Bound To You (Previously The Hard Mate) - Preview

Chapter Three

There was silence—even the ocean seemed to be still and quiet—as I looked at him and he at me. He seemed detached, unconcerned. Unimpressed. Like finally meeting his mate, the love of his life, was about as interesting as buying socks. I wished there was a mirror so I could make sure a great big zit hadn't shown up on my forehead. Why wasn't he kissing me? Or at least looking somewhat turned on? Holding my hand? Telling me he was glad to meet me? Something?

Abruptly he turned, dropping his cigarette as he walked off. I quickly bent to pick it up. There was no littering on my beach.

"Wait," I called after him as I picked up my shoes in one hand. Putting them on would make following him a lot harder.

I caught him only because he'd stopped outside the door I'd burst through a minute earlier.

"What's your name?" he asked as he turned to me, his hand on the doorknob. There was a faint trace of a British accent when he spoke; at least I think it was British.

"Megan," I said, feeling kind of breathless. And not because of the run from the beach. His eyes were just so green, and the weird bond thing was kind of making me feel dizzy. As if

someone had messed with my equilibrium, making my body confuse what was the ground and what was the sky. Making me feel like he was my center of gravity and I was rotating around him rather than being connected to the earth that rotated around the sun.

"What's your na—" I began, but he'd pushed through the door, leaving me behind. I swallowed, trying to ignore how much his lack of interest hurt, before following him into the house.

It soon became clear to me that he'd been to my house before, because he was walking quickly and without hesitation straight toward my dad's office. Through the kitchen, up the stairs, down the deserted upstairs corridor. Boy, his legs were long. And his butt was cute too.

I hurried to catch up with him and when I did I said, "Hey." Loudly.

He stopped for, like, a microsecond but then just kept on going down the corridor. I wanted to pout and yell at the world, because this was not how this was supposed to go, this was not how my first meeting with my mate was supposed to go, but I managed not to.

Instead I rushed forward and I poked him in the back.

That got his attention; he stopped and spun around. He looked fierce, angry even, and though part of me suddenly felt like a quivering ball of fear, part of me was pleased he was at least paying attention to me.

"Did you just poke me?" he said, taking a step closer to me. His voice was a mix of pissed off, annoyed, and a tiny bit amused.

"Maybe," I said, even though I was the only viable suspect.

"It's a yes or no question, short stuff," he said, taking a step toward me, attempting to scare me with his size. Except he was my mate. He wasn't scary. He was rude and not what I was

expecting, but nothing to fear.

Still, he was more alpha, and that made me automatically give ground. I stepped back some more until my shoulders were against the hallway wall. His eyes were glowing slightly, green-green, so intense. I wondered if he had green eyes in wolf shape.

He put his hands on either side of my shoulders, trapping me, but not touching me. I wanted him to touch me. Meeting his eyes, I tried to tell him that without words.

"Yes or no?" he whispered, meeting my eyes and holding them, rather than forcing them away. He could have done that easily. He was very alpha, very dominant.

"Huh?" I said, then remembered. I'd poked him and that pissed him off. I smiled sweetly and lied, "No. It wasn't me." Just to see what he'd do.

He growled, eyes still unnaturally bright. He leaned a little closer. I thought it more likely that he'd bite me than kiss me but I hoped for a hot make-out session. And with him it would be hot.