OmegaMine by Aline Hunter Page A

prodded, “I’ll what?”
    “You’ll hurt me,” she expelled in a rush. “I’ve heard rumors
of what it’s like, and in case you haven’t noticed I’m a third your size.”
    For the first time in his life his heart actually felt laden
with an invisible weight. She might know about shifters but she didn’t know about shifters. A male would die before he ever harmed his mate. It was
ingrained from the moment of birth, buried deeply within, an instinct to
protect and defend, to nurture and cherish.
    Grasping her chin, he forced her to meet his eyes. “I would
never hurt you. Believe what you will about me, my kind and our lifestyle. But
trust in this. To hurt you would be to hurt myself. We are connected, and
through that bond we will share both pain and pleasure.”
    Arousal tinted the air and he struggled not to respond to
her need. He could sense her confusion and doubt, her uncertainty and fear.
First he had to take her home. There he would feed her, talk to her, soothe her
and, ultimately, claim her.
    Caressing her cheek with his thumb, he whispered, “I’m going
to take you home with me. This thing between us isn’t going to go away. I
promise to be as patient as I can and to answer any questions you have. Just
don’t shut me out. That’s all I ask.”
    For a moment he worried she might argue but then she nodded.
“As long as you promise not to do anything I don’t want you to do. We’re going
to talk, nothing else.”
    He retrieved the key from his pocket and grinned. He’d have
her so needy and eager to come she wouldn’t know yes from no. Of course, he
wasn’t going to tell her that. The best way to learn sometimes was by jumping
in headfirst, and in this case, his head was making a beeline for the paradise
between her thighs.
    He started the bike and growled in approval when she wrapped
her left arm beneath his jacket and clutched his ribs. “I won’t do anything
unless you beg me to, how’s that?”
    “Dream on,” she muttered and he just knew she was rolling
her eyes.
    Bending slightly at the waist, he revved up the bike and
purred, “Hang on, Ava mine. From here on in, it’s going to be one hell of a
ride.”

Chapter Five
     
    They were just going to talk.
    Yeah right.
    Ava gulped and bit her lip when she felt Diskant’s
pronounced erection press into her back as he reached above her to retrieve
dishes from the overhead cabinet. The hard length prodded, pressed and rubbed
against her spine until it was difficult to remain still or keep quiet.
    True to his word, he hadn’t done anything to garner her
anger or disapproval. However, those passing touches—his bristled chin against
her neck as he retrieved the key from the motorcycle, his large hands grasping
her waist to help her down from the bike, the heat of his breath caressing her
cheek as he bowed over her much smaller frame to open the door to the
firehouse—and the constant use of the nickname he obviously preferred, were
driving her mad.
    His soft lips brushed against her ear as he whispered
huskily, “I’ll leave these here for you. I’m going to the basement to get a
bottle of wine and check on Oscar.”
    An infinitesimal tendril of heat twined down her ear and
neck, traveling to her nape before prickling down her spine. Talking was out of
the question. Her tongue was too heavy, as were her breasts, which strained
each time they came within proximity of his body, the nipples going taut in
invitation.
    Jesus, this is crazy !
    He was a shifter—an Omega! There was no logical explanation
for him to view her as a mate.
    Granted, the reading material the Villati had shared was
limited. They only wanted to offer her a taste, attempting to bait her to join
their ranks with the promise of endless knowledge. There was nothing about
human mates inside those pages, not a single word. She’d learned a long time
ago while working the club that shifters didn’t date or become entangled with
humans. She assumed it was due to the fact