Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 448(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 448(@300wpm)
She gave a sheepish shrug. ‘Kinda.’
‘You’re thinking the best way to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself is just to avoid taking another mate.’
She inclined her head slightly.
‘And you’re reflecting on how we haven’t been together long, so you’re thinking that maybe I can’t be so sure of us this soon anyway. That about cover it?’
‘Yes. And I’m sorry if it hurts your feelings—’
‘Don’t apologize for how you feel. Baby, I’ll be honest, I had my own reservations about mating. I saw firsthand what can happen to a woman who loses her mate. But Logan gave me a reality check, and now I’m gonna do the same for you.’
Her snort was weak. ‘How benevolent you are.’
His lips almost drew up at that. ‘I know.’ His humor faded as he went on. ‘I can only imagine what your last hour with Michael was like. As if it wasn’t bad enough that he gutted you so deeply you wanted out of the mating, he changed into his In-between form, goddamn attacked you and then disappeared from your life. But I’m not him, Em.’
She frowned. ‘Of course you’re not. It’s just . . .’ She trailed off, sighing.
‘Colton said that Michael is strong. Bullshit. He’s fucking weak. Weak for cheating on you, for not having the guts to immediately admit it, for trivializing your pain and for not even bothering to apologize. Do you think I’d do any of that to you?’
‘No, never,’ she replied instantly. ‘But you feel the pull of the full moon more than most. You turned Rabid once before—’
‘And the odds of it happening to me again are seriously low.’ He palmed the back of her head. ‘Especially now that I have you. You’re my very own homing beacon. You call to me more strongly than any full moon. How could I ever leave you?’
*
Those words hit Emberlyn right in the feels. Hard. Her chest clenched painfully.
She’d had a weakness for Ripper from the start – it had been hormonal at first, yes, but still he’d drawn her like nothing else. When she’d given in to the escalating sexual chemistry that seemed to know no bounds, she could never have imagined that, over time, they’d become more and more intertwined until she couldn’t imagine him not being part of her life.
Ripper wasn’t merely under her skin, he’d become as vital to her as the blood in her veins. To lose him would gut her more than any other loss she’d endured.
For the first time, she could understand why her mother had broken when the sperm donor left her without a backward glance. Emberlyn wouldn’t allow herself to fade away if Ripper left, but she would be completely lost.
‘Don’t let what happened with Michael make you hold back from me,’ Ripper insisted. ‘You weren’t meant for him. You were meant to be mine. We just didn’t get that until now.’
Her feels yet again got slammed.
‘As for you thinking that maybe I can’t be sure this is really what I want . . . I don’t need to have spent years at your side to know that I don’t want to be anywhere else. As we’ve already established, I see you. I know you. I’m sure of my decision. I don’t need more time and – heads-up, baby – I don’t have it in me to give you space while you think it over. I can give you time, not space.’
Like she’d ever want him to stay away.
‘You’re not a person who lets their fears dictate what they do. You never have been. Don’t let that be different now.’
She exhaled heavily. ‘Ames once said that I was a walking curse. That I drove away or destroyed the people around me.’
Ripper’s expression hardened. ‘That motherfucker is not someone you should ever listen to about anything.’
‘I didn’t listen. I rolled my eyes. I’m not responsible for the choices that the people around me make. But I am so tired of having people fuck me over or leave me. The only people in my life who’ve been permanent, reliable fixtures are the twins.’
‘And now me. I’m not going to join that list of people who let you down. Not ever. I told you before, you’re safe with me. Always will be.’ He leaned toward her, pinning her with a serious gaze. ‘Hear me, Em. I’m not going anywhere. Not even if you tell me you don’t want me to claim you, though we both know you’d be lying.’
She couldn’t stop her lips from hitching up. ‘Oh, we do?’
‘You want this. You wouldn’t be so rattled if you didn’t.’
He knew her too well, really. ‘It’s just—’
‘Love you, Em. Another heads-up – it ain’t a one-way street.’
Her chest squeezed painfully, but not in a bad way. Far from it. ‘It’s a good thing I have you here to tell me what I’m thinking and feeling.’