She didn’t want to disappoint him. “Look, I … I always wanted to find my mate and I do recognize you as my mate. I’m not rejecting you.”
“But you’re doing something here, Heather. I feel it.”
She licked her lips and swiped at her tears. “We don’t know each other.”
“I’ve tried to get to know you. You just won’t let me in.”
“Can we stop with the blaming please?” She bent forward as her wolf seemed to want to come out and play.
David was by her side, his palm flat on her back. “The mating heat hasn’t completely gone. It lingers in the air. There’s nothing you can do to stop it.”
The feel of his palm on her back felt so good. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation, wanting his touch all over her body. The mating heat wasn’t gone.
She let him pull her in close and she breathed him in, not wanting to let him go.
“I’ve got you, baby.”
“We don’t know each other.” She lifted her head and opened her eyes. “I have always wanted to find my mate, but … I always thought I would fall in love with him. That I would feel this never-ending love and lust and…”
“It hasn’t happened yet,” he said. “You’re not in love with me.”
“I don’t know you, David. I’m so sorry.” Her heart shattered in two. “It’s not you. I just don’t know what love is.”
He stroked some hair back from her face.
“Do you hate me?”
“No, I don’t hate you,” he said. “I get what you mean, I think.”
“You don’t love me either?”
“Heather, you don’t want to know how I feel about you.” He tilted her head back. “You want to get to know me?”
She nodded her head.
“I think we did things a little backward, but I’m game to a fresh start if you are.”
Heather frowned. With him so close, it was impossible for her to make sense of anything that was happening. Words were flying out of her mouth with no real thought to them. Her heart was torn, yet her wolf wanted to be fucked and she didn’t know what the hell to do. This wasn’t how she imagined her mating to be.
Her parents had been very much in love, but her mother had warned her that mating didn’t always come with love. There were some couples who just weren’t ready to be together.
“Or do you not want to be mated at all?” David asked.
Pain shot through her body and she shook her head. “No, I do. I do want to be mated to you.” She hated this.
All her life, all she’d ever wanted was to find her mate, regardless of her mother’s warning. She understood that a mate could show up at any time, but she didn’t care about that. Even mates that hadn’t fallen in love immediately had grown close in time and their feelings had developed.
Why was she being so difficult now when this was what she wanted more than anything? It didn’t make any sense.
“Let’s start over,” she said. “Get to know one another first.”
David nodded and removed his hands from her body, which she missed the moment he let her go. It so wasn’t fair. She needed him. Wanted his touch, craved it even.
Pressing her lips together, she stared at the hand he offered instead.
No, I want you.
“I’m David, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
They stood completely naked, pretending like this was the most natural thing on the planet.
“Heather,” she said, touching his hand and giving it a small shake.
Her wolf didn’t like this.
Silence fell between them. She didn’t know what to say to make it better, or how to stop these feelings spiraling inside her.
Her throat felt thick.
Pain flooded her body.
She had never been so confused in her entire life.
“So, with everything okay with you now, I think it’s only fair that we head back home.”
“Home?”
“Yeah, everyone knew we were out here. They were giving us space to you know, bond,” he said.
“David, I’m so sorry.”
“No worries. I just … I don’t want anything bad to happen to you, Heather. You may not have feelings for me, but I do care for you.”
“I do have feelings for you,” she said. “I’m just confused.”
“Right, just not strong enough feelings to give this and us a chance. I get it. Don’t worry.” David glanced over her shoulder. “We’ve been gone a week. It’s time we headed back. We can make it for breakfast.”
The last thing she wanted was to be back home. They were all going to hate her.
“You’re right.” She turned on her heel and started to walk back to the house. In the back of her mind, she thought about the rogue bear. The one that had come and taken so much from her. She had never known such fear until he had invaded and killed.