Chapter 186 Chapter 186
Clasping his hands, he rubbed them together while he thought of how to say it. “I keep hearing I’m supposed to be an Alpha, a leader, but I don’t know the first thing about any of that. I’m not a leader. I’ve followed instructions my whole life...”
“But you are.” She smirked, “while the rest of us are shocked or bumbling around trying to figure out what next, you’re already doing it or telling others what to do,” she held up her hand, “and not in a bad way.” She gave him a soft look, “all of the women are obsessed with you if you didn’t know.” The humor left her face, “they probably think I’m crazy for not already being mated to you.”
“I don’t care what others think. Okay, I do, but not in the same way it matters to me what you think. I don’t want to let you down. I don’t want to fail you.”
“You’ve already treated me with more respect and consideration than anyone in my whole life. I don’t care if something doesn’t go as planned, just as long as you treat me with respect and don’t push me aside just because I’m a woman.”
“I would never do that. To any women, most definitely never to you.”
“And that’s one reason you are the leader this clan needs.”
“You seem to be doing a better job of assuring me than I am you...”
“I just need to know this is more, Blair, more than our cats found their happily ever after.”
He grinned at that expression. “You haven’t heard long-time mates with each other—this ain’t no fairy tale.”
“You know what I mean.”
He nodded his head several times while trying to figure out how to explain it to her. “I didn’t know we were mates, you made sure of that, but still I was bordering on being obsessed with you. How fast you were, how agile, your tracking and directions are crazy good, how you looked out for everyone else before yourself,” he held her gaze, “I won’t give you the usual flattery and go on and on about how fucking gorgeous you are but know that I see that too.” He slipped off the rock and got on his knees in front of her, touching her cheek, so she’d continue to look at him, “I know you don’t want to be mated just because your cat tells you to, hell if that was all it took we would have marked each other long before we reached here, all I’m asking is give me a chance, give us a chance.” He watched her lick her lips and momentarily forgot what he was going to say, “no more of this kissing me quickly and walking away to avoid me for the rest of the day. Never mind your cat,” he cringed, “I know she can hear me, but never mind the nudges and prompting you to seek me out. Go with what you feel, what you want.” He brushed his thumb over her cheek, “we can talk about your concerns or worries as much as you want, any time you want, just please, give this a chance, Kobie, let me in, just a little. I promise you will not regret it.” He searched her eyes as she looked at him. He had no idea what she was thinking.
“I know you meant every word, but you’re so damn charming. I feel like I’ve just been blindsided.”
His lips quirked as he suppressed a grin. “I’m not trying to charm you, babe, I’m laying it out here just asking for a chance to be your everything, anything you need.”
She held her breath for a second, blinked, and looked at him differently. “Coming from your lips, that’s not even a line, is it?”
He shook his head slowly.
“Okay. I’ll stop running the other way every time I think about it.” She reached up and placed her hand over his against her cheek. “It’s just a lot, Blair, really. I never thought I’d ever have a mate, so I have to rethink everything I ever thought.”
“You don’t have to change who you are to be my mate. That’s not how it works.” He frowned,
“or that’s not how it’s going to work with me. I honestly have no idea how it works with other mated couples.” He blew out a breath. “I know there will be times you want to beat me, but I will always listen to you.”
“Are other Alpha couples like that?”
“From what I’ve seen, Beth may agree with Ed in front of people, but she puts all her cards on the table as soon as they’re out of sight.”
“I can see her doing that.”
He leaned back from her and lowered their hands, keeping hers enclosed in his own. “Is that why you’re having trouble with this? Not that we’re mates, but that as soon as we’re mated, we’re in charge of the clan?”
“Some of it. Aren’t you?”
“Honestly, I have no idea what I’m doing with suddenly being an Alpha. I know that when I have your input and know you’re with me, it’s easier.”
She grinned, “you have all the pretty right words without even trying.”
“It’s how I feel...”
“I know. I just needed to point that out.” She grasped his other hand and sat there studying him. “I suppose,” she lifted her shoulders and let them drop, “it wouldn’t be a real hardship being your mate.”
Blair grinned, “yeah, not too hard to look at?”
She shook her head, with a slight smirk, “you’re charming, sweet…”
“Sweet?”
Kobie grinned, “you know you are. The way you handle Daisie,” she glanced down at their hands, “it’s touching.”
“Mmm,” Blair leaned forward so their faces were closer, “there might be a few other perks too.”
Her eyes locked on his, a heated look was now in them. “You think so?” She whispered.
“I do.” Turning his head, he brushed his lips over hers lightly. Once, twice. He caught the slight hitch in her breath and reached up to put his hand behind her head as he kissed her completely. When she responded and opened her mouth to his exploration, he grasped her by the waist and stood with her long enough to sit down and have her straddle him. He broke the kiss, “I think about kissing you a thousand times a day.” He crushed her mouth with his own, needing her taste to fill his whole body.
Kobie held his head tight and slid forward so their bodies were fit together.
Blair growled in the back of his throat and grasped a handful of her hair. Tearing his mouth from hers, he gently leaned her back and nipped along her jaw with his teeth. “Your taste sets my insides on fire.” Biting her throat, he licked it after. “Your scent calms me but energizes me at the same time.” Softly, he bit her again, then sucked the skin into his mouth. “I could spend a day just tasting every inch of you.” He tugged the shoulder of her shirt down so he could nip her shoulder.
Grasping his hair not so gently, she jerked his head back up so she could bite his jaw. “I feel the same way.” She lowered her mouth to his neck and dragged her teeth over his skin. “I’ve never felt like this before, not even during my cycle.”
Blair growled a deep guttural sound and clutched her hips, rocking her into his painfully hard erection. Her mouth continued to move over his throat and his cat went crazy inside him, feeling her teeth that close to where she’d eventually claim him as her own. “You’re killing me.” He hissed out but made no move to stop her. He heard his shirt rip as she exposed more skin. Sharp teeth bit into his shoulder and he threw his head back, rejoicing in the pain. His mate was a little hellcat.
Without warning, a deluge of water hit him in the face. Kobie gasped and lifted her mouth from his. The storm had returned. He’d been so lost in her he hadn’t even sensed it.
Panting to catch her breath, she snuggled her face into his chest. “I didn’t even know it was going to rain.”
Blair held her against him and looked up. “It’s moving fast and going to get worse.” He blew out a breath and then wiped the water from his eyes. “As much as I don’t want to, we need to get back.”
Kobie nodded, “yeah, after the last storm, I’m worried…”
He stood up, holding her tight. “They’re nearby and will take advantage of the storm again.”
She nodded and slowly slid down him. When she stood in front of him, she looked up at him and gave a little shiver. “That’s a new kind of cold shower.”
Blair bared his teeth at her. “We’re not discussing how even nature is tossing up roadblocks lately.”
Kobie grinned and tried to fix his shirt. “I wrecked your shirt.”
“Thirty more seconds and you would have wrecked my control too.” Wrapping his arm around her, he pulled her along as they hurried back to the truck.
“Avoiding you seems like the safer option now.”
Blair stopped abruptly and looked down at her. “Don’t even…”
Kobie smiled, “I was kidding.”
“Killing me.” He mumbled and then grabbed her hand and jogged along the path.