Page 54

Chuckling lightly, Arden shakes his head. “I should have asked this before but since you’re not part of the Sasquatch shifter community, I don’t know your last name.”

“Oh.” I blush. “It’s Lennox.”

Arden nods, smiling at me. “Ready, baby?”

I suck in a breath. I am ready. I want him. I want this life, this forest, this mountain. I want to be free. Free to try new things, to make mistakes and not be punished for it. I want to be myself even though I still don’t know who I am yet. But I want to meet him one day. I want to grow.

“I’m ready.”

Arden takes my hand in his. His other gently pulling my beanie away and placing the crown atop my head. The flowers have a weight to them, not just from the amount carefully twisted together, but the meaning behind them. Arden’s admiration, his gratitude, and his devotion.

“Do you, Blake Lennox, take me, Arden Hart, as your mate?”

My heart thumps in my chest, pounding against my ribcage like a drum. Arden’s golden gaze watches me closely, his shoulders frozen as he holds his breath.

I nod, feeling the crown hold securely to my head. “Yes, I do.”

Arden smiles, his eyes squint against a layer of tears along his waterlines. Leaning forward, he grasps my jaw in his palms, his thumb sweeping over my lower lip. Our nose’s brush, and my hands reach for his furry chest as our lips meet.

It’s a tentative kiss. But one that shares every emotion. My mind races at light speed. Memories of my mom, her funeral. My father’s words of disappointment but also of the chime at Arden’s shop as I walked through the door. His head snapping up and his gaze meeting mine. Little did I ever know, I’d be agreeing to mate with him less than a week later. But I can’t deny the safety, the pleasure, and the support he’s given me. I only hope I can give him something back in return.

Speaking against my lips, Arden whispers. “There is nothing in this world I want more than you. I wish you could feel the way it feels to find your fated mate. The draw your entire soul feels towards someone else.”

“I think I feel that too,” I respond. “I want you too.”

Arden’s tongue sweeps along my lip and I open my mouth, letting him in. Our tongue’s dance and our bodies arch toward one another until our chests bump and I climb onto his lap, straddling him.

“You saved me, baby.” Arden pulls away, still smiling fondly. The amount of love and warmth in his gaze has my heart skipping a beat.

“More like you saved me.”

Arden chuckles, “We saved each other. I’d given up on you. I thought I was never going to get a mate. I’m sorry I stopped looking.”

I shake my head. How on earth would I have known if I hadn’t ran away from home? If I hadn’t driven to this quiet town in the mountains or if I hadn’t bought that terrible tent. This man on his knees before me, watching me with such love in his eyes, his hands sliding over my body as if memorizing my form.

I do the same. My hands running down his furry chest, his stomach, feeling the bulk of his abs and the dips of his hips.

“I will worship you, baby,” he growls with a deep groan. “I will learn every mark, mole and hair follicle.”

I shiver, biting my lip. “Then take me home. Make me yours. I choose you.”

My body is lifted from the earth before I can blink an eye, my stomach pressed heavily against his shoulder as he hauls me back to the snowmobile.

I laugh like a maniac at the sight of his furry ass, tensing with each step. As we escape the clearing, leaving the sea of beautiful flowers behind, the chill of the evening greets us and I shiver.

My flower crown slips, but I catch it just in time, holding it to my head. Arden sets me down on the seat, practically throwing himself behind me and zooming back down the mountain.

He steers between trees, over snow-covered logs and avoids little streams breaking through the cracks. The slope passes us and I smile at my new, wonderful memories of sledding. Driving into the thicker depths of the forest, the sun barely lights the way as it sets behind the mountain. But Arden knows the way. The steam of the hot spring rises around us like a mist as we pass and the road clears as the cabin sits in the darkness, the chimney still puffing away.

Parking at the base of the cabin steps, Arden clutches me around the waist helping me down, “Get inside, baby. I want you naked and waiting for me.”

I shiver, my dick perking up at the grin plastered across his lips and the evil gleam in his gaze. He’s going to make me his.

I bolt up the steps, adjusting my crown so it doesn’t slip. Arden’s voice follows me as he turns to the shed to park the snowmobile. “And no touching what’s mine.”

I’m breathless as I rip the front door open, shucking my jacket as I sprint down the hallway, kicking my boots off at the bedroom door and unbuckling my belt with shaky hands.

Don’t touch what’s mine. I know what he means. My dick. I already ache to press my palm against the growing throb in my balls, my dick steeling itself to full mast as I pull my shirt over my head, careful of the Lupins.