Page 18 of Shattered Stars

“And so if there was another fated mate …” He chuckles. “I’m serious, Azlan. I need to understand how this works. Is it just Stone or …”

He shakes his head with indulgence. “I don’t know for sure, Rhi, until I’m in that situation. But if fate were to give you another mate, I believe I’d be accepting of that.”

“Even if he were an asshole?”

“Like Phoenix, you mean?”

“Worse than Phoenix?”

“Then I’d whip him into shape for you. Fate has given me you, Rhi, and I’m destined to follow you to the edge of the world and back again now, facing whatever else fate throws our way.”

“That sounds like woo woo, Mr. Enforcer.”

“Maybe I believe in more of the woo woo stuff than I would ever be prepared to admit to Ellie. Maybe having experienced the power of all this woo woo crap, I’m more of a believer in it. Just don’t tell my sister.”

“I liked seeing the two of you together. It gave me a glimpse of your softer side.”

“Haven’t you seen plenty of my softer side?” he asks, tugging me against his solid frame.

“A little, now and then.”

He sighs. “You’re right. Ellie’s right. I haven’t been the mate I should have been. I’ve looked out for you but I haven’t cared for you like I should have. I’m going to make it up to you. I intend to spoil you from now on, little mate. Anything you want, I’ll give it to you. Anything you desire, I’ll buy it for you.”

“Really?” I say with a tease. “That sounds expensive.”

“Rhi, I’ve been a single man for a long time, working my ass off. I have an awful lot of money saved in my vault.” He examines my face. “What did you have in mind?”

“A new bike.” I grin at him cheekily.

“No,” he says firmly.

“And why not?” I don’t really want one. Well, that’s a lie. I’d love a new bike. I miss the freedom my old one gave me. I miss riding it. But bikes are pricey and I could never truly accept a gift like that.

“I like you riding on mine with me.”

“Yeah,” I confess with a sigh of my own, “I like that too.”

“I’ll buy you your own bike to look at but not to ride. I want you on my bike with me,” he says with such forceful possession my knees almost buckle. “But I’m going to buy you other things too, Rhi.”

“You are?”

“I am. Starting with some new clothes. I’d get you the best room in the whole academy if it wouldn’t look damn suspicious – you going from the shittiest room to the best.”

“They’d all be asking questions about my new sugar daddy.” I grin. “You know it’s going to look really suspicious if I start walking around in a load of designer clothes. Besides, it’s not really my thing.”

“Well one thing I am definitely buying you is a new pair of fucking jeans!” He hooks his finger through the loop of my pants and tugs me closer still. “These have gotten ridiculously tight.”

“You don’t like them that way?”

“I like them far too much this way. All I want to do is squeeze this ass of yours.” He slides his palm around to my cheek and does just that. Then he’s grabbing the other cheek too, hoisting me up and carrying me through to his bedroom.

On the bed, we scrabble at each other’s clothes like wild desperate people and when he has me down to my underwear, he pauses to tell me, “I’m also buying you new panties. Lots of ridiculous tiny expensive pairs of panties. No one but me will see them so it won’t matter.”

“And Stone,” I remind him.

He growls against my throat.

“Also panties like that don’t sound very comfortable,” I tease.