smiled again. ?I?m not pushing you into it. You pick the full moon. I?ve waited three centuries for my mate, I can wait a few months, or however long you wish. I?d wait another three centuries as long as I knew that I?d have you in the end.?
Dirk twirled a strand of her hair and it sent a shiver down her spine. She had no idea how long she?d make him wait. It was odd that she hardly knew him, but now that she knew what he was, she never wanted to be away from him. How could feelings like that develop so suddenly? Despite her growing need to be near him, she couldn?t bond with him yet. She wanted to wait until she was more comfortable around him.
?We have a lifetime to get to know each other mein Liebling.?
Jane sighed and bowed her head. ?You already know everything about me. I?m an open book. A very short one.?
Dirk placed his fingertips under her chin to raise her head, then tucked her hair in behind her ear. His touch was gentle and his fingertips against her face felt so warm and loving. ?Your memory will return to you, Jane. And when it does, I want you to tell me everything about you. I want to know every detail about my beautiful mate.?
Jane bit her lip and grinned shyly at his comment. He thought she was beautiful.
Jane leaned into Dirk?s chest, feeling embarrassed to be so close to him, yet, she couldn?t move away, she needed to touch him. Even the thought of moving away from him made her body scream and ache for the contact. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in closer to his body, sighing at the close proximity. She?d been going insane wondering when and where she?d find her mate and he?d been in front of her the whole time.
Jane sat there in his arms watching the lights sparkle in the water fountain, smelling the wondrous scents of the garden, listening to the crickets sing and feeling the beat of his heart against her; her forgotten cup of ice cream melting on the bench next to her.
Chapter 11
Jane found it difficult to sleep that night after Dirk had returned her to her room. Her excitement welled in her stomach from discovering that he was her mate and the nap she?d taken that had stretched well into the evening had provided plenty of rest.
She lie in bed for the first half of the night with images of Dirk in her mind. She found herself feeling quite lonely without him next to her. The mere feet between them felt like miles. She?d pondered how Dirk was able to contain his feelings for so long without telling her of his discovery because she knew without a doubt that she wouldn?t have been able to keep it hidden. She wished he?d told her sooner, but understood the reasoning why he hadn?t. She was just grateful that she?d found him and that she knew now.
At some point in the late hours of the night, she?d felt a peaceful feeling develop in her and knew that it must be Dirk?s emotions flowing into her. Had she been the reason for his newly found peace? She decided that she must be, because since finding that he was her mate, her own sorrows felt lessened. All thoughts left her mind as his feelings intertwined with her own, taking away everything but the emotions of peace, love and joy. They enveloped her like a security blanket and she drifted off to sleep, all feelings of sadness, fear and uncertainty fading away like a blurry memory.
She was awakened the next morning by an overwhelming joy and she sat up rubbing her eyes, trying to filter through her emotions to discover if it was her or if it was coming from Dirk. There was a soft knock on the door and her heart rate quickened as she picked up on Dirk?s feelings of excitement. She knew that it must be Dirk outside and called for him to come in.
Dirk entered the room carrying a covered dish and sporting a wide grin. Jane couldn?t help but smile back when she got a glimpse of his pearly white teeth as he sat down on the foot of her bed. ?I?ve brought you breakfast,? he whispered softly.
?You didn?t have to do that,? she giggled back at him.
He took her hand and placed a gentle kiss on the back