Chosen Destiny by Rebecca Airies Page A

It probably wasn’t the smartest thing she’d ever done, but she wanted to be near
    him.
    “I was thinking about the future.” She licked her lips.
    “The future will take care of itself. We need to deal with the Dark Sorcerer first.” He
    shrugged.
    “I wasn’t talking about the Dark Sorcerer. I was thinking about you, Jaeson and me.
    I don’t know if it’s going to work. I know you expect me to be with you, but I don’t
    know if I’ll be able to stay with you.” She tilted her head and watched him.
    His expression froze. She waited for a growl, a head shake or some kind of denial.
    Aside from a slight tensing, he didn’t seem to react. She let out her breath slowly. His
    eyes bored into hers and she could tell that that calm expression was a mask. But she
    couldn’t read anything behind it.
    “It will work.” The words sounded as if they were ground between rocks.
    She opened her mouth, but she snapped it closed as his eyes narrowed.
    “It will work. None of us is going to walk away at the first sign of difficulty. Mates
    are for life and yours will be extended significantly when both of us bite you.” His hand
    cupped the side of her cheek. “Now do you want to argue about it or would you like to
    kiss me?”
    She looked up at him and couldn’t resist a smile at the tone of his voice. He
    managed to imply that there wouldn’t be any other option at all. It should have
    infuriated her. She couldn’t explain why but it didn’t.
    “You say it and that’s the way it’s going to be?” She tilted her head and tried to pull
    her lips into a more serious expression. She knew she didn’t quite succeed when he
    grinned.
    “Usually, because I don’t give up until I get my way.” He drew his hand along her
    collarbone.
    She could feel the heat of his fingers even through the fabric of her shirt. She had to
    clench her fingers to stop herself from touching him.
    “I’ll make my own decisions. You won’t push me into a decision I think is wrong.”
    She folded her arms across her chest.
    He shook his head. “I’m not going to get into an argument with you about it. We’ll
    be together years from now, because you’ll see that this is right.”
    She sighed.
    “Now come over and give me a kiss. I missed you last night.” He gently tugged at
    her shoulder.
    56
    Chosen Destiny
    She moved closer, but looked at him. She didn’t understand how he could say that,
    but she could hear the sincerity in his voice. “How can you miss me? You don’t know
    me.”
    “You’re a little late in coming to us. You should have found us years ago.” His
    hands slipped down to her hips pulling her closer.
    She shook her head, not sure if he was joking. “I should have found you? I hadn’t
    even thought about a permanent man before you two came around. I was just a little
    busy with other things.”
    He laughed. “Give me a kiss and stop arguing.”
    She narrowed her eyes at him, but he just sat there and waited. Now she
    understood how he got his way. He simply waited and held on until everyone else gave
    up. She hooked an arm around his neck and brushed her lips over his. His arms moved
    up and his warm hands slid under her shirt. She eased closer to him, wanting to feel his
    chest against her breasts. Her tongue slicked over his lips. She nipped at the fuller lower
    one. His breath hissed out and his arm tightened.
    “A real kiss, no teasing,” he growled.
    She felt that rumble beneath her fingertips as her hand slid up his chest. A little
    thrill slipped through her at that sign of his arousal. She loved that she had such a
    strong effect on him. She didn’t tease. She wasn’t in the mood to play too much. Her
    lips opened over his and she stroked her tongue over his lips. His mouth opened and
    his hand cupped the back of her neck. She brushed her tongue against his. She wasn’t
    about to let him take over. If he did, she wouldn’t be able to get it back until the next
    time. She sucked at his tongue. He