Page 73 of Fated to the Wolf Cowboy

“Okay,” he said, shooting me one of those killer dimpled grins.

“Okay.”

Why did he have to talk about it? Why couldn’t we have just gone to bed? Now I was self-conscious and a little anxious. It wasn’t like I’d ever done anything like this before.

I’m not sure it would come as a surprise to him after everything I told him, but I was still very much a virgin. Hell, he was my first kiss.

By the time I was old enough to think about it and understand that others my age were doing it, I was already well aware I was different. And I knew that different meant bad. The Raglan was already a threat and the first of their experiments were beginning to surface. That had made me paranoid.

I knew to lay low. Maybe that was just a survival instinct, but I was convinced it was a good one and why I was still alive today.

Brady let me lay down first and then he joined me—sort of.

He chose to stay as far away from me as the bed would allow. It seemed weird to me for a man who had asked me to stay and live with him.

Maybe I had freaked him out more than he was letting on.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this? With me and the whole witch thing?”

He rolled over and the mattress dipped pulling us both towards the center and sailing me straight into his arms.

I expected him to pull away, but he didn’t. Instead, he rolled to his back and tucked me into his side. His arm wrapped around me and held me to him. I was stiff at first, but then I relaxed, nuzzling against his chest. His scent was so strong around me, making every nerve in my body heightened while also relaxing all my muscles. It was an odd sensation making me feel a bit like I needed to shift.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Tricia, you’re my mate. I don’t care that you’re also a witch. Now that I know who my mate is without question, I can assume there will be no further incidents like the Clementine one.”

I giggled. “You really thought a horse might be your mate?”

“You really talked to said horse?”

“Touché.”

He kissed the top of my head, sending electric pulses down my body.

I was pretty sure it was meant to be benign, but that wasn’t how my body reacted.

Just because I was innocent in some ways didn’t mean I’d never experimented with my body before. I knew what made me feel good and I was excited to discover how much better that could get with a partner. I had a feeling Brady would be one hell of a partner, too.

“You’re safe here, Tricia. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. You’re far too important to me.”

It wasn’t exactly an announcement of love, but given the short and conflicting time we’d known each other, this felt like something important.

My hand had remained uncharacteristically still pressed against the hard planes of his lower abdomen. I flexed my fingers, testing his reaction. There was none.

I took that as encouragement to continue.

This time my hand moved a little lower.

He sucked in a sharp breath.

I trailed a fingertip across each hard line, much more obvious this time.

Brady grabbed my wrist and stopped me.

Before disappointment and rejection could register, he spoke in a slightly deeper voice.

“Don’t, because if you keep touching me like that, my resolve to behave and do right by you will snap.”