The Mate That Wasn't Mine novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25

MAXIM POV

I don’t have a clue what she is thinking. Was yanking some wooden targets around enough

proof that I am perhaps not a prick?

Kissing her puts that orange–laced scent straight back in my veins. It also sees that twisting, swirling fire resurge deep in my chest. When her tongue seeks mine, the churning heat that guided me towards pulverising Vigo is now urging me to not let her go. To not fuck this up.

I said “thank you,” for fucks sake. Where did that even come from?

Still gripping the edge of my jacket, her fingers brush against my fresh bite. “Oh fuck,” growls out,

Unfiltered, unstoppable nonsense whilst my cock stiffens beyond my control. I’m in danger here. She does it again. Shy, my ass. Tessa knows. She fucking knows what touching there is doing to me.

I kiss her harder, my cock receiving injections of lightning, zinging straight out of my brain, via my bite. Leaving me light–headed and hard as hell. A dangerous combination.

She gave up the silent treatment, only to start this madness.

Maybe she spent the last two hours giving me a morsel of consideration, in between firing arrows and moving like a ninja through the moss. She’s picked it up so quickly. Impressive, she’ll be top again tomorrow..

Maybe it really doesn’t matter. She’s in my arms now making the sweetest little sounds, her legs tightening around my waist, which only lifts her sumptuous chest higher, a few inches from my chin.

“What are you doing!” she squeaks when my hands squeeze her ass cheeks, keeping her aloft. It’s a squeeze hard enough to make the rest of her frame jolt closer to mine. The quiver stuffed full of arrows still hanging from her back rattles with each movement.

Her split legs make her pussy rub against my cock. Her hard nipples against my bare chest. She groans. A whiny, needy little sound. I’m so fucking done: I’m done pretending. This is what we want.

Because, damn it feels good. Layers of clothing between us yet I can already imagine how sweet burying my cock inside her heat would feel. Her nipples appear to harden at a breath of wind so to take them in my mouth, swirling the hard buds under my tongue until she squirmed would be perfect.

Only for her to stop kissing me. Just like before. A push back and a breathy look of panic on her face.

My wolf curses me. I curse myself. What did I do wrong now?

Hands linked around the back of my neck, the only advantage of this situation is that I can finally look at her, truly up close. Under the moonlight her hair is the only real colour for miles around. The gentle, pale light strips everywhere else to shades of black and gray.

But not my Tessa. Did I ever stare at Hazel like this? Any of the half–dozen Healer witches I hooked up with before her? Thinking sloppy, loverboy, romeo thoughts? Not once. And I spent enough time under the moon with all of them.

I need to get a fucking grip.

Not silently stare into her eyes like I’m waiting for a violinist to strike up and petals to whirl around in a storm.

Back to the plan.

Mates fuck. We need to be fucking. What would be so wrong about that? Tessa is attracted to me. That’s clear as day. Can it not just be like scratching an

itch?

Her soft lips part. “What are you doing?” Why do I feel like saying ‘thankyou‘ for her continuing to speak to me?

“Well, I’m not putting you down.”

1/4

Chapter 25

“Maxim?” her eyebrows furrowing just a touch,

Just so you know. No chance are you feet setting foot on this moss.”

“Because I’ll fall over?”

“You would walk away. Like you keep doing,” failing to restrain a smirk.

“You’re the one who walked

d out of the dining hall and vanished. For a full night.” Ouch.

“Well, you walked out of the scent–tracing stable just now,” raising my eyebrows in victory.

“You walked out of our room today.”

“Well, you were enjoying a shower,” enjoying the way her hands tighten around the back of my neck. Her annoyance is making her voice firmer at least.

“I…you didn’t need to leave, it’s your room too.”

“You sounded a little busy,” my head dipping closer, allowing my nose to brush against hers. “Good shower?”

This fake mate bond means acknowledging some basic facts. Namely, if she wants me, she can have me any which way she likes. Why not? There’s no harm enjoying the perks of our self–inflicted shackles.

“Maxim…”

“Mm?” nudging her nose again. Only she tucks her head down, resting against my shoulder, the rising heat of her cheeks against my neck. Not what I was

expecting.

Her blushes give away a lot.

I know when she’s excited, embarrassed, turned on. But those are the basics one can work out about any person. With Tessa, the deeper stuff is proving trickier. Because, the guilt hitting me with a bitter taste, I haven’t bothered to learn.

Of course I’ve got my training. I can monitor pupil dilation, ticks of the jawline. Looking for help or not meeting eye contact are all very revealing too. Subconsciously covering the vulnerable areas of the body like the wrists or neck. It all suggests a lie is being concealed. That the person can’t be trusted.

And both Donlon and Marshall, regardless of the other shit are trying to tell me there is something not to trust about Tessa. So are those blushes and darted–downwards gazes really shyness? Or is it cunning?

But then the books suggest chin strokes mean the same thing. Well I stroke my jaw and chin a lot. Because it feels good. It reassures me. It is not a nervous character failing.

The book rules don’t always apply.

So I need to understand Tessa the old fashioned way. Tilting my head closer, I decide to play nice. “Do you want me to put you down?”

“No.”

“Okay,” lifting her up a little higher, without squeezing her ass quite so hard. Only to be stunned when she quickly adds, “I want you to lay me down. Here. Nobody can see, right?” adding a small kiss into my neck.

When I don’t immediately move, frozen by her request, she adds another. Then a small “please.”

Without question I slowly drop down to one knee, then two, taking her with me. Her legs remain wrapped around my waist t murmur, one of her slender arms letting go of me long enough for the quiver to drop to the floor beside us in the soft moss.

hole time. “Arrows, I

“Tessa, I know what I want,” nudging her, adding my own kiss to her still–burning cheek, hoping for her to turn my way, put her lips back to mine. “What about you?”

2/4

18140. 18140.

Chapter 25

“Mmm,” is all she murmurs. My hands leave her ass now she’s safely down and rake up her waist, the soft in and out of her stomach. “Why do you want to know if anyone can see us?” my hands to snaking inside her beige and gold shirt. Pushing it upwards just enough for my fingers to caress the same area she had injured before. It’s healed now. Good. Because I intend to kiss every inch of it.

Everything slows down. I’m leaning over her, her hands still linked around the back of her neck, waiting for her to pull me in, to kiss me and let the unleash everything that’s been building up between us. Her untied copper hair fans out across the moss, her chocolate eyes flickering around my face.

Finally she does it. Her hands unlink, stroking my beareded cheeks before pulling me to her for a kiss. My pulse thunders with victory. Yes. Her lips on mine, her orange scent in my head. Her hands go over the back of her head, mine dive for her top.

I want it off. I want to see her body, her breasts. I want my lips all over her. To hear her cry out my name just like what I heard through that bathroom door.

“Tessa, fuck…” moving towards her neck, her back arching upwards, her white bra appearing.

Only to feel her legs tighten around my ribs. Way too tight. Like rib–crushingly horrible. Her forearm swipes into my neck and before I know what’s happening she’s flipped us over. Shes straddling me with her thighs of death and what feels like a fucking arrow jammed right into a very valuable artery.

“Tessa, fuck…” burbles out.

“We need to talk. Properly.”

It’s cute she thinks she’s got me pinned.

Has she forgotten my training? Sure there’s the arrow and she’s kind of making it hard to breathe. But I’m twice her size, far stronger than her.

“Don’t try anything. There’s a second arrow,” she murmurs. A sharp jab between my legs confirms.

“Is that…is that an arrow in my ballsack?”

“You try and fight back, one of those arrows will get misplaced. Tell me. Tell me why I waited up a whole night for you and you just left me.”

I stare up at her. Instead of being gently fanned out, her long hair hangs down, giving her dark eyes a haunting intensity, shadowed from the moonlight she is pure seriousness. Nothing like the meek mouse who just wants to make friends with everyone she meets.

The Wardens were right about her.

“What do you want me to say?”

“The truth?”

“Well I can’t.”