Piper sucked in a breath that felt like it would make her lungs explode. Her head was spinning from the kisses and the heavy words Anson was throwing at her. He said she was his mate. He’d kissed her and Wham-o! Matehood… matedom? Whatever they called it.

She wanted to argue with every word that was coming out of his mouth, but his kiss had changed everything. She’d be a liar if she said it didn’t. Something desperate made her lean into his kiss and when he took what she offered, she’d felt a shock go through her. Something passed through him to her and he had taken the soft kiss to a whole other level.

Piper had never experienced a kiss like that before. It was a full body, full mind, practically orgasmic experience. When she’d looked up at his eyes, she saw the man, and she’d seen the animal. It was all there in his face. Lust, love, shock, fear, and determination. The last one the most concerning. Something about his aura had changed. He looked bigger to her. Taller, broader, more dangerous, and most definitely more sexy.

She felt his cock pressed against her and she wanted to rub up against it. She’d wanted to jump into his arms and wrap her legs around his waist to get the hard length of him pressing against her core. It would be enough with him kissing her. She could come with all her clothes on and be happy for it.

But he said the word ‘mate.’ He kept saying it. He was all she could see in the room. Anson was telling her about forever when she’d just cried to him that she had no future. She felt dizzy. Nauseous. It couldn’t be real. It couldn’t be happening so fast. But she knew for the Kindred they were waiting for that bolt of lightning. That it was that quick and that permanent for them.

It wasn’t fucking fair. They should have to deal with the doubts and insecurities when it came to the heart that humans had to deal with. Anson’s face was full of such happiness that she wanted to look away. It was her that was bringing him that joy and that might have been the hardest thing to comprehend.

“Anson, are you really, really sure?”

He smiled and ran his hands over her cheeks, letting his thumbs brush her skin so lightly she almost felt fragile under his fingers.

“Never in my life have I been so sure of something before. Name an emotion and I’m feeling it right now. I want to call my dads so they can meet you. I want Nadia to announce it over the intercom, maybe whip up a memo. I want to get a tattoo with your name across my back. I want a ring on your finger and a baby in your belly. I want it all and I want it right now.”

“Babies! Rings? You’ve lost your damn mind!”

“I have. I’m certifiably insane over you. If you want, I can name off everything I love about you and everything I’m going to learn about that I will love you for.”

“That doesn’t even make sense. You can’t love things you don’t know.”

“Of course I can. Anything you do, I’ll love. Anything you’ll need, I’ll make sure you get it. Right now I want to get you on an airplane.”

“An airplane? For what?”

“Vegas. I want to be married before midnight.”

Piper started making sputtering noises. Her mind was racing and her mouth was not keeping up with all the things she wanted to say.

“Great, we hop on a plane and then we get married. What then?”

“Then we should probably start house hunting or apartment hunting, whichever you’d prefer. Downtown or suburbs? Grass would be nice for the cubs, but we both work downtown.”

“Oh my god, Anson! We don’t have babies! Stop talking like we do.” Shit, Piper had slid into the “we” speech pattern a little too easily. It was Anson’s fault. He looked like an eager puppy.

“We will eventually. I say wedding first. Just to make it legal. Then we can plan something bigger. In fact, if you want, we can plan it around the presentation ceremony to the Clan. They’re going to love you. Let’s go tell King.”

Anson started tugging on her hand and she planted her feet. “Anson, stop!”

He turned and faced her. “What?”

“You can’t marry someone that doesn’t love you,” she said softly.

She expected him to get angry, but she had to be honest. She didn’t love him. She lusted after him, sure. She liked him when he wasn’t a jerk. She even felt safe around him. But that wasn’t love.

He didn’t get mad, he smiled again. “I’ll win you over.”

“And what if I don’t ever fall in love? What if I can’t?” She said it and hadn’t realized until she did that it was a very real fear for her.

Anson pulled her back into his arms and kissed her hard and deep. “Baby, you have too much passion inside you to never love again. You don’t replace loves you’ve lost, you add to the love you have for them. It keeps piling up bigger and bigger. You never have to share love. Your heart will grow to fit as many people in it as you want. It’s the way it was designed. I know that I’m going to love you and our children. I’ll love your family, your friends, people we won’t meet for years to come. Don’t you see? It just gets better.”

She really wanted to believe him. It sounded fantastic. Impossible and fantastic. After all she’d been through, she got a partner that wouldn’t leave? It felt a little like a cosmic joke. If she was supposed to be with Anson, why did she have to go through all of that hurt?

“I already know so much about you. And I wouldn’t hesitate to marry you right this moment. Vegas doesn’t have a waiting period for the license. That’s why I suggested it. There would be no delay, no time for your mind to tell you that I’m not for real.”

“What if my stalker comes after you?” Her feelings for Anson were confused, but she still had feelings. They were there. She didn’t want anything bad to happen to him or his family.

“This might just make him trip up. Not that I would marry you just for that. But I don’t plan on letting you out of my sight. You belong to me, just as I belong to you. I want you to trust me. If nothing else is certain in your world right now, you can trust me. I won’t ever hurt you. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Trust me to do that for you.”

“I know you won’t hurt me, Anson. But how desperate would I be to cling to you and follow you to Vegas? Get a band on my finger that might be legal, but not real. Not heart real.”

“Baby, what’s not real? I’m here in front of you. I’m telling you I found my mate. That you’re her. I realize it may take some time for you to catch up to speed with me. But don’t doubt for a minute I won’t do what I have to do keep you safe while you figure this out.”

“Marrying me would do that?”

“It’s a start.”

“Anson, I’m incredibly fragile right now. I don’t know that I can make a decision. I need a few weeks to figure this all out.”

“You already said you trusted me. Just keep trusting me. You’ve held on for so long. Let me shoulder some of the burden. I’ll do what’s right for you. I’ll get you tucked into a nice seat on a plane. I’ll provide a fuzzy blanket and something warm and alcoholic to drink. A nice nap and we’ll be there.”

Piper busted into giggles that came out exhausted and weak. “I should go back to work. I should go home. I should drink a bottle of wine and fall asleep.”

“I can help you with some of that. Just take my hand and let me take you where you need to go.”

Piper really didn’t want to say no. She had no motivation or desire to say no to him. She gave herself the briefest glimpses of what her next few days could look like. There was the promise of sleep. And no lie, she was so very tired. There were drinks. She knew that was for sure. Then she let herself think of standing next to Anson getting a marriage license. That was almost comical. She imagined him grinning like a fool and her looking like a hostage. The pictures would be worth framing for certain.

Anson was holding his hand out to her and she watched like it was someone else moving her hand as it slid into his. She looked up to his eyes and gave him a nod. She wasn’t sure if she was making a horrible decision or the first right one in a very long time.

“I’ve got this. Let go and breathe.”

“I’ll try,” she said.

“Good, let’s go.”

“Wait, what about work?”

“Call from the car. Tell them you need to take at least three days.”

“Three?”

“Once I get you in bed, I’m not letting you out for a while.”

“Geez,” she said sarcastically, but inside she was more than amicable to that idea.

Anson marched them out through the front reception. King, Eden, and Nadia were watching them.

“Guys, Piper is my mate. We’re going to Vegas. King, can you clear my schedule?”

“Again?” Nadia piped in.

“Take your time. Congratulations. Piper, welcome to the family,” King said.

“Uh, thanks?”

Eden laughed. “Don’t let him boss you around. He’ll like it too much.”

“Okay,” Piper said lamely. As though she was going to be able to control Anson. She offered a weak wave as Anson kept them walking.

“Nadia? Two tickets to Las Vegas, first class if you can get them. First plane out is a priority. Book a room at a Kindred-friendly location. Make sure they have a wedding chapel.”

Nadia didn’t say anything, her head down taking notes. The elevator door opened and Piper found herself up against the wall as soon as the doors closed. Anson was kissing her like it had been months instead of minutes from their last kiss. He made a growling noise in the back of his throat and she felt that sound straight between her legs.

“Just as good,” he said more to himself than her.

Something happened when she took his hand. She felt a weight lift off her that she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying. Anson said he would take care of everything and she knew that he would. If she wanted, she wouldn’t have to make one decision in the next few days. Aside from the major one of actually marrying him. But the details, the thing that she always kept such a tight grip on, those she could pick and choose from if she wanted.

Her emotions were so fried, and Anson felt like a cool breeze against them. He wanted her to let go. Piper needed to. Her sister would be the first to tell her that if a Kindred calls you a mate, that’s it; no returns. Piper knew that too, but it was so different than she expected. She supposed every human doubted their mate when they were first told. Her mate. It was something that she never thought she’d have. She would have been happy with a husband. But a mate was so much more.

Now Anson wanted to make her his wife in a few hours. No family waiting, looking worried and taking bets. There was no way she could put her parents through that again. Anson was right. Get it legal then plan something else later.

Her feelings for him were confusing. They were there, so very deep inside her heart, and she was going to have to pull them up to the surface. He’d been in her thoughts so much. Now that he was touching her, kissing her, all those things she’d tried not to think came crashing to the surface.

She did want to know what he looked like naked. What it felt like when she ran her hands over his muscles. Having him in her bed was a fantasy and the possibility and probability of having him in bed in the next few hours was very real. That made her nervous. She knew some of the dynamics of mating, but most of it was kept secret.

“Anson?” she said breaking the kiss. “How does mating work? You don’t have to bite me or anything do you?”

“What? Who told you that?”

“Rumors,” she said vaguely.

The doors opened into the parking garage for KSI and Anson walked her to a large, gleaming, silver truck. “Whose truck is this?”

“Mine, we’ll park it at the airport.”

Piper hopped in the cab that smelled like leather and Anson. He got in and started it up.

“After tonight we’ll be permanently mated. I plan on making love to you all night long. When I come inside you… your mark will appear. You’ll have a much higher tolerance to illnesses. If you’re injured, I can help heal you, if it’s minor enough.”

“How do you do that?”

Anson smiled at her. “Let’s leave that for a surprise.”

“So that’s it? Just sex?”

“No, it’s not just sex. It’s us sharing the very essence of ourselves. Your mate mark will look just like mine. I’ll be yours forever.”

“It surprises me every time you say it like that.”

Anson pulled out into traffic. “Like what?”

“That you’ll be mine.”

“Piper, you’ve been trying to be someone else’s wife for too long. You thought it was all because there was something wrong with you. It was the other people that didn’t work. Now you can know that you should have been looking for a mate instead of looking to be someone’s wife. More importantly, maybe things worked out so you’d be my mate. I wouldn’t have wished any of it on you, but it led me to you. So I’m going to take the gift I was given.”

“Don’t you worry that you’ll be stuck with me?”

Anson let out a barking laugh. “There is nothing a Kindred wants more than to have to only think of one person. Crave only one person. Love only one person. Every unmated Kindred will be jealous of me. They will see a beautiful accomplished woman on my arm that will love me.”

“How do you know that I’ll love you?” she asked, the words hanging like ice shards in the air.

“You will. I told you. I have no other desire in the world than to spend the rest of my days making you fall in love with me.”

“I wish I was that confident.”

“Piper, you just need to see something to the end. You’ve been let down too many times. Tonight you will get my words, my ring, and my mark. Tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow is the beginning of the truth of your new life.”