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Jaeden was only soh distance between her and Ryder in order to slide her hands up over his chest and sink her fingers into his thick hair, anchoring his ues mated

Her blood see inside of her she thought she was going to incinerate the her

Ryder

Wow

One of his hands slid down her side, his thu off another blast of fireworks inside her Eventually, he curled said hand around her thigh so he could wrap her leg around his waist Automatically, she did that with her other one, and found herself flat on her back, while Ryder pressed his body into hers

Oh goddess!

She gasped into his mouth

And then suddenly a breeze blasted over her, and she opened her eyes to find Ryder pushing hi as he brushed his hair off his face

Why had he stopped?

"That wasn’t meant to happen," he said hoarsely, his eyes round on her

With that, a crushing sense of deflation swamped her What? Did she think Ryder, the most notorious bachelor in the pack, would actually be interested in her seriously? Puhlease Of course he had stopped before things went too far He was disgustingly honorable

Plus her father would kill hiue Damn it She didn’t want him to know he had hurt her

"I didn’t mean the kiss" He shuffled towards her quickly, and she strained back froht now, Ryder"

His eyes seeed, unable toto tell ust, and she looked up to see hi at her

What was his proble to end up with her heart broken if she didn’t get away froh pain in her life without adding him to her already broken soul!

"What?" she snapped "What is your proble to decide whether I want to kill you," he growled through clenched teeth, "Or haul you underneath "

Ryder’s hands flew up in a strangling gesture "Can you shut up for one second so I can explain?"

"Explain what? Your almost molestation of me?"

"I swear you say oneshe knew he had a hold of her, his hand claled but to no avail

"Ah rinned down at her

"Mm mmm hu uhh uu"

"What’s that sweetheart? I’"

Goddess, he was a schmuck

"Now" He pulled her closer "Letconclusions, and decide I’ about?

His eyes had gone all warm and buttery as they wandered across her face She stilled, suddenly too intrigued to fight hi you because I was this close tolove to you, and I would rather we did that after I’ve spoken to your father"

Huh?

He laughed as if he could read her reaction in her eyes "Jae I think we have sounexpectedly shy "I think we could be mates"

Jaeden’s eyes widened and she tensed Was he serious? Was Ryder Alexander, the biggest crush of her life, actually suggesting they were mates?

"I don’t kno it happened" He unclamped his hand froht of not being able to spend every day bickering with you and then kissing you quiet, knocks the breath out ofto ask permission from Dimitri to court you, if that’s OK with you?"

"Then why did you stop?"

He chuckled as the question tumbled out of her ht with you"

"Ryder," she breathed, resting her forehead against the top of his chest "Are you sure? I ht now I hed in disbelief