Fear of him struck Dusti instantly while she stared up into his face inches above her own. His parted mouth showed sharp fangs.

“No, you didn’t. I’m your mate.”

“Oh. I thought I’d told you about that. I was married when I was much younger but it didn’t last long. He was a cheating piece of shit.”

Drantos snarled again.

“Stop that. You’re scaring me.”

“I’d never harm you. It just enrages me that you loved before. He was important to you if you made a commitment to him.”

“You’re jealous?”

“Yes.”

Her hands trembled slightly as she reached up to cup his face. He didn’t flinch away but instead pressed tighter to her palms, rubbing against her slightly to encourage her touch. Her fear melted away.

“I don’t love him anymore, Drantos. It’s in the past. I was younger and came to the conclusion that he wasn’t the man I thought. We ended up being strangers. I think I wanted to love an image he represented, instead of the person he really was. He wasn’t ready to settle down to be with one woman. Do you understand?”

His anger left as quickly as it had come. His fangs retracted. “You’re my mate. Mine, Dusti. Love me. I won’t ever hurt you.”

All reservations she had evaporated with his heartfelt plea. Love him? I do, she acknowledged. She nodded and knew she’d made the right choice when he smiled tenderly at her.

“What does completing a mating take?”

He lowered down on top of her, pressing her gently between the grass and his firm, warm body. He braced his elbows next to her ribs to keep enough weight off her chest for her to be able to breathe easily. She only hesitated a moment before spreading her thighs to give him access. He sank his hips between them and she wrapped her legs around the back of his thighs to entwine their bodies. The sarong easily parted to allow for close contact.

“It’s a process. We share blood, have sex, and open ourselves to each other to help the bond lock into place.”

“That sounds kind of hot except for the blood part. How do we open up to each other?”

“Don’t hold back from me. Open up to me. Your heart, your mind, and your body.”

“Okay. I can do that. What about the blood?”

“You take from me and I take from you during sex. We do that to help become a part of each other. Your VampLycan genes will respond to my blood, as mine will to yours.”

“You’ve traded blood with different women.” She hated to remember that bit of information she’d gotten out of him.

“It’s not the same. Please don’t look at me that way. If I’d known it would cause you pain, I never would have done it. It’s how we test to see if we’re mates. It really couldn’t be avoided. Their blood was only a taste in my mouth. Yours is life to me that spreads through my entire body. Do you understand?”

“You’re really good at knowing what to say to a woman to make her feel special.” She smiled and let his past go; it helped that he wouldn’t taste any more women in his future. “Charmer.”

“You are special to me. You have no idea.”

“I was a little confused about what Aveoth was saying when he started talking about history and records but I understood some of it. Is that why your father doesn’t like me? And what does being generous with your blood mean?”

“He was informing me that if I shared my blood with you while you’re pregnant, that our children will be born strong. I’m the firstborn of my father’s children. It’s my responsibility to give my father strong grandchildren to keep our line intact for future generations. Your being so human could result in our children having more human traits than VampLycan. Aveoth was telling me how to avoid that to get my father to accept you and our future children into the clan.”

She let that sink in. “You want kids?”

“Don’t you?”

“Yes. Just not right away.”

“Fair enough. We have plenty of time.”

“Okay, Drantos. Let’s do this.”

He smiled at her again. “Now?”

“You’re on top of me and I’m so totally turned-on, I ache. I’ll hurt you if you try to leave me this way.”

“We can make love without cementing the bond. It’s not a one-shot deal, sweetheart. It can take days. I’d rather we start the process when we reach my cabin. I don’t want any interruptions once we start.”

“Cabin?” She made a face. “Oh, please tell me it’s got electricity and a computer with internet connection. Satellite or cable television would be a must too. Have I mentioned I’m a city girl? I suck at camping and roughing it.”

“I have all the modern-day amenities,” he chuckled. “Just because I love to roam the wilderness doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy all the comforts life has to offer. I even have a Jacuzzi tub inside the bathroom in our master bedroom.”

“You’re perfect.”

“So are you.” He grinned. “I need to get you home soon. Wouldn’t you prefer us to be on a bed, rather than on the ground?”

Her legs lifted to hook across his ass. “No. I’m impatient. I guess I should warn you about that. Kiss me.”

His mouth lowered without hesitation and Dusti lifted her chin to meet him halfway. The instant his tongue swiped hers, the desire inside her changed from an ache into a raging inferno of need. She moaned and arched against his chest. She wished she were naked to feel him skin to skin. The material between their upper bodies nearly hurt. She whimpered.

He tore his mouth away, concern in his gaze. She released his face to frantically claw at the waist of the shirt she wore. He had to lift up slightly for her to be able to free it from between their bodies. She wiggled and squirmed but eventually tossed the shirt over her head. Her fingers gripped his shoulders to yank him down on top of her again, mouth going for his, and she ground her hips against his pelvis to urge him to enter her. The material of her bunched sarong didn’t bother her so much, since it was high on her hips between their lower bellies. The sensation of her breasts smashed against his hot chest was pure heaven.

“Slow down.”

She shook her head, gazing up into his eyes with desperation. “I want you so bad. I’ve never had much patience.”