Page 11 of Frosty and the Reaper

Anything she wanted, he would provide. If she needed something, he would be the one to give it to her. From now on, he would be the sole conduit for her pleasure.

And he would always make sure she was satisfied.

He had to be careful, though. He didn’t want to come off as being overbearing, though he damn well was. But not to her. Never to her. Even little things like selecting her food or feeding her would make her think he was establishing control over her or forcing her to bend to his wishes, which was something he knew she couldn’t abide.

It wasn’t that he thought she couldn’t do things for herself.

He simply wanted to shower her with the attention and care she deserved.

In order to do that, he needed to get to know her. Trust and respect needed to be earned. He understood her reluctance to be mated to him. Actually, he didn’t blame her for feeling that way. She was young and still learning who she was, while he was an ancient god who was set in his ways.

Still, when it came to her, he was willing to compromise.

She would learn to trust and accept him once she understood that he wasn’t trying to suppress her or stifle her freedom. Zander simply wanted a true bond with her. He needed to prove to her that he was a worthy mate, but even he had a limit to his patience and control. He hoped like hell she wouldn’t try to run from him. Because if she did, that would trigger a primal response.

He would catch her.

There was no doubt about that.

Now that he had found her, there was no escape…for either of them.

Chapter Four

Kami felt Zanderwatching her eat like a hunter stalking prey. The intensity of his gaze made her nervous, but it also excited her. The effects of the mating thrall hit her as soon as she stepped into the pavilion, though it wasn’t as bad as she’d expected based on what she had heard from other mated couples.

Still, it was like a shot of adrenaline as lust flooded her system. It felt like a raging fire was burning within her, but she was good at ignoring her own discomfort.

That was a skill she had honed over the years.

Not by choice, but by necessity.

She had been racking her brain about what to say to her new mate as she had stalled for time while shoving food into her mouth, but he seemed to be just as clueless as she was. She wasn’t a great conversationalist to begin with, particularly with people she didn’t know. She also had trouble expressing her feelings when it came to important matters.

But he seemed even worse than she was.

She didn’t have much experience when it came to dealing with males since she’d never had a lover before. Hell, she’d never even really had a crush on anyone, so she’d never learned how to flirt or play coy. And the few times she had tried to practice on unsuspecting victims, her friends or brother-in-law had run the males off before she could utter more than a few words.

Although they had just met, formality seemed out of place between them. They were mates, so there was already an established link between them, but there was a lack of intimacy that could only be established with time.

Someone had to make the first move.

After a few more minutes of silence, she cleared her throat. “So, this is kind of awkward.”

“What is?”

Deciding to just be direct, she used her fork to gesture between them. “This. Us. I mean, I know we are mates, but I don’t know you.”

“I am Zander.”

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Right. I’ve got that part. But about us being mates. We are—”

“I am yours, and you are mine. And we are forever.”

Kami felt her heart skip a beat at those words. Then, he ruined all the nice feelings she’d been having about him in the next breath.

“Whether we like it or not.”

Okay, now she wanted to smack him. She never thought Zander would be the warm and fuzzy type of guy, but the fucker didn’t have to make it sound like they were being condemned to death.