Chasing A Runaway Mate

Chapter 19

Wren

He should've probably taken things slower with Kat. Especially as she was still a flight risk. It was wonderful that she was there with him now, but she had given him no assurances that she was planning on staying. It was difficult, though. It felt so natural to be this way around her. Walls which had been erected over the years just crumbled away. He wanted to see her smile and to learn what made her tick.

Kat's thighs resting on his made Wren want to learn other things too. He was desperate to slowly run his hands all over her body to know exactly how she reacted to being touched in those areas. For now, he settled for having his hands on her hips. His body responded to hers. It also responded to her cheekiness, which Wren was discovering he liked a lot. Secretly, he wanted to know exactly how far she would push him. He liked how independent she was and how headstrong she was. Wren had never been interested in how timid many of the women of his kind were. It made sense to him that whomever his mate was, she should be able to take care of herself, and not always rely on him to protect her.

This was a very unpopular viewpoint among his peers and Wren quickly learned to keep it to himself. They just couldn't seem to understand that it meant she would be doubly safe. He still saw it as his job to provide and protect her, but he wouldn't cage her.

"So are you going to show me where the shower is?" Wren asked seductively, his voice dropping low.

Kat smiled wickedly at Wren before climbing off his lap and beckoning him to follow her. At the end of the passageway, she led him through a door. To his surprise, it opened into a small bedroom with en suite bathroom. He could tell she was a bit nervous. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and reassure Kat, but thought it's best to keep his distance. For now.

"The shower is through there," Kat pointed to the open bathroom door. The look on her face pulled at Wren's heart.

"Will you tell me what's making you so uncomfortable, darlin'?" Wren asked gently, staying where he was to give her some space. Kat appraised him with large eyes for a long moment.

"Sometimes I think this whole fated mate business makes things a lot more complicated than people realize." Kat paused, taking a deep breath. Wren waited for her to find her words again.

"There is just so much more pressure. If you were to get to know someone without them being your mate, the chance of disappointing them is so much less. However, you know absolutely nothing about me, but there is this force that draws you to me. It makes it so much more heartbreaking once you get to know me and realize that all I am is trouble. I'm not proud of the person I was before and all the crap I got up to, but I'm not that person anymore. At least, I don't want to be like her. But that doesn't mean it won't affect my future or your future. Does that make any sense?"

Wren understood what Kat meant, perfectly. For he had the same fears as she did. He was terrified of disappointing her, of what it meant to them as a couple that he was ten years older than her. He closed the door softly and walked to where Kat was standing close to the bed. He gently pried her hands away from each other and took them in his. She was so soft and warm. Her small hands seemed to disappear in his large, calloused hands.

"It makes perfect sense, Kat. Did it occur to you that maybe I would have the same fears or that I was concerned you would be disappointed in who it had been decided would be your mate? None of us are perfect. We all have a past. Some of it we're OK with and some of it we are ashamed of."

"That is exactly my point. The disappointment is so much greater because you already mean so much to me." Wren wasn't sure if Kat had meant to reveal so much, but he didn't care. His heart soared at hearing he meant something to her. That it wasn't just a physical attraction.

"Think of it this way. Because you are... you mean so much to me, it's easier to accept you as you are. None of us can change what happened in the past. All that matters now is what we plan to do with our present. The future will sort itself out."

Kat sighed deeply. For a few breaths, they simply looked at each other. Wren could see some of her confidence returning.

"Does that mean you are willing to give this thing a go?" Kat asked softly.

"Lass, I wanted to give this thing a go the moment I saw you in that kitchen. You took my breath away, and with it all reason had left me as well. I knew at that moment I would do anything to make you happy."

"I'm so sorry, Wren. I'm sorry I couldn't accept you then." Kat's voice sounded so small, it broke his heart.

"No, don't do that. You have nothing to be sorry about. As difficult as it was, I was happy to give you what you needed at that moment. Even if distance was the last thing I wanted. I would never have been truly happy if you had accepted me without being in this thing with me completely."

"I am... in this thing completely, you know," Kat said, her eyes locked on their hands. Wren extricated one of his hands gently and placed a finger under chin, tilting her face up.

"If you really mean that, my life just got made." Wren smiled at her. Kat's face lit up as she dazzled him with a smile.

"I do mean that. I just... I need to take this slow. I get that is not exactly conventional with our kind, but it's something I need."

"Hey, we will take this at your pace. I won't lie and say it's going to be easy, but I won't push you. I only ask that you are open and honest with me. If you're not ready to tell me something, say so, but never lie to me."

"I can do that. Of course."

Bending forward, Wren brushed his lips against Kat's. He had been aching to do so since their first kiss. Letting go of her hands, he cupped the back of her head with one and snaked the other around her waist to the small of her back. Her softness melted against him as he pulled her flush against him. Their kiss became deeper, their need to have more of each other incessant.

It took all of Wren's willpower to not have the kiss lead to something more. All of his instincts screamed at him to through his mate on the bed, impale her on his hard length and mark her, so the whole world would know she belonged to him. Lachlan, his wolf, became vocal again for the first time in a long time. He was growling at him, not wanting to understand Kat's need to take things slow.

"We need to stop, darlin'." Wren's voice came out gruff as he pulled away slightly. Looking into Kat's eyes, he could see the internal battle she was fighting as well. "Your needs will always come first, but that doesn't mean it's easy not to take from your body what I want."

Kat's heart was pounding, her face flushed with desire. She knew exactly what that kiss had done to him, and she was fighting just as hard not to give in to him.

"I think you need to go take that shower. In fact, it might be best if it's a cold one. When you come out, we can talk some more if you're up to it."

With one more kiss and a smile, Wren took his leave. He wanted to know everything about his mate and would listen to what she was willing to tell him.