Bonded

Chapter 18

Greyson fell over onto his side, careful not to hurt his mate. Soon enough, his heart rate and breathing returned to normal and rational thought slowly returned to his brain. He looked at his soul mate, her eyes were closed but a smile graced her features. He felt a rush of primal pride. She was his. Only his. Body and soul. He didn't understand how, but until moments ago she had been a virgin. He thought about staying there, wrapped up in her for the rest of their lives, but a shiver wracked her petite body and it occurred to him for the first time that they were still outside. In Norway. In the middle of winter. The need to protect his mate kicked him into action. Grabbing a blanket or two from behind him, he threw them over Rebecca before leaving her on the bench to pull his clothes back on.

"Greys?" Her voice sounded far away. Like she was still high on the bliss they created together.

He knelt near her head, kissing her forehead and smoothing a hand over her hair. "Shhh, my love, it's alright. I'm going to get you back to your room. Just relax."

She hummed her assent.

Greyson gathered up the rest of their clothes, pulling the hotel key card from Rebecca's pocket before placing the bundle on her stomach. He lifted her up bridal style, careful to be sure all of her was protected from the cold by the blanket. She nuzzled into his neck as he carried her back into the hotel. He wanted her to feel as comfortable as possible, so he bypassed his floor and went up to hers. Using her key card, he let them into an exact replica of his room three floors below. He gently set her feet on the floor. She slipped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. He leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Becks, are you alright?"

He felt her nod against his chest.

"I need your words, Rebecca. Come on, look at me."

She separated from him enough to look up at him. She looked relaxed but a bit dazed.

"Greys, I'm alright."

He placed his hands on either side of her head and looked deep into her eyes. "You're sure?"

She smiled at his sweetness. "I'm alright. I promise."

He kissed her forehead. "Why don't you go take a nice warm bath? You'll feel better."

The idea sounded lovely to her, so she simply nodded her head and stepped away from the warmth of his body. Tugging the blanket tightly around her, she rummaged through her bags for a moment before walking into the bathroom. The door closed with a soft click.

Greyson scrubbed his hands over his face. He missed her already. She had been out of his sight for less than thirty seconds and he already wanted her back in his arms. He knew he needed to give her a minute, let her regroup. He hadn't meant for that to happen. He meant to talk with her. Explain the situation. He hadn't meant for anything physical to happen. He didn't regret it. He could never regret that, but it did make a complicated situation even more complicated.

To kill time and distract himself, he decided to order room service before digging the phone out of his pocket and checking on info sent back by his tech guys.

Rebecca emerged from the bathroom just as Greyson finished putting the room service order on the small coffee table.

He turned to her. Her skin was pink from the warmth of the bath. She had piled her hair on top of her head in a messy bun. She wore an old, worn-out Smashing Pumpkins t-shirt that came down to right above her knees. Instantly, lust raced through his system. He needed to touch her, to taste her. He crossed the room to stand in front of her, gazing down at her. She smelled of hotel soap. He wanted her to smell of him.