Fates Entwined

33

Jordan set down the spoon he was using to stir the sauce and came over to me. He picked my hand up, lacing our fingers together. “I’m doing the best that I can, but I need your help.”

I looked down at our joined hands, hesitating. “My help?"

“Yes."

"I'm not sure if I'm the right person for that."

"You are." He squeezed my hand. "Stella, I’m sorry for what happened at the Convergence. How the Leos cornered you and forced you into shifting to activate the mate bond. I regret it, and I wish I’d done it differently.”

“I know,” I whispered. “But it still happened.”

“If I could take it back and redo it all, I would." His brow furrowed. "At least let me try to explain why I did it."

"I'm listening."

“After what Roxandra did to me..." Jordan swallowed and looked away. "I've had a hard time getting over it." Anger flashed through me, as it did anytime I remembered what Jordan had endured at the hands of Roxandra, and how she’d forced him to have s*x with her through mind control. But I kept quiet, getting the sense that Jordan didn't want to be interrupted before he could get the next words out.

“At the Convergence, I worried you only wanted me for my body, like Roxandra did," he finally said.

“No, Jordan," I said, feeling sick to my stomach at the thought. “That’s not it at all.”

"You kissed me. You clearly wanted to have s*x. But you didn't want me." He dragged a hand through his hair. "What was I supposed to think? I was so scared that if I let you leave without activating the mate bond, we'd never be together. But now I know you only wanted me because of the mate bond, and somehow that's even worse.”

I stayed quiet, even though I wanted to protest. A week ago, I'd have said he was right and all we'd had was the mate bond. But that wasn't true, and I was starting to suspect it had never been true.

He squeezed my hand again and let me go, taking a step back. “I'm glad you rejected me. I deserved it after what I did. And now that the mate bond is gone, I know what I feel for you is real."

“Jordan,” I breathed. Out of everything he could have said, I hadn’t expected that. My throat tightened. "It wasn't like that. I didn't want you because I was scared of what being your mate meant. It meant I would become a Leo, and at the time I couldn't imagine anything worse."

"And now?"

I wrapped my hand around the back of his head and pulled him close. "Now I think you should shut up and kiss me already."

Surprise flickered across his face, but then he didn't hesitate at all before taking my face in his hands and slanting his lips across mine. I slid myself toward the edge of the counter so I could press my body against his. He made a surprised grunt, and smoothed his hands down my shoulders, along my breasts, and to my hips. I deepened the kiss and arched my body against his, while Jordan growled against my lips.

He was right. What I was feeling wasn’t because of the mate bond. It was just us, and it was time to figure out what exactly that meant.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The kiss deepened as Jordan let his hands roam across my body. Everywhere he touched felt like warm licks of fire against my skin, and it made me want him even more.

Jordan broke away, breathing hard. “Let me turn the stove off."

“Hurry up," I said, holding onto his shirt a second longer as he moved away. I already missed the heat of his body against mine.

The moment he had the stove turned off, he came back and kissed me again, harder this time. I reached for the hem of his shirt and slid my hands underneath. His body was so strong, and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about what it would feel like under my hands. I’d gotten a bit of a taste at the Convergence, but now I could take my time and truly explore him.

I broke away from his lips and pushed him back just enough to pull the fabric over his head. He took off my shirt in return and made an appreciative noise as I unhooked my bra and tossed it to the kitchen floor.

“You’re so gorgeous,” he said. “Do you know how long I’ve been thinking about this?”

"Since the Convergence?"

"No. Since the moment I met you."

I didn’t answer him but pulled him close, needing his lips on mine again. I was already breathless, and his words only added to the desire burning through my veins.

He kissed his way down my neck and across my collarbone, while his hands explored my breasts. His mouth replaced one of his hands and his tongue swirled around my n****e. A jolt of pleasure shot through me and I grabbed his shoulders, digging my fingers into his muscles.

His hands continued down to my hips, then he pulled me off the counter and worked to remove my jeans and everything else I had on. When I stood before him completely naked, his eyes swept up my body and one of those cocky smiles spread across his face. He looked like he was seeing a priceless piece of art, one he'd just purchased for himself, and it made my skin tingle.

He lifted me up by the waist and set me back down on the counter. I gasped, surprised by his strength, and by the cold granite against my ass. But all thoughts flew from my head when Jordan's big hands gripped my thighs and began spreading them wide.