Page 53 of The Wolf Lord's Mate

The deck looked tiny in his large hands, the cards slipping through his fingers with ease as he shuffled them together. Nathaniel divvied out a few cards into two piles before setting the rest down in the middle, collecting one pile for himself and pushing the other towards me.

"I told you that I did not want to play," I eyed the pile, making no move to claim it, "I am afraid I am not the best guest at the moment, so I apologize for that, but I have no urge in me to be cheerful."

"There are quite a few items there that I need to address, so hold on a moment," Nathaniel sorted through his pile of cards, fanning them out between his fingers to order them, "First and most importantly is that you are not a guest here, my love. You are my mate and therefore everything that belongs to me also belongs to you, including this cabin," Nathaniel looked at me over the tops of his cards, "As my Lady it is your right to be as unhappy as you like in the comfort of your own home, but it is my right as your Lord to tend to that unhappiness."

"Fine," I mumbled, pulling a blanket over my lap, "Whatever you say, My Lord."

"Secondly," Nathaniel gave me a pointed look, "I have started a game which you do not have to play, but is it not polite to extend the offer to you?"

"And I will politely decline." I turned my face further into the chair cushion.

"Then I will play by myself, and I will win."

"I already told you, that's not how that works." I said, trying my best to ignore how handsome he looked with that arrogant smirk tilting those plump lips of his. Lips that only hours before had been used to pleasure me rather than irritate me, and I was glad for the blanket covering my lap as I pressed my thighs together. The mate bond truly was something else if it still managed to make me aroused despite my dark mood.

"If I have no challenger, then I will win." Nathaniel's expression was innocent, a feigned confusion tilting his brow.

"You are playing yourself, therefore you will win and lose," I said, "Which seems pointless and does not count as winning."

"Not if I only take turns for myself," Nathaniel smiled, leaning back in his chair, "That pile is for the second player, who has unfortunately refused to play due to her desire to sit stuck in her own head when she could be enjoying the company of her mate. It's a very sad situation, don't you think?" Nathaniel tisked.

"Devastating," I snipped back, "So you're just going to take turns for yourself? Sounds riveting."

"I am never bored in your company, my little mate." Nathaniel sighed peacefully, adoration shining in his eyes as he glanced over at me.

"You haven't spent that long in my company," My chest ached, and I pulled the blanket closer around myself, "It won't be long before the excitement wears off."

"I don't think that's possible," Nathaniel said, "Every day with you is a gift."

"You're ridiculous." I said, unable to retort back with anything that wouldn't inevitably anger the bond.

Nathaniel hummed in response, and began his game, pulling cards from the center and discarding sets from his hand with every pull.

I watched him for a time, unwilling to succumb to his ridiculous challenge to get me to play with him, and for a while my stubbornness was enough to keep me from stepping in. Honestly it was helping just being able to sit near him, watching his face as he studied his cards. Admiring the flex of his biceps every time he reached for the deck, the hard line of his jaw, and the strength of his fingers as he threaded them through his thick hair.

Absorbing his scent was helping too, the sweet and familiar scent of cinnamon and cloves seeming to be the only thing that could calm me down recently.

The only balm that would erase my worries completely was curling up in his arms, but considering the panic attack I'd had after the last time I touched him, that wasn't the best idea at the moment. I would have to face that reality once we went upstairs for bed, but perhaps my cold shoulder would be enough for him to leave me alone for the night. Although considering the traitorous actions of my body, I didn't doubt that I would reach for him in the night, my need to be near him winning out in the fog of sleep.

I tried to fall asleep in the chair, but I had slept too long earlier in the day, and Nathaniel's nearness had unfortunately anchored me to consciousness, every nerve in my body acutely aware of him and just how close he was to me.

Perhaps if I hadn't been watching him so closely I might have been able to stay strong in my resolve to ignore him, but Gods did the male make it impossible.

Because it was half-way through the game when the damned Wolf started to cheat. It was casual at first, an extra card picked up here or there, but then he got brazen, setting down incomplete sets at random before starting onto the next.

"Have you forgotten how to read?" The words slipped out before I could stop myself.