His, Eternally [18+]

Chapter Twenty-Five: Honey Lips

Thaddeus' Point of View:

Indie practically choked on her water as I said the words, the words that had been creeping up my throat to the tip of my tongue ever since I've laid eyes on her.

Mate.

Her face was beet red as she sputtered, her eyes twinkling with amusement. She threw her head back, giggling uncontrollably like she was on some sort of high. I wanted to laugh with her, but I knew she solely thought I was joking when I told her. She laughed for a few moments, momentarily trying to compose her face before cackling again. She put her hand on her chest, leaning back into the chair as she caught her breath from her previous laugh-session. However, once she caught my gaze, reality seemed to hit her — she knew at that moment I was being serious. She tilted her head, much like a puppy would, lifting a brow.

"Oh, you're being dead-ass right now?"

I nodded, folding my hands and rubbing my thumb across the sterling silver ring that was on my middle finger. She was, in this moment, very hard to read. For the next approximately thirty seconds, her face fluctuated from confusion, bewilderment and amusement. I could hear her heart pumping blood vigorously as she tried to wrap her head around what I had just previously told her.

"Huh. Interesting." I was utterly dumbfounded by her nonchalant words. For Gods-sake, I had just told her that she was my destined lover and partner for life. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion by her odd calmness, as she poured coffee grounds into the french press and began boiling water. What the hell? This woman was more than just confusing.

"And... Thaddeus. What does this whole 'mate' thing entail?" She glanced at me, resting her elbow on the kitchen countertop with the other hand positioned on her curvy hip. Her hair was disheveled as she began to play with the ends of it, my mouth opening and closing as I tried to think of how to explain this to her. She chuckled nervously, making me feel a tinge of embarrassment. I wasn't expecting this reaction.

"You're my soulmate, my genuine soulmate. The tingles, the sparks I know you must feel — I feel them as well. You aren't imagining anything. The pull you feel towards me, it's like our lifeline. We need each other, and I know this all may be very overwhelming to you. But, you are my mate. You are the person I was destined to be with, Indie. All weres have them." I explained awkwardly, scratching my neck as I broke our eye contact. No one could ever make me feel nervous, besides her. It was silent, the air thick and uncomfortable as I felt her eyes burn into me, like a branding of some sort.

"Why?" Her voice was colored with confusion and disparity. I stood up from the chair, taking slow steps towards her — careful not to frighten her. I looked down at her, her two-toned eyes wide as I saw her pupils dilate. I reached my hand to her soft face, feeling her sigh in relief involuntarily as I cupped her cheek. The sparks were so prevalent, electricity flowing between us as I stood only a few inches away from her. She leaned into my hand, making my face soften. I knew that she was purely doing this because of the mate pull — she wasn't exactly the most affectionate person, due to her closed-off aura. However, I still savored the moment.

I lifted her chin, making her meet my gaze again as I noticed she was tugging at her full bottom lip with her teeth; making me want to growl and purr simultaneously. "Because, little one," I crouched down, so that my words could meet her ear directly. "The world was made for two."

"This is why I want to jump your bones all the time?" She blushed even more as I chuckled at her blunt words. She shook her head, inhaling sharply. "I didn't mean to say that, oops."

"Never be embarrassed around me." I whispered, bringing my other hand to her face to hold it. She sighed in relief, bringing her small hands to mine as I traced patterns on her freckled cheekbones. I kept retrieving my gaze back into her eyes, resisting the urge to kiss her as she continued to bite on her inner lip. Her thick hair eventually swept across my forearms as I continued to hold her heart-shaped face, basking in holding the woman who I knew would be fully mine one day. I was lost in the moment, her smell being as intoxicating as ever as I ran my thumb from her jaw to her cheekbone.

She stood completely on her tiptoes, her eyes darkening with need as our faces inched closer together. I had imagined that her lips would taste like cotton-candy, or butterscotch.

Suddenly, she took a step back, my body immediately missing the warmth her small one gave off, along with the pull. She looked down, rubbing her palms as she looked away from me, to the pale yellow wall next to us.

"What is it, Indie?" I so badly wanted to step near her again, missing her immensely despite the fact that she was now only a few feet away from me.

"I want to fucking kiss you and I hate it." She whispered, grimacing as she ran her hand through her curly dark hair. Before she had the chance to say anything else, I grabbed her by her waist and pulled her into me, her body as stiff as cardboard due to her overwhelming feelings. Before I could say anything in response, she leaned up again on her tip toes, circling her arms around my neck before I felt her delicious lips on top of mine. I was in pure euphoria, feeling them finally against my own. My hands instinctively went to her waist, holding it tightly as I crouched down further to meet her lips more. They tasted like honey, making a growl erupt in my chest from love and lust. Nothing had ever felt quite like this, it made my heart lurch uncontrollably.

My wolf was howling with happiness, she had kissed me.