Page 33 of Choosing the Rejected Mate

“I want you,” I say, voice rough.“Goddess, I want you so badly I can barely stand upright.But I don’t want a kiss that leaves you feeling cornered after.”

Her face crumples for half a second before she controls it.It’s enough to gut me.

“I hate that you notice everything,” she whispers.

“I know.”

“It makes you hard to hate.”

“I’m devastated.”I give her a small smile and a watery laugh slips out of her.

There it is—the sound I want to keep earning.

Holly wipes at her cheek quickly, like she can erase the evidence of almost crying before I see it, and I let her pretend.

She takes a shaky breath.“I wanted to kiss you.”

“I know.”

“I’m not ready for more.”

“I know that too.”

“I might be one day.”

My chest goes tight, and I nod slowly.“Then I’ll wait for one day.”

Her eyes lift to mine, suspicious and hopeful and terrified all at once.“What if it takes a while?”

“Then it takes a while.”

“What if I’m difficult?”

I smile.“You’re difficult.”She glares, and I point at her gently.“But you’re not hard to want.”

The glare fades, and the kitchen goes quiet again.Not empty or awkward.Just full of things neither of us is ready to say.

Finally, Holly clears her throat.“You should go.”

I nod.“I should.”

This time, I actually move toward the door.At the threshold, I stop and look back.She’s standing beside the counter, cheeks flushed, mouth swollen from my kiss, flour on her skin and fear in her eyes.She’s the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

“Tomorrow?”I ask.

She hesitates, then nods.“Tomorrow,” she says.

I step into the alley and close the door behind me before my restraint snaps in half.

The night air is cool, but it does nothing to calm the heat in my blood.I brace one hand against the brick wall and drag in a breath that still tastes like her while I adjust my absurd erection.

My wolf paces, restless and furious.Mate.

“Yes,” I rasp.“Our mate.”

But not ours to claim.Not yet.

Holly asked for slow.So slow is what I’ll give her.Even if it kills me.