Page 63 of The Vampire's Mate

The wind whipped around us, and the rain came down harder. I couldn’t find anything to say. There was nothing lefttosay. And I was tired of fighting. Mentally, physically, and emotionallyexhausted.

“Stop fighting me, Ryder. I know you want to. I canfeelyour walls crumbling, but damn it—I need you to let me in. I can’t help if you don’t.”

“What if I don’t want your help?” I whispered.

“You’d be lying through your teeth and I don’t need to be your mate to know that.”

Damn him. I wanted him. I wanted him in whatever way I could have him, and the fact that I couldn’t fight that infuriated me. I’d always prided myself on my willpower. Around him, I was… helpless.

I couldn’t do it anymore. I felt that strong, undeniable pull toward him, and this time I let my feet close the distance between us. Too cold to take my hands out of my pockets, I restedmy head on his shoulder. Rain pelted down my bare neck, creeping down the back of my shirt. “Can we at least go inside?” I asked, words muffled by his sweater. “I’m freezing.”

In the time it took him to wrap his arms around me, James’s body temperature increased, creating a pocket of warmth around us. “You’re the one blocking the path, love.”

I pulled away from him to climb the rest of the stairs and threw the door open. I didn’t bother to look behind me to ensure he followed—I didn’t need to. My body zeroed in on his mere presence the moment he was within ten feet of me. I went to the desk and pulled out its wooden chair to avoid sitting on the nicer furniture in my wet clothes, which were starting to get uncomfortable. My sweater clung to me in ways it shouldn’t, and I’ll spare the dirty details of how my jeans were beginning to chafe. I squirmed in an attempt to find a comfortable position.

“Got ants in your pants?” James joked. I only glared at him in response until he dropped that annoyingly gorgeous smile. “Go take a shower. I can wait.”

“No.” Damn, my tone mademecringe, but I couldn’t stop myself. “You clearly want this conversation to happen, so let’s get it over with. Once I get under that hot water, I don’t plan to move for averylong time.”

James remained quiet for a long moment, but sensing that I wasn’t going to relent, he finally opened his mouth. “I’m sorry.”

I sighed, starting to feel sick. In truth, he hadn’t done anythingbad.He’d only been… doing exactly what a boyfriend should do. I wasthe one being a dick. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

“Yes, I do. Because when we had this whole ‘mate’ conversation, we made promises to each other. I didn’t hold up my end, and I chased you off as a result.”

I dropped my face into my hands. “You couldn’t have said that on a phone call?”

“That would require you to answer said phone, which you haven’t done since you took off this morning.”

Okay, he had a point there. My skin itched, and I started toward the bathroom again. I was getting seriously uncomfortable. “I’m sorry. Like I said, I needed some space. Istillneed that.”

“No.”

I stopped in my tracks, spinning around to face him. “What do you mean ‘no?’”

James took a step toward me. I, in turn, took a step back. “I’m not giving up on you. We’re not doing this again: this gray area of ‘will they, won’t they.’”

That bubble formed in my chest again and the more I attempted to rub it away, the worse it got. I couldn’t fight it off any longer. “Christ, you can’t see it, can you?” I snarled.

“Seewhat? You haven’t exactly given me a lot to work with lately. You did what Ryder Clark does best when things get hard: you ran.”

“I fell in love with you!”

The words seemed to explode out of me and bounce off the walls of the empty space. The rain was the only thing to respond, pelting the sides of the house. James just stood and stared at me, so I took it as my cue to continue.

“There. I said it. I love you. I fell head-over-fucking-heels for you, and it wasn’t my choice. This is something so much bigger than us, and it terrifies me.”

That bubble worked its way up my throat, and my eyes started to burn.Oh, hell no.I spun on my heel and attempted my shower once more.

“Ryder.”

“What?” My voice cracked with the emotions threatening to spill over.

I whirled again, and this time James was closer. “I love you too.”

Before I could say anything else, his hands cupped my cheeks, and his lips crushed mine. I couldn’t stop the tears that fell, painting our lips with a salty flavor as I angled my head to deepen the kiss. I fisted his sweater in my hands, unsure whether I wanted to pull him closer or push him away.

That kiss, so full of passion it made my toes curl, was short. I took in a deep breath as our lips separated. “I-I don’t know what to do.”