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  With his eyes closed for a brief moment of respite, he was startled by the small voice that interrupted him. “Are you following me?”

  He whipped his gaze toward Kathleen and smiled. “I . . . Yes.” No sense lying to her. That was no way to start their lives together.

  “And why would that be? Are you still worried about Marcus? ’Cause I heard he left with his parents.” She tipped her head to one side, but her smile was coy. She was teasing him.

  He was so fucked.

  Gabe swallowed the lump in his throat. He opened his mouth to speak, but just stared at her. Her face was filled with mirth at his plight. She had to know.

  When he realized his hand still held his cock in his grip, he almost died on the spot. Jesus. What the hell was wrong with him?

  He jerked his hand up and stuffed his phone in his pocket.

  Kathleen leaned against the wall alongside him and ducked her head. Her long thick curls curtained her face and hid her expression.

  Seconds ticked by. Neither of them spoke.

  What the hell was he supposed to say? Hi. So, it appears we’re mates. I’m way too old for you. How long would you like me to wait? He felt like a pervert even thinking about her wet pussy and pebbled nipples. He could smell her arousal and knew if he swiped a finger between her legs under that thin short skirt, he would find her dripping wet.

  She cleared her throat. “Now what do we do?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. This is strange territory,” he muttered, turning to face her, leaning his shoulder against the wall. Without the wall, he might fall on his face. He didn’t want to say the wrong things, so he went with nothing at all.

  *

  Kath lifted her gaze toward the man who held her heart in his hands. His look was one of confusion, and he wasn’t happy. He must have realized she was his mate when he started acting all strange in the den she’d fled to. How had she missed the clues? She knew there was something about him that rattled her, but it wasn’t until he began to speak with her father that it sunk in. She’d nearly slunk to the floor deflated when she’d realized she was his.

  His social cues in the den had been all over the map. He’d been bossy and demanding and almost angry.

  Why had he followed her? Obviously he knew they were mates. Did he perhaps not want a mate? Was that why he’d been in hiding all these years? Avoiding fate?

  She almost felt bad for the man. Almost. He’d finally come home and made himself available, and the first woman who inadvertently pops into his quiet reverie is in fact destined for him.

  Was she not what he’d expected in a mate? She knew she was young and inexperienced, but didn’t men like that in a woman? After all, he was quite old for her too. It scared the piss out of her thinking about how old he must be. At least late twenties. He’d been on his own for many years. She still lived with her parents. She must seem like such a baby to him. And she felt like one too, standing next to him in her sundress and sandals. He seemed like a man who usually spent time in the company of sophisticated women in classy outfits and high heels. The suit he was wearing cost more than her entire wardrobe.

  Her family was average middle class. Her dad was a salesman for a major electronics chain. Her mom was a substitute teacher. The Albertsons, on the other hand, were wealthy. They owned several acres of land and all three of their children had attended prestigious universities. Gabriel was the oldest.

  They continued to stare at each other in a sort of standoff. What was the matter with him? Why did he insist on glaring at her as though all of this were somehow her fault?

  The knot in the pit of her stomach that screamed for release didn’t allow her to spend much time dwelling on his problem. She was far too consumed with her own plight. No matter how tight she squeezed her legs together, her sex still ached. She wanted to bend over at the waist and gasp for oxygen as though she’d run a race. But that would be awkward.

  For whatever reason, he wasn’t pleased with this arrangement.

  She was surprised she hadn’t realized he was her mate as quickly as he had. She must have been so worked up over Marcus, she couldn’t quite weed through her emotions to recognize the reason for her intense reaction to Gabriel was that they were destined for each other.

  He let his gaze wander down her body and back up. She felt like she was under a microscope, trapped for his inspection. Did she not measure up?

  “You know,” he finally stated. “That’s also strange.”

  Why is that strange? She narrowed her gaze, trying to read him. Don’t both mates usually know they are destined for each other? She nodded. Though it wasn’t necessary.

  Her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth, and she couldn’t make sentences under his scrutiny. Although his scent filled the hall, a deeply masculine smell that made her want to groan, she grew angry. Her frustration dampened her arousal.

  Finally, when she thought she might scream, he reached out and grabbed a lock of her curls, brushing them between his fingers and staring at them as though they were extremely fascinating. His hand shook. He was as nervous as she.

  When he released her hair, without touching her skin, he jerked his back to the wall and tipped his head toward the ceiling. He stuffed both hands in his pockets. “You’re going to be the death of me. Go find your parents.”

  “What?” Was he serious? Why did she need to go find her parents? Did he want permission from them before he deflowered her or something? Just, ick.

  He turned his gaze toward her again. “Go home, Kathleen. I can’t stand you being here. It’s too much for me to handle. I’m afraid I won’t be able to control myself around you.”

  Her face flushed. She felt the line of heat as it ran down her neck and across her chest. What the fuck was the matter with him? His words were a jumbled mess of confusion. Go home? Was he dismissing her? Her eyes filled with tears. She would not cry in front of him.

  Fine. If he wanted to be a jackass, she could play that game too. “Fuck you,” she said. Her voice quivered. Her tears barely stayed at bay.

  He grinned. The asshole. “That’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid. I’ll go back to Houston in a few weeks, and I promise not to return for at least four years. Okay?” His voice had lowered. His tone was less condescending, gentle. His words were not. What the hell? Was he hoping in the next four years she’d find another mate so he wouldn’t have to claim her? Could that even happen? She felt like she was now going to be destined to live life alone at his rejection.

  Without another word, she turned and nearly jogged down the hall toward the front door. She stepped out into the night and around the corner of the building to hide against the wall. The last thing she wanted was to face anyone in her family.

  As far as she knew, her parents were still oblivious. Her younger sister, Cassidy, was with her friends. Her older sister, Mackenzie? Hell, she was probably in the car sulking. How ironic. Mackenzie had a fine man chasing her down today in effort to claim her, and she had no interest. Meanwhile Kathleen couldn’t get the man she was fated for to even give her a second glance. Life was cruel.

  Gabriel Albertson had just brushed her off like she was chopped liver. His mixed signals still made her shiver in confusion.

  Why did he follow her if only to break her heart? He could have just left her alone and slipped away from the meeting. There was no need for him to add insult to injury by torturing her in the hall.

  Had he been struggling to decide if he wanted to claim her? Perhaps he’d followed her so he could make a more informed decision. And she had not measured up.

  Why did that make the tears on her cheeks fall so much faster? Fuck him.

  Goddamnit. He hadn’t meant to be mean. Didn’t she understand he just wanted her to get a little older before he claimed her? No. Probably not. She obviously didn’t realize his intentions, and he’d just insulted the hell out of her. He thought back over his words and groaned. This was why he had avoided saying anything. Every time he was near
her, his tongue got tangled, and stupid shit spilled from between his lips.

  She was a teenager. Could she even drive? For whatever reason, she knew they were mates and her hormonal instinct had been one of awe. She’d wanted him to take her. He’d hurt her badly by not doing so. But he wasn’t the kind of man who would take advantage of a young girl. Why couldn’t she see that? All she’d known was rejection.

  Gabe adjusted his cock once more, his face flushing at the memory of her catching him with his dick in his palm. With long strides, he slunk down the hall and out the back of the building. He ambled toward the main house through the dark.

  The large building used for these gatherings was more than enough space for the number of wolves who came every other year. There were plenty of smaller rooms for meeting, a few rooms comfortably arranged for private meetings—like the one he’d occupied when his world had turned upside down—and two large conference rooms for the evening parties.

  Gabe knew the route by heart. He didn’t need lights. He picked his way across the gravel parking area and slipped in the back door of his parent’s home without notice. He didn’t turn on any lights. Instead, he climbed the back staircase and headed straight for his room.

  His mother hadn’t touched a thing in his old room. It was like a shrine to his high school years. All three kids had rooms like this. When would she decide to redecorate? It wasn’t as though he needed the space often enough to warrant keeping it. Right now, it was comforting though. He stripped off his suit and climbed into the double bed. At his size, he barely fit, even alone. He missed his own California King at his downtown apartment in Houston.

  Two weeks. Could he get out of staying here for that long? He’d been excited about the prospect on Friday when he’d driven to town, but that had been yesterday. Now, he couldn’t imagine occupying the same twenty-mile radius as his intended mate. What if he ran into her in town or something? How long would he be able to beg off leaving the house to avoid her?

  The last thing he wanted to do was tell his parents his plight. Ugh. They’d have a field day. Probably try to arrange some sort of garden party and announce his future bride to the entire world. If his sister and brother were here, they would tease him mercilessly. Thank God neither of them had made the trip this time. It was spring.

  His sister, Samantha, lived too far away and as a lawyer, she was often too busy to come home. Some big case kept her tied up in St. Louis this week.

  His younger brother, Blake, was away at school working on his masters in architecture. He was too close to finals.

  That consolation alone made Gabe sigh in relief. All he had to do was keep this information from his parents for two weeks, leave town for several years, and then return when his mate was sufficiently old enough to claim.

  Perhaps he should have shared that with her? She’d been so stricken, her face tinted red with embarrassment. Her eyes had glazed over with unshed tears he was certain she had let loose as soon as she’d stepped out of the building.

  Why hadn’t he been more specific about his intentions? He’d barely shared two words with her.

  Fuck. He would need to find her and explain better. Tomorrow.

  Closing his eyes, he prayed for sleep. Instead, he got a running reel of images of Kathleen across the back of his eyelids. Her sweet smile . . . before he’d destroyed it with his insensitivity. Hell, he’d not even controlled his dominant side around her. He’d probably scared her with his bossiness. He wasn’t used to someone so . . . innocent.

  He visualized her sitting in that den. So much skin. He’d ached to touch her, run his palms down her arms from her shoulders to her fingers. Her skirt had been so short he’d seen way too much of her smooth thighs. Her skin was tan. His own skin rarely saw the light of day.

  Was it wrong of him to masturbate to her image? He certainly hoped not because he imagined about a thousand nights of taking his cock in his own hand before he could push inside her tight pussy. He wouldn’t cheat on her. His days of screwing around with casual human acquaintances were over. It wouldn’t seem right to fuck some other woman after finding Kathleen. He’d feel cheap.

  Gabe reached for his cock and let his hand run up from the base to the tip. Thank God no one else was in the house. He was sure he moaned at the first contact. He closed his eyes against the darkness and envisioned Kathleen’s lips as she’d licked them earlier in the den. “Oh my God,” he muttered as he projected that sweet mouth taking his cock inside and sucking him into her throat.

  He loved a good blowjob. And he’d never been afraid to ask for one. He’d always been rather dominant in bed. Most women liked it. They seemed to have a craving for his demands when it came to sex.

  Most women weren’t Kathleen, however. He’d mostly dated women who’d been mature, sometimes older than himself in fact. Would his sweet innocent mate let him direct her mouth onto his cock? Would she swallow him with her hands behind her back?

  He groaned and gripped his dick harder. He didn’t want to come yet. He kicked the blankets off to cool his heated skin.

  He pictured Kathleen with her legs spread wide, shaking as he pushed them wider, held her open to his gaze. Would she pinken with embarrassment?

  What color were her nipples? A dark burgundy or a light pink? Would they be small round disks that he could lick and torment until she writhed beneath him? He knew already her tits were small and high. That much had been apparent through her sundress. Her entire frame was dainty.

  Without noticing, he’d gotten too close to the edge. Gabe gasped as he came, his cock pulsing in his hand and squirting his come against his stomach.

  When he was spent, he lay still for several minutes, gasping for air, his chest heaving with each breath.

  Finally, he reached for the box of tissues on his nightstand and wiped his come off his stomach. He groaned again, wishing that evidence of sex was deep inside his woman instead of trailing down his torso.

  He really needed to do a bit of investigating tomorrow and find out just how old she was. Maybe is he was lucky she’d be closer to eighteen than fifteen and he wouldn’t have to wait for her as many years as he was envisioning. Eighteen was still too young for a man his age, but it was much better than jailbait.

  Kathleen climbed into bed later that night with an ache in her heart she knew was permanent. Damn that infuriating man for torturing her with his fucking pheromones, his sexy good looks, and his bulging muscles.

  Both she and her sister Mackenzie had sulked all the way home. Kath secretly wanted to punch Kenzie for denying the man who’d patiently let her run over him with her stupid plan to remain unmated and wolf free. The only thing saving Kenzie from Kath’s wrath was the fact that Kathleen knew the woman had to be hurting. She could deny all she wanted, but the fact remained that her body would have to be suffering in the same way Kathleen’s was.

  Thank God for Cassidy who kept a running commentary about her friends all the way home. When they got to the house, both Kath and Kenzie slipped up the stairs and burrowed themselves in their own rooms.

  Their parents said nothing.

  Kath pulled her dress over her head and stared down at her body. She was fit. She loved to exercise and ran several miles most days. She was small, her breasts tiny and her entire body petite. But that couldn’t be helped. Did men find her attractive? She wouldn’t really know. Unlike Mackenzie who tried desperately to fit in with the human world and wished for a human boyfriend, Kathleen was waiting for a wolf. A strong, built, sexy wolf to sweep her off her feet and carry her into the sunset.

  Ridiculous? Yes, but she didn’t care. She’d fended off any advances from guys, preferring to meet a wolf mate at some point in time. Tonight had been a bit of a surprise, but she still intended to stick to her convictions.

  It was a warm evening, and her parents hadn’t turned on the air conditioning. Kath flipped off the light and pulled the window open under the cover of night. In just her underwear, she climbed into bed and slipped between th
e cool sheets. How long before she could fall asleep?

  She stared at the ceiling. The tight ball of need in her stomach remained. Would Gabriel really go back to Houston and ignore this connection? Wouldn’t he be in as much physical turmoil as she was? And, more importantly, when would the achy need for his touch lessen? Would it ever?

  Her panties grew damp as she lay there squirming between the sheets. Her skin heated. She’d never experimented with masturbation before, the thought hadn’t really occurred to her. Until now. But this was now.

  Her nipples pebbled where the sheet rubbed against them as she wiggled. She smoothed both hands up her torso and grazed them over her breasts. Closing her eyes, she imagined Gabriel easing her need instead of doing it herself. His hands. His light touch. No. His touch wouldn’t be this gentle. Somehow she knew that to be true. The few comments he’d made to her in the den had solidified the fact he was stern, dominant, a take-charge kind of man. His palms would be rougher than this. Why the hell did the idea make her even hotter? She pinched her nipples with the thumb and pointer of both hands and arched her chest upward on a low moan.

  It amazed her how aroused she was. She’d never experienced this level of need. Never even realized how intense it would be.

  As she plucked the tips with more and more force, her legs fell open. She gasped into the cool air and kicked the sheet off her body. Thank God she’d locked the door.

  In moments, she’d wiggled free of her panties and lay naked on the sheet. She trailed her fingers down her body until both hands met at the juncture of her legs. Moisture pooled at the entrance to her sex. She swirled her pointer in the wetness, dragging it out and around her lower lips until she grazed the nub at the apex of her sex. She bucked into her hand and flicked the tip of her finger over her swollen clit.

  Ohmygod. It felt so good. She wanted more. Wanted the elusive feeling she’d heard so much about. She needed to come so bad her legs shook. She planted her feet wide apart on the bed and dug her heels into the mattress to support herself as she lifted her torso up into her hand.