Mates: Melanie's Warrior

Chapter 16

~Geoff~

F**K!!!!!! That s**t f**king hurt. I’m holding my face while watching my mate. Her face goes from extremely pissed off to smug, and now she looks heartbroken. Serves her ass right! How could she punch the s**t out of me for saying hey?

That hurt, but our mate is a badass. Thor isn’t wrong. She is a badass because that punch created a shockwave through my body. If I was constipated, I’m sure that punch would have knocked that s**t loose, literally.

I turn and spit the blood that has pooled in my mouth. I rub my jaw, imagining the bruise that I know is there. “Well, at least you can punch, right?” I smirk at my mate and swear that revs her up again. I hold my hands up in surrender when it looks like she’s going to come at me again. “Truce, s**t! Truce!”

Melanie slips out of attack mode, much to my delight. I slowly lower my hands and step back to take her all in. I swear she’s f**king gorgeous, and I can’t wait to make her mine. “Can I ask what has you so worked up this early in the morning?”

“You.” The chill in her voice makes me shiver. S**t! What did I do? I’m just now seeing her. “How dare you talk about me with Jax! Who the f**k do you think you are? If I wanted you to know anything about me, I would have told you myself.” So the cat’s out of the bag, huh? Well, it was only a matter of time.

“Look, I didn’t approach him about you, okay? He approached me. I would have been an i***t to turn him down. You have given me NOTHING since we met, and I know you feel the bond just as much as I do. I won’t apologize for getting information to help with you. You shouldn’t be so hard on Jax anyway. He cares for you. That’s the only reason why he spoke to me.”

“He betrayed me.”

“Betrayed you? How do you come to that conclusion?” Melanie sighs and crosses her arms over her chest.

“He’s my friend. With friendship comes loyalty. He should always be loyal to me, and talking about me to you behind my back; that isn’t loyalty.”

“S**t, you are tough on your friends, huh? That’s a lot to live up to. I’d say he was being a good friend, and we could all be so lucky to have friends like that.” Melanie doesn’t speak; she just eyes me up and down. I want to grab her and kiss her; I really do. I just won’t because I don’t have a death wish, and I would never force a woman to do anything. Growing up, I saw enough of that and swore I would never be that guy.

“What do you want?” Her question startles me out of my thoughts. I didn’t expect her to ask that or even care. I want many things, but I know I will have to settle in some places right now. “Did you hear me? What do you want?” I close my eyes, trying to get my senses back. When I open my eyes, Melanie looks exasperated, and I find it adorable.

“That’s a broad question. What are we talking about exactly? What do I want out of life? What do I want from this tournament? What do I want for dinner?” I take a breath. “What do I want from you?” Melanie sighs and rolls her eyes. Just as she’s about to speak, an announcement calls for all participants. I know we need to go, but I feel I can’t let this opportunity pass us by.

I step toward Melanie and see that she doesn’t move. I close the gap between us and run a finger down her face. F**k me; the sparks are unreal. Melanie closes her eyes, and her body relaxes. Then, as if she remembers where she was, she tenses back up, and her eyes fly open. I know she hates the way the mate bond makes her feel. I want to laugh, but I think better of it. I just wish she knew that I feel exactly the same way. I’m just as vulnerable as she is. “I want you, Melanie, and if I had my way, I’d forget about this tournament and take you back to my room. We wouldn’t leave until we had thoroughly learned each other’s bodies, and I had you cry my name out over and over.” Melanie bites her lips, and I can smell just the tip of her arousal. It was like a short wave because it promptly disappeared. I try to hold in my smirk.

“What I will take is you giving me a chance. Just let me get to know you, and you get to know me. That party thing is tonight, you know, the one before the big finale tomorrow? Go with me, please. Let’s go together. They will serve dinner, and we can sit together and try to get to know each other. I’m not a bad guy, Melanie. I know that’s easy for me to say, but I’m not. All I’m asking for right now is for you to let me show you.” Melanie says nothing, but I see her eyes glossing over. She’s either getting a mindlink from her people or talking things over with her wolf. I bet her wolf is telling her to give in. Something tells me that her wolf is more amenable to this mate bond than she is.

Melanie’s eyes clear up, and she gazes at me. I wish I could see what’s going on in that head of hers. I wish I could find that one thing that would make her fall for me instantly. I have a feeling I wouldn’t be as into it as I think, though. Something about Melanie, the fight in her, it’s a major turn-on. I like that she’s how she is. I know that as Luna, she’ll keep me on my toes, which can only mean good things for the pack. “Fine, I’ll go with you. Pick me up at 6 pm. Room 415, and don’t be late.” Melanie walks off toward the rings, and I’m left with the biggest smile on my face. This is going to be perfect, and I can’t wait. I get to spend time with my mate and don’t plan to waste it.

What about that d**k?

Who?

That guy that’s always sniffing around her.

Screw him. If he plans to interfere, he will be shown that he should stay in his lane. No one is going to ruin this chance for me. I plan to enjoy every second my mate gives me with no interruptions.