Page 59 of Daman

The warmth of his hand on my lower back kick-started my heart. It was the first time he’d ever done it. Hyperaware of his close proximity, my skin tingled, and I stepped closer to him.

Goddammit.

Was he really my mate?

Cold air whipped against my face as we drove the snowmobiles through the wintery terrain, finding the trail through the forest that led to the cottage. It was still hard to believe it wasourcottage. Mine and his.

Warrin opened the front door for me, and I walked past him into the house, undoing the buttons on my coat before draping it over the chair in the entryway.

“Why don’t you ever put your shithead nephew in his place?” I asked, veering toward the living room. I added wood to the fire and sat on the rug in front of it.

“What do you mean?”

“The shitty remark Feliks made about you losing your virginity. You just sat there and took it.”

“What else am I supposed to do? He’s the crowned prince.” Warrin dropped down beside me on the rug and stared at the flames. “Besides, words are nothing but noise. They only hurt if I let them.”

“And you don’t let them?”

“No.”

“You make it sound so easy. Deciding whether something hurts you or not.” I stretched my legs out and wiggled my toes in front of the fire. They were already warming up. “The shit people say affects me way more than I’d like.”

The light from the fire caught in his blue eyes. “I know my mind, and I know my heart. Feliks can mock me all he wants, but his opinion doesn’t change the way I feel about myself.” His hand tightened into a fist. “But when he spoke toyouin that way… it took all my strength not to lunge across the table and silence him.”

“Really?”

He nodded once.

A well of emotion clogged in my throat. He really did care about me despite us barely knowing each other. Then again, time didn’t affect a fated mates’ connection. Sometimes it took days or weeks. Other times, a person knew in an instant.

I smiled. “Wanna know what I have to say about that?”

His questioning gaze landed on me as I pushed against his shoulders and forced him to his back before straddling his waist. As I rubbed myself on him, following the hard outline of his bulging erection, I ran my hands up his wide chest.

He stared up at me, silent and seemingly unfazed. The quickening of his heartbeat beneath my palms—and the swell of his hard cock against my ass—told another story. He wasn’t nearly as unaffected as he seemed. Hard on the outside. A big softie on the inside.

I kissed him.

Warrin’s big hands moved to my sides, his fingers skimming beneath the bottom of my shirt. His fingertips grazed my skin, leaving a trail of tingling warmth in their wake. It was the spark that would ignite a roaring fire, and I eagerly awaited the lick from the flames.

I sighed against his lips and deepened the kiss.

And then, I felt it. The same sensation from earlier. It wound through my stomach and shot up to my chest, wrapping around my heart.

Warrin’s mouth quivered, and he held me tighter. Kissed me harder.

Did he feel it too?

“I want you to fuck me,” I panted, sharing his breath. I circled my hips, my ass moving along the hard ridge of his cock through his pants. Fuck, he was so big.

“Right here?”

“Yep.” I nipped at his bottom lip. “I’ll go grab the lube.”

I slid off his lap and jogged up the stairs to our room, grabbing the same bottle we’d used the night before, and returned to the living room. He had removed his shirt and taken off his pants, reclining in just his briefs. They hugged the tops of his muscled thighs, and my mouth watered.

Yep. Definitely crushing on my own freaking husband.