“That person ran out in the middle of a storm to try and lift me out from under a tree. I like that person, just as I like the woman in front of me.”
She smiled. “I still don’t know what I was thinking. How did I think I was supposed to lift a man as big as you?”
I shrugged, my bear preening. “You tried. And I will be forever grateful for that.”
Sage sighed and looked up at me. “I’d like to get to know you more. Discover everything. This pull? I can’t stop it.”
I moved forward then and slowly trailed my fingers across her chin. “This pull? It’s magic. It’s a bond that ties us together. We can walk away. Even if I kiss you right now, even if we find out who we could be together, that pull doesn’t mean we will ever complete the bond.”
She frowned. “What does that mean?”
“Once I mark you as mine, that completes the bond. Sex isn’t part of it. It can be, and that’s usually when someone marks another, but sex is more part of the pull, a bit of what completes us. If we slept together right now, I’d be claiming you as mine but not as my mate. Not forever. Does that make sense?”
She swallowed hard, and I wanted to reach out and bite her lip, have her taste.
“Why do I feel like everyone else understands this whole fated mate thing but I’m still falling behind?”
“You aren’t. The fact that you’re here right now? It’s not you being behind.”
“I used magic today,” she said again, her eyes wide. “I used magic and power, and I have my store. I bake, I provide. Everything I’m doing…I’m changing. And yet, you’re always there in the back of my mind. I want to know who you are, Rome. Can you show me?”
I nodded and leaned forward. “As long as you kiss me first.”
She rose on her toes, and I leaned down.
When she brushed her lips against mine, I was lost.
Chapter Thirteen
Sage
Rome slid his hands down my sides, bracketing my hips, and I moved closer to him, groaning. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. All I wanted was to taste him, to feel him. I groaned again, needing more. And then, he pulled away.
I frowned, confused. “What?” I asked, my body shaking.
“I don’t want to do too much, not when I want to strip you down and bend you over this table.”
My eyes widened. “Oh.” I shook my head. “That word seems to be the only thing I can say these days.”
“I kind of like that I make you speechless.”
“I’m not normally. Usually, I ramble. Especially when I’m nervous. And I’m nervous.”
“You are?” he asked, his voice a deep rumble. His lips lifted into a smile as he studied my face as if he were trying to understand who I was. I did the same with him. I looked into those dark eyes of his, at that chiseled jaw beneath the big beard, at how he filled out the shirt he wore, and I swallowed hard. Magic and fate had brought us together at first, but I liked the man I saw. And I wanted to know more about him.
I swallowed hard and winced as I looked at the fish tank on the wall.
“I think I’m sloshing the fish around again,” I said, frowning.
He sighed. “At least you’re not knocking the water out. Don’t worry. The fish are fine. If they weren’t, I’d have moved them to a safer place. But Rowen helped with a spell.”
“I need to get a better handle on my water affinity if I want to stand in this room again.”
“You’re already more controlled. I can see it.”
“Are you telling the truth?” I asked as I walked towards him.
He nodded as he looked down at his fish. They happily swam and wiggled towards me, and I could have sworn that one little fish waved.
“The fish are fine, as is the tank. I’ve seen you as you bake and around town. You do have a stronger connection to your powers. As if you’re finally waking up.”
I bit my lip, hoping he was right. I needed him to be right. “That’s still new to me, and I’m trying not to break everything.”
“You’re doing a fantastic job, Sage.”
“Thank you,” I said, giving him a shy smile. “Do you want to see some of it?”
His eyes widened. “See some of what?” he asked, and I blushed.
“My magic. Not, uh, anything else.”
He laughed then, low and deep, and it did things to me that I didn’t want to think about. Not that I didn’t want what those feelings meant, more that I needed to focus on something else, or I would end up embarrassing myself.
“Show me some of the magic you’ve learned. If you can and feel safe enough.”
“I can show you some. Rowen wants me to practice. Though I’m not sure I can do everything without her here.”
He nodded, running his hands over his beard and looking far too attractive for his own good. “When we were first learning to shift as cubs, our parents were always around. And then when we snuck off to try to do it on our own, I swear our parents always knew. They didn’t want us to hurt ourselves or lose energy because we did too much.”
“Those baby bears are adorable.” I smiled as we made our way to the back, remembering the little triplets. His yard was situated amidst a copse of large trees, creating a sanctuary.
“Those baby bears are trouble with a capital T, but considering I was pretty much the same way when I was younger, I can’t say anything.”
The thought of Rome as a baby bear made me smile, and I shook my head.
“You were in a gang of triplets like them, then?”
“Yes, for most of it. Alden was always a bit quieter than Trace and me, so we didn’t get into as much mischief.”
There was something he wasn’t saying there, but I didn’t want to steer the conversation to something that made him sad, so I moved on.
“You have a little pond here,” I said, looking down at the waterscape.
“The stream is here, as well. Enough water for you to play with.”
“Or severely mess up.”
He shook his head. “Rowen wouldn’t have you practicing on your own if that was the case.”
“Sometimes, I feel like you have far more confidence in my abilities than I do. But, sure, we can practice.”
“What did you do before you were here?” he asked suddenly, and I frowned.
“You mean, how did I handle the bakery before I came? I did all of the baking and set up everything for Sabrina to close. Or did you mean before I moved to Ravenwood?”
He tilted his head, studying my face, somehow reminding me of his bear form, though I’d only seen his brother as one. “The latter.”
I blushed. “I baked. I worked at a bakery run by a friend, actually, and did all of the baking for her. I pretty much ran the place because she has six kids, and while she was still the owner and made the tough decisions, I did the rest.”
“You have a lot of experience. Ravenwood is lucky to have you.”
I blushed again. “I hope so. It’s scary but thrilling at the same time. I love my shop. Ravenwood Sweets is everything I thought it could be.”