If anyone had asked Ryan what he thought his mate might be like, he wouldn’t have even come close to a description of Makenna. He wouldn’t have thought he could relate to someone so empathetic and compassionate. Nor would he have thought he could genuinely enjoy the company of someone so zany and superstitious.
It wasn’t a case of opposites attracting, though. They were similar in some ways. They both had strong convictions, refused to be people pleasers, and found it hard to reveal their vulnerabilities to others. They fit.
But she didn’t see it.
She didn’t see what they were to each other, and it made him and his wolf crazy. Tangling his fingers in her hair, Ryan tugged her head back. “I’ll only give you so much time. It’s almost up.”
Makenna didn’t need to ask what he meant. “It’s not that simple.”
Sure it was. “Your secrets are out. All that’s left jamming the bond are your fears about mating. Say them out loud. I’ll make them all go away.”
His arrogant comment made her smile. “You can’t chase away someone’s fears.”
“Let’s test that.”
If she confessed them and then found that there was no bond waiting, something in Makenna would just . . . go. Die. Leave her with another hole and no Ryan in her life. It was her own fault, really. She should have protected herself by pushing him away. She hadn’t. He’d been right in what he once said: she didn’t let people step fully into her life. But she had let him in. She didn’t want him to go. “You never really answered my question. What if you’re wrong?”
“I’m not.”
“That’s not a real answer. What if you’re wrong?”
It wouldn’t change a damn thing. “I’m not going anywhere.” He curled a lock of hair around her ear. “Why do you find it so hard to believe we’re mates? The facts—”
“—speak for themselves, yeah. You obsess over facts. But what about how you feel?”
“You know what I feel.”
“Possessive, yes. But that doesn’t mean we’re mates. Protective, yes. But that trait is part of your personality. Attracted to me, yes. But that’s just sex. Those things aren’t feelings, Ryan. They’re instincts.” She placed her hand on his chest. “What do you feel?”
He was quiet for a moment, caught off guard by the deep question. “I don’t know.”
He sounded so confused and vulnerable. “What I’m asking is . . . Do I matter to you? Not because you think I’m your mate. I mean me, Makenna, do I matter?”
Ryan wished he could be better at articulating how he felt, but he suspected that would never happen. “You’re important to me.” He brushed his thumb over a bite on the curve of her breast. “I don’t like being away from you. And sometimes . . . you make me want to smile.”
God, the guy did things to her insides. Good things. Turned her to mush. She hugged him tight. “You know, that’s probably the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
Ryan smoothed a hand up and down her back. “Are you telling me I actually said something right?”
Looking up at him, she chuckled. “Yep.”
With his hand spanning her throat, he kissed her. Slow and deep. Drinking her in, making her rub up against him like a cat. He ended the kiss with a sharp bite to her lower lip. “Sleep.”
She fisted the cock that was now hard and ready. “But you want me again.”
“I always want you.”
“Prove it.”
If she insisted. He rolled her onto her back, hiked up one leg, and plunged deep inside her.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Having finished his midday perimeter check, Ryan was about to return inside the caves when he found himself suddenly surrounded by Taryn, Jaime, Shaya, Roni, Grace, Lydia, and Hope—all of whom looked sober and determined. Marcus stood behind them, pinching the bridge of his nose. Now what?
Taryn took a step toward Ryan. “We should talk.”
Talk?
“Don’t worry.” Jaime gestured to herself and the other females. “We will do the talking. You just need to listen.”
Sighing, Taryn placed a hand on his arm. “You know me, Ryan, I don’t like to interfere in other people’s business”—he almost snorted at that—“but I’m making an exception here.”
“We wouldn’t poke our noses in if it wasn’t necessary,” claimed Lydia. Again, Ryan almost snorted. The females in front of him were all nosy and meddlesome. Well, except for one. He arched a questioning brow at Marcus’s mate.
Roni raised her hands. “I didn’t really want to get involved. But I like you. And the girls are right. You’re missing the truth.”
“By a mile,” added Hope.
Shaya nodded. “You’ve left us no choice but to step in.”
“To be honest, Ryan, I’m surprised that we have to,” said Grace. “You’re a smart male, you listen to your wolf, and you have extremely sharp instincts. You shouldn’t need us to point out what’s so damn obvious.”
Having not even the faintest fucking clue what they were talking about, Ryan looked at Marcus.
The male enforcer sighed. “They think Makenna’s your mate.”
Oh. “So do I,” Ryan said simply before heading for the cliff steps.
Taryn hurried after him. “Wait, you do?”
He grunted.
“Why haven’t you told Makenna?”
“I have.”