you keep rubbing yourself against me like that, I’m not going to be able to concentrate on keeping you safe.”
“I’m sorry. I-I didn’t realize,” she whispers, right beside my ear.
“I know,” I tell her as I continue marching behind Hawk, with Ronan taking up the rear. Over the next few minutes, she’s so stiff, I wonder if she’s fallen asleep, but one glance over my shoulder at her face and I can see the shame there.
“Sweetheart,” I whisper, just for her ears. “To be clear, Iwantyou to rub yourself on me. In fact, I request you do it as much as it pleases you. Except for now, when we’re walking through the forest with enemies all around us. Your little body is too tempting for me.”
When she doesn’t respond, I ask, “Do you understand?” I feel her nod her head, and when I glance at her face again, the shame is mostly gone, and she gives me a tentative smile. That is probably the best I can do while we’re on the move.
The waterfall isn’t too far, and I look forward to getting there. I want to be able to see her body again, to study her curves, however slight they are right now. But we will feed her well and be sure to get her healthy in no time. I just wish I had something to get rid of those bruises.
