than most would have. So much about her made sense now, and he could even see why she’d want to hurry into an arranged mating. Discovering her true mate would never be hers had to have left her feeling empty. She was looking to fill the void and, although she might not realize it, didn’t feel able to fully give herself to a real mating. “I’m sorry, baby.”
She shrugged. “It is what it is.”
“Did you know that Jesse and Harley aren’t true mates? They imprinted.”
“No, I didn’t know that. Their bond is very strong.”
“Imprint bonds can be just as strong as true-mate bonds.”
“I know.” Mila rolled back her shoulders. “I’ve accepted my situation. Made my peace with it. I’m ready to move forward.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to relocate to Russia and enter an arranged mating.”
“I don’t have to enter one, no. I’m choosing to see if there could be anything between me and Maksim.”
Maksim . . . His wolf despised him already. “You say you’ve accepted that you won’t have your true mate,” said Dominic, keeping his voice gentle, “but that’s not exactly true if you need to go all the way to Russia to find some peace, is it?”
“It’s my cat who hasn’t made her peace with it, not me. Every time she sees him and his female together, she grows a little bit more bitter. If she’s not around them, maybe she can find contentment with someone else.”
“Wait, what do you mean by ‘she sees them?’ They’re local?”
She licked her bottom lip. “They’re part of my pride. Adele is actually my cousin. You’ve met Joel already.”
“Shit.” That explained the male’s behavior earlier, Dominic thought. Joel had developed an odd sort of attachment to her. Nothing remotely close to a mating bond, but something that made the male feel both protective and possessive. That wasn’t good for Mila or her cat, and it was little wonder that she wanted to be far away from the pride.
Dominic put his bottle down on the counter. “Come here.” He drew her to him, curling both arms around her. She didn’t tense in his hold as he’d expected, she went pliant against him. His wolf rubbed up against her, wanting to soothe. “How many know about this?”
“Just Alex and my parents.”
He rested his chin on the top of her head. “I can see why you feel the need to get away.”
“You’re not going to tell me I’m making a mistake and I should hold out for something better?”
“Do I think you could do better than an arranged mating? Yes, I do. But I can’t blame you for trying to save your cat’s sanity by putting some distance between you and Joel.” Dominic also couldn’t see her ever committing herself to someone she wasn’t sure of, so there was every chance that things wouldn’t work out between her and Maksim, but he didn’t say that. She didn’t need negative comments right then.
Mila pulled back enough to look up at him. “I’d really like to drop this now.”
He wanted to know more about Maksim, but Dominic cautioned himself not to push. She’d already told him plenty, and it hadn’t been easy for her. He wanted to ease the lines of strain on her face. Wanted her smiling and laughing, not dwelling on shit.
“All right.” He brushed her curls away from her face. “I guess we can talk about how hot and desperate you are for me.” Her mouth quirked a little, just as he’d hoped.
“Hot and desperate, huh?”
“Yeah, I’m all ears if you want to share. It’s never good to hold stuff in.”
She shook her head, incredulous.
“Come on, don’t be shy. There’s no shame in admitting that you find me hard to resist.”
“Well, with all that warped charm, how could I not?” she said, her voice dry.
“Exactly. But, hey, it’s fine if you don’t want to talk. We could play a game instead.”
“A game? I’m almost afraid to ask what kind of game your filthy mind has come up with.”
“How about . . . Titanic?”
“Titanic?” she echoed, her brow furrowing.
“Yeah. When I yell ‘Iceberg,’ you go down.” He watched as her smile widened and the lines of strain on her face smoothed out. It gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling to know he could make her tension slip away like that. He tucked her curls behind her ear, thinking how fucking beautiful she was. “Come on, Mila, I promise to return the favor.” He dipped his head and pressed a kiss to her neck.