The jolt in my chest went off like an old-fashioned alarm clock, vibrating and bouncing inside me. I replayed that first night in the hotel room.
I thought about the way he fixed my plate at dinner.
His hands constantly finding mine.
At the time, it seemed like it was part of the show. But we had no witnesses here, and he was still reaching out to me, sighing at the brief contact like it warmed him as much as the fire warmed me.
I jerked up from the chair, blankets pooling around my feet. I tripped over them, falling to my knees beside him and gripping his forearms like my life depended on it.
How could I have been this oblivious?
“Rhett?”
“What’s wrong?” His eyes flashed in alarm, gold bleeding into his irises as my pulse kicked into overdrive.
“Am I your mate?”
Chapter 11
Rhett
Isatinpredatorystillness, every muscle in my body poised for defense.
There were a hundred ways to answer that question, and all of them seemed wrong. My justification for keeping it a secret seemed to wither under her intense gaze, and I mentally scrambled for an excuse.
Yes, but…
It seemed so logical at the time. She was going to leave the airport, disappearing out of my grasp forever. Then I let it go on too long, dragging her to my family home even though I knew how I was going to react.
This was a mess. I had such a carefully laid plan, but the one unpredictable variable was the most important one: Angie.
The longer I was silent, the more color drained from her face. A wet sheen danced at the edge of her eyes, and even though it was faint as a distant echo, her fear seeped into me through the bond.
Before she could tumble further down the rabbit hole of emotion she was in, I blurted, “Citrus and chocolate.”
“What?”
“You said we’re like citrus and mint. I disagree. We’re like citrus and chocolate. Distinctly different, but complementary.”
“I don’t understand.” Her frown deepened. I wasn’t getting this right.
“All the thoughts in your head come pouring out in this constant stream of half-formed ideas.” She visibly bristled, and I hurried to finish my point. "I like that about you. I get stuck in my head, and I don’t know how to say what I’m thinking, or how to break silences, or even how to talk to people that aren’t family. You seem to be able to talk to everyone.
“I’m a planner, and you’re a doer. It makes perfect sense. I can make sure you don’t jump without a parachute. You can make sure I don’t overthink it so hard that we miss the flight.”
I put my hand over hers, which was basically embedded in my forearm at this point. “Sorry. The short answer was, ‘Yes, you’re my fated mate.’”
“Shit.” Her nails were about to draw blood as she gripped me even harder. “Holy shit.”
Was that a good reaction? I couldn’t tell.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I couldn’t just whisk you away straight from the airport without you thinking I was a crazy person.”
“Are you kidding?”
“No?”
I grunted as I landed flat on my back in front of the stove. Thankfully, there was a pile of blankets to cushion my fall as Angie tackled me with all four limbs.