years, I thought I could control the instinct for my mate until the time was
right. It’s the same way at work. As much as I want to go after a suspect as soon
as we have one, I do a little homework first. Decide on the best strategy to get what
I need. At the time when I first saw you, I thought I needed to finish what I had
laid before me and had been working toward for the better part of my life.”
Declan scooted to the edge of the couch, just enough to be able to grab her hand,
and pulled her out of her chair onto his lap again. The lion needed her touch almost
as much as the man needed to share in soothing her. She didn’t fight him on it and,
for that, he was thankful.
“My lioness understands the need, Declan,” she said softly.
He grinned. A very perceptive mate. He would have to be on his toes with her. Wrapping
her in his arms, he locked her in place, depositing his hand on her thigh where the
marks were. He rubbed small circles with his fingertips over her soft skin. His lion
purred within.
He tapped his fingers over the marks. “We’re going to come back to these.”
She nodded in agreement.
He sucked in a huge breath. “The main thing I want you to get is I didn’t know what
to do. This path—plan—whatever you want to call it, is something I’ve been on for
eight years, everything going as expected. I’m on track. Two years and I would have
everything I dreamed of. I would be ready and financially able to find my mate. I
would have the perfect house, the perfect job, stability, and a means of supporting
my mate and our cubs. The irony is, the night I saw you I reminded myself I wasn’t
ready for a mate. I hoped my destiny could wait those two measly years.”
Avery stiffened on his lap. A flash of hurt sparked in her eyes. He had hurt her again,
and rushed on to repair the damaged before it worsened.
“The thing is, the Fates had something else in mind for me. A lesson for me to learn
and put you in my path. I had become so self-absorbed in what I wanted I forgot there were other things, great things out there. I struggled to understand
what I knew would happen and was determined to find a way to stay on my self-appointed
path. I never counted on us having a class together. I wasn’t prepared to see you.”
Avery snorted. “It’s a required course. Otherwise, I never would have taken it.”
“Does that mean you understand?”
She shifted off his lap to sit next to him. Though he didn’t like it, he was grateful
she hadn’t moved to the chair. This way he could still touch her, keep her close to
his side. He pulled her legs across his lap, running his hands up and down their silky
smoothness. He couldn’t stop touching her.
She nodded sharply. “I don’t like it, but I do understand being on a path and wanting
to stick with it. You aren’t the only one, Declan. I had the next couple years of
my life figured out, too. I’ve been looking for an apartment at home, so I don’t have
to move into the basement of my parents’ place. I’ve been picking out furniture and
decorations. Planning my first meal to celebrate the next stage in my life. There
are things I want to change at the clinic once I take over. Battles I’m looking forward
to waging with my father and uncles and winning. None of this included a mate. I wanted to do these things on my own. Things
that I felt required my full attention.”
“I didn’t know.”
“You wouldn’t have. Those things aren’t listed on some sterile information sheet you
can pull up at work. The difference between our plans, though, is I allowed for flexibility.
I never once thought I should ignore my mate because it didn’t fit into my neatly
ordered world at the moment.”
Chapter Ten
A strange, heavy silence descended upon them. Avery didn’t know what to do to break
it or if she should even try.
Declan reclined against the couch, her legs
right. It’s the same way at work. As much as I want to go after a suspect as soon
as we have one, I do a little homework first. Decide on the best strategy to get what
I need. At the time when I first saw you, I thought I needed to finish what I had
laid before me and had been working toward for the better part of my life.”
Declan scooted to the edge of the couch, just enough to be able to grab her hand,
and pulled her out of her chair onto his lap again. The lion needed her touch almost
as much as the man needed to share in soothing her. She didn’t fight him on it and,
for that, he was thankful.
“My lioness understands the need, Declan,” she said softly.
He grinned. A very perceptive mate. He would have to be on his toes with her. Wrapping
her in his arms, he locked her in place, depositing his hand on her thigh where the
marks were. He rubbed small circles with his fingertips over her soft skin. His lion
purred within.
He tapped his fingers over the marks. “We’re going to come back to these.”
She nodded in agreement.
He sucked in a huge breath. “The main thing I want you to get is I didn’t know what
to do. This path—plan—whatever you want to call it, is something I’ve been on for
eight years, everything going as expected. I’m on track. Two years and I would have
everything I dreamed of. I would be ready and financially able to find my mate. I
would have the perfect house, the perfect job, stability, and a means of supporting
my mate and our cubs. The irony is, the night I saw you I reminded myself I wasn’t
ready for a mate. I hoped my destiny could wait those two measly years.”
Avery stiffened on his lap. A flash of hurt sparked in her eyes. He had hurt her again,
and rushed on to repair the damaged before it worsened.
“The thing is, the Fates had something else in mind for me. A lesson for me to learn
and put you in my path. I had become so self-absorbed in what I wanted I forgot there were other things, great things out there. I struggled to understand
what I knew would happen and was determined to find a way to stay on my self-appointed
path. I never counted on us having a class together. I wasn’t prepared to see you.”
Avery snorted. “It’s a required course. Otherwise, I never would have taken it.”
“Does that mean you understand?”
She shifted off his lap to sit next to him. Though he didn’t like it, he was grateful
she hadn’t moved to the chair. This way he could still touch her, keep her close to
his side. He pulled her legs across his lap, running his hands up and down their silky
smoothness. He couldn’t stop touching her.
She nodded sharply. “I don’t like it, but I do understand being on a path and wanting
to stick with it. You aren’t the only one, Declan. I had the next couple years of
my life figured out, too. I’ve been looking for an apartment at home, so I don’t have
to move into the basement of my parents’ place. I’ve been picking out furniture and
decorations. Planning my first meal to celebrate the next stage in my life. There
are things I want to change at the clinic once I take over. Battles I’m looking forward
to waging with my father and uncles and winning. None of this included a mate. I wanted to do these things on my own. Things
that I felt required my full attention.”
“I didn’t know.”
“You wouldn’t have. Those things aren’t listed on some sterile information sheet you
can pull up at work. The difference between our plans, though, is I allowed for flexibility.
I never once thought I should ignore my mate because it didn’t fit into my neatly
ordered world at the moment.”
Chapter Ten
A strange, heavy silence descended upon them. Avery didn’t know what to do to break
it or if she should even try.
Declan reclined against the couch, her legs
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