Her lips caressed delicately though, and his fingers trembled on her hips as he fought for control.
A slick of tongues together, and the shaking increased to include his arms.
When she buried her hands in his hair and leaned back, pulling him on top of her, he was torn between stripping them naked and worrying about her on the hard wood floor.
Her entire body softened as they kissed, his groin so tight to hers he was afraid he might spontaneously erupt. Mark rolled, putting her on top, protecting her from the cold and the unpadded surface.
His gums ached with the urge to mark her, to take her, to possess her. But while she was kissing him, at least he wasn’t doing anything crazy like.
Tessa planted her palms to his chest and pushed herself upright, straddling him and pinning him in place. Well, as much as a lightweight like her could keep him trapped.
She calmed her breathing, that beautiful smile he’d fallen in love with returning to brighten her face. “Do you even know you’re doing it?”
“That I’m lying on the floor trying not to ravish you? Oh, I know, sweetheart, I know.”
She shook her head. “I mention I’m worried about the cold winter—you fill the shed with a two-year supply of wood. I try to break your coffeemaker; you get me a different one. You’ve worked and worked and listened to every single thing I’ve said, and I’m so ashamed of myself…”
He curled himself upright, sexual tension temporarily forgotten in an attempt to reassure her. “Hey, stop that. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
Tessa tilted her head to the side. “Maybe not if you were a cat, but you’re a wolf. And even if you were a cat, I’m guilty of one terrible thing. I haven’t been listening. Not like you have. Can you forgive me?”
Mark was lost, but… “Sure. I forgive you. But are you going to tell me what specifically I’m forgiving you for?”
She stroked his chest lightly. “I had my own agenda when I came out here, and that’s not wrong. It’s good for me to have goals, and even though we’re mates, I’m not going to give up thinking things through and making plans.”
“I wouldn’t want you to,” Mark insisted.
She nodded. “I know, yet that’s why I’m sorry. I had an idea of what ‘being in love’ looked like, and when you didn’t do those things, I figured we had to wait. I wasn’t listening to what you were really saying.”
His brain had focused in on one part of her confession. “You figured we had to wait. Does that mean…we don’t have to any longer?”
Tessa paused. “Do you love me?”
“Of course I do.” His heart raced. “I mean, I’ll fall in love with you more as time goes past, but right now I can honestly say I love you.”
“You love me because we’re mates…”
Mark laughed. “You’re still hung up on that, aren’t you? I know it’s not a cat way. But, Tessa, I love you because you’re you. That’s why we’re mates in the first place. I wouldn’t have this draw inside toward a random stranger who wasn’t perfect for me. Who wouldn’t complement my talents, who couldn’t enjoy the things I enjoy. It’s not like a shortcut to happiness because we need to work at it, but we’re right together. That’s what being mates means.”
Enough. He stood and carried her into the bedroom. This time he dropped her—actually, he lofted her toward the bed.
Tessa twisted with a feline grace and landed on all fours, the most incredible smile beaming out. “Like I said, you listen all the time.”
This incredible mixture of sorrow and delight filled her.
She’d screwed up, badly, but he wasn’t going to hold it against her. That much she knew without the slightest doubt.
Tessa sat back on her heels. Stared at him as he waited patiently, as usual. “Remember I told you I don’t feel successful at times?”
He nodded.
“That doesn’t change the facts. I am good at what I do. I have the skills, I have the drive and the enthusiasm, and I work and make things happen.”
There was a distance between them, but hope lit his eyes—just a flutter of it crossing his face. “Feelings and reality aren’t always the same thing?”
“No.” There was so much she wasn’t certain about, only she’d been an idiot to ignore the specific truths in this situation. “Mark, you’re a wolf.”
His face twisted as he attempted to hide his laughter. “Umm, yes. You said that already.”
“I might need to say it a few more times, just to get it to sink into my thick cat skull. You’re a wolf, and you love me. We’re mates, and that’s not going to change for you.”
His dark eyes sparkled. “Nope. Well, it’ll get stronger—the being-in-love-with-you part.”
This time his assurance sent a thrill through her, and that was the final nudge she needed to move forward. Now how to say this without sounding like a diva, a freak or bitch? The last thing she wanted was to remove the happiness blooming on his face.