probably bruised it. The pleasure–pain was enough to wring another orgasm from her before they both collapsed.
As her breathing returned to normal and her heartbeat slowed, the first thing she thought was, I don’t even know this man.
Yes, you do, a voice said from inside her. He’s your mate.
In all honesty, Dutchy never thought she had a mate or that she’d even meet hers. It seemed all her friends in Blackstone had found the other half of their souls, except for her. It wasn’t that she was desperate to find her mate, but she’d seen how happy her friends were, had even designed and made all their wedding dresses, so she asked herself, why can’t I have that?
The irony that he was here in Blackstone all this time wasn’t lost on her.
All right, so he’s my mate. But who is he?
A mumbling jolted her out of her thoughts—though she wasn’t likely to forget she was still pinned under the hulk of a man who gave her three mind-blowing orgasms and was still inside her. But she was afraid to open her eyes. Afraid that if she did, he might disappear.
The weight on top of her lifted up, and she sucked in a breath as he withdrew from her. He rolled over, the mattress dipping as he settled beside her. To her surprise, an arm snaked around to pull her to his chest.
Oh. Her mate was a cuddler. That seemed … sweet. She snuggled up to him, enjoying his warmth and scent, nuzzling at his hairy chest. His body was like a big heater, so she didn’t need a blanket.
From the steady rise and fall of his chest, he must have fallen asleep. Despite the burning curiosity, she tamped down the urge to look up at him. Instead she glanced around her, at least, what she could see from this angle.
The trace scent of pine told her they were in some kind of log cabin. There was an old-fashioned stove in the corner, which meant this was probably the only room. The walls were bare, but who needed decor when the large windows had views of the outside anyway—at least, they probably did, but she couldn’t tell because it was dark.
The temptation to look up at him and study his face grew stronger, but she resisted again. She was too embarrassed. I mean, who has sex with the complete stranger they woke up with?
Well, technically he wasn’t a stranger, she reminded herself. It was difficult to describe, only that she was drawn to him. It was probably too soon for the bond to form, at least from what her friends told her. Sybil—or rather, Queen Sybil now—told her that according to her husband, it would only form when both parties were ready and open to accepting it. Sometimes it happened in a few days, other times in a few months. It could even be broken and fixed again. It was scary—and exciting—to wonder how her story would play out, like in all those romance novels she loved to read whenever she had the time.
When his breathing evened out, she extricated herself from his arms and slipped out of bed. The delicious pain between her legs made her wince, but also shiver in delight. When was the last time she came that hard? Too long.
Gingerly, she tiptoed to the door she assumed was the bathroom and pushed inside. Thankfully, it was the bathroom, and she did her business and wiped herself down with a towel hanging on the rack. As she put herself in some order of semblance, she glanced around. The bathroom was bare, but serviceable. There were no personal items anywhere, except a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, and soap. A uniform shirt hanging on the back of the door caught her eye.
“Blackstone Rangers,” she whispered, reading the logo above the left-hand pocket. Unable to stop herself, she pressed the khaki fabric to her nose and took a whiff. Oh. It smelled so good. Smelled like him. The urge to wrap it around herself was strong, so she took it off the hook and slipped it on, wrapping it around her like a robe. The shirt was huge, of course, as she was already short at five foot three, but he must be huge because the thing hung down past her knees. Maybe I’ll get to see him vertical at some point, she mused.
Carefully tiptoeing out, she crept back toward the bed. The sight of him made her halt. Oh