Destined (War of the Covens 2)

Ryder was kissing her.

Ryder.

Wow.

One of his hands slid down her side, his thumb brushing her breast and setting off another blast of fireworks inside her. Eventually, he curled said hand around her thigh so he could wrap her leg around his waist. Automatically, she did that with her other one and found herself flat on her back while Ryder pressed his body into hers.

Oh goddess!

She gasped into his mouth.

Then suddenly a breeze blasted over her, and she opened her eyes to see Ryder pushing himself back to the foot of the bed, his hand shaking as he brushed his hair off his face.

Why had he stopped?

“That wasn’t meant to happen,” he said hoarsely.

With that, a crushing sense of deflation swamped her. What? Did she think Ryder … the most notorious bachelor in the pack, would actually be interested in her? Puhlease. Of course he stopped before things went too far. He was disgustingly honorable.

Plus her father would kill him.

“Yeah, I guess not,” she snapped and then bit her tongue. Damn it. She didn’t want him to know he had hurt her.

“I didn’t mean the kiss.” He moved toward her again, and she strained back from him.

“Stay back. I don’t need this kind of crap right now, Ryder.”

His eyes seemed to darken in anger, confusing her.

“Hey.” She shrugged, unable to meet his eyes. “Don’t worry about it. I’m not going to tell my dad. You’re safe.”

He snorted in disgust, and she looked up to see him glaring at her—really glaring at her.

What was his problem? She was the one who was going to end up with her heart broken if she didn’t get away from his dumb, tight ass. As if she didn’t have enough pain in her life without adding him to her already broken soul.

“What?” she huffed. “What is your problem? Stop looking at me like that.”

“I’m trying to decide whether I want to kill you,” he growled through clenched teeth, “or haul you underneath me and finish what we started.”

“Charming.”

Ryder’s hands flew up in a strangling gesture. “Can you shut up for one second so I can explain?”

“Explain what? Your almost molestation of me?”

“I swear you say one more word and I—”

She knew she should stop. He wasn’t teasing. He was mad, and way bigger than she was. “You’ll what?”

The next thing she knew he had hold of her, his hand clamped tightly across her mouth. She wriggled but to no avail.

“Ah, much better.” He grinned down at her.

“Mm mmm hu uhh uu.”

“What’s that, sweetheart? I’m a little hard of hearing.”

Goddess, he was a schmuck.

“Now.” He pulled her closer. “Let me talk before you continue jumping to all the wrong conclusions and decide I’m a bastard and that you hate me.”

What was he talking about?

His eyes had gone warm and buttery as they wandered across her face. She stilled, suddenly too intrigued to fight him. Did Ryder …? No … Could he?

“I stopped kissing you because I was this close to making love to you, and I would rather we did that after I’ve spoken to your father.”

Huh?

He laughed as if he could read her reaction in her eyes. “Jae … I think we have something. You can deny it all you want, but there’s something more between us. Something real.” He smiled, looking unexpectedly shy. “I think we could be mates.”

Jaeden’s eyes widened, and she tensed. Was he serious? Was Ryder Alexander, the biggest crush of her life, actually suggesting they were mates?

“I don’t know how it happened.” He unclamped his hand from her mouth and cupped her face tenderly. “But the thought of not being able to spend every day bickering with you and then kissing you quiet, it knocks the breath out of me. When we get home, I’m going to ask permission from Dimitri to court you, if that’s okay with you?”

“Then why did you stop?”

He chuckled. “Because I want to do things right with you.”

“Ryder.” She rested her forehead against his chest. “Are you sure? I mean … if you hadn’t noticed, I’m not exactly Miss Normal right now. Are you sure?”

His cheek slid against hers, sending sparks running throughout her as he breathed in her ear. “Completely. You’re mine, Jae.” He pulled back. “If that’s okay with you?”

As he smiled down at her, a weight she didn’t even know she’d been carrying floated off her body and out of the room. She knew she looked too serious, but she couldn’t help it. “I’ve had a crush on you forever.”

His eyes widened and he appeared smug. “Oh, really …”

She slapped at him half-heartedly. “Now don’t you go getting yourself a big head there, cowboy.”

“I can’t help it. The untouchable Jaeden Rodriguez has a crush on me.” He pulled her closer again and brushed a soft kiss across her lips. “Why didn’t you say anything?”