Page 5 of Hayes

Why was his mate so overwhelmingly engrossed with him? This was not something anyone he’d known had ever described. She wasn’t scared or in any way panicked.

“How long until we get to your house?” she asked.

“Not much longer, Little one. And it’sourhouse.”

She smiled, her smile lighting up the mountain. “What happens when we arrive?”

“Whatever we want, Rylee. There are no rules. I’ll show you around the house. I have dinner in the oven for us when we get hungry.”

Her brow furrowed again. “And then?”

He chuckled. “Baby girl, are you asking me when we’re going to have sex?”

Her cheeks turned a dark pink, and she bit her lip.

He squeezed her tighter. “That’s up to you. We don’t pressure our mates to have sex until they’re ready. For some, that could be a few days.”

Rylee’s mouth fell open as she let out a small gasp. “Days?” Her voice lilted. She was adorable and apparently not interested in waiting days for him to claim her. He didn’t expect her to be. Not based on her scent and the way she clung to him. But he had to offer.

“I don’t suspect we will be waiting that long,” he informed her. As he continued climbing, he stroked the outside of her breast with his thumb, and fuck if his mate didn’t arch her chest and moan, her fingers tightening on his neck.

“You smell so good,” she murmured.

“You do, too, Little one. That’s part of our bond. It’s normal.”

“No one told me it would be like this.”

“No one in the valley knows, Baby girl. Matings among regular shifters in the valley are not as powerful as the bond fated mates feel. The connection between an Alpha Protector and their mate is far stronger.”

“Do you really have a mark on your wrist that matches mine?”

“Identical, Little one. When we line them up and let them touch, we will feel something far more potent than what we already feel.”

Her pretty frown was back. It was a look she got when she was confused. “That doesn’t seem possible.”

“I agree.”

Finally they reached the house. Hayes leaped up the few steps to the porch and opened the door. He meant to carry herthrough the house and show her around, but she wasn’t having it. Her sweet hands were on his neck again, her lips on his.

Rylee was not in any way bashful, and he was grateful. It was also possible this wasn’t her usual behavior. She might have spent the last twenty years as a far more timid person than she was with him. The pheromones between them were perhaps driving her to act in ways that weren’t her normal.

He was fine with whatever was driving her to plaster her precious body to his and cling to him as though her life depended on it.

She paid zero attention to their surroundings, and he considered setting her bottom on the kitchen island and meeting her gaze. Instead he decided to aim straight for the bedroom.

The grip she had on his neck was stronger than he would have thought possible for someone her size. She didn’t let go as he lowered her onto the mattress, so he climbed over her and continued kissing her, licking and sucking on her tongue and lips until they were both gasping for air.

He had no choice but to break the kiss before they died of oxygen deprivation. His mate whimpered and squirmed as he stared down at her. The dress was truly in their way. Thank goodness long, ridiculously modest dresses were not the norm among his people. She would rarely wear something like this again—not unless they had to make a trip down to the valley for some reason.

Rylee’s hands slid from his neck to his back, where she gripped at him with her fingertips. “Please…”

The soft purr made his cock stiffen further. He needed to talk to her first, explain some things. This was so out of the ordinary that he was concerned. Rising up, he forced her to let go so he could grab her wrists and bring her hands over her head.

Hayes straddled his tiny mate’s waist, held her hands where she couldn’t continue to touch him, and met her gaze.

His actions didn’t scare her a bit. Her arousal shot higher.

“Look at Daddy, Little one.”