Taming London (Warwick Dragons #1) - Milly Taiden Page 0,45

hurt her.”

“Good. She’ll be out in a few moments.” Eugenie did the universal sign for I’m watching you and retreated back into the house.

Ten minutes later, Bethany emerged in a pair of jeans and a white tee that had tiny little gold hearts all over it. She glimmered in the dull sun.

“Hey,” he said numbly. “Thanks for agreeing to come with me.”

“You have Eugenie to thank for that. I still think this is a bad idea.”

“I’ll prove you wrong.” He opened the door to his fancy car and helped her in. He was about to run around the car to get to the driver’s side when Eugenie bust out of the house, weighed down by a small black bag.

“It’s got her toiletries and a change of clothes. I didn’t pack PJs because…well. You know.”

London gave her a grateful smile. He loved that Beth’s best friend had so much faith in him, in them. He dropped the overnight bag in the boot of the car and took his seat.

“I saw that,” Beth said.

“I make no assumptions.”

They sped out of the city, and it was only about an hour into the two-hour drive that Bethany turned in her seat. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

“I might have overreacted about the Sabrina thing. I will freely admit that after a night with you, I saw her texting you a link to the article, and I jumped to all sorts of conclusions. That wasn’t fair. I didn’t even give you a chance to explain.”

London nodded. “I understand, Beth. Really. Between the things I said to you the first time we met, and my reputation, I get why you went to the worst-case scenario. But I need you to know I would never hurt you.” He gulped, but his mouth and throat were bone dry.

He was about to say three little words he had never said before.

Chapter Twenty-One

London

London took a deep breath and gripped the steering wheel tightly.

“You’re my mate.”

There.

He had said them. Those three intense little words he had never uttered before. There was a thin layer of sweat on his brow and down his back. He knew he should have waited to tell her until they could be face-to-face, not stuck in his car.

Bethany’s gasp echoed through the small space, and she covered her face with her hands. Her shoulders were shaking erratically, the car filling up with the scent of her emotions. He was too keyed up to recognize what it could be.

But soon, he heard it.

Her laughter. It was soft at first, but it soon grew into a hysterical cackle. He was stunned. This wasn’t the reaction he had been expecting, and he didn’t know what to think. Bethany wiped tears from her eyes.

“Oh, London,” she said through another few laughs. “You knew when you told me to ride your dick that I was your mate?”

He bristled, suddenly very uncomfortable in his own car. “Yes.”

She giggled. “You idiot,” she said. “This whole time, I was sad because I was having all of these insane feelings, and I thought I was just a conquest while you waited for your mate. And it’s been me. It is me.”

“I didn’t think I should tell you so soon. I knew you understood what mates were because of Johanna, so I didn’t want to freak you out.”

“But I’m not!” She laughed again, shaking her head. “I’ll be super honest, I used to put your name through a search engine and scroll through your pictures. I had such a crush on you. When your mom asked me to work with you, I nearly fainted. I knew I had to be all tough and resist you because I didn’t want to be another notch on your bedpost. Meanwhile, you were laying on the seduction because you wanted me. Because I’m your mate.”

London didn’t know what to say. She had been lusting after him at a distance? He didn’t know what to feel or think about that just yet.

“That’s why you wanted to cook for me; that’s why you were opening doors and being all sweet.” She blushed and stopped. “Oh. And that’s why…” she broke off, not finishing the thought.

“That’s why?” he urged her to go on.

“When we were having sex, your eyes got all full and heavy, and you tried to say something, but didn’t. It was this, wasn’t it?”

London nodded. “I didn’t think I should tell you I was your mate when I was balls deep inside of you.” He hissed at his